In just one week’s time the 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship will get underway at Highlands Motorsport Park with 13 drivers confirmed to take part in the five round competition.
It’s expected one more driver will be announced in the coming week with M2 Competition yet to fill their six cars entered.
This will be the first year the series runs as a Formula Regional Competition following new recognition from the FIA.
As a result, a wide range of talent from around the world will descend on our shores in search of an increased total of 18 Super License points should they emerge victorious.
Competitors right through to ninth overall come season end will also score descending levels of points, meaning only four or five racers will miss out.
New Zealand has four drivers confirmed to compete thus far in Callum Hedge, James Penrose, Breanna Morris and Liam Sceats. The United States also has four whilst Australia has two and the UK, Brazil and Austria have one.
Three teams are set to compete following the withdrawal of sole Australian outfit mtec Motorsport due to enough drivers not committing to their campaign. Whilst disappointing, they have said they will be back next year.
With FIA’s increased recognition of the series there is little doubt in this, as well as the potential of further teams joining.
Remaining are renowned outfits Kiwi Motorsport, with five entries, M2 Competition currently with five and Giles Motorsport with three.
All competitors will drive equally-matched Tatuus FT-60s meaning results ultimately come down to driver ability on the day,
Kiwi Motorsport
| # | Driver | Nationality |
| 5 | Lucas Fecury | Brazil |
| 8 | Tom McLennan | Australia |
| 21 | Josh Mason | UK |
| 51 | Jacob Abel | United States |
| 98 | James Penrose | New Zealand |
M2 Competition
| # | Driver | Nationality |
| 7 | Charlie Wurz | Austria |
| 17 | Callum Hedge | New Zealand |
| 23 | Liam Sceats | New Zealand |
| 77 | David Morales | United States |
| 101 | Ryder Quinn | Australia |
| TBA | TBA | TBA |
Giles Motorsport
| # | Driver | Nationality |
| 55 | Breanna Morris | New Zealand |
| 66 | Ryan Shehan | United States |
| 88 | Chloe Chambers | United States |
The competition takes place over five consecutive weekends with a varying range of support categories at each event as apart of the Super Sprint Motorsport New Zealand Championship.
Following the conclusion of Formula Regional Oceania, three further race weekends take place to conclude Super Sprint.
All rounds will be televised live on Sky Sports in New Zealand and Fox Sports in Australia (Foxtel and Kayo). The feature race of each event will also be shown live on CRC Motorsport on Sunday afternoon.
Each weekend will follow a similar format of a practice day on Friday, qualifying and a race on Saturday and qualifying and two races on Sunday. This may vary schedule-to-schedule.
The series will also play host to the New Zealand Grand Prix at Hampton Downs in Round 4. This is expected to draw in further entries for a large grid for one of only two national Grand Prix events not featured on the Formula 1 calendar.
It’s expected this will be the last year the New Zealand Grand Prix is held at Hampton Downs as it appears set for a move to Highlands from 2024.
2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Schedule:
| Round | Venue | Date |
| 1 | Highlands Motorsport Park | 13 to 15 January, 2023 |
| 2 | Teretonga Park Raceway | 20 to 22 January, 2023 |
| 3 | Manfield Circuit Chris Amon | 27 to 29 January, 2023 |
| 4 | Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park | 3 to 5 February, 2023 |
| 5 | Taupo International Motorsport Park | 10 to 12 February, 2023 |
The 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania series is a groundbreaking event for the country to host. The years ahead are sure to see the competition continue to build as top young talent use it as a stepping stone on their path to greatness.
Header image: Bruce Jenkins.
