Feeder Series previews the track action ahead this weekend as junior single-seater racing kicks off for 2025 with Formula Regional Oceania’s season opener in Taupō.

By Feeder Series

For the first time in 2025, junior single-seater cars will roar into action, kicking off 49 consecutive weekends of racing around the world.

The honours this year go to FR Oceania, which holds its season opener this weekend at Taupō International Motorsport Park on New Zealand’s North Island.

In the inaugural instalment of a new weekly series, Feeder Series previews the race weekend ahead in all the junior single-seater series we cover. For this first edition, all simply means one – but buckle up, because after this weekend, these previews will get fuller and fuller…

FRegional Oceania: Round 1, Taupō

Circuit: Taupō International Motorsport Park, 3.321 km

Timetable: All times local (UTC+13)

Thursday 9 January

• 12:40–13:10: Test 1
• 15:50–16:20: Test 2

Friday 10 January

• 9:44–10:14: Practice 1
• 12:54–13:24: Practice 2
• 16:36–17:06: Practice 3

Saturday 11 January

• 10:17–10:32: Qualifying 1
• 15:39–16:39: Race 1, 18 laps

Sunday 12 January

• 9:47–10:02: Qualifying 2
• 12:54–13:44: Race 2, 18 laps
• 16:47–17:52: Race 3, 23 laps

How to follow: All sessions will have live timing on FG91 Motorsport. Races will be broadcast on Stuff SpeedHub and Motorsport.tv.

Weather forecast: Dry Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Rain showers possible Saturday.

What to know: FR Oceania, New Zealand’s compact month-long single-seater series, begins at Taupō this weekend. Besides new drivers, the series also has a new promoter for 2025.

Six months ago, National Racing Group earned the rights to oversee MotorSport New Zealand’s suite of summer series, now badged as the NextGen NZ Championship. NRG, led by motorsport entrepreneur Tony Quinn, replaces the New Zealand Motorsport Group, who promoted the series through their Super Sprint package until they lost their promotion rights in June 2024.

In a highly diverse entry list, 17 drivers will line up at the same four teams – M2 Competition, Kiwi Motorsport, Giles Motorsport and Mtec Motorsport – that graced the FR Oceania grid last year. Undoubtedly the star attractions are 2024 Supercars champion Will Brown and 17-year-old F2 newcomer Arvid Lindblad of the Red Bull Junior Team, but a number of other international single-seater hotshots will appear too. To find out more about them, read our season guide here.

All times and forecasts listed above are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, follow each series’ websites or social media pages.

Header photo credit: Bruce Jenkins / Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ