Rising Brazilian star Lucas Fecury has been confirmed as the first driver for the 2024 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Fecury competed in the 2023 New Zealand-based championship, learning the circuits and the FT-60 car with Kiwi Motorsport but will move to another of the championship’s contracted teams – mtec Motorsport – for his 2024 campaign.
Although Brazil has a rich history of F1 drivers including names like Fittipaldi, Piquet and Senna, Lucas hails from São Luís, Maranhão, in the north region of Brazil, which is one part of the country without a big tradition in motorsport.
Despite that, Lucas was Brazilian Kart Champion in 2020 and also runner up in the popular ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour in 2021, so has plenty of karting pedigree prior to his limited single seater career.
In 2023 his results in New Zealand were steady and he used the experience as a successful springboard into a 2023 summer season with DeForce Racing in the USF Junior Championship – the first rung of the Road To Indy ladder.
Fecury completed a solid season with a podium at the Barber Motorsports Park the season highlight. He took eight other top ten finishes to complete the season ninth overall in the points table.
With a season in CTFROC, USF Junior and a weekend at Portland in the USF2000 Championship under his belt, he is keen to continue his improvement in the unique Kiwi series, which offers its competitors 3,000km of testing, practice, qualifying and racing in identical Toyota powered Formula Regional chassis.
“I’m very happy to be back racing in New Zealand in such a strong championship as the Toyota Formula Regional Oceania,” he said.
“This competition is one of the most important in motorsport at the start of the year and it’s a perfect way to start 2024. I hope to achieve good results in my second season in the category and am looking forward to working with my team and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in New Zealand.”
Mtec boss Bruin Beasley was delighted to confirm Fecury as his first signing for 2024 and is optimistic he can go well. “It’s fantastic to have Lucas on board, already having an NZ season in the car under belt will be a real benefit to him and us as a team,” he added.
“He’s doing all the right things in the lead up to the series and we are excited to get on track, his passion and drive for results is refreshing and inspiring.”
Words & Images: Supplied
