The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy will go down to the wire at New Zealand’s most historic motorsport event next weekend, following another dramatic weekend at the NextGen NZ Championship at Teretonga.
Day 3 of the Teretonga Park International delivered classic Southland conditions, with rain, sunshine and everything in between keeping teams and drivers on their toes right to the final chequered flag.
The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy delivered plenty of drama in the championship fight. The opening race saw contact between contenders Kanato Le and Freddie Slater, while a late mistake from Jin Nakamura added to the shake-up. Ugo Ugochukwu delivered a commanding drive to win and extend his points lead.
The final race – the Spirit of A Nation Cup – brought even more twists, with a red flag halting proceedings as conditions shifted from dry to wet. At the restart, Ugo looked in control before a mistake from the lead dropped him down the order, handing victory to Slater and setting up a thrilling season finale. Just 35 points cover the top 5 heading into the final round.
The Bridgestone Toyota GR86 Championship also battled changing conditions. Justin Allen took the win in the wet opening race, before dry running arrived for the finale, where Chris White Jr led from the start to reclaim the championship lead and secure his 2nd win of the weekend.
GT New Zealand saw Luke Manson take GT Open honours in wet conditions in race one, before mixed conditions shook things up in the final, with Nigel Cromie taking his 2nd win of the season. In GT4, Lachlan Evennett enjoyed a perfect Sunday, winning both races, the second alongside Glenn Chappel.
The TA2 NZ Championship saw Caleb Byers win the opening race, before a bold tyre call helped Toby Elmiger charge through the field to win the finale.
The NZ Formula Ford Championship wrapped up its opening round with Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi going 2 from 2 early, before 14-year-old Marco Manson held firm to win the final race.
Despite the weather, teams, drivers, officials, volunteers and fans toughed it out to help make it a great weekend of racing. Up next, the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park, next weekend.
Tickets can be purchased online, with all pre-sold tickets going into the draw to win a hot lap in a Supercar at Highlands next weekend.
The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports NZ, Fox Sports / Kayo in Australia and on YouTube around the world.
For more information, please visit www.nextgennz.co.nz
Header Image: Tayler Burke/Shots By TayB
