Formula Racing New Zealand is pleased to announce that some of the best of New Zealand’s race drivers have been prepared to add their support to the series by putting their names on the trophies being competed for in the coming 2025/2026 series. Trophies will include:
- The Scott Dixon Trophy – Overall series winner
- The Kenny Smith Trophy – Formula Atlantic/Pacific class winner
- The Shane Van Gisbergen Trophy – FT50 class winner
- The Brendon Hartley Trophy – FT40 class winner
“We all know that New Zealand punches well above its weight in the internal motor racing arena”, say the coordinators of the series.
“Having the support of those who have reached the very top of their chosen class is a real endorsement of what the series is trying to achieve in terms of providing emerging talent with the opportunity to run in a wings and slicks car before they head off overseas to further their racing careers.”
“The names on the trophies are all very recognisable and the successes achieved will hopefully provide a source of inspiration to any serious young New Zealand driver wanting to forge a career in the sport,” say the coordinators of the series.
It is actually no coincidence that 3 of the 4 names on the trophies have competed in these cars in the early stages of their careers: for example:
• Brendon Hartley ran in the very first 2005/2006 TRS series in an FT40 before heading off overseas to race in Renault 2.0
• Shane Van Gisbergen was runner-up in the 2006/2007 TRS series in an FT40 before heading off to Australia to race in the V8 supercar series
• Kenny Smith, who happened to win the New Zealand Grand Prix and Gold Star title in 1991 in the same Formula Pacific DB4 Swift that he will be running in the Formula Racing NZ this season, has also raced extensively in the TRS series in both FT40s and FT50s, since its conception back in 2005.
Although Scott Dixon’s early career didn’t involve either Formula Pacific or TRS cars, his international career was kick-started in Formula Holden, the premier single-seater New Zealand and Australian class that filled the gap between Formula Pacific and TRS cars in the late 1990s.
For further information, please visit www.formularacing.nz
Header Image: Supplied
