TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ offers biggest ever prize opportunity for its champions

The 2027 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Champion and Trans-Tasman Trophy winner will secure themselves a spot on the starting grid of the 2027 Macau Grand Prix.

It is the most significant prize ever offered to the top performers in New Zealand’s annual premier international single seater series, now widely regarded as one of the top Formula Regional on the global motorsport calendar.

The 2027 Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Trophy will see the introduction of the new Gen 2 Formula Regional car, and will see an expanded field of world class teams for the new era – more than two decades after the first Toyota Racing Series.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol says the unique prize offers a chance to make history.

“One driver could become only the third driver after Roberto Moreno and Richard Verschoor to have their names on both the New Zealand and Macau Grand Prix trophies, which is a very special achievement given they are the only two FIA-sanctioned events outside of F1 to legitimately be able to refer to themselves as Grands Prix.

“From 2026 there is even more significance for the Macau GP with it also becoming the FIA Formula Regional World Cup using the Gen 2 Formula Regional Tatuus chassis similar to that which we will use in New Zealand.

“Our championship has a unique attraction due to the high volume of mileage and the intense competition which is unrivalled in preparing drivers for northern hemisphere competition in Europe, America or Asia.

“We run at the most convenient time of the calendar year for them and we are the most cost effective FR competition in the world.

“Our track record of drivers who have gone on to compete at the highest level of motorsport is second to none at this level. That’s because of the level playing field we offer and the old-school nature of our tracks, which always reward the fastest drivers who learn the quickest and make the fewest mistakes.”

The two drivers – the overall Trophy winner and the Tasman Trophy winner for best Kiwi or Australian competitor – will run in full GR colours and will effectively be ‘Team New Zealand’ in the high profile Macau event.

The team will be made up of engineers from New Zealand who will not only bring intimate knowledge of car set up and preparation but also wider experience in F3, F2.

The FIA, in partnership with the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee, has established the team invitation framework for the FIA FR World Cup in 2026 and beyond.

It has been designed to combine sporting merit, international representation and competitive excellence, while preserving the prestige and selective nature that have long defined the Macau Grand Prix.

The objective is to assemble a world-class entry comprising the strongest Formula Regional teams globally, within a grid size suited to the circuit’s unique sporting and safety characteristics.