Push-to-Pass a positive push forward for Toyota

| Photographer Credit: Ross Hyde Photograhy

A new push-to-pass system announced this week will be introduced on the Toyota FT60 cars for the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy season.  It’s not the first series or even the first Formula Regional category to utilize a system that provides the driver with extra horsepower for a defined period.  It must be regarded as a step forward as at times this controlled class of racing has become quite pedestrian and needs a bit of zest to make things more interesting.

Other categories which have implemented push-to-pass systems include the former Champ Car series, the A1GP series, Audi Sport TT Cup (since 2015), DTM (since 2019), Indy Lights (since 2015), IndyCar Series, Super Formula (since 2021), and Formula Regional European Championship (since 2022).

Will Brown at the opening round of the 2025 Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Championship in Taupo – photo Ross Hyde

The move for the New Zealand series comes under the 2025 FIA Formula Regional 1st Gen Technical Regulations 5.10.

Due to a lack of overtaking, the Formula Regional European Championship introduced the system from 2022 where each driver receives five presses of the button per race, with a maximum of 15 seconds of usage of the additional engine performance per push (25 horsepower), unless a race is red flagged and restarted in which case the allowance could be reset.

Other conditions include a single use of P2P will be allowed before the formation lap to test the system’s functionality, it could only be used from lap two onwards, not while behind the safety car and only after crossing the line to start a new lap of racing when the safety car returns to the pits.

We wait for Toyota GAZOO NZ to release more detail but don’t expect it to be much different to what the FR European Championship has already incorporated in their series.

Benjamin Carrell is a freelance motorsport writer and currently edits talkmotorsport.co.nz. He writes for a number of Kiwi drivers and motorsport clubs. That's when he's not working in his horticultural day-job or training for the next road or mtb cycle race!

https://talkmotorsport.co.nz

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