Schothorst Heads Up M2’s Toyota Racing Series Challenge

Schothorst Heads Up M2’s Toyota Racing Series Challenge

Netherlands racer Steijn Schothorst heads up M2 Competition’s strong six-car entry in the 2014 Toyota Racing Series.

The 2013 champion team, M2 Competition is the first to reveal its full driver line-up for the 2014 championship which begins on January 10 at Teretonga near Invercargill and runs for five weeks. A further four NZ teams will confirm their drivers over coming weeks as the complete 22-car grid is revealed.

With a very busy year of racing behind him in the northern hemisphere, 19 year old Schothorst heads back to TRS for his second tilt at the championship title.

Schothorst won the first race of the final round at the New Zealand Grand Prix event in 2013 and finished fourth overall in the championship behind Austrian Lucas Auer, British driver Alex Lynn and the 2012 and 2013 champion, Kiwi Nick Cassidy. Schothorst impressed at every round with his speed and accuracy in the car. He was on the podium five times in TRS 2013 and set one fastest lap.

After completing TRS, Schothorst returned to Europe and raced in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Championship, finishing fifth with three race wins, one pole position, four podium finishes and two fastest laps. He heads a team of young racers from around the world, lining up at M2 alongside Brazilians Pedro Piquet and Gustavo Lima, Australian Macauley Jones, Russian Egor Orudzhev and Swiss Levin Amweg.

Toyota Racing Series category manager Barrie Thomlinson says the M2 line-up is an exciting one that is testimony to the continuing success of the championship.

“M2 have a good mix of talent and they are focussed on giving their drivers the very best chance of winning some of New Zealand’s most prestigious trophies. I know the team are very keen to take the series title again and we’re expecting some great on-track action as the championship develops,” he said.

Pedro Piquet (15) comes to the championship from a successful karting background, long acknowledged to be the foundation on which motor racing careers are built. Thomlinson says Piquet has been preparing himself for TRS in Brazil driving Formula 3 cars “and we expect that he will make good progress through the series.”

Gustavo Lima has been racing this year in the new Formula 4 championship in Britain. The 17 year old Brazilian also finished sixth in his home country’s Formula 3 championship.

Macauley Jones (19) is the son of V8 Supercar racer and team owner Brad Jones. He has been racing in the Formula Ford championship in Australia, and recently earned the distinction of having won the last ever Australian Formula Ford national championship race.

Jones was fourth in the championship with six wins, a pole position, 13 podium finishes and four fastest laps. He began racing karts in 2009, stepping up to single-seaters in 2012. He was one of four drivers who took part in a post-season TRS rookie test at Hampton Downs in March and now returns for his first taste of ‘wings and slicks’ action.

Egor Orudzhev (18) is one of three young Russian drivers to commit to the 2014 championship and follows a number of his countrymen who have raced in the series in recent years. He will race in TRS 2014 under the Russian SMP Racing banner. SMP Racing is currently supporting a number of Russian drivers racing in various categories including karting, Formula Renault 2.0, the World Series by Renault, and Le Mans.

Levin Amweg, a 19 year old from Bern in Switzerland, is also making his TRS debut. Amweg competed in Formula Renault Eurocup with the Swiss based Jenzer Motorsport team, his post-season testing had him near the top of the timesheets and Barrie Thomlinson says he will be one to watch in TRS. At the end of the championship he heads back to Europe to compete in Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup.

Founded in 2010, M2 Competition is owned and operated by Mark Pilcher and Jonathan ‘Flex’ Moury. The team won the TRS drivers championship to give Nick Cassidy his second title in 2013 and also won the Teams championship title. Using the experience they have gained working in DTM, Champ Car, GP2, WRC, A1GP and the Le Mans Series, the team’s principals have their focus firmly on a second title while aiming to continue to provide the best package for their young drivers to develop their motor racing careers.

Driver announcements will be made by Giles Motorsport, Victory Motor Racing, Neale Motorsport and ETEC Motorsport in coming weeks.

ENDS

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