Tang dominates race one of Manfeild finale

Photo: Toyota Racing Series

Toyota Racing Series championship leader Andrew Tang has edged closer to the title with a dominant display in the opening race of the final championship round at Manfeild.

The Singaporean was set to start the race in second, but wound up benefitting from other frontrunners’ early issues, as both poleman Nick Cassidy and Tang’s main title rival Jann Mardenborough had technical issues on the grid and were moved to the back of the pack.

As such, Tang had the front row all to himself and had little trouble holding onto the lead when the race finally got going after several delays.

The Neale Motorsport driver proved untouchable over the next 17 laps, going above the lap record on multiple occasions. He ended up taking the checkered flag more than ten seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Championship hopeful Damon Leitch took over from Ryan Tveter in second during the opening lap and went on unchallenged for position until the end of the race. Meanwhile, Tveter himself picked up his second podium of the season.

Steijn Schothorst made his way up to fourth at the finish, while his teammate Levin Amweg kept a charging Mardenborough at bay to finish fifth. The Brit kept his title chances alive with a spectacular recovery drive to sixth, ahead of Matteo Ferrer and Gustavo Lima. Macauley Jones and Robin Hansson rounded out the running.

Series frontrunners Martin Rump and James Munro were involved in an opening lap incident that dropped them down the order. Rump recovered to P14 but was given a post-race penalty and demoted down the order. Another usual contender Egor Orudzhev was also ruled out of the fight for high-scoring positions early on.

The provisional standings see Mardenborough and Damon Leitch level for P2, with championship leader Tang 37 points ahead. Orudzhev and Rump retain outside chances at the title.

Race results

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