Ugo Ugochukwu was unstoppable in the Hampton Downs feature race. Photo / John Cowpland
Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship series leader American Ugo Ugochukwu would very much like to win this weekend’s feature race, the New Zealand Grand Prix.
There are only two Grand Prix races outside Formula One that are officially recognised by the world governing body, the FIA. The New Zealand Grand Prix (NZGP) is one and the other is the Macau Grand Prix.
Ugochukwu already has the Macau GP title, having won it in 2024, becoming the first American to achieve the feat in 43 years.
“Having already won the Macau Grand Prix, it would be really cool to [win] the New Zealand GP as well,” Ugochukwu told the Herald. “It’s a really prestigious race and I don’t think there are too many people who have won both grands prix [Roberto Moreno and Richard Verschoor are the two who have both titles].
“The main thing though is to win the title [the Formula Regional Oceania Championship], so the primary focus for the weekend is on that. If we are in a good position to win the championship then I can concentrate on winning the Grand Prix.”
The 18-year-old New Yorker has a healthy lead in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship (FROC) series with 237 points from England’s Freddie Slater (215), Japan’s Jin Nakamura (211) and a brace of Kiwi drivers, Louis Sharp (207) and Supercars star Ryan Wood (202).
Ugochukwu recently contested the FIA Formula Three (F3) championship, collecting a couple of podiums along the way. He and his team have known of the FROC series and decided it was a great testing ground and an excellent source of race-seat time, before heading back to Europe for the start of the F3 championship.
“We’ve known about the series for quite a while and this year was the first time the timing was right to come here and race in it.
“There are quite a few F3 drivers here this year and that’s really good to see how they all go. Last year [F3] was pretty good and I was looking to get better so we decided to come and do this series.
“You don’t get much running time in F3 so coming here meant I get a lot of seat time and close racing.”
One of the big pluses for Ugochukwu contesting this year’s FROC is that there are nine 2026 F3 championship contenders getting race kilometres and checking each other out over the 15-race programme.
While the Toyota FT60 car may not quite be the same as an F3 car, the racing is just as hard and makes an ideal practice ground for a tilt at an F3 title.
“The car is a bit different to the F3 car. The F3 car is more powerful, has more downforce and is different in other ways,” Ugochukwu said.
“The racing is close in this series [FROC] so you have to qualify well and get a good start. You can pass if you time it well, but starting at the front gives you a better chance.
“The track[s] are a bit old school and you have to be aware that making a mistake can cause big problems. There’s not much tarmac run-off like in Europe. If you go off, it’s gravel or grass or a wall, so no room for a mistake.
“I enjoy it and to be honest, it’s a bit like racing on street circuits. You have to be fast but careful.”
Winning the NZGP would be a great feather in Ugochukwu’s growing racing CV. The M2 Competition pilot is looking to clinch the series title before concentrating on the Grand Prix as a championship title carries a bit of racing heft globally.
There is an impressive list of Toyota Racing Series, and now FROC, graduates who made it all the way to Formula One. The most recent drivers to have made it into the top category of motor racing are Lando Norris, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, Arvis Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda.
Ugochukwu has made a good start to his race weekend, having topped the timesheets in early practice.
“It’s great that I’m leading the championship with one weekend to go. I really like this track [Cromwell’s Highlands Motorsport Park] and hope to qualify well and get a good start,” he said, adding that if he can qualify on the front row “and get away out front, I don’t have to take any risks and can pick up points”.
Vital for championship success will be how well all the drivers, and in particularly those in the title fight, manage the track limits at turn 10, particularly in Saturday’s qualifying.