Alex Lynn remains in the hunt for a top-three championship position in the Toyota Racing Series International Championship in New Zealand following the third – and penultimate – race weekend at the new Hampton Downs circuit.
The 17-year-old Englishman raced strongly to a pair of fourth-place finishes, but was unfortunate to get involved in a race-ending collision in the third and final race of the weekend – it was his first non-finish in 28 starts.
Lynn, the reigning Formula Renault UK Winter Cup champion, qualified fifth and improved to fourth in the opening race. After scoring a win in the opening round at Teretonga and podium finishes in the second weekend at Timaru, the Essex driver found that the local experts had more of an advantage on the tricky Hampton Downs circuit. “I learned it pretty quickly but it took me a while to drive it right,” he said. “It took a bit of adapting and testing was tough, but I got there in the end and in the races I was right there on pace. I feel that I learned a lot this weekend.”
Alex’s fourth place in race one gave him third on the grid for race two, in which the top six finishers from the opening encounter were reversed. It turned into a superb race, featuring an energetic scrap with reigning champion (and 2011 points leader) Mitch Evans. “It was a fantastic race and I went wheel to wheel with Mitch for about 10 laps,” said Lynn. “I was a bit disappointed to come off worst, but you just enjoy those kinds of races anyway. Mitch held me out wide when he passed and that allowed Nick Cassidy to pass me as well, but then we all got our heads down and caught the leaders hand over fist.”
The final race was a short one for Lynn. His Giles Motorsport team-mate Evans, who was leading, had a tricky moment and the chain reaction resulted in Alex running into Cassidy, ironically another of his team-mates.
“We all went into the first hairpin fairly close to each other,” he said. “Mitch locked up and everyone backed themselves up to miss him. I was right on Nick’s gearbox and had nowhere to go – unfortunately my front-right wheel clipped his left-rear and broke the suspension.”
Lynn now has just a few days to wait before the fourth and final weekend of the TRS International series, the prestigious New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild, where he will bid to become the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner, in addition to attempting to move up from his current fourth place in the points standings.
“I’m happy with how I’ve adapted to everything in New Zealand,” he said. “I came down here to get experience before heading back for my second season in Formula Renault UK, and I feel that I’ve learned so much. Now we’re all going for the Grand Prix and we’ll all be full-on to win that race. I’ll definitely go for it!”
Meanwhile, Alex has also been selected for the British Racing Drivers’ Club SuperStars scheme. Among a host of benefits, this gives talented young drivers help and advice with physical and mental training, career guidance, sponsorship, media, marketing, and workshops with BRDC members. It comes hard on the heels of his inclusion in the Team UK scheme run by the Motor Sports Association, the governing body of British motorsport.
“It’s great, and I’m honoured to be selected by the BRDC to join the SuperStars scheme, especially as I’m still so young and it puts me in the company of some of the country’s best young drivers,” said Alex. “Following on from Team UK, this is fantastic and I can’t wait to prove that I deserve to be there with more race wins!”
