Formula Regional Oceania Trophy
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The Formula Regional Oceania Trophy is New Zealand's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. The cars are also the category for the New Zealand Grand Prix – one of only two races in the world with FIA approval to use the Grand Prix nomenclature outside Formula One. The series was known as the Toyota Racing Series until 2023.
Summary
The Toyota Racing Series is an incubator and showcase for New Zealand racing talent. The Series offers emerging drivers the chance to gain experience with carbon-fibre composite chassis, aerodynamics and slick tyres.
The Series has the full endorsement of Motorsport New Zealand, the sport's governing body. Until the beginning of 2017, the series was managed by Toyota Racing Management a company under the leadership of Barrie Thomlinson.
Previously, the country's leading drivers had to go offshore to step up to this level. High-profile graduates from the series to date include Brendon Hartley, formerly in Formula One with Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, and Earl Bamber. The series has also seen the likes of Liam Lawson, Daniil Kvyat, Will Stevens, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris compete on their way to Formula One.
For 2008, the series has also gone "green". Fuels for all cars racing in the series are now an E85 biofuel blend of 85 per cent ethanol made from whey, a dairy industry by-product; and petrol. Reduced emissions, reduced carbon "footprint" and reduced use of fossil fuels are all being showcased in this unique New Zealand programme. The 2008 New Zealand Grand Prix thus becomes the first ever biofuel grand prix in the world.
The short summer series (five weekends in five weeks, all in January and February) during the Southern Hemisphere summer has made the series attractive to development drivers from the Northern Hemisphere, as the series takes place during the off-season, serving as single-seater motorsport's equivalent of professional baseball's "winter ball" leagues in the Caribbean and Australia. Drivers from both Europe and the Americas actively participate in the series, as it allows them to develop their skills in an atmosphere similar to the winter ball leagues. A June 2019 FIA World Motor Sport Council decision now allows development drivers to tally Toyota Racing Series with their regular series towards FIA Super Licence points required to be in a Formula One car, meaning the driver can participate in this series, then participate in a series that starts after the end of the Toyota Racing Series, and accumulate points from both series towards F1 approval.
The series was renamed to Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship for the 2023 season, joining the other various Formula Regional series around the world.
In 2025 Lando Norris became the first Formula One World Champion that had competed in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Circuits
The current championship consists of four rounds, each comprising three races.
- Bold denotes a circuit is used in the 2026 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon | 22 | 2005–2021, 2023–2025 |
| 2 | New Zealand Teretonga Park | 18 | 2005–2020, 2023, 2025–present |
| 3 | New Zealand Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park | 16 | 2006–2013, 2015–2019, 2023–present |
| New Zealand Hampton Downs Motorsport Park | 16 | 2010–2021, 2023–present | |
| 5 | New Zealand Euromarque Motorsport Park | 11 | 2005–2006, 2008, 2015–2018, 2024 |
| 6 | New Zealand Timaru International Motor Raceway | 10 | 2005–2014 |
| 7 | New Zealand Pukekohe Park Raceway | 8 | 2005–2007, 2009, 2020 |
| 8 | New Zealand Highlands Motorsport Park | 6 | 2014, 2019–2020, 2023–present |
| 9 | New Zealand Hamilton Street Circuit | 2 | 2008–2009 |
Car
2015–2019
The Toyota Racing Series ran a Tatuus FT-50 chassis with modified versions of 1.8L Toyota four cylinder 2ZZ-GE production engines which can produce 200bhp, a six speed Sadev sequential transmission with limited slip differential with a carbon fibre body and a Carbon monocoque chassis built by Tatuus in Italy to full FIA F3 specification. The cars use Michelin S308 tyres (Front 20x54x13, Rear 24x57x13) and weigh approximately 480 kg.
2020–present
The Toyota Racing Series switched to a new chassis called Tatuus FT-60, identical to the Tatuus F.3 T-318 used in Europe, whereas the new engine 8AR-FTS will be a 2.0L turbocharged unit developing 270bhp. The cars have a halo for the protection of the drivers head and the car weighs approximately 665 kg with driver.
Champions
Source:
Multiple Titles
| Titles | Driver | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | New Zealand Daniel Gaunt | 2005–06, 2006–07 |
| New Zealand Mitch Evans | 2010, 2011 | |
| New Zealand Nick Cassidy | 2012, 2013 |
| Titles | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | M2 Competition | 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 |
| 4 | Giles Motorsport | 2008–09, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| 2 | International Motorsport | 2005–06, 2006–07 |
| 1 | Brent Collins Motorsport | 2005 |
| Knight Motorsport | 2007–08 | |
| Neale Motorsport | 2014 | |
| Victory Motor Racing | 2017 |
| Wins | Country | Drivers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | New Zealand New Zealand | Brent Collins | 2005 |
| Daniel Gaunt | 2005–06, 2006–07 | ||
| Andy Knight | 2007–08 | ||
| Mitch Cunningham | 2008–09 | ||
| Mitch Evans | 2010, 2011 | ||
| Nick Cassidy | 2012, 2013 | ||
| Liam Lawson | 2019 | ||
| Matthew Payne | 2021 | ||
| 2 | United Kingdom United Kingdom | Lando Norris | 2016 |
| Arvid Lindblad | 2025 | ||
| 1 | Singapore Singapore | Andrew Tang | 2014 |
| Canada Canada | Lance Stroll | 2015 | |
| Australia Australia | Thomas Randle | 2017 | |
| Russia Russia | Robert Shwartzman | 2018 | |
| Brazil Brazil | Igor Fraga | 2020 | |
| Austria Austria | Charlie Wurz | 2023 | |
| Poland Poland | Roman Bilinski | 2024 | |
| United States United States | Ugo Ugochukwu | 2026 |
Trophies
The winner of the feature race of each round in the championship is awarded a trophy:
- Lady Wigram Trophy
- The Spirit of the Nation Cup
- The NZ Motor Cup
- Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy
- Dan Higgins Trophy
- The New Zealand Grand Prix Trophy
The overall winner of the championship (based on championship points) receives the Chris Amon Trophy