The 2012 New Zealand Grand Prix event for open wheel racing cars was held at Manfeild Autocourse near Feilding on 12 February 2012. It was the fifty-seventh New Zealand Grand Prix and was open to Toyota Racing Series cars. The event was also the third race of the fifth round of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series, the final race of the series.
| 2012 New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3, Round 5 of 5 of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series | |||
_clockwise_short.svg) | |||
| Race details[1] | |||
| Date | 12 February 2012 | ||
| Official name | LVII New Zealand Grand Prix | ||
| Location | Manfeild Autocourse, Feilding, New Zealand | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.033 km (1.885 miles) | ||
| Distance | 35 laps, 106.16 km (65.96 miles) | ||
| Weather | Fine | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Giles Motorsport | ||
| Time | 1:03.392 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mitch Evans | Giles Motorsport | |
| Time | 1:04.235 on lap 22 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Giles Motorsport | ||
| Second | Giles Motorsport | ||
| Third | Giles Motorsport | ||
Twenty Tatuus-Toyota cars started the race which was won by 17-year-old New Zealander Nick Cassidy who became the who became the second teenager in as many years to claim the Grand Prix after sixteen-year-old Mitch Evans the previous year.[2]
The Giles Motorsport team dominated the race, filling all three podium positions. Dutch driver Hannes van Asseldonk finished second, 05 seconds behind Cassidy. Third was Austrian driver Lucas Auer. Cassidy inherited the lead after the retirement of fellow Giles Motorsport driver and defending champion Mitch Evans who held a three-second lead when his car failed on lap 28.[3] Completing Giles Motorsport's dominance of the race, Brazilian driver Bruno Bonifacio finished fourth. Nathanaël Berthon was the first driver from any other team, finishing fifth for M2 Competition.
Cassidy's win also wrapped up a success championship campaign for Cassidy, winning his first major championship with the 2012 Toyota Racing Series crown.
Results edit
Qualifying edit
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mitch Evans
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.178 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | Nick Cassidy
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.391 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 |  Bruno Bonifacio
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.518 | 3 |
| 4 | 52 |  Nathanaël Berthon
|
M2 Competition | 1:03.711 | 4 |
| 5 | 16 |  Hannes van Asseldonk
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.791 | 5 |
| 6 | 15 |  Lucas Auer
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.817 | 6 |
| 7 | 10 |  Josh Hill
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:03.967 | 7 |
| 8 | 42 | Jordan King
|
M2 Competition | 1:03.980 | 8 |
| 9 | 87 | Damon Leitch
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.146 | 9 |
| 10 | 53 |  Raffaele Marciello
|
M2 Competition | 1:04.201 | 10 |
| 11 | 6 |  Félix Serrallés
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:04.285 | 11 |
| 12 | 43 |  Tanart Sathienthirakul
|
M2 Competition | 1:04.353 | 12 |
| 13 | 7 | Jono Lester
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.403 | 13 |
| 14 | 4 | Chris Vlok
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.492 | 14 |
| 15 | 20 |  Dmitry Suranovich
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.584 | 15 |
| 16 | 8 |  Melvin Moh
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.729 | 16 |
| 17 | 88 | Michela Cerruti
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.809 | 17 |
| 18 | 11 |  Shahaan Engineer
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.847 | 18 |
| 19 | 9 | Ken Smith
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:05.394 | 19 |
| 20 | 51 | Sheban Siddiqi
|
M2 Competition | 1:05.950 | 20 |
| Source(s):[4] | |||||
Race edit
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nick Cassidy
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | 40min 18.327sec | 2 |
| 2 | 16 | Hannes van Asseldonk
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 0.509s | 5 |
| 3 | 15 | Lucas Auer
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 4.800s | 6 |
| 4 | 5 | Bruno Bonifacio
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 7.772s | 3 |
| 5 | 52 | Nathanaël Berthon
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 8.363s | 4 |
| 6 | 7 | Jono Lester
|
ETEC Motorsport | 35 | + 11.723s | 13 |
| 7 | 6 | Félix Serrallés
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 12.294s | 11 |
| 8 | 20 | Dmitry Suranovich
|
Victory Motor Racing | 35 | + 18.280s | 15 |
| 9 | 8 | Melvin Moh
|
ETEC Motorsport | 35 | + 24.164s | 16 |
| 10 | 43 | Tanart Sathienthirakul
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 28.179s | 12 |
| 11 | 4 | Chris Vlok
|
Victory Motor Racing | 35 | + 28.265s | 14 |
| 12 | 88 | Michela Cerruti
|
Victory Motor Racing | 35 | + 28.683s | 17 |
| 13 | 9 | Ken Smith
|
ETEC Motorsport | 35 | + 39.874s | 19 |
| 14 | 51 | Sheban Siddiqi
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 1:01.730s | 20 |
| 15 | 11 | Shahaan Engineer
|
ETEC Motorsport | 34 | + 1 lap | 18 |
| 16 | 87 | Damon Leitch
|
Victory Motor Racing | 30 | + 5 laps | 9 |
| Ret | 1 | Mitch Evans
|
Giles Motorsport | 28 | Engine | 1 |
| Ret | 10 | Josh Hill
|
ETEC Motorsport | 17 | Retired | 7 |
| Ret | 53 | Raffaele Marciello
|
M2 Competition | 15 | Retired | 10 |
| Ret | 42 | Jordan King
|
M2 Competition | 4 | Retired | 8 |
| Source(s):[5] | ||||||
References edit
- ^ "mylaps.com". Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ^ "Evans becomes youngest Grand Prix winner". Toyota Racing Series. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ "Cassidy claims GP title". Stuff. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ "Q6C Toyota Racing Series - Super Pole". Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Race 20 Toyota Racing Series - NZ Grand Prix". Retrieved 7 June 2022.