Indy NXT driver Josh Pierson will begin a big 2025 racing year with a campaign in New Zealand in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The 18-year-old finished 14th in the IndyNXT Championship standings this season – his first full year in the series – with a best result of seventh amongst six top ten results. The top four in this year’s IndyNXT Championship – Louis Foster, Jacob Abel, Callum Hedge and Caio Collet – have all raced in the New Zealand championship.
Pierson will race in the five round New Zealand championship – which includes the iconic New Zealand Grand Prix event – with MTEC Motorsport.
One of the most versatile rising stars in the US motorsport scene, Pierson also holds the record as the youngest ever starter at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hour race, having made his debut there aged just 16 in 2022 as part of the United Autosports LMP2 entry.
He is also the youngest ever winner in the World Endurance Championship, having won the LMP2 class at the Sebring 1000 Miles in the same year with team mates Oliver Jarvis and former F1 driver Paul di Resta. He went on to finish third overall in the LMP2 Championship standings.
His first steps into single seaters came earlier in 2020 with Formula Ford and USF2000 before he undertook a full USF2000 campaign in 2021, finishing fourth overall. His first taste of the more powerful IndyNXT car came in 2023 and he will compete again in the category in 2025.
Looking ahead to his New Zealand campaign, Josh hopes it will help him prepare for a full assault on the IndyNXT title.
“I’m really looking forward to racing in New Zealand,” he said. “CTFROC is a championship I’ve kept tabs on since I was very young and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to compete.
“With my heavily sportscar-focused years in 2022 and 2023, it just didn’t make sense for me then. But now with my venture back into single seaters and my desire to improve, and hopefully get a shot at Indycar in the future, I’m looking to catch up on some of the junior formula racing I missed back then. CTFROC is the perfect way to start my year and add more experience and skill to my repertoire before beginning my 2025 IndyNXT campaign.”
MTEC has a long history in New Zealand’s premier single seater championship and believes the US star will go well on the challenging circuits on the championship trail.
“Josh has proven he has plenty of speed and he’s highly motivated to do well in January in New Zealand,” said MTEC team principal Bruin Beasley. “He’s an exciting prospect for us and we expect him to be fully competitive.”
The 2025 New Zealand championship will be the third as one of the official FIA global Formula Regional Championships. It has an incredible record of producing world class talent, with 26 drivers having tested, practiced or raced in the Formula 1 World Championship. Lando Norris, Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson are all former champions. Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto are also graduates of the Championship.
Countless others have achieved success in other formulae, ranging from Supercars to Indycar and Le Mans prototypes to Formula E. 2024 Rookie Champion, Patrick Woods-Toth won the Formula Regional Americas title this season, while 2023 Race winner Louis Foster won the Indy Nxt Championship and has secured a full-time Indycar drive from 2025.
The season will see Josh race at the Taupo Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs and Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in New Zealand’s North Island, and Teretonga Raceway and the Highlands Motorsport Park – venue for the 2025 NZ Grand Prix – in the South Island.
