2025 Formula Regional Oceania Championship

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The 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship was the third season of the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, and the twentieth running of the premier open-wheel motorsport category formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series It was held in New Zealand over five consecutive weekends in January and February 2025.

The highest placed Australian or Kiwi driver after the first two rounds was awarded the Tasman Cup. Zack Scoular, driving for mtec Motorsport, was second overall after the second round, thereby claiming that title.

Scoular then also went on to win the Rookie Championship at the penultimate round of the season, before Arvid Lindblad, driving for M2 Competition, took the Drivers' Championship with two races to spare and his team took the Teams' Championship at the same race.

Entry list

All drivers competed with identical Tatuus FT-60 chassis cars powered by 2.0L turbocharged Toyota engines running on 100% fossil-free fuel. [1] [2]

TeamNo.DriverStatusRounds
mtec Motorsport3 Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular [3] RAll
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patrick Heuzenroeder [4] All
9 Flag of Brazil.svg Nicholas Monteiro [5] All
14 Flag of the United States.svg Josh Pierson [6] 1–4
32 Flag of the United States.svg Shawn Rashid [7] All
93 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Broc Feeney [8] 5
M2 Competition 4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad [9] All
8 Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta [10] All
17 Flag of the United States.svg Nikita Johnson [11] All
23 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin [12] All
69 Flag of New Zealand.svg Sebastian Manson [13] All
77 Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Enzo Yeh [14] RAll
Giles Motorsport13 Flag of the United States.svg Barrett Wolfe [15] RAll
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tommy Smith [16] 3–4
41 Flag of New Zealand.svg Alex Crosbie [17] All
87 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Brown [18] 1–2, 5
Kiwi Motorsport15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati [19] RAll
22 Flag of the United States.svg Jett Bowling [20] All
88 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley [21] All
IconStatus
RRookie
GGuest driver

Race calendar

The 2025 race calendar was announced in July 2024. [22] The championship again consisted of five weekends. Highlands Motorsport Park was intended to leave the calendar and be replaced by Teretonga Park, which returned after a one-year absence. However, on 2 September 2024, it was announced that the 69th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix would be held at Highlands Motorsport Park instead of at Euromarque Motorsport Park, so the latter left the calendar instead. [23]

RoundCircuitDateFeature raceSupport billMap of circuit locations
1R1 Taupo International Motorsport Park
(Taupō, Waikato)
11 January Denny Hulme Memorial TrophyTaupo Historic Grand Prix
Formula Atlantic NZ Historic
Historic Saloons, Sports and GTs
F5000 Tasman Cup Revival
R212 January
R3
2R1 Hampton Downs Motorsport Park
(Hampton Downs, North Waikato)
18 JanuaryDorothy Smith Memorial Trophy Toyota GR86 Championship
Super V8 Series
GT New Zealand Championship
TA2 New Zealand
R219 January
R3
3R1 Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon
(Feilding, Manawatū District)
25 JanuaryDan Higgins TrophyNextGen NZ Championship Manfeild International
GT Racing New Zealand
R226 January
R3
4R1 Teretonga Park
(Invercargill, Southland District)
1 FebruarySpirit of a Nation Cup Toyota GR86 Championship
GT New Zealand Championship
Mazda Racing Series NZ Championship
Pirelli Porsche Race Series
R22 February
R3
5R1 Highlands Motorsport Park
(Cromwell, Otago)
8 February New Zealand Grand Prix Toyota GR86 Championship
GT New Zealand Championship
Mazda Racing Series NZ Championship
Pirelli Porsche Race Series
R29 February
R3

Race results

RoundCircuitPole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning team
1R1 Taupo International Motorsport Park Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular mtec Motorsport
R2 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta M2 Competition
R3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Brown Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
2R1 Hampton Downs Motorsport Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United States.svg Josh Pierson Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
R2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of New Zealand.svg Sebastian Manson M2 Competition
R3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
3R1 Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
R2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular mtec Motorsport
R3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
4R1 Teretonga Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta M2 Competition
R2 Flag of the United States.svg Josh Pierson Flag of New Zealand.svg Sebastian Manson M2 Competition
R3 Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition
5R1 Highlands Motorsport Park Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patrick Heuzenroeder Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patrick Heuzenroeder Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patrick Heuzenroeder mtec Motorsport
R2 Flag of the United States.svg Nikita Johnson Flag of the United States.svg Nikita Johnson M2 Competition
R3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Broc Feeney Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Brown Giles Motorsport

Season report

First half

The first round of the season was held at Taupo International Motorsport Park. Mtec Motorsport’s Zack Scoular secured his first pole position on his Formula Regional debut, [24] and converted it into his first single-seater race win later on in the day. Giles Motorsport’s Will Brown remained in second for the duration of the race but was unable to overtake the leader, while M2 Competition’s Arvid Lindblad, who started fourth, took third at the start and also finished there. [25] Race two began chaotically as a slow start by Mtec Motorsport’s pole-sitter Josh Pierson disrupted others and allowed M2 Competition’s Matías Zagazeta to take the race lead. His teammate Enzo Yeh initially secured second before a penalty dropped him to fourth behind Pierson and Lindblad. [26] The latter started the third race from pole position, [27] but Zagazeta made a better start, and the pair dueled through the opening corners before Lindblad regained the lead. He led Zagazeta and Scoular to the finish, ending the first round with a five-point championship lead. [28]

Round two at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park began with Lindblad taking pole position for the opening race. [29] He converted that into a lights-to-flag victory that mirrored the season opener, with Scoular maintaining second place from start to finish and Brown holding third after taking it from Pierson at the start. [30] The second race saw Johnson start from pole position, but M2’s Sebastian Manson made a stronger start from second place and immediately took the lead, while mtec’s Patrick Heuzenroeder moved into third place. Behind the top two, Lindblad progressed through the field, engaging in a three-lap battle with Heuzenroeder before passing him to secure third place. [31] In the third race, Lindblad and Scoular resumed their earlier contest. Once again starting from pole position, [32] Lindblad withstood multiple attacks before creating a gap thanks to a tire advantage to secure another victory, with Pierson finishing third. After six races, Lindblad held a 25-point lead in the standings ahead of newly crowned Tasman Cup winner Scoular. [33]

Lindblad remained the fastest driver in qualifying at Circuit Chris Amon to claim his fourth successive pole position. [34] Race one saw him then take an unchallenged victory as Johnson in second had to keep Giles Motorsport’s series returnee Tommy Smith behind him at the start. Once repelled, Smith dropped back, allowing Heuzenroeder into third. [35] Rain then began to fall, and the second race saw some drivers opt for wet-weather tires. That proved to be the right decision: Scoular claimed the lead and led Johnson and Pierson as the drivers on dry tires faded. Championship leader Lindblad was among them and finished the race 14th. [36] Once he had tires fit for the conditions, Lindblad returned to his previous form and took pole position for the third race. [37] Heavy rain saw proceedings get aborted initially, but when it resumed, Lindblad and Johnson quickly gapped Heuzenroeder and the rest of the field. Safety car phases further interrupted the race, but Lindblad held on to win and extend his championship lead to 40 points over Johnson. [38]

Second half

Teretonga Park hosted round four, and the first qualifying session brought no new face at the front as Lindblad was fastest once again. [39] Zagazeta had the better start to the first race, however, and quickly moved past Lindblad. With overtaking proving difficult, Zagazeta led Lindblad and Johnson home before a red flag after a crash for M2’s Michael Shin ended the race prematurely. [40] Yeh started race two from pole position, but had a bad getaway and dropped to fourth behind Manson, Scoular and Heuzenroeder, before a crash caused a stoppage. The positions at the front remained static afterwards, awarding Manson his second win of the year. [41] Qualifying for race three saw Zagazeta break Lindblad’s streak of pole positions, [42] but once again the pole sitter was unable to hold the lead as Lindblad took first and converted that into his fourth feature race win. Zagazeta looked set for second before a mistake demoted him to third behind Shin. Ahead of the final weekend and with 90 points still on offer, Lindblad’s lead stood at 59 points over Johnson. [43]

Championship standings

Scoring system

No points were awarded for pole position or fastest lap.

Race (starting grid from qualifying)
Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th
Points3531272422201816141210987654321
Reversed grid race
Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th
Points201816141210987654321

Drivers' championship

Pos.Driver TAU HMP MAN TER HIG Points
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arvid Lindblad 33113111412612Ret3370
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Zack Scoular 1103272818528542314
3 Flag of the United States.svg Nikita Johnson 455824222385818305
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patrick Heuzenroeder 9845463734341RetRet264
5 Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta 512161151213517346Ret244
6 Flag of New Zealand.svg Sebastian Manson 107971106Ret4717959225
7 Flag of the United States.svg Josh Pierson 826463539656219
8 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin 667997111510Ret923Ret5197
9 Flag of the United States.svg Shawn Rashid15131068913811141311634169
10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Brown 29835811121158
11 Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Enzo Yeh 7416131311144684141311Ret149
12 Flag of Brazil.svg Nicholas Monteiro121113DSQ141495131112137212132
13 Flag of New Zealand.svg Alex Crosbie11151110DSQ1271615101010161010118
14 Flag of the United States.svg Jett Bowling1412121110151591213RetRet12147108
15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati13Ret1412121310101412Ret1214711105
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tommy Smith 467911985
17 Flag of the United States.svg Barrett Wolfe1614151415171712161514161791371
18 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley17161715DSQ161611Ret16Ret15158Ret54
19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Broc Feeney 1013635
Pos.DriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Points
TAU HMP MAN TER HIG
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole

Italics – Fastest Lap

† — Did not finish, but classified

Rookie

Teams' Championship

Each team counted its two best results of every race.

Pos.Team TAU HMP MAN TER HIG Points
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 M2 Competition 311111121111213772
432724242242355
2mtec motorsport123242313424122653
884463538536434
3Giles Motorsport29835846791091191371
11141110151271215101110161010
4Kiwi Motorsport1312121110131091212Ret121277218
14161412121515101413Ret1514811
Pos.TeamR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Points
TAU HMP MAN RUA HIG

References

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