The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is New Zealand 's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy . The cars are also the category for the New Zealand Grand Prix – one of only two races in the world with FIA approval to use the Grand Prix nomenclature outside Formula One . The series was formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series until 2023.
36-593: M2 Competition are a motorsport team based in New Zealand and Belgium. Founded in 2010, M2 Competition began partaking in the New Zealand-based single-seater championship the Castrol Toyota Racing Series in 2011 , with Ivan Lukashevich taking the team's first win at Manfield . The following year, the team achieved their second victory and first pole position from Jordan King at Taupo . In 2013 ,
72-531: A 75% stake in Breda Racing, a producer of autosport related equipment. Tatuus Racing was founded by Artico Sandonà in 1980. The first cars were manufactured for the 500cc and 1000cc Formula Monza championship. Founder Sandona was one of the drivers in this championship. Luca Melgrati won the first championship for Tatuus in 1983 in the Formula Panda Monza championship. Sandona achieved a second place in
108-553: A Tatuus FT-50 chassis with modified versions of 1.8L Toyota four cylinder 2ZZ-GE production engines which can produce 200bhp, a six speed Sadev sequential transmission with limited slip differential with a carbon fibre body and a Carbon monocoque chassis built by Tatuus in Italy to full FIA F3 specification. The cars use Michelin S308 tyres (Front 20x54x13, Rear 24x57x13) and weigh approximately 480 kg. The Toyota Racing Series switched to
144-688: A Tatuus chassis, Tony Kanaan joined the Tatuus Formula 3 team. Kanaan scored one win and was the best foreign driver in the Italian championship, finishing fifth in the final standings. After this season, Tatuus focused on Formula Renault. In 1993 Gianfranco De Bellis became co-proprietor. Tatuus then-on focused on producing Formula Renault cars. The Tatuus RC95 was the first Formula Renault car made by Tatuus. The Tatuus factory team fielded three drivers, Italian Rino Mastronardi , Norwegian Tommy Rustad and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi . The team competed in
180-563: A class on their own securing the first and second place in the championship. The top ten were seven Tatuus and three Martini cars. Three Tatuus customer entries filled the podium in the German championship. Robert Lechner won the title in front of Thomas Mutsch and Michael Schröter . Marc Hynes , driving a customer Tatuus, won the British title. The French championship, however, was a different story. France, home of Mygale , Martini and Renault , had
216-475: A minority stake in the company. Under the ownership of Wise Sgr Tatuus expanded its operations. In November 2017 Tatuus purchased racing engine producer Autotecnica Motori. Autotecnica Motori founder Giovanni Delfino retained his role as CEO of the company & also moved into a role in senior management at Tatuus, later becoming CEO of the whole group. Another purchase was made in November 2018, when Tatuus bought
252-496: A new chassis called Tatuus FT-60 , identical to the Tatuus F.3 T-318 used in Europe, whereas the new engine 8AR-FTS will be a 2.0L turbocharged unit developing 270bhp. The cars have halo for the protection purposes and it weigh approximately 665 kg with driver. Source: The winner of the feature race of each round in the championship is awarded a trophy: The overall winner of
288-608: The 2015 BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy . In 2012 Tatuus announced their first Group CN sports car. The car competed in the Italian Prototype Championship , V de V Proto Endurance and the Speed Euro Series , fielded by the revived factory team. Factory driver Davide Rigon drove the car to a second place during the Speed Euro Series round at Imola . Raffaele Giammaria achieved three podium finishes and
324-419: The 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup championship under a Belgian license. Toyota Racing Series The Toyota Racing Series is an incubator and showcase for the next generation of New Zealand racing talent. The Series offers emerging drivers the chance to gain valuable experience with carbon-fibre composite chassis, aerodynamics and slick tyres. The Series has the full endorsement of Motorsport New Zealand,
360-616: The Eurocup Formula Renault , Tommy Rustad won three races during the inaugural season for the team. The first title for the Tatuus factory team and chassis came in 1996. Enrique Bernoldi won six out of ten races and took the title. Teammate Danilo Cascio was places seventh. David Cook entered a Tatuus customer car in the British Formula Renault championship. In this very competitive championship Cook beat Darren Turner to
396-679: The Formula Renault chassis. Tatuus Racing SpA was founded in 1980 by and Artico Sandonà. The company operated independently for 37 years, with Gianfranco De Bellis joining as a co-owner. He remains to this day president of the company. On 16 February 2017 De Bellis and Sandonà sold a majority of the shares to Wisequity IV. Wisequity IV is a closed-ended fund managed by private equity firm Wise Sgr S.p.A. Wisequity IV has an investment value of €215,000,000. The private equity fund manages five companies, Tatuus Racing, Corob , Imprima Group , Tapì Group and Aleph Team . De Bellis and Sandonà kept
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#1733085312041432-576: The Formula Renault 1.6 . With the introduction of the spec formula classes, the racing team ceased to exist. For the 2003 Formula Renault V6 Eurocup season , the Tatuus FRV6 was introduced. After the European championship folded, the car was raced in the Formula V6 Asia between 2006 and 2009. Tatuus was contracted by Toyota New Zealand to design the new Formula Toyota racing car. The Toyota FT40
468-575: The Italian Formula Three championship as a team in 1989. Driver Fabrizio Bettini took the rookie of the year title in his inaugural season. Bettini drove an Alfa Romeo powered Dallara 389 chassis and achieved two podium finishes in seven races. Niko Palhares represented Tatuus in their 1991 campaign. Palhares scored one pole position and one podium finish. Tatuus entered the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race for
504-518: The USF2000 , fielding a factory team. Rino Mastronardi won the second race of the season in the streets of St. Petersburg . Starting third, Mastronardi managed to finish in front of Matt Sielsky and Buddy Rice . This, however, was the only outing of Mastronardi. The rest of the season the team fielded Steven Rikert and Giuliano Losacco . Tatuus finished second in the manufacturer standings scoring 40 points, behind Van Diemen who scored 93 points. For
540-554: The 1996 title. Other customer Tatuus chassis were entered in the French Formula Renault , Antoine Brousseau achieved a second place in the championship. A Tatuus chassis also took the title in the German Formula Renault with driver Alexander Müller . 1997 was a highly successful for the team and the chassis. The team scored a one-two finish in the European championship. Jeffrey van Hooydonk and Max Busnelli were
576-419: The British championship in 1999 with Tatuus chassis winning 12 out of 13 races, Antônio Pizzonia took the title. Tatuus customer entries also won the European and German championships. Lucas Lasserre now took the title in the prestigious French championship. In heavy competition between Mygale, Martini and Tatuus, Tatuus prevailed winning 14 out of 21 races. For the 1997 racing season Tatuus made its debut in
612-524: The Caribbean and Australia. Drivers from both Europe and the Americas actively participate in the series, as it allows them to develop their skills in an atmosphere similar to the winter ball leagues. A June 2019 FIA World Motor Sport Council decision now allows development drivers to tally Toyota Racing Series with their regular series towards FIA Super Licence points required to be in a Formula One car, meaning
648-482: The Italian championship ( Gianantonio Pacchioni finishing seventh). But Pacchioni achieved a win at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race . At the Masters of Formula 3 at Circuit Park Zandvoort , local Formula Ford 1600 driver Tom Coronel joined the team. Pacchioni scored a seventh-place finish while Coronel finished in 20th place. The team improved for the following season, fielding Pacchioni, who
684-621: The Tatuus FA010. For 2014 Tatuus was contracted to build all the cars for the Formula 4 Italian Championship , a new class under the rules of the FIA Formula 4 . The Tatuus F4-T014 was powered by a detuned Formula Abarth engine, limited to 160 hp . In 2015, the new ADAC Formula 4 adopted the Tatuus car. The BRDC Formula 4 Championship announced in September 2014 that it would use a Tatuus chassis from
720-481: The championship (based on championship points) receives the Chris Amon Trophy Tatuus 45°34′45″N 9°19′35″E / 45.579134°N 9.3264173°E / 45.579134; 9.3264173 Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of
756-422: The championship. Tatuus were the team and chassis to beat. Melgrati won the championship again in 1985 and 1986. For the 1988 season the Italian manufacturer was contracted to build the cars for the new Formula König . The car was a tube-framed, wings and slicks racecar. The first season was won by future seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher . Although not a Formula 3 constructor, Tatuus entered
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#1733085312041792-470: The current French Formula Ford Zetec championship, the Tatuus chassis achieved various wins and championships. Tatuus was contracted to design and manufacture the new specification Formula Renault cars. The Tatuus FR2000 debuted in 2000 in various Formula Renault championships. This racecar was used until 2010 when it was replaced by Barazi-Epsilon . In 2002 the Tatuus FR1600 was introduced to run in
828-537: The driver can participate in this series, then participate in a series that starts after the end of the Toyota Racing Series, and accumulate points from both series towards F1 approval. The series was renamed to Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship for the 2023 season, joining the other various Formula Regional series around the world. The current championship consists of five rounds, each comprising three races. The Toyota Racing Series ran
864-580: The first ever biofuel grand prix in the world. The short summer series (five weekends in five weeks, all in January and February) during the Southern Hemisphere summer has made the series attractive to development drivers from the Northern Hemisphere, as the series takes place during the off-season, serving as single-seater motorsport's equivalent of professional baseball's "winter ball" leagues in
900-569: The first time. Palhares achieved a 16th place, he was the last running driver. Their 1992 campaign ended in a second place in the championship for Brazilian driver Niko Palhares . Palhares had less luck in the annual Monaco F3 Grand Prix, failing to finish. Tatuus made their first appearance in the Masters of Formula 3 . Palhares finished in 14th place during the second edition of this Formula 3 classic. The following year Fiat appointed Tatuus as their official factory team. The team had little success in
936-522: The following season Tatuus supplied other teams with race cars as well as running the factory team. Factory driver Ryan Hampton finished second in the standings. Robby McGehee was the best placed customer Tatuus, fielded by RM Racing finished he third in the season standings. For the 1999 season Tatuus didn't field a factory team. Although some teams chose to run a Tatuus chassis, among them A. J. Foyt Enterprises fielding Larry Foyt . There were no full-time Tatuus entries, thus Tatuus could not compete for
972-499: The likes of Daniil Kvyat , Will Stevens , Lance Stroll and Lando Norris compete on their way to Formula One . For 2008, the series has also gone "green". Fuels for all cars racing in the series are now an E85 biofuel blend of 85 per cent ethanol made from whey, a dairy industry by-product; and petrol. Reduced emissions, reduced carbon "footprint" and reduced use of fossil fuels are all being showcased in this unique New Zealand programme. The 2008 New Zealand Grand Prix thus becomes
1008-467: The most competitive Formula Renault championship. Benoît Tréluyer driving a Tatuus was placed sixth in the championship standings, scoring one win and four podium finishes out of 17 races. Tatuus again was the chassis to beat in the European, British and German championships. Lucas Lasserre managed to achieve a third place in the French championship, behind two factory entered Mygales . Tatuus again dominated
1044-672: The same chassis but with more power, downforce, and adjustments will be the spec chassis for the Pro Mazda Championship beginning in 2018. In 1998 Tatuus entered the Formula Ford Zetec market. In 1999 their chassis achieved success with German driver Timo Bernhard driving for Jenzer Motorsport . The German driver achieved four podium finishes and a third place in the German Formula Ford championship. After 1999 Tatuus did not update their Formula Ford Zetec chassis. In
1080-521: The same engine as its predecessor but the gearbox was to be different. The five speed Sadev gearbox was upgraded to a six speed gearbox. For 2006 Tatuus introduced the Tatuus FC106 for the Formula Challenge Japan . The car was used during the entire running of the series between 2006 and 2013. Another junior formula car designed and manufactured by Tatuus is the Tatuus N.T07 . This car
1116-480: The sport's governing body. Until the beginning of 2017, the series was managed by Toyota Racing Management a company under the leadership of Barrie Thomlinson. Previously, the country's leading drivers had to go offshore to step up to this level. High-profile graduates from the series to date include Brendon Hartley , formerly in Formula One with Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, and Earl Bamber . The series has also seen
M2 Competition (team) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-471: The team saw their first champion crowned with Nick Cassidy claiming his second successive title. Since then, the team has taken Lance Stroll , Lando Norris , Robert Shwartzman and Liam Lawson to the TRS title as well as fielding the likes of Earl Bamber , Alex Lynn , Raffaele Marciello , Marcus Armstrong and Richard Verschoor . In November 2018, it was announced M2 would expand into Europe by competing in
1188-682: The title. Various Tatuus RC98 chassis are still being raced in the SCCA Formula Continental class. The car achieved various successes in the club racing scene. The cars were also entered in SCCA's most prestigious races the SCCA National Championship Runoffs and the June Sprints . Tatuus was selected by the series promoter as the new spec chassis for the U.S. F2000 National Championship beginning in 2017 . A derivative of
1224-468: Was considered one of the favorites, and rookie Simone Rebai . Pacchioni didn't take the title but managed to finish third in the standings. For the Masters of Formula 3, Rebai was replaced by Roberto Colciago . Coming over from RC Motorsport Colciago managed to beat regular driver Pachioni by placing seventh compared to Pachioni's 25th place. After winning the Formula Alfa Boxer championship with
1260-673: Was introduced in the Toyota Racing Series in 2005 . After ten seasons the car was retired at the end of the 2014 Toyota Racing Series season. The cars last race, the New Zealand Grand Prix , was won by Nick Cassidy . For the 2015 Toyota Racing Series the Tatuus-built Toyota FT50 was introduced. On 20 July 2014 the FT50 was tested by former series champion Nick Cassidy at Adria International Raceway . The car featured
1296-675: Was the sole car for the 2007 , 2008 and 2009 International Formula Master seasons. Italian racing class Formula Abarth introduced the Tatuus FA010 powered by a 1.4L Fiat - FPT engine. The car was later introduced in the Formula Masters China (2011), Panam GP Series (2012), Formula Russia (2013). Starting in 2014 the Florida Winter Series , set up by the Ferrari Driver Academy , used an updated version of
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