Zagazeta wins FRegional Oceania’s shortened first Teretonga race

Photo: Bruce Jenkins

Matias Zagazeta beat M2 Competition team-mate Arvid Lindblad to victory in Formula Regional Oceania’s first race at Teretonga.

He overtook poleman Lindblad at the start, putting a car length between them after two corners and then settling down in the lead as the sun beated down on the track but the wind also flew across it.

The M2 drivers had run with lower downforce in Friday’s sessions, a trick which was spotted in time for other teams to choose whether to try the same for the race on Saturday. However Lindblad and some others then had front wing adjustments made on the grid, showing the strategic battles in the paddock.

There was half a second between the top two after four laps, but Zagazeta then pulled away again to sit 0.8 seconds ahead, with Nikita Johnson (M2), Patrick Heuzenroeder and Zack Scoular (both MTEC Motorsport) filling the next three places.

Lindblad brought Zagazeta’s lead back down to 0.67s on lap nine of a scheduled 25, but Zagazeta again responded. Johnson trailed by 2.5s, and Heuzenreoder was another two seconds back.

Lindblad then got within half a second of Zagazeta on lap 14 as he set a new fastest lap and tyre management became more prevalent.

After lap one, there was no overtaking in the top 15 and the gaps mostly stabilised between other drivers until lap 15 when the safety car was summoned due to M2’s Michael Shin locking up with a puncture and crashing out of sixth place.

The recovery of his car did not begin until lap 19, and a lap later red flags waved so the race came to a premature end. That guaranteed full points and victory for Zagazeta, and moving up a spot in the top 10 were Josh Pierson (MTEC), Sebastian Manson (M2), Enzo Yeh (M2), Tommy Smith and Alex Crosbie (both Giles Motorsport).

Race results (19 laps)