Kiwi claims single-seater first
A great start and unrelenting pace in race one gave Supercars ace Ryan Wood the first single-seater victory of his career in the second round of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT) at Taupo.
He took the lead early and never looked back on January 17, racing away to beat Ugo Ugochukwu by two seconds after a dominant performance.
“Big credit to our whole team,” says Wood, pictured centre on the podium with Ugochukwu, left, and Freddie Slater. “Sunday last week was rough, but they built the car back up and ever since it’s been a jet.
“It feels nice, I’ve still got a bit of work to do but think we’re there or thereabouts. I’m more than happy. It was vital to take the lead early and run the race I wanted.”
Wood’s Mtec Motorsport car led them out of the first corner with Ugochukwu slotting into second for M2 Competition. Out of that first corner though and Ugochukwu was under attack from Zack Scoular. It was these three that made an early break away and by turn nine they had a few car lengths on the rest of the field led by Freddie Slater.
Out front Wood, who knows the potential tyre degradation from the Taupo circuit better than most, settled into a rhythm quickly, not trying to pull away but rather focusing on not making mistakes. It was enough to keep Ugochukwu contained a car length or two behind in the early stages.
By lap four, Slater had closed to within a few tenths of Scoular to make it a four-way battle. Behind him Louis Sharp was also on the move, clocking fastest sectors.
Scoular had made a big effort to pass through the final chicane on lap eight, locking up in the process but Ugochukwu held his position. Slater took no time at to pounce on the compromised Scoular and pass him for third.
Nobody had an answer for Wood out front though, the Kiwi nailing the race’s fastest lap early on then putting in a series of laps in the final five tours that left his pursuers breathless.
He scored his first Supercars podium on the same track in 2025 and sailed away to his first CTFROT win in impressive style – a remarkable feat in only his fifth single-seater race. Ugochukwu came home a comfortable second in the end, ahead of Slater, Sharp, the struggling Scoular in fifth, James Wharton a solid sixth.
Aussie claims second race
James Wharton took victory in race two at Taupo with a well-judged and comfortable debut win in the CTFROT. The Australian made a fast start form the second row, worked his way to the front with a pass on Hitech’s Kanato Le then simply drove away from the field.
Second-place finisher Ernesto Rivera drove exceptionally well to hold off the silky-smooth speed of Ugo Ugochukwu.
But the circuit’s second race of January 17 was all about the Aussie’s first win and the first for new team TJ Speed with HMD Motorsports.
“We have a good car and it feels very good to get our first win,” says Wharton. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks, but we are finally where we should be, I think. We have work to do though, and we’ll focus on Sunday now and try to ensure we are fast again.”
