Photo: Toyota Racing Series
The pole positions for the second round of the 2015 Toyota Racing Series season at Teretonga went to Matteo Ferrer and Brendon Leitch, who sit 15th and 16th in the standings respectively.
Ferrer’s top time in the first session marked ETEC Motorsport’s first qualifying pole in the series since 2012. But Leitch secured an even bigger milestone for Victory Motor Racing, whose drivers had not taken pole in qualifying since the 2011 season.
Giles Motorsport’s Alfonso Celis took the early lead in the opening session, but was deposed by Leitch before the halfway point. Rushing to take the spot back, the Mexican went off into the tyre wall, suspending the session and ending his qualifying.
Friday pacesetter Santino Ferrucci managed to immediately go quickest after the restart. However, in the ensuing hectic fight for the top spots, it was Ferrer who prevailed, leading second-placed Brandon Maisano by 0.08s.
Arjun Maini was third, ahead of Giles drivers Ferrucci and James Munro. M2’s Charlie Eastwood took sixth, leading Victory’s quickest driver Stefan Riener, championship leader Lance Stroll and Sam MacLeod. Leitch, who led at the red flag, ended up all the way down in tenth.
Just as on Friday, Ferrucci was again the first driver to go below 53s, doing so in the second session. However, at the ten-minute mark, Leitch stormed past him. Just then, Munro rolled, bringing out another red flag that would call an end to the session.
With Ferrucci settling for second, Stroll edged out MacLeod by 0.002s to claim third. Maini continued to figure out front with fifth, leading Riener and Eastwood.
Despite his off, Munro was classified in eighth, with Maisano and Thomas Randle completing the top ten.
Qualifying results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Matteo Ferrer | ETEC Motorsport | 53.099 | 1 | Brendon Leitch | Victory Motor Racing | 52.873 |
| 2 | Brandon Maisano | M2 Competition | 53.179 | 2 | Santino Ferrucci | Giles Motorsport | 52.897 |
| 3 | Arjun Maini | M2 Competition | 53.203 | 3 | Lance Stroll | M2 Competition | 52.941 |
| 4 | Santino Ferrucci | Giles Motorsport | 53.258 | 4 | Sam MacLeod | Giles Motorsport | 52.943 |
| 5 | James Munro | Giles Motorsport | 53.304 | 5 | Arjun Maini | M2 Competition | 53.021 |
| 6 | Charlie Eastwood | M2 Competition | 53.335 | 6 | Stefan Riener | Victory Motor Racing | 53.039 |
| 7 | Stefan Riener | Victory Motor Racing | 53.353 | 7 | Charlie Eastwood | M2 Competition | 53.052 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | M2 Competition | 53.373 | 8 | James Munro | Giles Motorsport | 53.068 |
| 9 | Sam MacLeod | Giles Motorsport | 53.403 | 9 | Brandon Maisano | M2 Competition | 53.104 |
| 10 | Brendon Leitch | Victory Motor Racing | 53.434 | 10 | Thomas Randle | ETEC Motorsport | 53.138 |
| 11 | Alfonso Celis | Giles Motorsport | 53.437 | 11 | Artem Markelov | Giles Motorsport | 53.158 |
| 12 | Thomas Randle | ETEC Motorsport | 53.464 | 12 | Matteo Ferrer | ETEC Motorsport | 53.241 |
| 13 | Jamie Conroy | M2 Competition | 53.554 | 13 | Jamie Conroy | M2 Competition | 53.304 |
| 14 | Callum Ilott | ETEC Motorsport | 53.628 | 14 | Callum Ilott | ETEC Motorsport | 53.325 |
| 15 | Artem Markelov | Giles Motorsport | 53.661 | 15 | Mathias Kristensen | M2 Competition | 53.345 |
| 16 | Damon Leitch | Victory Motor Racing | 53.684 | 16 | Dzhon Simonyan | Giles Motorsport | 53.445 |
| 17 | Dzhon Simonyan | Giles Motorsport | 53.703 | 17 | Damon Leitch | Victory Motor Racing | 53.502 |
| 18 | Mathias Kristensen | M2 Competition | 53.731 | 18 | Ferdinand Habsburg | Victory Motor Racing | 53.586 |
| 19 | Ferdinand Habsburg | Victory Motor Racing | 53.864 | 19 | Nikita Mazepin | ETEC Motorsport | 53.673 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | ETEC Motorsport | 54.020 | 20 | Alfonso Celis | Giles Motorsport |