2012 New Zealand Grand Prix

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
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 New Zealand 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

Qualifying
Pos No Driver Team Time Grid
1 1 New Zealand Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport 1:03.178 1
2 2 New Zealand Nick Cassidy Giles Motorsport 1:03.391 2
3 5 Brazil Bruno Bonifacio Giles Motorsport 1:03.518 3
4 52 France Nathanaël Berthon M2 Competition 1:03.711 4
5 16 Netherlands Hannes van Asseldonk Giles Motorsport 1:03.791 5
6 15 Austria Lucas Auer Giles Motorsport 1:03.817 6
7 10 United Kingdom Josh Hill ETEC Motorsport 1:03.967 7
8 42 United Kingdom Jordan King M2 Competition 1:03.980 8
9 87 New Zealand Damon Leitch Victory Motor Racing 1:04.146 9
10 53 Italy Raffaele Marciello M2 Competition 1:04.201 10
11 6 Puerto Rico Félix Serrallés Giles Motorsport 1:04.285 11
12 43 Thailand Tanart Sathienthirakul M2 Competition 1:04.353 12
13 7 New Zealand Jono Lester ETEC Motorsport 1:04.403 13
14 4 New Zealand Chris Vlok Victory Motor Racing 1:04.492 14
15 20 Russia Dmitry Suranovich Victory Motor Racing 1:04.584 15
16 8 Malaysia Melvin Moh ETEC Motorsport 1:04.729 16
17 88 Italy Michela Cerruti Victory Motor Racing 1:04.809 17
18 11 India Shahaan Engineer ETEC Motorsport 1:04.847 18
19 9 New Zealand Ken Smith ETEC Motorsport 1:05.394 19
20 51 India Sheban Siddiqi M2 Competition 1:05.950 20
Source(s):[4]

Race
Pos No Driver Team Laps Gap Grid
1 2 New Zealand Nick Cassidy Giles Motorsport 35 40min 18.327sec 2
2 16 Netherlands Hannes van Asseldonk Giles Motorsport 35 + 0.509s 5
3 15 Austria Lucas Auer Giles Motorsport 35 + 4.800s 6
4 5 Brazil Bruno Bonifacio Giles Motorsport 35 + 7.772s 3
5 52 France Nathanaël Berthon M2 Competition 35 + 8.363s 4
6 7 New Zealand Jono Lester ETEC Motorsport 35 + 11.723s 13
7 6 Puerto Rico Félix Serrallés Giles Motorsport 35 + 12.294s 11
8 20 Russia Dmitry Suranovich Victory Motor Racing 35 + 18.280s 15
9 8 Malaysia Melvin Moh ETEC Motorsport 35 + 24.164s 16
10 43 Thailand Tanart Sathienthirakul M2 Competition 35 + 28.179s 12
11 4 New Zealand Chris Vlok Victory Motor Racing 35 + 28.265s 14
12 88 Italy Michela Cerruti Victory Motor Racing 35 + 28.683s 17
13 9 New Zealand Ken Smith ETEC Motorsport 35 + 39.874s 19
14 51 India Sheban Siddiqi M2 Competition 35 + 1:01.730s 20
15 11 India Shahaan Engineer ETEC Motorsport 34 + 1 lap 18
16 87 New Zealand Damon Leitch Victory Motor Racing 30 + 5 laps 9
Ret 1 New Zealand Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport 28 Engine 1
Ret 10 United Kingdom Josh Hill ETEC Motorsport 17 Retired 7
Ret 53 Italy Raffaele Marciello M2 Competition 15 Retired 10
Ret 42 United Kingdom Jordan King M2 Competition 4 Retired 8
Source(s):[5]

References
  1. "mylaps.com". Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  2. "Evans becomes youngest Grand Prix winner". Toyota Racing Series. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  3. "Cassidy claims GP title". Stuff. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. "Q6C Toyota Racing Series - Super Pole". Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  5. "Race 20 Toyota Racing Series - NZ Grand Prix". Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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