The NextGen New Zealand Championship delivered an entertaining weekend of racing at Teretonga Park, with five classes of cars battling it out at the world’s southernmost FIA-recognised circuit.
The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROC) spearheaded proceedings with their fourth of five rounds and final hitout ahead of next weekend’s 69th Running of the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Joining CTFROC on the programme were the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, GT New Zealand Championship, Mazda Racing Series and Porsche Race Series.
“Teretonga is a track with history and an unpredictable nature that makes racing here a high-pressure experience,” said NextGen New Zealand Championship CEO Josie Spillane.
“It’s crunch time across many of New Zealand’s top-class series, and that was on display across an intense weekend of action in the far south.
“In all, it’s been a great lead-up to next weekend’s 69th Running of the New Zealand Grand Prix, where the international spotlight will shine on the country for one of only two national Grand Prix events that don’t feature on the Formula 1 calendar.
“It’s been an unforgettable four consecutive weeks of motorsport so far, and we’re confident next weekend’s event will cap that off in spectacular fashion.”
In the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Peru’s Matias Zagazeta was a man on a mission, getting the better of Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad in the opening race for his second win of the season.
Zagazeta’s strong run of form continued into Sunday, qualifying on pole for the Spirit of a Nation feature race, but a superb move by Lindblad around the outside of Turn 1 saw him hit the front and take a lead he would not relinquish.
The reverse top eight grid race was won by New Zealand’s Sebastian Manson, who led home Zack Scoular and Australia’s Patrick Heuzenroeder for his second win of the season.
With just one round remaining in the 2025 CTFROC season, Lindblad has one hand on the title with a 59-point advantage over Nikita Johnson entering the final round, and history beckons for the 17-year-old British national, who will become the first person to win all five features in a single season should he triumph in the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Scoular, meanwhile, wrapped up the rookie title with a round to spare.
There were twists and turns in the title race of the Brigestone GR86 Championship, with Hayden Bakkerus entering the round 52 points behind leader Hugo Allan.
Saturday’s race was won by Chris White, who became the seventh different driver to win in this season’s seven races. A drive from tenth to fourth saw Bakkerus close in on Allan at the top of the standings, with the championship leader finishing 14th, having qualified 21st.
Australian Cooper Barnes made it eight different winners from eight outings in Sunday’s first race. Third place for Bakkerus saw him take the lead of the championship after Allan was classified 12th.
Justin Allen became the only driver to clock up a second victory this season in the finale, Lachlan Evennett finishing second and Bakkerus third, the latter entering next weekend’s round at Highlands Motorsport Park in the championship lead.
Porsche reigned supreme in the GT New Zealand Championship, with Marco Giltrap fending off a fierce challenge from Joel Giddy’s Mercedes-AMG GT2 to win the opening race.
Giltrap backed up his performance with another victory in Race 2, leading home Rick Armstrong for a Porsche one-two, while Luke Manson completed a perfect weekend for the marque by winning the one-hour feature race in a Porsche podium sweep. It was a fitting birthday celebration for Manson, whose son, Sebastian, had earlier claimed a race victory in CTFROC.
In GT4, William Exton drove a McLaren Artura to class spoils in all three races, winning from the Toyota Supra GT4 EVO of Kaleb Ngatoa in the opener, the Toyota Supra GT4 EVO of Ayrton Hodson in Race 2 and surviving an unscheduled late-race stop in the feature to beat Hodson and Mark Mallard, who shared the Supra in the feature.
The Mazda Racing Series national title battle began at theTeretonga Park International, the meet bringing a strong contingent from the North Island to the far south to battle it out with the South Island’s best.
Mac Templeton won the opener from North Island Series leader Rex Edwards and South Islands Series leader Will Kitching before Kitching struck back to take honours in Race 2 ahead of Callum Pratt and Stuart Lawton. Edward’s national title hopes, however, took a knock, a mid-race incident forcing him from proceedings.
Kitching went on to win the finale from Templeton and Lawton, leaving Round 1 of the national series in the lead and boosting his stranglehold on the South Island series leaderboard.
Brian Scott and Daniel Angus drove Porsche 991.2s to first and second in the Porsche Race Series opener. Duncan McCrostie completed the podium in a Porsche 997.2 Cup. That podium was replicated in Race 2.
Sunday’s finale was won by the Porsche 997.1 Cup of Nick Cutfield from McCrostie and Scott.
The NextGen New Zealand Championship returns next weekend with the 69th Running of the New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park, where Red Bull Ampol Racing Supercars stars Broc Feeney and Will Brown join the CTFROC field.
Header Image: Tayler Burke
