NZ Grand Prix helps American teen turbocharge her career
Eighteen-year-old American Chloe Chambers is enjoying the chance to turbocharge her motorsport career in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, with tomorrow’s New Zealand Grand Prix at Hampton Downs a highlight.
With 15 races over five weekends, what was formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series is much the same as contesting a full race championship run over six months internationally. Getting so much seat time in such a short period will give the drivers an edge when they return to their respective championships.
“Getting all this track time is a good thing that obviously helps with driving development,” said Chambers, one of two female drivers in the series, along with Kiwi Bree Morris.
“Having so many races in such a short time is such good development, and since there’s nothing much else going on anywhere else [in motorsport], it was the best thing to do.”
Chambers had a busy 2022, racing a partial season in the United States Formula 4 before being asked to test for the W Series, which she went on to contest for Jenner Racing alongside teammate and eventual champion Jamie Chadwick.
“Having experience in a similar car [TRS cars were used in two W Series races] definitely helped out a lot,” said Chambers, who is 10th overall in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, with a highest finish of fifth.
She is aware of the illustrious history of the New Zealand Grand Prix. Winners from yesteryear include Formula One legends and champions such as Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Chris Amon, Denny Hulme and Keke Rosberg.
More recent NZGP champions who have gone on to enjoy further motorsport success include Nick Cassidy, Earl Bamber, Mitch Evans, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Igor Fraga and Shane van Gisbergen. Norris and Stroll, along with Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu on the current grid, are among Formula Regional Oceania Championship alumni who have gone on to race and test in F1. “This is my first New Zealand Grand Prix and I’m pretty excited for it,” Chambers said. “It’s great to follow in the footsteps of all the people who have not only won the Grand Prix, but the championship as well.”
Most of the tracks Chambers has raced on this month have been new to her but she tested at Hampton Downs last year and is looking forward to returning this weekend.
“The tracks here are quite different to European F1 circuits. I do enjoy driving the ones here, though, and it’s good for general development and I’m having fun.
“Working with Stephen [Giles] has been very good and [Giles Motorsport] is a great team. It was good coming out here last year doing a lot of laps and meeting Stephen, and the team was really helpful.
“I wanted to come and do TRS for quite a while because of the great reputation it has and it’s lived up to everything people in motorsport have said about it.”
The first NZGP was held at the Ohakea Air Force Base in 1950 and moved to Ardmore, south of Auckland, in 1954, where it built an international reputation. In 1963, the race moved to Pukekohe, and after the successful debut of the wings-and-slicks format of the TRS in 2004, the NZGP title was awarded to the series in 2005 and has remained part of it ever since.