2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy

2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy

Drivers' Champion:
Ugo Ugochukwu
Rookie Champion:
Ryan Wood
Tasman Cup Winner:
Louis Sharp
Teams' Champion
M2 Competition

Previous

2025 (FROC)

Next

2027

The 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy was the inaugural Formula Regional Oceania Trophy and the twenty-first running of the premier open-wheel motorsport category formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series. Known since 2023 as the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, the series was rebranded under the Trophy guise after the FIA introduced a new concept for single-seater championships held over shorter, constrained timeframes. ^{[1] [2]} The championship was held in New Zealand over four consecutive weekends in January and February of 2026.

M2 Competition's Ugo Ugochukwu won the Drivers' Championship title at the final race of the season while his team defended their Teams' Championship title for the fourth year running. Mtec Motorsport's Louis Sharp ended the season as the highest-placed Australian or Kiwi driver, thereby winning the Tasman Cup, as his teammate Ryan Wood claimed the Rookie Championship title with three races to spare.

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. ^{[3] [4]} The 2026 season saw the introduction of a push-to-pass feature designed to create more on-track battles and overtakes. ^[5]

Team No. Driver Status Rounds mtec Motorsport 3 Zack Scoular [6] All 5 Yuanpu Cui [7] All 11 Louis Sharp [8] All 40 Ryan Wood [9] [10] R All M2 Competition 4 Ugo Ugochukwu [11] All 22 Sebastian Manson [12] All 24 Ernesto Rivera [13] All 27 Freddie Slater [14] All HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed [15] 8 Trevor LaTourrette [16] R All 13 James Wharton [17] 1–2, 4 23 Liam Sceats [18] 4 41 Ricardo Baptista [19] R All Hitech [20] 12 Jin Nakamura [21] All 19 Kanato Le [22] All 33 Fionn McLaughlin [23] R All 69 Kalle Rovanperä [24] R All Kiwi Motorsport 14 Cooper Shipman [25] R All 21 Yevan David [26] All Giles Motorsport 50 Jack Taylor [27] R All 52 Nolan Allaer [28] All

Icon Status R Rookie

Race calendar

The 2026 race calendar was announced in July 2025. ^[29] The adoption of the Formula Regional Trophy format saw the number of race weekends reduced to four, with the race tally staying at 15 races. ^[30] To achieve this, the weekend format of the opening three rounds was changed, with each round holding four races. ^[5] The reduction in venues saw Circuit Chris Amon leave the calendar for the first time since 2022. The third race of the penultimate round was postponed to the final race weekend.

Round		Circuit	Date	Feature race	Support bill	Map of circuit locations
1	R1	Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (Hampton Downs, North Waikato)	10 January	Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup	GT Racing New Zealand Bridgestone GR86 Championship New Zealand Porsche Series Championship	Taupo Hampton Downs Highlands Teretonga
	R2
	R3		11 January
	R4
2	R1	Taupo International Motorsport Park (Taupō, Waikato)	17 January	Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy	Historic Saloons, Sports, and GTs NZ Historic Sports Sedans Heritage Touring Cars New Zealand Formula Atlantic NZ Historic Historic & Vintage Racing Association NZ
	R2
	R3		18 January
	R4
3	R1	Teretonga Park (Invercargill, Southland District)	24 January	Spirit of a Nation Cup	Bridgestone GR86 Championship NZ Mazda Pro7 Racing New Zealand Super GT New Zealand Race Series TA2 NZ Championship NZ Formula Ford Championship
	R2		25 January
	R3
	R4
4	R1	Highlands Motorsport Park (Cromwell, Otago)	30 January	New Zealand Grand Prix	Bridgestone GR86 Championship TA2 NZ Championship Super GT New Zealand Race Series Formula Atlantic NZ Historic
	R2		31 January
	R3
	R4		1 February

Race results

Round		Circuit	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning team
1	R1	Hampton Downs Motorsport Park	Ugo Ugochukwu	Ugo Ugochukwu	Louis Sharp	mtec Motorsport
	R2			Ernesto Rivera	Zack Scoular	mtec Motorsport
	R3			Zack Scoular	Ugo Ugochukwu	M2 Competition
	R4		Ugo Ugochukwu	Jin Nakamura	Ugo Ugochukwu	M2 Competition
2	R1	Taupo International Motorsport Park	Ryan Wood	Ryan Wood	Ryan Wood	mtec Motorsport
	R2			Zack Scoular	James Wharton	HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed
	R3			Zack Scoular	Zack Scoular	mtec Motorsport
	R4		Jack Taylor	Ryan Wood	Ryan Wood	mtec Motorsport
3	R1	Teretonga Park	Ernesto Rivera	Freddie Slater	Freddie Slater	M2 Competition
	R2			Ugo Ugochukwu	Ugo Ugochukwu	M2 Competition
	R3			Race postponed due to adverse weather conditions
	R4		Freddie Slater	Ugo Ugochukwu	Freddie Slater	M2 Competition
4 [a]	R1	Highlands Motorsport Park		Ryan Wood	Freddie Slater	M2 Competition
	R2		Jin Nakamura	Ugo Ugochukwu	Ugo Ugochukwu	M2 Competition
	R3			James Wharton	Kanato Le	Hitech
	R4		Jin Nakamura	Zack Scoular	Zack Scoular	mtec Motorsport

Season report

The 2026 season began at Hampton Downs with M2's Ugo Ugochukwu on pole position for the season opener. ^[31] Mtec Motorsport's Louis Sharp started alongside him and took the lead right away at the start, while Hitech TGR's Kanato Le slotted into third. Ugochukwu kept within one second of the leader throughout the race, but was unable to mount an attack. ^[32] Kiwi Motorsport’s Yevan David started race two from reversed-grid pole position, but the second grid spot proved to be better once again as mtec's Zack Scoular moved past him off the line. After a short safety car, David was attacked by Hitech's Jin Nakamura and locked up, letting Nakamura and M2's Freddie Slater past. By that point, Scoular had built a gap that saw him able to take the win. ^[33] Race three had M2's Ernesto Rivera on pole position, but a slow start saw him drop to third behind Le and Ugochukwu. The latter then took the lead on lap eight, holding off Le after a safety car to claim victory. ^[34] Ugochukwu also claimed pole position for the feature race, ^[35] retaining the lead at the start before a four-car crash caused a red flag. He held off Nakamura and Le after the restart to take victory again and end the weekend with an 18-point championship lead. ^[36]

Mtec's Ryan Wood claimed pole position ahead of Ugochukwu for the first race at Taupo. The pair went side-by-side at the start, but Wood managed to stay ahead and began building a gap to claim victory by 2.5 seconds. Ugochukwu came under pressure by Scoular before the latter locked up and handed the final podium spot to Slater. Le started the reversed-grid race two on pole position and held off Rivera at the start, allowing Wharton to get past the Mexican into turn two. Wharton then quickly closed up to the leader and pressured him until the Japanese made a mistake on lap seven and Wharton moved into first place. Le tumbled down the order afterwards, finishing in seventh, while Rivera and Ugochukwu completed the podium behind Wharton. ^[37] Scoular started race three from the front, and used his fresher tyres to stay there after defending from Slater and Wood. While battles were fought all throughout the race, the top three remained static until the end. ^[38] Giles Motorsport's Jack Taylor was fastest in qualifying for the feature race, but Wood took the lead right away and never looked back, taking victory ahead of Le and Sharp. Ugochukwu came fourth, his championship lead now 31 points over Le and Sharp. ^[39]

Round three at Teretonga Park was disrupted by rain throughout, with qualifying red-flagged multiple times before Rivera was able to claim pole position after several penalties for other drivers. ^[40] He spun off at the first turn of the very wet first race, handing the lead to Slater and causing a safety car. Slater led Nakamura from the restart, throughout a second safety car period caused by Scoular hitting the wall, to claim the first victory of his campaign, while Hitech's Kalle Rovanperä claimed his maiden single-seater podium in third. ^[41] With weather conditions worsening afterwards, race two was postponed to Sunday, with the third race moved to round four. Ugochukwu had pole position for the second race, which was also interrupted by two safety car periods. The American remained faultless throughout to lead Wood to his third victory, with Kiwi's Cooper Shipman claiming third on the final restart. ^[42] Slater had pole position for the feature race, which began in dry conditions. He led Ugochukwu, Sharp and Nakamura until it started to rain and the race was red-flagged. Ugochukwu made a crucial mistake on the restart and fell to fourteenth, with Slater winning to close up to 22 points behind him in the championship. ^[43]

The final weekend of the year at Highlands Motorsport Park began with the postponed third race of round three. Slater started that encounter from pole position and converted it into a lights-to-flag victory. Ugochukwu took second off Le at the start to minimize the damage to his points lead, while the Japanese dropped to fourth behind Sharp. ^[44] Up next was qualifying, where Nakamura took pole position for both the second race of the weekend and the Grand Prix. ^[45] He failed to hold on to his lead in race two as he lost out to Ugochukwu, who was then able to gap the field and secure his fourth victory of the campaign. Sharp took third after defending from Scoular before the latter made a mistake. ^[46] Le had pole position for the reversed-grid third race, and he was never attacked on the way to victory as Wharton and his teammate Liam Sceats spent the race fighting over second, with Wharton coming out on top. ^[47] Ugochukwu entered the final race 26 points ahead of Slater, but started in 13th after an exclusion from the Q3 session. He was able to climb up to ninth, enough to secure the title by 16 points, while the Grand Prix was won by Scoular ahead of Nakamura and Le after the polesitter bogged down at the start. ^[48]

Championship standings

Scoring system

The adoption of the Formula Regional Trophy format that saw a fourth race added to the first three rounds of the season prompted a change in the weekend format of these three rounds. Two qualifying sessions were now held at each weekend, with the first session forming the grid for the first race and the second the grid for the fourth race. The grid for the second race was formed by reversing the top eight finishers of race one, while the grid for the third race was formed by taking the fastest lap of each drivers set during the first two races.

The fourth round of the year retained the format previously used for the New Zealand Grand Prix: One qualifying session was held, divided into three parts, with the slowest cars eliminated after the end of each segment. The results of this session formed the grid for the Grand Prix, while the results of Q1 formed the grid for the first race and the grid for the second race was formed by reversing the top eight finishers of race one. ^[49]

Points awarded for races 1, 3 and 4 of the weekend:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th	19th	20th
Points	35	31	27	24	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

Points awarded for race 2 of the weekend:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th
Points	20	18	16	14	12	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

Drivers' championship

Pos. Driver HMP TAU TER HIG Points R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 1 Ugo Ugochukwu 2 5 1 1 2 3 11 4 8 1 C 14 2 1 7 9 326 2 Freddie Slater 6 3 9 4 3 8 2 17 1 15 C 1 1 4 5 4 310 3 Louis Sharp 1 13 11 5 4 4 4 3 12 8 C 2 3 3 4 6 295 4 Jin Nakamura 5 2 4 2 9 14 6 5 2 Ret C 3 10 2 8 2 293 5 Ryan Wood 4 4 18 Ret 1 5 3 1 7 2 C 8 6 5 6 5 276 6 Kanato Le 3 14 2 3 8 7 7 2 4 16 C DNS 4 8 1 3 272 7 Zack Scoular 7 1 17 6 5 15 1 Ret Ret 11 C 11 5 16 10 1 203 8 James Wharton 10 17 5 10 6 1 5 16 6 2 8 167 9 Yuanpu Cui 11 18 8 9 10 6 Ret 6 11 12 C 4 7 12 Ret 14 157 10 Yevan David 8 6 7 Ret 11 18 8 13 Ret 9 C 5 8 9 9 13 152 11 Ernesto Rivera 9 Ret 3 8 7 2 14 7 Ret 10 C Ret 14 18† WD WD 134 12 Nolan Allaer 14 9 10 7 12 13 9 8 15† 13 C 12 15 10 11 15 133 13 Fionn McLaughlin 13 7 12 11 17 19 15 14 9 7 C 6 12 15 13 11 124 14 Jack Taylor 15 10 14 Ret 15 12 13 11 5 4 C 9 9 13 12 Ret 123 15 Cooper Shipman Ret 8 15 12 18 16 10 15 6 3 C 13 11 17 14 17† 110 16 Kalle Rovanperä 17 12 13 Ret 16 10 12 9 3 5 C 7 DNS WD WD WD 107 17 Sebastian Manson 12 16 6 Ret 13 17 17 10 10 6 C Ret 13 11 Ret 10 105 18 Ricardo Baptista 16 15 16 13 14 9 Ret 12 14 14 C 10 16 14 15† 12 86 19 Trevor LaTourrette 18 11 Ret 14 19 11 16 18 13 Ret C 15 17 19† NC 16† 55 20 Liam Sceats 7 3 7 52 Pos. Driver R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4 Points HMP TAU TER HIG

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points classification Blue Non-points classification Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired, not classified (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap † — Did not finish, but classified (completed more than 75% of race distance) Rookie

Teams' Championship

Each team counted its two best results of every race.

Pos.	Team	HMP				TAU				TER				HIG				Points
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4
1	M2 Competition	2	3	1	1	2	2	2	4	1	1	C	1	1	1	5	4	682
		6	5	3	4	3	3	11	7	8	6	C	14	2	4	7	9
2	mtec Motorsport	1	1	8	5	1	4	1	1	7	2	C	2	3	3	4	1	658
		4	4	11	6	4	5	3	3	11	8	C	4	5	5	6	5
3	Hitech	3	2	2	2	8	7	6	2	2	5	C	3	4	2	1	2	620
		5	7	4	3	9	10	7	5	3	7	C	6	10	8	8	3
4	HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed	10	11	5	10	6	1	5	12	13	14	C	10	16	6	2	7	315
		16	15	16	13	14	9	16	16	14	Ret	C	15	17	7	3	8
5	Kiwi Motorsport	8	6	7	12	11	16	8	13	6	3	C	5	8	9	9	13	262
		Ret	8	15	Ret	18	18	10	15	Ret	9	C	13	11	17	14	17†
6	Giles Motorsport	14	9	10	7	12	12	9	8	5	4	C	9	9	10	11	15	256
		15	10	14	Ret	15	13	13	11	15†	13	C	12	15	13	12	Ret
Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	Points
		HMP				TAU				TER				HIG

Tasman Cup

Pos.	Driver	HMP				TAU				TER				HIG				Points
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4	R1	R2	R3	R4
1	Louis Sharp	1	13	11	5	4	4	4	3	12	8	C	2	3	3	4	6	295
2	Ryan Wood	4	4	18	Ret	1	5	3	1	7	2	C	8	6	5	6	5	276
3	Zack Scoular	7	1	17	6	5	15	1	Ret	Ret	11	C	11	5	16	10	1	203
4	James Wharton	10	17	5	10	6	1	5	16						6	2	8	167
5	Jack Taylor	15	10	14	Ret	15	12	13	11	5	4	C	9	9	13	12	Ret	123
6	Sebastian Manson	12	16	6	Ret	13	17	17	10	10	6	C	Ret	13	11	Ret	10	105
7	Liam Sceats														7	3	7	52

Notes

1. The first race of round 4 was the postponed third race of round 3, meaning the third race of the final round awarded the reduced points normally awarded for race two.

References

1. "Milestones set at World Motor Sport Council in Macau". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile . 10 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
2. "FIA backs changes to Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy". Toyota NZ. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
3. "The Car". Toyota New Zealand . Retrieved 26 June 2025.
4. "NZ leads the way as Oceania series is first FIA Formula Regional championship to use fossil free fuel". Toyota New Zealand . 19 December 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
5. "Format changes set to rev up Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy". Toyota New Zealand . 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
6. "Scoular hoping to go one better in 2026". Toyota New Zealand . 4 December 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
7. "mtec Motorsport confirms Yuanpu Cui for NZ Championship". Toyota New Zealand . 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
8. "Sharp to make Formula Regional debut at home in NZ". Toyota New Zealand . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
9. Leeuwen, Andrew van (1 November 2025). "Ryan Wood to race Formula Regional Oceania". Speedcafe . Retrieved 1 November 2025.
10. "Wood takes mtec seat for Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy". Toyota New Zealand . 22 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
11. "Macau GP winner latest big single seater name confirmed for New Zealand". Toyota New Zealand . 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
12. "Race winner Manson first Kiwi on Castrol Toyota FR grid". Toyota New Zealand . 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
13. "Red Bull's Rivera brings Mexican flare to talent filled NZ grid". Toyota NZ. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
14. "FRECA champion joins M2 Competition for NZ title challenge". Toyota New Zealand . 6 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
15. Chapman, Simon (10 July 2025). "US racing powerhouses joins Formula Regional Oceania". Speedcafe . Retrieved 10 July 2025.
16. "Skip Barber star a late addition for TJ Speed in New Zealand". Toyota NZ. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
17. "Wharton will follow up F2 debut with championship challenge in NZ". Toyota New Zealand . 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
18. "Sceats secures late deal to try for NZ GP victory number two". Toyota New Zealand . 27 January 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
19. "TJ Speed seat for F4 race winner in New Zealand". Toyota NZ. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
20. "Hitech confirm team for New Zealand". Toyota New Zealand . 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
21. "Upcoming Japanese talent starting big 2026 season in NZ". Toyota New Zealand . 20 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
22. "Le to bring unrivalled Formula Regional experience to NZ campaign". Toyota New Zealand . 28 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
23. "McLaughlin set for championship challenge with Hitech". Toyota New Zealand . 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
24. "Rovanperä to begin single seater journey in New Zealand". Toyota New Zealand . 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
25. "Formula 4 United States champ eager to take on the best in NZ". Toyota New Zealand . 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
26. "David heads to NZ to make history for Sri Lankan motorsport". Toyota New Zealand . 27 November 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
27. "Aussie Taylor starts 2026 close to home". Toyota New Zealand . 13 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
28. "IndyNXT racer joins exodus of talent to 2026 FR Oceania". Toyota New Zealand . 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
29. "Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy dates confirmed". Toyota NZ. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
30. Wood, Ida (11 June 2025). "FIA proposes introducing regional calendar format to FRegional and F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
31. Wood, Ida (9 January 2026). "Ugochukwu starts FRegional Oceania season with pole by 0.007s". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
32. Scout, Formula (10 January 2026). "Sharp shoots past Ugochuckwu to win FRegional Oceania opener". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
33. Wood, Ida (10 January 2026). "Scoular wins action-packed reversed-grid FRegional Oceania race". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
34. Scout, Formula (11 January 2026). "Ugochukwu soars to first Formula Regional Oceania win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
35. Scout, Formula (10 January 2026). "Ugochukwu claims dominant second FRegional Oceania pole". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
36. Scout, Formula (11 January 2026). "Ugochukwu wins Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup after early red flag". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
37. "Wood and Wharton win Taupo's first FRegional Oceania races". Formula Scout. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
38. "Scoular runs away with race three at Taupo". VelocityNews. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
39. Miles, Thomas (19 January 2026). "Wood scores huge open-wheel win". AutoAction. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
40. Chapman, Simon (24 January 2026). "Red flags scramble Teretonga Formula Regional qualifying". Speedcafe.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
41. "Slater wins and Rovanperä stars in Teretonga rain". VelocityNews. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
42. Chapman, Simon (25 January 2026). "Wood seals second as Formula Regional title contenders falter". Speedcafe.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
43. Chapman, Simon (25 January 2026). "Ugochukwu flunks dramatic Teretonga Formula Regional finale". Speedcafe.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
44. Wood, Ida (30 January 2026). "Slater wins rescheduled FRegional Oceania race to tighten title fight". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
45. Wood, Ida (31 January 2026). "Nakamura pips Wood to New Zealand GP pole by 0.1s". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
46. Wood, Ida (31 January 2026). "Ugochukwu wins FRegional Oceania race two at Highlands". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
47. Wood, Ida (1 February 2026). "Kanato Le delivers his and Hitech GP's first FRegional Oceania win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
48. Wood, Ida (1 February 2026). "Scoular wins New Zealand GP, Ugochukwu takes FRegional Oceania title". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
49. "FIA CASTROL TOYOTA FORMULA REGIONAL OCEANIA TROPHY - 2026 SPORTING REGULATIONS" (PDF). MotorSport New Zealand . 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.

External links

• Official website of Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship certified by FIA