Twenty-year-old American driver Bryce Aron will get an exciting 2024 underway by competing in the final two rounds of the FIA’s biggest Australasian category, the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
A Team USA scholarship award winner and INDY NXT driver for Andretti Global, Bryce put his name in the history books when he became the first American ever to place in the top five at both the Walter Hayes Trophy (third) and the iconic Formula Ford Festival (fifth).
After that strong early impression, he stepped up to British Formula 3 and later went on to compete in the Euroformula Open championship, winning races in both series.
In 2023, Aron proved to be a championship contender with three race wins and five podiums on his way to a very solid fourth place in the championship standings despite missing the final round.
It’s going to be a busy 2024 for the young racer. Once finished in New Zealand, he’ll head back to the USA to prepare for the INDY NXT championship with Andretti Global. Right now, however, it’s performing well in New Zealand and having a chance of winning the 68th New Zealand Grand Prix, which is at the forefront of his mind.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic to be racing in the New Zealand Grand Prix,” said Bryce. “The event is extremely prestigious, and I consider myself very lucky to compete in it.
“The competition will be intense, but I look forward to the challenge, and I believe we can battle for wins during my time in New Zealand. I’ve got a great team behind me in M2 Competition, and I’m excited to get started with them in a few week’s time.”
Bryce will drive with M2 Competition for the final two rounds, and the team that has won the most races in the history of New Zealand’s premier single-seater category is confident he will go well.
“We have followed Bryce for a couple of years now and recently attended an INDY NXT event with him,” said team principal Mark Pilcher. “We will do everything possible to bring him up to speed with his teammates and challenge at the front come the big weekend at Highlands.”
Although in only its second year as an FIA Formula Regional Championship, the championship has a long history as the Castrol Toyota Racing Series. Twenty-three graduates have taken the wheel of F1 cars in official tests, GP practice sessions or races in its 19-year history.
The championship boasts more than 3,000 km of testing, practice, qualifying and racing mileage, with all drivers competing in identical Tatuus-based Toyota FT60 cars.
The five-round Kiwi series will also be the first FIA Formula Regional championship to genuinely use 100% fossil-free fuel.
