Will Brown headlines strongest Toyota Racing Series field since 2020
The New Zealand series promises the most competitive field since it hosted a head-to-head battle between future Formula 1 stars.
Once the only choice for open-wheel drivers during the European winter, the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship has ebbed and flowed in popularity over recent years.
The Formula Regional status, a vital credential with accompanying Super Licence points, was conferred to the series for the 2023 season, but also eliminated the old title with its neat acronym (TRS) and good search-engine-optimisation (SEO) for us writing about it. The pressure is also mounting from rival categories in the Middle East and Europe, all seeking to benefit from FIA rules that allow drivers to earn points from two series each year.
This year, the Toyota series is promising a return to the highs of years such as 2019 and 2020, headlined by the surprise announcement that Supercars champion Will Brown will join the field when racing begins this weekend in Taupo.
It is an exciting prospect, tempered slightly as the 26-year-old from Toowoomba will only race in three of the five rounds of the series.
Toyota New Zealand says Brown will fulfil a "long-held desire to compete in a world class international single seater championship," which is also slightly depressing as it highlights there is no equivalent championship on home soil for him to compete in.
But excitement runs high in the Land of the Long White Cloud, with Toyota claiming that the 2025 CTFROC will be as competitive as the 2019 brawl between Marcus Armstrong and Liam Lawson, or the 2020 campaign that saw the debut of the new FT60 chassis and now-F1-identies like Lawson as well as Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto.
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is on deck this year, aiming to earn Super Licence points ahead of his debut in FIA Formula 2 and a potential Formula 1 appearance later this year, while Nikita Johnson leads a strong American contingent. Johnson is the only driver to have won at all three levels of the USF Pro Championships since the introduction of USF Juniors in 2022.
Australia will be represented in full-time campaigns from Patrick Heuzenroeder and Nicolas Stati, while Alex Crosbie, Seb Manson, and Zack Scoular from New Zealand will attract the home interest.
From Sydney, Heuzenroeder was a finalist in the Ferrari Driver Academy selection process and returns to the southern hemisphere after a stint in GB3, overseen by fellow Aussies in team principal Bruin Beasley and mentor David Brabham.
Stati is a name to watch after finishing runner-up in both the United States and Australian Formula 4 series in 2024 and dabbling the in the F4 UAE Trophy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to end the year. Stati drove for Crosslink Kiwi motorsport in the American season and continues the partnership into the Toyota series.
Meanwhile, Australian FIA Formula 3 driver and Toyota Formula Regional Oceania regular Tommy Smith will contest the two rounds missed by Brown in the #87 Giles Motorsport machine.
The 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania series is underway this weekend in Taupo, with coverage from Stuff and headline coverage here on raceweek.
Saturday 11 January (AEDT)
8.15pm - Toyota Formula Regional Qualifying
1.45pm - Toyota Formula Regional Race 1
Sunday 12 January (AEDT)
7.45am - Toyota Formula Regional Qualifying 2
11.00am - Toyota Formula Regional Race 2
2.55pm - Toyota Formula Regional Race 3
