Lucas Auer proved that speed runs in the family as he dominated the Toyota Racing Series race at Timaru today and seized the lead in the series.

The 18-year-old Austrian’s uncle is Gerhard Berger, who won 10 Grands Prix and twice finished third in the Formula One championship. Berger now advises his nephew.

Auer topped both qualifying sessions and in the race he pulled away from Kiwi Nick Cassidy, the reigning champion, to win by four seconds – a big margin in this closely fought championship.

“The team did a great job with the car,” Auer, who has taken to calling himself Luggi, said. “In the end I just had to drive it.

“This track is a little one, and twisty, but I like it.”

Puerto Rican driver Felix Serralles, who had led the series after the first round at Invercargill last weekend, ended the day frustrated after problems in qualifying forced him to start sixth on the grid and he finished the 15-lap race in the same position.

“You can’t pass here, it’s too tight,” he lamented after dropping from first to second in the points standings.

Auer disagreed with Serralles on this point. “If you are fast enough you can overtake – anywhere on the track,” he said.

But Auer never had to pass anyone because after he fended off a challenge from Cassidy at the first corner he was able to pull away quickly.

Cassidy had to concentrate on keeping Brazilian Bruno Bonifacio behind him, but managed to maintain a safe gap throughout the race and advance from fourth to third in the championship. Dutch driver Steijn Schothorst was fourth and Invercargill’s Damon Leitch fifth.

English driver Alex Lynn showed he had not been seriously affected by last weekend’s big crash as he finished seventh.

The second qualifying session was affected by a red flag then a yellow flag, which stopped drivers from making a late effort to improve their positions. Cassidy will start the final race tomorrow from eighth, Auer again from pole.

Australian V8 Supercar driver Jason Bargwanna increased his lead in the NZV8s championship by winning today’s race narrowly from Hamilton’s Martin Short. Both were in the fast new-generation cars, Bargwanna a Holden Commodore and Short a Toyota Camry.

Cambridge driver Nick Ross was pushing Short hard in his new Commodore, but had to pull out with a mechanical problem.

Aucklander Shaun Varney broke the monopoly of the Lauder brothers in the NZV8s championship for the older NZV8s, surviving pressure from AJ Lauder late in the race to take his first victory in this class. Brad Lauder, 16, took third and these three all drove Ford Falcons.

Christchurch racer James Munro, the day before his 16th birthday, seemed to have the Formula Ford race under control but his car lost power and he drifted back to third, behind winner Brendon Leitch (Invercargill) and Tom Alexander (Christchurch).

Australian Steve Zammit won the Super Truck scratch race in his 1400hp Kenworth, which has a 14-litre Cummins engine. In the reverse-grid race he came second behind the Kenworth of Lower Hutt driver Shane Gray.