2011 F1RWRS Tasman Grand Prix
The 2011 F1RWRS Tasman Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2011 F1RWRS season. The race was won by Aurelien Moll driving for Ecurie de Course Belge, the second victory of his F1RWRS career.
Race Report
Qualifying
A few notable drivers, including Ashley Watkinson and John Zimmer failed to pre-qualify for the race. Nicolas Steele recorded his third straight DNPQ, badly disappointing the ArrowTech management. The main qualifying session saw Chris Dagnall take pole position, David Koczo, Frank Zimmer and Nathanael Spencer. Two of the newer drivers, Barii Mori and Jeroen Krautmeir, both found some pace to qualify 6th and 7th respectively, embarassing their more experienced teammates.
Race
At the start, the two Prospec cars dropped back, letting Chris Dagnall retain the lead. Koczo and Cameron battled for second place while Aurelien Moll pitted on Lap 1, using the same strategy that won him the Kent Grand Prix two races before. Moll's tyres responded well to the circuit and he was back on the tail of the non-pitters within a few laps. The next few laps were rather uneventful. The order at the end of Lap 6 was as follows: Dagnall, Cameron, Koczo, Spencer and Zimmer. Lap 7 saw Cameron take the lead from Dagnall but the only other event was that Frank Zimmer pitted for fresh rubber.
Dagnall and Spencer both pitted on Lap 8, giving Cameron a large lead over Koczo. T. Hemo Goblin found his way into 3rd, with Barii Mori fourth and Jeroen Krautmeir fifth. Krautmeir would pass Mori on Lap 9 for fourth place while Spencer and Dagnall reentered from pit lane. Cameron and Koczo swapped the lead for about four laps but throughout all this, Aurelien Moll had caught up to the leaders. He flew by on Lap 15. The other early-stoppers (Zimmer, Spencer, Dagnall and Pippa Mann) were all well behind Moll, basically assuring the Belgian the win if his tyres lasted long enough.
The remainder of the race was focused on the battle for the top five positions as Dagnall and Spencer battled for third place. On Lap 21, the two collided. Dagnall lost ground while Spencer smashed into the wall and was ordered to pit. Spencer's second non-points finish in a row aided rival Daniel Melrose, however, Melrose could only manage eighth place this time around. Moll was bogged down in traffic and Zimmer came close to passing him on Lap 23. However, this was the closest as Zimmer would get to Moll as Zimmer was himself caught in traffic. Meanwhile, Krautmeir passed Dagnall for third on Lap 26. Moll survived his worn tyres to take the win with Zimmer second and Krautmeir third. Chris Dagnall held onto fourth. He was followed by Giovanni Roda who drove a consistent race to take fifth. Simon Redman, Pippa Mann and Daniel Melrose took positions 6-8 respectively, although Melrose was unable to fully capitalize on Spencer's accident, leaving Spencer within 13 points of Melrose.
Standings After the Race
- Bold text indicates who still has a mathematical chance of becoming champion.
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Daniel Melrose
|
55 |
| 2 |  Nathanael Spencer
|
42 |
| 3 | Gary Cameron
|
40 |
| =4 |  David Koczo
|
31 |
| =4 | Frank Zimmer
|
31 |
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prospec
|
71 |
| 2 |  JLD-BMW
|
63 |
| 3 |  Calinetic-Ford
|
59 |
| 4 |  AMR-DeLorean/Peel
|
39 |
| 5 |  Kahama-Ford
|
25 |
| Previous race: 2011 Dutch Grand Prix |
Formula 1 Rejects World Race Series Championship 2011 Season |
Next race: 2011 Australian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2010 Tasman Grand Prix |
Tasman Grand Prix | Next race: 2012 Tasman Grand Prix |
