Latest news with #NicolasCaillol
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Format Changes Set To Rev Up Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy
The format changes are designed to spice up the action and give drivers even better value for money and come alongside the switch from a five-weekend championship to four to avoid clashes with northern hemisphere testing in IndyNXT and European junior formulae. Aside from the Grand Prix weekend there will now be four races per weekend with qualifying and two races each day on Saturday and Sunday at the first three weekends. The first three races of each weekend will be of 70km duration while the longer feature races on Sunday afternoons will be 90km. These are the races that will decide the series famous trophies, including the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy, the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy and the Spirit of a Nation Cup. The New Zealand Grand Prix weekend – at Highlands Motorsport Park once again in 2026 – has an unchanged format. That includes Grand Prix type qualifying with two knockout sessions and a final shootout for the top ten grid spots. The Grand Prix race itself is the longest and most grueling challenge of the season at 109km and remains one if only two races outside of F1 – along with the Macau GP – to have official recognition as a Grand Prix event from the FIA. Total mileage drivers can accumulate in the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy - arguably the world's best value for money FIA Formula Regional Championship – remains in excess of 2,900km. Amongst other changes to the format, five new sets of Pirelli tyres will be allocated to each driver per weekend – a significant increase from the current total of three sets. Two sets must be used over Thursday's two 30-minute test sessions and Friday's three 30-minute Free Practice sessions. That will leave drivers with three new sets each race weekend for two 15-minute qualifying sessions and four races. A new push-to-pass system will also be introduced on the Toyota FT60 cars for the 2026 season, giving each car an additional 25 horsepower. Extensive testing of the push to pass addition will be completed before the season gets underway in January to determine the best conditions of usage to create more intense and tactical passes. 'Push to pass and the extra tyres will definitely add new elements of strategy for both drivers and teams over the whole weekend and they are changes which are definitely designed to promote passing and closer racing,' explained TGRNZ Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol. Format changes were approved by the FIA World Council meeting last month and immediately led to a host of enquiries and interest in the Oceania Formula Regional category from professional racing teams around the world. 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Rd1 9-11 January Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park Rd2 16-18 January Taupo International Motorsport Park Rd3 23-25 January Teretonga Raceway, Invercargill
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Format Changes Set To Rev Up Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy
The format changes are designed to spice up the action and give drivers even better value for money and come alongside the switch from a five-weekend championship to four to avoid clashes with northern hemisphere testing in IndyNXT and European junior formulae. Aside from the Grand Prix weekend there will now be four races per weekend with qualifying and two races each day on Saturday and Sunday at the first three weekends. The first three races of each weekend will be of 70km duration while the longer feature races on Sunday afternoons will be 90km. These are the races that will decide the series famous trophies, including the Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy, the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy and the Spirit of a Nation Cup. The New Zealand Grand Prix weekend – at Highlands Motorsport Park once again in 2026 – has an unchanged format. That includes Grand Prix type qualifying with two knockout sessions and a final shootout for the top ten grid spots. The Grand Prix race itself is the longest and most grueling challenge of the season at 109km and remains one if only two races outside of F1 – along with the Macau GP – to have official recognition as a Grand Prix event from the FIA. Total mileage drivers can accumulate in the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy - arguably the world's best value for money FIA Formula Regional Championship – remains in excess of 2,900km. Amongst other changes to the format, five new sets of Pirelli tyres will be allocated to each driver per weekend – a significant increase from the current total of three sets. Two sets must be used over Thursday's two 30-minute test sessions and Friday's three 30-minute Free Practice sessions. That will leave drivers with three new sets each race weekend for two 15-minute qualifying sessions and four races. A new push-to-pass system will also be introduced on the Toyota FT60 cars for the 2026 season, giving each car an additional 25 horsepower. Extensive testing of the push to pass addition will be completed before the season gets underway in January to determine the best conditions of usage to create more intense and tactical passes. 'Push to pass and the extra tyres will definitely add new elements of strategy for both drivers and teams over the whole weekend and they are changes which are definitely designed to promote passing and closer racing,' explained TGRNZ Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol. Format changes were approved by the FIA World Council meeting last month and immediately led to a host of enquiries and interest in the Oceania Formula Regional category from professional racing teams around the world. 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Rd1 9-11 January Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park Rd2 16-18 January Taupo International Motorsport Park Rd3 23-25 January Teretonga Raceway, Invercargill
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
FIA Backs Changes To Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy
The new look format – with the championship's regular 15 races being run over four weekends instead of five - has been signed off by the FIA's World Council of Motorsport and will be introduced for the 2026 season. From 2026, the FIA will introduce a Regional Trophy concept for all Formula Regional and Formula 4 categories. These new formats provide organisers and promoters with unprecedented flexibility to choose between a traditional championship format lasting over a longer period or concentrating their competitions – under the 'Trophy' title - within a shorter timeframe with fewer events. This will preserve the status of championships certified by FIA by offering an alternative which still answers the FIA's overarching goals of increasing global participation and making motor sport more accessible for all. The New Zealand championship will be the first to adopt the 'Trophy' profile and retains its FIA Championship status. It will be the 21st season of New Zealand's premier single seater championship – which remains highly regarded as a major international junior formulae not only by the FIA, but also by F1 and Indycar teams as well as driver development programmes. The support from the FIA and the World Council means that the New Zealand-based championship can start in early January after the Christmas and New Year holiday period, but complete its schedule – which culminates with the New Zealand Grand Prix - without any clashes with pre-season testing in the northern hemisphere. Clashes with both US Indy and IndyNxt testing in the US and FIA F2/F3 and other European championships have prevented a number of top line rising stars completing or even taking part in the championship in recent seasons. The FIA was keen to work with New Zealand organisers TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ to ensure that its flagship winter championship was accessible to all rising global single seater stars. 'We have long appealed to emerging single seater stars around the world,' explained TGRNZ Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol. 'That's not only because of the value for money we offer as an international championship, but also because of the testing mileage, the intensity of the qualifying and racing, the variety of highly challenging circuits the drivers experience and the professionalism of the teams involved,' 'Our most recent champion, 2025 winner Arvid Lindblad, is already one step away from Formula One and we like to think that his 2025 season in New Zealand has indeed played its part in that process. 'With the way now clear for more European drivers, and USA drivers, to come to New Zealand we have no more obstacles preventing the championship becoming even more important as a pathway for the world's best motorsport prospects. 'We will announce our 2026 calendar, and the revised format for each weekend imminently.'
