Gearing up for GP
The 68th New Zealand Grand Prix (NZGP), which is running for the first time at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, is all set to host the climax of this year’s Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The series so far – after four of five back-to-back weekends – has been all about rising Polish star Roman Bilinski.
With plenty of knowledge of the Pirelli tyre being used for the first time in the championship, he has taken to the Toyota FT-60 to win six races from the 12 completed so far.
Despite that, he’s far from home and dry in clinching the 18 FIA Super Licence points on offer to its winning driver, a vital currency for anyone targeting the upper levels of global single-seater racing.
He sits just 56 points ahead of Kiwi Liam Sceats and, after a big win to secure the Lady Wigram Trophy last weekend, Sceats will be confident and at his best.
The NZGP this weekend – also the first in the South Island since 2007 – has attracted several interesting wild cards, who have come in for the last couple of rounds or indeed just for the grand prix. They are interesting because they could well feature this weekend in Cromwell.
Jacob Abel is a rising star in US single-seaters and is competing well in INDY NXT. The only step-up after that is to Indycar and Abel has the talent to do that. On the pace in his 2024 debut weekend at round four in Christchurch, he is fast and races hard.
He has Highlands experience from 2023 when he finished third overall in the championship. Bilinski, Sceats and the rest of those at the pointy end of the table can expect him to be a threat.
Countryman Bryce Aron is another high calibre US racer competing in the last two rounds. Highly regarded in American motorsport and a contracted driver to the Andretti Global empire, he was very fast on his first weekend but lacked time in the car compared to his rivals and it showed.
With a few hundred more kilometres under his belt, it is inevitable Aron will also be competitive.
There are also plenty of drivers with something to prove who can salvage something big with a win in an FIA-sanctioned Grand Prix event.
Kaleb Ngatoa currently sits third in the points for Giles Motorsport and has Patrick Woods-Toth breathing down his neck on the ladder. The Canadian had an unlucky start to the series but has been getting stronger ever since.
Ngatoa has a win to his credit but would have hoped for more in this series and is likely focused on taking out the GP and adding his name to the iconic New Zealand Motor Cup.
Of the rest, Michael Shin and Gerrard Xie have both won races, while Alex Crosbie and Jett Bowling could be good outside bets for strong results. Titus Sherlock – a star performer in F4 US last season – will also be looking to end his season on a high.
And what of Ryder Quinn? A strong performer in the championship last season, he went well on his CTFROC debut in 2023 – at Highlands.
The circuit is owned by his grandfather Tony Quinn. For the family, it is an historic weekend that has been a goal for more than a decade since Quinn purchased and completed the Highlands facility.
Official practice is on February 16. The next morning will see qualifying and the first race. There is only one qualifying session for the weekend, and it will include race one and GP qualifying.
