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.FIA World Motor Sport Council June 2019

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.

NumberCircuitsRoundsYears1 Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon222005–2021, 2023–20252 Teretonga Park182005–2020, 2023, 2025–present3 Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park162006–2013, 2015–2019, 2023–present Hampton Downs Motorsport Park162010–2021, 2023–present5 Euromarque Motorsport Park112005–2006, 2008, 2015–2018, 20246 Timaru International Motor Raceway102005–20147 Pukekohe Park Raceway82005–2007, 2009, 20208 Highlands Motorsport Park62014, 2019–2020, 2023–present9 Hamilton Street Circuit22008–2009

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: SeasonDriverTeamPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapsPointsClinchedMargin 2005 Brent Collins Brent Collins Motorsport14104937Race 18 of 1833 2005–06 Daniel Gaunt International Motorsport5717101491Race 21 of 23479 2006–07 Daniel Gaunt International Motorsport391681448Race 21 of 23328 2007–08 Andy Knight Knight Motorsport661621230Race 23 of 2333 2008–09 Mitch Cunningham Giles Motorsport751341110Race 17 of 18121 2010 Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport83105915Race 15 of 153 2011 Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport67145973Race 13 of 15168 2012 Nick Cassidy Giles Motorsport05104934Race 13 of 15176 2013 Nick Cassidy M2 Competition02106915Race 14 of 15112 2014 Andrew Tang Neale Motorsport1394794Race 15 of 154 2015 Lance Stroll M2 Competition04102906Race 14 of 16108 2016 Lando Norris M2 Competition86115924Race 14 of 15135 2017 Thomas Randle Victory Motor Racing3277855Race 15 of 155 2018 Robert Shwartzman M2 Competition3193916Race 15 of 155 2019 Liam Lawson M2 Competition45115356Race 15 of 1510 2020 Igor Fraga M2 Competition3493362Race 15 of 156 2021 Matthew Payne M2 Competition6595287Race 8 of 958 2022 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2023 Charlie Wurz M2 Competition4461343Race 15 of 1514 2024 Roman Bilinski M2 Competition56125385Race 14 of 1543 2025 Arvid Lindblad M2 Competition66126370Race 13 of 1556 2026 Ugo Ugochukwu M2 Competition2484325Race 15 of 1515

Multiple Titles +TitlesDriverYears2 Daniel Gaunt2005–06, 2006–07 Mitch Evans2010, 2011 Nick Cassidy2012, 2013 +TitlesTeamYears11M2 Competition2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 20264Giles Motorsport 2008–09, 2010, 2011, 20122International Motorsport2005–06, 2006–071Brent Collins Motorsport 2005Knight Motorsport 2007–08Neale Motorsport 2014Victory Motor Racing 2017 +WinsCountryDriversYears11 New ZealandBrent Collins 2005Daniel Gaunt2005–06, 2006–07Andy Knight 2007–08Mitch Cunningham2008–09Mitch Evans2010, 2011Nick Cassidy2012, 2013Liam Lawson2019Matthew Payne2021 2 United Kingdom Lando Norris 2016 Arvid Lindblad 20251 SingaporeAndrew Tang2014 CanadaLance Stroll2015 AustraliaThomas Randle2017 RussiaRobert Shwartzman2018 BrazilIgor Fraga2020 AustriaCharlie Wurz2023 PolandRoman Bilinski2024 United StatesUgo Ugochukwu2026

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

Notes

References

External links Toyota Racing Series