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Formula Regional Oceania Championship

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This article is about the open-wheel series in New Zealand. For the stock car series in Mexico, see NASCAR Toyota Series.
Formula Regional Oceania Championship
Formula Regional Oceania Championship
CategoryOpen-wheeler racing
CountryOceania
Inaugural season2005
Drivers20 (2023)
Teams4 (2023)
ConstructorsTatuus
Engine suppliersToyota
Tyre suppliersHankook
Drivers' championPoland Roman Bilinski
Teams' championM2 Competition
Official websitewww.toyotaracing.co.nz
Current season

The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is New Zealand's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. The cars are also the category for the New Zealand Grand Prix – one of only two races in the world with FIA approval to use the Grand Prix nomenclature outside Formula One. The series was formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series until 2023.

Summary

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Toyota Racing Management
Founded2004
Headquarters
Hampton Downs, Auckland
,
New Zealand
Area served
New Zealand
Key people
Nico Caillol
Sarah Brown

The Toyota Racing Series is an incubator and showcase for the next generation of New Zealand racing talent. The Series offers emerging drivers the chance to gain valuable experience with carbon-fibre composite chassis, aerodynamics and slick tyres.

The Series has the full endorsement of Motorsport New Zealand, the sport's governing body. Until the beginning of 2017, the series was managed by Toyota Racing Management a company under the leadership of Barrie Thomlinson.

Previously, the country's leading drivers had to go offshore to step up to this level. High-profile graduates from the series to date include Brendon Hartley, formerly in Formula One with Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, and Earl Bamber.[1] The series has also seen the likes of Daniil Kvyat, Will Stevens, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris compete on their way to Formula One.

For 2008, the series has also gone "green". Fuels for all cars racing in the series are now an E85 biofuel blend of 85 per cent ethanol made from whey, a dairy industry by-product; and petrol. Reduced emissions, reduced carbon "footprint" and reduced use of fossil fuels are all being showcased in this unique New Zealand programme. The 2008 New Zealand Grand Prix thus becomes the first ever biofuel grand prix in the world.

The former logo of the Toyota Racing Series, used until 2022.

The short summer series (five weekends in five weeks, all in January and February) during the Southern Hemisphere summer has made the series attractive to development drivers from the Northern Hemisphere, as the series takes place during the off-season, serving as single-seater motorsport's equivalent of professional baseball's "winter ball" leagues in the Caribbean and Australia. Drivers from both Europe and the Americas actively participate in the series, as it allows them to develop their skills in an atmosphere similar to the winter ball leagues. A June 2019 FIA World Motor Sport Council decision now allows development drivers to tally Toyota Racing Series with their regular series towards FIA Super Licence points required to be in a Formula One car, meaning the driver can participate in this series, then participate in a series that starts after the end of the Toyota Racing Series, and accumulate points from both series towards F1 approval.[2]

The series was renamed to Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship for the 2023 season, joining the other various Formula Regional series around the world.[3]

Further information: List of Toyota Racing Series drivers

Circuits

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The current championship consists of five rounds, each comprising three races.

  • Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2025 season.
Number Circuits Rounds Years
1 New Zealand Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon 21[a][b] 2005–2021, 2023–present
2 New Zealand Teretonga Park 17[c] 2005–2020, 2023
3 New Zealand Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park 15 2006–2013, 2015–2019, 2023–present
New Zealand Hampton Downs Motorsport Park 15[d][e] 2010–2021, 2023–present
5 New Zealand Euromarque Motorsport Park 11[f] 2005–2006, 2008, 2015–2018, 2024
6 New Zealand Timaru International Motor Raceway 10 2005–2014
7 New Zealand Pukekohe Park Raceway 8[g] 2005–2007, 2009, 2020
8 New Zealand Highlands Motorsport Park 5[h] 2014, 2019–2020, 2023–present
9 New Zealand Hamilton Street Circuit 2[i] 2008–2009

Car

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Toyota Racing Series Car Engine

2015–2019

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The Toyota Racing Series ran a Tatuus FT-50 chassis with modified versions of 1.8L Toyota four cylinder 2ZZ-GE production engines which can produce 200bhp, a six speed Sadev sequential transmission with limited slip differential with a carbon fibre body and a Carbon monocoque chassis built by Tatuus in Italy to full FIA F3 specification.[4] The cars use Michelin S308 tyres (Front 20x54x13, Rear 24x57x13) and weigh approximately 480 kg.

2020–present

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Tatuus FT-60 in 2021 New Zealand Grand Prix

The Toyota Racing Series switched to a new chassis called Tatuus FT-60, identical to the Tatuus F.3 T-318 used in Europe, whereas the new engine 8AR-FTS will be a 2.0L turbocharged unit developing 270bhp.[5] The cars have halo for the protection purposes and it weigh approximately 665 kg with driver.[6]

Champions

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Source:[7]

Season Driver Team Poles Wins Podiums Fastest laps Points Clinched Margin
2005 New Zealand Brent Collins Brent Collins Motorsport 1 4 10 4 937 Race 18 of 18 33
2005–06 New Zealand Daniel Gaunt International Motorsport 5 7 17 10 1491 Race 21 of 23 479
2006–07 New Zealand Daniel Gaunt International Motorsport 3 9 16 8 1448 Race 21 of 23 328
2007–08 New Zealand Andy Knight Knight Motorsport 6 6 16 2 1230 Race 23 of 23 33
2008–09 New Zealand Mitch Cunningham Giles Motorsport 7 5 13 4 1110 Race 17 of 18 121
2010 New Zealand Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport 8 3 10 5 915 Race 15 of 15 3
2011 New Zealand Mitch Evans Giles Motorsport 6 7 14 5 973 Race 13 of 15 168
2012 New Zealand Nick Cassidy Giles Motorsport 0 5 10 4 934 Race 13 of 15 176
2013 New Zealand Nick Cassidy M2 Competition 0 2 10 6 915 Race 14 of 15 112
2014 Singapore Andrew Tang Neale Motorsport 1 3 9 4 794 Race 15 of 15 4
2015 Canada Lance Stroll M2 Competition 0 4 10 2 906 Race 14 of 16 108
2016 United Kingdom Lando Norris M2 Competition 8 6 11 5 924 Race 14 of 15 135
2017 Australia Thomas Randle Victory Motor Racing 3 2 7 7 855 Race 15 of 15 5
2018 Russia Robert Shwartzman M2 Competition 3 1 9 3 916 Race 15 of 15 5
2019 New Zealand Liam Lawson M2 Competition 4 5 11 5 356 Race 15 of 15 10
2020 Brazil Igor Fraga M2 Competition 3 4 9 3 362 Race 15 of 15 6
2021 New Zealand Matthew Payne M2 Competition 6 5 9 5 287 Race 8 of 9 58
2022 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2023 Austria Charlie Wurz M2 Competition 4 4 6 1 343 Race 15 of 15 14
2024 Poland Roman Bilinski M2 Competition 5 6 12 5 385 Race 14 of 15 43

Multiple Winners

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Wins Driver Years
2 New Zealand Daniel Gaunt 2005–06, 2006–07
New Zealand Mitch Evans 2010, 2011
New Zealand Nick Cassidy 2012, 2013
Wins Team Years
9 M2 Competition 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
4 Giles Motorsport 2008–09, 2010, 2011, 2012
2 International Motorsport 2005–06, 2006–07
1 Brent Collins Motorsport 2005
Knight Motorsport 2007–08
Neale Motorsport 2014
Victory Motor Racing 2017
Wins Country Drivers Years
11 New Zealand New Zealand Brent Collins 2005
Daniel Gaunt 2005–06, 2006–07
Andy Knight 2007–08
Mitch Cunningham 2008–09
Mitch Evans 2010, 2011
Nick Cassidy 2012, 2013
Liam Lawson 2019
Matthew Payne 2021
1 Singapore Singapore Andrew Tang 2014
Canada Canada Lance Stroll 2015
United Kingdom United Kingdom Lando Norris 2016
Australia Australia Thomas Randle 2017
Russia Russia Robert Shwartzman 2018
Brazil Brazil Igor Fraga 2020
Austria Austria Charlie Wurz 2023
Poland Poland Roman Bilinski 2024

Trophies

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The winner of the feature race of each round in the championship is awarded a trophy:

  1. Lady Wigram Trophy
  2. The Spirit of the Nation Cup
  3. The NZ Motor Cup
  4. Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy
  5. Dan Higgins Trophy
  6. The New Zealand Grand Prix Trophy

The overall winner of the championship (based on championship points) receives the Chris Amon Trophy[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ Manfeild Circuit hosted 2 rounds in 2005, 2007–08 season.
  2. ^ Manfeild Circuit hosted New Zealand Grand Prix from 2008 to 2020.
  3. ^ Teretonga Park hosted New Zealand Grand Prix from 2005 to 2007.
  4. ^ Hampton Downs Motorsport Park hosted 2 rounds in 2021 season.
  5. ^ Hampton Downs Motorsport Park hosted New Zealand Grand Prix in 2021 and 2023.
  6. ^ Euromarque Motorsport Park hosted 2 rounds in 2005–06 season.
  7. ^ Pukekohe Park Raceway hosted 2 rounds in 2005–06, 2006–07 season.
  8. ^ Highlands Motorsport Park hosted New Zealand Grand Prix in 2024, and it will host New Zealand Grand Prix in 2025.
  9. ^ Hamilton Street Circuit hosted non-championship rounds in 2008 and 2009.

References

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  1. ^ "Toyota - Toyota Racing New Zealand". Toyotaracing.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  2. ^ FIA World Motor Sport Council June 2019
  3. ^ "Formula Regional Oceania status confirmed for Castrol TRS". Toyota NZ. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  4. ^ "Toyota - Toyota Racing New Zealand". Toyotaracing.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  5. ^ "Toyota FT-60 hits the track". Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Tatuus Cars". www.tatuus.it. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Toyota - Toyota Racing New Zealand". Toyotaracing.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  8. ^ "Toyota Racing Series: Feature Race Trophies". Toyota NZ. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
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