American Jett Bowling will switch continents but not teams when he steps up to the 2024 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The 18-year-old engineering student from Dallas, Texas, will race in the five-round international championship for Kiwi Motorsport, whose US operation – Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport – ran him in the second half of the 2023 F4 United States Championship.
Bowling took up karting at the age of 15, competing regionally and progressing to podium success in the Texas Sprinting Series before the highly competitive F4 United States Championship caught his eye as a way to make the move into US circuit racing.
Kiwi Motorsport will now be fielding several of its F4 United States Championship drivers from 2023 as well as one of its Formula Regional Americas drivers, Jake Bonilla.
Bowling himself is looking forward to the challenge. “A top-ten finish in the championship would be fantastic,” he said.
“I’m excited to learn a lot about myself and the car throughout the series. However, I still aim to prove that my lack of experience won’t hold me back from competing with these very talented drivers.”
Kiwi Motorsport principal Garry Orton believes Bowling will learn a great deal in the championship – which begins next month and concludes with the 68th New Zealand Grand Prix – adding: “Jett has only been racing cars for a very short period and if he can continue to make the improvements that he has this year he will have a competitive season ahead.”
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 17-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.
2024 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship calendar
| 19-21 January | Taupo International Motorsport Park (Historic Grand Prix event) |
| 26-28 January | Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon |
| 2-4 February | Hampton Downs Motorsport Park |
| 9-11 February | Euromarque Motorsport Park (Ruapuna) |
| 16-18 February | Highlands Motorsport Park – 68th New Zealand Grand Prix |
