M2 Competition forms technical partnership with Australian software company

Multiple Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship winning team, M2 Competition has formed a technical partnership with Australian based software company Moonward for the upcoming 2026 season of Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT).

Founded in New Zealand in 2017 and now headquartered in Brisbane, Moonward delivers high-quality software, app, and AI solutions across Australia, NZ, the US, and the UK.

As part of the partnership, Moonward will support M2 Competition’s pursuit of another title while exploring how cutting-edge AI insights can help engineers and drivers make smarter, faster race-day decisions.

The collaboration blends two high-performance worlds motorsport and technology and reflects Moonward’s commitment to innovation, precision, and teamwork.

“Partnering with M2 Competition allows us to bring Moonward’s innovation mindset trackside. By combining elite engineering with cutting-edge AI, we’re helping the team make smarter decisions in the moments that matter most,” says Moonward CEO, Andrew Owen.

“We are excited to play a role in M2’s 2026 campaign and contribute our expertise to help the team defend its title on and off the track.”

Returning to its Kiwi roots through motorsport feels like a full-circle moment for the Andrew Owen and his company, which built the NZ Grand Prix App back in 2017.

“It’s actually where it all started for us, it will be great to further invest in the sport and help the M2 team win.”

M2 Competition Team Principal Mark Pilcher says he’s excited about the new partnership with Moonward, and is looking forward to integrating bespoke Moonward AI software into the already experienced engineering team.

“Our engineering team is already vastly experienced, with our engineers and mechanics working in championships around the world such as F3, F2 and WEC. It is however harder to defend a championship than to win one,” says Pilcher.

“The team at Moonward have been fantastic, building new AI tools for the team to extract and process information in more efficient and targeted ways.”

“We look forward to seeing the Moonward branding on the cars and driver suits. With more driver announcements coming in due course, but make no mistake we are here to defend our long held title in what will be the most competitive season yet for CTFROT.”

The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy season gets underway at Hampton Downs, January 8-11.