New Zealand’s premier race championship has unveiled the latest generation of open-wheel race cars.
The next generation Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy car – the GRF-70 – was officially unveiled in August at Gazoo Racing New Zealand’s headquarters at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
The new car is based on the FIA Formula Regional Gen 2 T326 Tatuus chassis, as used in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC), and will be powered by an evolution of the proven 2.0litre turbocharged 8ARFTS engine developed in New Zealand and used in the series since 2020.
The Toyota-powered single seaters are built by Italian manufacturer Tatuus. The switch to the Gen 2 car underlines Toyota and Gazoo Racing’s long-standing commitment to the FIA’s single seater pyramid as a logical progression for drivers from FIA-certified Formula 4, through FIA Formula Regional, and on to FIA Formula 3 and beyond – while ensuring the cars and competition remain true to the principles of high-performance, driver-first motorsport.
Initial testing of the new car – in the hands of former NZ Grand Prix winner Liam Sceats – has already begun 22 cars will be built in time for the next Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy, though the grid will be limited to 20.
As with all previous seasons of the NZ-based series, the cars will be released to teams on the Monday before the first race weekend. Six teams will begin the next generation of the championship: M2 Competition, mtec Motorsport, Kiwi Motorsport, Hitech GP, TJ Speed Motorsport and new entrant Rodin Motorsport.
The Gazoo Racing Castrol Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (or CTFROT) is an FIA-endorsed regional championship designed to give drivers a step toward an international racing career driving modern, globally relevant open-wheel race cars.
Toyota has run this series since 2005, when it was simply known as the Toyota Racing Series. In that time, a total of 27 series graduates including two Kiwi drivers, Brendon Hartley and Liam Lawson, have attained a drive in F1. More significantly, almost every Kiwi driver at the front of every major race championship worldwide, has come up through the series. In America, that includes 2021 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Shane van Gisbergen, now racing in Nascar, and Marcus Armstrong who competes in Indycar.
The series has always had a single-minded focus on getting Kiwi drivers into overseas competition.
Brendon Hartley, winner of the first ever TRS race in 2005, went up through Formula 3 all the way to F1 with Scuderia Toro Rosso. He now competes in the World Endurance Championship with the factory Toyota team and has won a joint-record four FIA World Endurance Championship titles – tied with Sébastien Buemi. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
More recently, Liam Lawson has built a solid career in F1 with Racing Bulls.
Aiming to continue this momentum in 2027, Gazoo Racing NZ will offer two places on the grid at the Macau Grand Prix: one for the overall series winner and one for the trans-Tasman cup winner. It is the most significant prize ever offered to the top performers in New Zealand’s annual premier international single seater series. The two Kiwi drivers will run in full GR colours and will effectively be ‘Team New Zealand’ in the high-profile Macau event. The team will also include engineers from New Zealand who are familiar with formula car set up and preparation.
The Macau Grand Prix is one of only two races given Grand prix status outside F1; the other being New Zealand. For decades, it has been closely watched by F1 team managers, talent spotters and driver management consultants.
From 2026, Macau will become the FIA Formula Regional World Cup. The aim is to assemble a world-class entry comprising the strongest Formula Regional teams globally.
2027 Castrol Toyota Formula
Regional Oceania Trophy
Round one, 8-10 January
Allied Petroleum Hampton Downs International, Hampton Downs.
Round two, 15-17 January
Giltrap Group Taupo Historic GP, Taupo.
Round three, 22-24 January
Ascot Park Hotel Teretonga Park International, Invercargill
Round four, 29-31 January
NAPA New Zealand Grand Prix – Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell
