Top crop of drivers in Oceania series

The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (formerly the Toyota Racing Series) has a bumper crop of New Zealand drivers this year.

Pre Covid, most were from overseas, but that’s not the case any more, as the series continues to grow after the pandemic era.

Championship motorsport manager Nicolas Caillol is pleased with the depth of talent and especially the number of Kiwi drivers.

“The series is shaping up quite nicely this year,” Caillol told the Weekend Herald. “We have 17 drivers signed up so far and are working on another two.

“We have a good proportion of Kiwis. New Zealand motorsport is growing and the next batch of talent is coming through from Formula First and Formula Ford.

“The last time we had so many Kiwis racing in the series was back in 2017, I think. There are a couple of Kiwis coming back for a second time

The last time we had so many Kiwis racing in the series was back in 2017. Nicolas Caillol

to continue their development as drivers. It’s pretty healthy on the New Zealand side of things.”

Europe was previously the go-to place to source of drivers for the five weekends of racing. Last year saw the series pivot to concentrate on drivers from the Americas to showcase that region as a pathway for junior formula single-seater drivers.

With a number of Kiwi drivers now established in the United States, New Zealand’s profile as a hothouse of racing talent is at an all-time high.

“A lot of the European Formula Regional drivers now have to do the Middle East series to compete in other championships and that has taken a lot of potential away from possibly competing in New Zealand.

“That lowered our market in Europe, and so we’ve continued our push in the US, and this year, we have seven drivers coming to race here.

“The American market will become more important to us in the future. With three F1 rounds in the US now, the single-seater pathway into F1 will become more important. It’s a good pathway and cheaper than Europe. The growing success of Kiwi drivers in America is also helping raise our championship awareness.”

Unlike many newer tracks in Europe and the US, New Zealand still has old-school tracks that don’t have tens of metres of run-off.

“The tracks in New Zealand are challenging where if you go off the tarmac, you’re immediately in trouble. They push the drivers to their limits, and unlike a lot of European and other overseas tracks, there is little margin for error.”

In its 19th season, the Formula Regional Oceania Championship starts in Taupo¯ (January 18-21) followed by Manfeild ( January 25-28), Hampton Downs (February 1-4), Ruapuna (February 8-11) and the New Zealand Grand Prix round at Highlands Motorsport Park (February 15-18).