Kiwi racer Toby McCormack is targeting podiums and a trip to Macau as the top driver in the Tasman region for his first campaign in the 2027 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy.
McCormack – first to be confirmed for CTFROT 2027 – will join new team Rodin Motorsport for the 2027 Trophy, which will see a full field of second-generation Formula Regional cars compete on four of NZ’s most iconic tracks, concluding with the New Zealand Grand Prix at the end of January.
Aucklander McCormack may not be a well-known name internationally, but the 19-year-old has an outstanding track record in single-seaters on the domestic racing scene in New Zealand.
Three years in Formula First were followed by three more years racing Formula Ford. That period included a North Island Formula Ford title and third place in the full national FF1600 Championship.
Alongside that, he gained valuable single-seater and wings-and-slicks experience in NZ’s domestic Formula Open series, where he drove older-generation Toyota cars like the FT40 and FT50. He has won three class and three overall titles in the older cars – and it’s experience which should stand him in good stead.
“I am aiming to achieve podiums and am specifically focussing on the Trans-Tasman Cup, which of course is limited to Australian and New Zealand drivers,” he explained.
“The top driver there will be the second driver after the overall champion to secure a place in the works GAZOO Racing NZ team for the Macau Grand Prix, and I am fully focused on being that driver.
“Beyond that, my long-term goal is to be a professional racing driver representing New Zealand on the world stage.”
Toby’s season with Rodin will begin at the first round in January at the Hampton Downs Motorsport Park 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. McCormack has experience of fast open single-seaters at all of those tracks.
Rodin Motorsport worked with the rising star last season and is looking forward to continuing the relationship at an international level in CTFROT.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with Toby following his Formula Ford wildcard opportunity last year, which saw him test at Rodin Cars in New Zealand,” explained Rodin Motorsport Managing Director Emma Duncan.
“We were impressed with Toby throughout that programme, so supporting him with a CTFROT seat is a natural next step in his development.”
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.
Header Image: Supplied
