Round two of the NextGen NZ Championship kicks off the busiest period in Antipodean motorsport all year, with four massive events back-to-back starting this weekend at Hampton Downs.
The start of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy will highlight the return to the Northern Waikato circuit with one of the strongest fields yet assembled of young, talented open-wheel drivers looking to follow in the footsteps of 2025 champion Arvid Lindblad, who will make his F1 debut later this month for Red Bull.
Action commences with private practice for CTFROT contenders on Thursday, followed by practice on Friday and qualifying and racing across the weekend.
Tickets remain available, with free pit lane and grid walks for all spectators included with the price of an entry ticket.
F1 star Liam Lawson will be at the track on Sunday to meet and greet local fans prior to his return to Europe, while a packed on-track program includes the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, NZ Porsche Championship, and GTRNZ grids to ensure something for everyone.
KEY STORYLINES:
- Opening round of Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy brings world-class field of rising motorsport stars to NZ for the first of four consecutive weekends.
- World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera to make CTFROT debut
- Supercars Championship finalist Ryan Wood is ready to take on open-wheel racing.
- 19 young stars from 10 nations – New Zealand, the USA, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and Finland – to compete.
- F1 superstar Liam Lawson to be at the circuit on Sunday, 11 January.
- Thrilling Bridgestone GR86 Championship battle to recommence following stunning opening round
- Huge GTRNZ, NZ Porsche Racing Championship grids ready to put on a show.
FAN ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND:
There will be plenty of access for fans attending the event this weekend at Hampton Downs, including the below access to the pit lane and the grid – free of charge – and discounted karting at the Hampton Downs karting circuit across the event.
Pit Lane Walks:
- Sat 8:30am | Sun 8:30am – Assemble at the Pit Exit
Grid Walks:
- Sat 12:00pm | Sun 3.30pm – Assemble at the back of the breezeway, centre of the Pit Lane garages
Driver Signing Sessions (CTFROT)
- Sat 1:40–2:00pm | Sun 1:40–2:00pm – Assemble in front of the Wade Group & NextGen Paddock Club
Liam Lawson Signing Session
- Sun 3:00 – 3.30pm – Assemble in front of the Wade Group & NextGen Paddock Club
Please note: one item per person, no photos, and signing is not guaranteed.
Entertainment Sessions – Barrel Racing
- Sun 3:00 – 3.30pm
CATEGORY PREVIEWS:
Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy:
A FOUR-week, 15-race championship between some of the best young drivers on the planet kicks off this weekend – and it could be one of the most competitive CTFROT battles ever.
The series – founded as the Toyota Racing Series – celebrates its 21st anniversary this year with a 19-strong field representing 10 different nationalities all hoping to make their mark and fight for valuable F1 Super license points, as well as the prestige of claiming one of the most competitive open-wheel categories in the southern hemisphere.
With an average age of just 19, the field includes two-time FIA World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera, who commences his transition from the rally stages to circuit racing this weekend.
Supercars star Ryan Wood will also make his ‘wings and slicks’ debut and look to follow in the footsteps of rivals Will Brown and Broc Feeney, who starred last year.
Young Kiwi hopefuls Louis Sharp, Zack Scoular and Sebastian Manson also feature among this world-class field.
Full information on CTFROT can be found here: https://www.toyota.co.nz/toyota-racing/castrol-toyota-fr-oceania/
Bridgestone GR86 Championship:
A WIN, a third, and a fifth-placed finish in the opening three races of the Bridgestone GR86 Championship have Mackenzie Motorsport’s Zach Blincoe leading the standings heading into Round 2 this weekend at Hampton Downs.
It will be a restless field ready for combat this weekend, following a nine-week gap since the opening round at the Waikato circuit in mid-November during the NextGen NZ Championship opening weekend.
Three highly combative races highlighted an intense opening round of the championship, which also saw one of the closest finishes in series history.
Blenheim’s Arthur Broughan took his debut win in the opening race after front-row starters Chris White and Hugo Allan were each penalized for jumping starts. Blincoe then claimed race two following a last-lap pass on Aussie driver Cooper Barnes to make it two from two for the Mackenzie team.
Broughan then claimed his second win of the weekend in a thrilling finale, which saw him and Hugo Allan go side-by-side across the line to win by 0.02 seconds.
The one-make Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ championship will again contest three races this weekend.
GTRNZ:
Enormous grids will take to Hampton Downs for the third round of the GTR NZ Series this weekend.
35 cars will race in the ‘big-banger’ GT 1 and GT 2 classes, including Taranaki driver Glenn Smith’s stunning McLaren 650S and Grant Brennan’s thundering Corvette, among others.
GT 2 includes a huge array of machinery from McLaren, Ginetta, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, and even a Mini Cooper.
40 cars will compete in the GT3 and GT4 classes, ensuring two full grids this weekend.
NZ Porsche Racing Championship:
A 21-strong field of Porsches of all shapes and sizes will line up for the third round of the NZ Porsche Racing Championship, having put on a show last time out at Hampton Downs in November.
Daniel Angus and Duncan McCrostie split the wins last time out, while Nick Cutfield will make a return to the championship this weekend, having claimed victories in the series’ opening round at Manfield last year.
The NZ Porsche Championship grid includes Porsche GT3 Cup Cars, GT4 machinery, Porsche Cayman and Boxter entries and even classics like a Porsche 944.
BROADCAST:
Action on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast live in New Zealand, Australia and around the world this weekend.
- New Zealand: Live on Sky Sports NZ – 12:00pm – 4:00pm NZDT Saturday, 11:15am – 16:45pm NZDT Sunday.
- Australia: Live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports
- Streaming: Live streaming via the NextGenNZ YouTube Channel and TOYOTA Gazoo Racing NZ YouTube Channel.
Header Image: Tayler Burke/Shots By TayB
It looks like there are morning broadcast sessions on Youtube that aren’t on Sky. So, fans shouldn’t just look at Sky’s schedule and assume that’s all there is.