The first round of the 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship got underway in style over the weekend
as a new era began in single seater racing in New Zealand.
Consistency has Charlie Wurz ahead on points heading to Round 2. Picture TBC
The first twists and turns of the championship played out around the challenging and unique Highlands Motorsport Park
and produced three different winners from three different races.
Kiwis Callum Hedge and James Penrose won the first two instalments, but it was American David Morales who took the
chequered flag first in the longer and more valuable Sunday feature race.
None of the winners, however, could match the overall consistency over the weekend of Austrian Charlie Wurz whose run of
strong results – two second place finishes and a fourth - puts him ahead as the championship moves south to
Invercargill’s Teretonga Park Raceway this coming weekend.
Wurz, one of the big names in the championship this season, was smooth and fast all weekend in Cromwell, with only one
mistake in the final race giving him a trip through the gravel. Even that didn’t cost him a place. He was quick from the
word go too and like the other front runners was near the front every time the cars took to the 4.1km track. A win will
also surely come sooner rather than later.
In a championship where scoring consistently is the name of the game, Callum Hedge will be kicking himself this week for
using Highlands’ kerbs a little too much in his chase of Morales during the feature race. The two were seconds ahead of
the field and it looked only a matter of time before Hedge showed more of his prodigious speed and moved through to
lead, but it wasn’t to be. Kerb damage to the rear suspension sent him to the pits for lengthy repairs and resulted in
13th place and fifth overall after the round.
After showing mesmerising qualifying speed in both of the weekend’s qualifying runs and winning the season’s first race
on Saturday at a canter, most people who watched Saturday thought he would dominate Sunday and win the round with ease.
Motorsport is a fickle thing though, and traffic limited him to sixth on Saturday morning.
If that was a little disappointing for the 19-year-old after a stellar Saturday, then Sunday afternoon would have been
even worse. Hedge is a fighter though, and usually bounces back in devastating form from such setbacks. There’s no
question he’ll be on the pace at Teretonga, but results are all that matter.
James Penrose, the oldest driver in the field this season at 27, left the first round beaming after a very impressive
victory in the Sunday morning race. In a reverse grid format based on Saturday’s results, he sacrificed tyre life later
in the day for pace in the earlier race and made the investment pay off with a stylish drive, gapping the field from
pole and winning by around six seconds.
Feature race winner Morales was quick all weekend. Always near the front on the results and on lap times he saved his
best for last, leading the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup feature all the way and generating enough speed to force Hedge
into pushing hard enough to break his car. That alone marked him out as a player in this year’s championship. The fact
he did all that while feeling under the weather is another feather in his cap. He obviously learns tracks quickly and is
in good hands with M2 Competition.
Chloe Chambers was definitely one of the notable performers over the Highlands weekend. She built up speed and
confidence every time who took to the track and slowly worked her way forward. Putting knowledge of the car to good use
from racing it in two rounds of the 2022 W Series, Chole was at her best in the final race of the weekend. Despite it
being the hottest, the longest and the toughest on the drivers, Chloe – complete with some painful blisters – produced a
great race to finish fifth for Giles Motorsport.
Other notable performers over the weekend included Ryder Quinn who hit his grandfather’s track running on Friday with
some very fast times and kept his form over the weekend. With a few more race miles under his belt, he’ll move further
towards the front. He’s got plenty of speed too and is learning fast.
Kiwi Liam Sceats grabbed a podium in the final feature race which was a great way for the ex-Formula Ford racer to cap
off his first weekend in the big league of international junior formulae.
There are just a few days to wait before the drivers go again, this time at the world’s most southerly circuit racing
track recognised by the FIA. Teretonga is another Kiwi track steeped in history and its short, but very fast flowing
corners have been graced by the likes of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Denny
Hulme, Chris Amon, Phil Hill and countless other iconic motorsport names. This season’s youngsters will be aiming to put
their names up in lights in the big feature race on Sunday – the Spirit of a Nation Cup.2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Round 1 Highlands – Race 1
1. Callum Hedge (NZ)
2. Charlie Wurz (Austria)
3. David Morales (USA)
4. Josh Mason (UK)
5. Liam Sceats (NZ)
6. Jacob Abel (USA)
7. Ryder Quinn (Aus)
8. James Penrose (NZ)
9. Chole Chambers (USA)
10. Christina Orr-West
11. Tom McLennan (Aus)
12. Bree Morris (NZ)
DNF: Ryan Shehan (USA).2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Round 1 Highlands – Race 2
1. James Penrose (NZ)
2. Jacob Abel (USA)
3. Ryder Quinn (Aus)
4. Charlie Wurz (Austria)
5. David Morales (USA)
6. Callum Hedge (NZ)
7. Chloe Chambers (USA)
8. Ryan Shehan (USA)
9. Josh Mason (UK)
10. Tom McLennan (Aus)
11. Lucas Fecury (Br)
12. Bree Morris (NZ)
DNF: Liam Sceats (NZ)
2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Round 1 Highlands – Dorothy Smith Memorial Trophy feature
race
1. David Morales (USA)
2. Charlie Wurz (Austria)
3. Liam Sceats (NZ)
4. Ryder Quinn (Aus)
5. Chloe Chambers (USA)
6. Jacob Abel (USA)
7. Ryan Shehan (USA)
8. James Penrose (NZ)
9. Tom McLennan (Aus)
10. Lucas Fecury (Br)
11. Bree Morris (NZ)
12. Callum Hedge (NZ)
DQ - Josh Mason (UK)2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Points after 1 of 5 rounds
1. Charlie Wurz (Austria) - 76
2. David Morales (USA) - 74
3. Jacob Abel (USA) - 58
4. Ryder Quinn (Aus) - 58
5. Callum Hedge (NZ) - 54
6. James Penrose (NZ) - 52
7. Liam Sceats (NZ) - 49
8. Chloe Chambers (USA) - 45
9. Josh Mason (UK) - 31
10. Tom McLennan (Aus) - 30
11. Lucas Fecury (Br) - 29
12. Ryan Shehan (USA) - 26
13. Bree Morris (NZ) - 232023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship certified by FIA - Events
13-15 January 2023 - Highlands Motorsport Park
20-22 January 2023 - Teretonga Park Raceway
27-29 January 2023 - Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon
3-5 February 2023 - Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park
10-12 February 2023 - Taupo International Motorsport Park