Igor Fraga has pulled off a remarkable effort to win both the New Zealand Grand Prix and the Toyota Racing Series for 2020, as Liam Lawson takes second in the championship.
Fraga led off the line from Collet, Lawson and Colapinto. Ptacek made an opportunistic move on Colapinto, putting him up into fourth place. Lawson and Collet were engaged in a tense battle for second place.
Enqvist became the first casualty of the race after locking up and skating off the track. Up the front, Lawson found his way past Collet.
There was a moment of uncertainty as the safety car was called at the moment of the pass. The move was eventually deemed legal.
On the restart, Lawson hounded Fraga, coming close to a pass on his championship rival. As they got into the groove, Fraga began to pull out a margin over Lawson.
That was until the next safety car period just a few laps later, after Emilien Denner speared off into the gravel trap at the first corner. This capped off a disastrous second half to the season for the understandably dejected young Frenchman.
As soon as the safety car period had finished, another began. Tijmen van der Helm locked up into the first corner, pitching him into the gravel and out of the race.
On the second restart, Lawson locked up after attempting a move around the outside of Fraga, almost sending the Kiwi off the road.
Down the pack, Red Bull junior Yuki Tsunoda had been climbing through the pack. After starting in 15th, he was in sixth at the halfway mark of the race. He gained another position a lap later after an aggressive move on Gregoire Saucy.
As Fraga pulled out a margin of 1.5 seconds over Lawson, Colapinto began to draw closer as the Argentine set the fastest lap of the race.
After hitting the rev limit, Lawson lost second place to Colapinto and was under constant fire from Collet for the remainder of the race. But Lawson would fend him off the remainder, and the top three would remain the same at the conclusion of the race.
Up the front however, it was an exemplary display from Fraga. The young Brazilian maintaining the pace that kept him the title hunt all year. He crossed the line as the Toyota Racing Series champion and the New Zealand Grand Prix winner.
In attendance to witness his victory was the last Brazilian to win the New Zealand Grand Prix – Roberto Moreno. It was a fitting end to a phenominal five weeks of racing.
New Zealand Grand Prix results
1. Igor Fraga (M2 Competition)
2. Franco Colapinto (Kiwi Motorsport)
3. Liam Lawson (M2 Competition)
4. Caio Collet (MTEC Motorsport)
5. Petr Ptacek (MTEC Motorsport)
6. Yuki Tsunoda (M2 Competition)
7. Spike Kohlbecker (Kiwi Motorsport)
8. Jackson Walls (MTEC Motorsport)
9. Gregoire Saucy (Giles Motorsport)
10. Lucas Petersson (MTEC Motorsport)
11. Ido Cohen (M2 Competition)
12. Oliver Rasmussen (MTEC Motorsport)
13. Lirim Zendeli (Giles Motorsport)
14. Axel Gnos (Kiwi Motorsport)
15. Kenny Smith (Giles Motorsport)
DNF. Tijmen van der Helm (Kiwi Motorsport)
DNF. Emilien Denner (M2 Competition)
DNF. Rui Andrade (M2 Competition)
DNF. Henning Enqvist (Giles Motorsport)
Toyota Racing Series final points
1. Igor Fraga (M2 Competition) – 362
2. Liam Lawson (M2 Competition) – 355
3. Franco Colapinto (Kiwi Motorsport) – 315
4. Yuki Tsunoda (M2 Competition) – 257
5. Petr Ptacek (MTEC Motorsport) – 241
6. Gregoire Saucy (Giles Motorsport) – 220
7. Caio Collet (MTEC Motorsport) – 219
8. Lirim Zendeli (Giles Motorsport) – 201
9. Ido Cohen (M2 Competition) – 164
10. Jackson Walls (MTEC Motorsport) – 160
11. Oliver Rasmussen (MTEC Motorsport) – 157
12. Lucas Petersson (MTEC Motorsport) – 127
13. Spike Kohlbecker (Kiwi Motorsport) – 109
14. Tijmen van der Helm (Kiwi Motorsport) – 84
15. Émilien Denner (M2 Competition) – 72
16. Rui Andrade (M2 Competition) – 70
17. Henning Enqvist (Giles Motorsport) – 68
18. Axel Gnos (Kiwi Motorsport) – 60
19. Jose Blanco (Kiwi Motorsport) – 41
20. Chelsea Herbert (Giles Motorsport) – 10
21. Kenny Smith (Giles Motorsport) – 10