In the 21-season history of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy series (previously the Toyota Racing Series) the grid for 2026 will have to be the best seen in New Zealand. In fact, it is world class.
The grid is now set with, hopefully, 18 drivers entered and landing in NZ ready for the opening round next weekend (9-11 January 2026) at Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park.
A World Champion, drivers with Formula Regional, Formula 4, GB3, GB4 titles and a Macau Grand Prix winner make this coming season a hard one to predict a winner.
Two-times World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera makes his single seater debut before heading to Japan and the 2026 Super Formula Series. You don’t become a world champion unless you have world class talent and Rovanpera will be quick. As a single seater rookie driver, he is in a win-win situation. He has nothing to prove as his racing down under is a warm-up for the main event in Japan this coming season. Podiums and race wins will be a bonus.
New Yorker Ugo Uguchukwu won the 2024 Macau Grand Prix before joining the FIA Formula 3 Championship 2025 grid along with Kiwi Louis Sharp and Australian James Wharton. All three will continue their rivalry down under in January.
Sharp has both GB4 and GB3 titles while Wharton won the Formula 4 UAE title in 2023 and finished runner up in the 2024 Formula Regional Eurocup Championship (FREC).
Sharp needs to win races and may well be feeling the pressure. It was a lackluster first season in Formula 3 yet one of gaining valuable experience. If he is to advance to Formula 2 in the future, then Sharp will need to start winning and that means from January 2026.
Throw in Brit Freddie Slater who is the current Formula Regional European Cup champion, adding this title to his 2024 Italian and UAE F4 championship victories. Also, Irishman Fionn McLaughlin steps up to Formula Regional having won the 2025 British F4 title, as does Cooper Shipman, winner of the 2025 Formula 4 United States Championship.
Here we have a field of drivers all with something to prove. The 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy has the potential to shape their coming season and who knows, maybe even the path their careers will take. It has happened before. The best part is we get to watch, speculate and enjoy!
Comments