German Arjen Kräling – a race winner in the Spanish-based Formula 4 Winter Series this year – is the latest confirmation in a packed international field of talent lining up for the 2027 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy in New Zealand.
Kräling – 16 – will join TJ Speed Motorsports for the four-round championship which concludes with the 71st New Zealand Grand Prix.
A two-year karter at international level, the young German from Winterberg started racing at 12 after three years of professional ski racing in Austria. He was runner-up in the ADAC Kart Masters Mini 60 in 2022, 11th in 2023 and eighth in 2024 at the karting world championships. He was also ranked eighth overall in the FIA’s world kart ranking for the OK Junior class in 2024.
Kräling moved from karting directly into wings and slicks racing machinery for 2025 after he tested an F4 car for the Argenti Motorsport team. He subsequently raced in the final five rounds of the F4 British Championship, with a sixth place finish his best result overall and achieved 7 rookie podium finishes.
In a busy 2025, he also made a one-off appearance in the faster GB4 series in Britain for Douglas Motorsport at Silverstone, finishing third in the second race. He also debuted for US Racing in the E4 Championship, where he finished seventh overall, taking a rookie podium at Monza.
Continuing with US Racing for 2026, Arjen raced in the Formula Winter Series where he took his first overall win at Valencia back in February.
He remained with the team for dual campaigns in 2026 in both the Italian F4 Championship and in E4, the European F4 series. A third place overall at Vallelunga was the highlight of the Italian F4 season, but numerous of top 10 finishes gave him a top 15 championship standing. He then switched to the British GB3 Championship to continue his development and will race the last round in Barcelona early next month with TJ Speed Motorsports.
His campaign in New Zealand will be all about learning and racking up plenty of competitive mileage ahead of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere, where he plans to race again in single-seaters or LMP3 Prototypes.
“New Zealand is all about learning as much as possible for 2027 and hopefully securing some podium results and wins on the way,” he explained. “I want to turn my passion of motorsport into a career and become a professional at the highest level I possibly can.”
TJ Speed Motorsports team owner Tim Neff was delighted to secure the young German for the team’s NZ season.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Arjen to TJ Speed Motorsports for the 2027 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy,” he added.
“He has shown strong potential throughout his karting and Formula 4 career and his experience competing in some of Europe’s most competitive championships will give him a solid foundation as he makes the step up to Formula Regional.
“The New Zealand championship is a fantastic opportunity for young drivers to develop, with plenty of track time and a very competitive field.
“Our goal is to help Arjen adapt quickly to the new car, continue his development and fight for strong results throughout the four rounds. I believe he has the talent and determination to be a real contender, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
His 2027 season will begin at the first round in January at the Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in New Zealand’s North Island before heading to nearby Taupo International Motorsport Park for the second round. The Trophy then heads to the South Island for round three at the Teretonga Park before concluding at Highlands and the NZ Grand Prix.
The Trophy itself will once again run as the headline act in NZ’s premier Repco NextGen NZ Motorsport Championship series and the switch to the second generation FR car in NZ underlines Toyota and GAZOO Racing’s long-standing commitment to the FIA’s single seater pyramid as a logical progression for drivers from FIA-certified Formula 4, through FIA Formula Regional, and on to FIA Formula 3 and beyond. It also ensures the cars and competition remain true to the principles of high-performance, driver-first motorsport.
2027 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy
Round 1 – 8-10 January – Allied Petroleum Hampton Downs International, Hampton Downs.
Round 2 – 15-17 January – Giltrap Group Taupo Historic GP, Taupo.
Round 3 – 22-24 January – Ascot Park Hotel Teretonga Park International, Invercargill
Round 4 – 9-31 January– NAPA New Zealand Grand Prix – Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell.
