Daruvala scores first win in cars at Toyota Racing Series season opener

Seventeen-year-old Jehan Daruvala took his first win since his graduation to car racing from karting in 2015 by winning the third and final race of the opening round of the 2016 Toyota Racing Series held at Ruapuna Park at Christchurch, New Zealand.

The development level single-seat series run in New Zealand - using a 1.8-litre, 200bhp Tatuus chassis car built to FIA Formula 3 specification - has been a destination for up and coming racing drivers with Daruvala's compatriot Arjun Maini also competing there last year where he scored two wins and five podiums en route to fourth place in the championship standings.

Daruvala's win came following and eighth and 13th place finish in the first two races, respectively. The Mumbai native started the final race in 15th place and slowly made his way up the field on a wet track before a safety car period bunched up the field. Following the race going green again, Daruvala charged to the front of the field while the frontrunners struggled, with a few even retiring from the race.

A red flag brought the race to an end with Daruvala confirmed as the winner.

The win sees Daruvala finish the first race weekend of the five-round season with 140 points in fifth place, 44 behind Austria's Ferdinand Habsburg.

Daruvala will continue with his participation in the rest of the Toyota Racing Series, which has one of its toughest driver line ups. Lando Norris (Former World Karting Champion and Current F4 Champion), Pedro Piquet (2 Time Brazilian F3 Champion and son of F1 World Champ – Nelson Piquet), Guanyu Zhou (Ferrari Academy Racer), Artem Markelov (GP2 racer) , etc. who are some of the notable names on the grid. The next race will be this coming weekend at the Teretonga Park Raceway.

The next round of the Toyota Racing Series will be held on the January 23-24 weekend at Teretonga Park, Invercargill.