Twenty cars to start 67th New Zealand Grand Prix
Twenty drivers will line up this weekend on the international circuit at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park with each aiming to add their name to the list of motorsport legends who have won the New Zealand Grand Prix.
The field will include two further New Zealand talents – taking the number of Kiwis competing in the race to eight.
2021 pole position holder Kaleb Ngatoa, who has been racing in Australia recently, will take part in the weekend under the Giles Motorsport banner and the most experienced driver in the field when it comes to New Zealand’s premier single seater championship, Brendon Leitch, is the final runner and was confirmed to join Kiwi Motorsport yesterday. Both drivers have been getting their eye back in with recent runs in historic single seaters.
Vastly experienced racer Chris Van Der Drift was confirmed over last weekend, while Dutch racer Laurens van Hoepen was confirmed earlier this week for the final two rounds of the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Championship, starting with the GP event.
The 67th running of the race - postponed last year due to pandemic travel restrictions – boasts a full international field of drivers including some of the best rising stars in the world.
The race will be the fourth round of this year’s 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship and will include all of the 16 drivers who competed last weekend at Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon.
It means the field will have one Austrian, in current championship leader Charlie Wurz - son of former F1 racer Alexander Wurz - two English drivers in Indy Pro 2000 champion Louis Foster and Josh Mason, one Dutch driver in van Hoepen, Brazilian Lucas Fecury, four American drivers, two Australians and no fewer than eight New Zealanders gunning for glory.
With American Chloe Chambers and Kiwi Breanna Morris racing, it’s also the first time two women have competed in the New Zealand Grand Prix. Chambers in particular has shown good form in New Zealand on the back of a year in the international women only W Series.
The event is one of only two outside of the Formula One World Championship recognised as a bona fide Grand Prix event by the world governing body of motorsport – the FIA. The only other is the Macau Grand Prix, which these days is held for a slower specification of car than used in the New Zealand championship.
This weekend’s event will have a unique qualifying format, very similar to how Formula One runs its qualifying sessions. The session will be divided into three parts – the first 15 minute session, a second 10 minute session then a final 12 minute session.
The times in the first session will determine the grid positions for the first race, but instead of that being the end of the session, it will continue into a second session but will drop the slowest six drivers. The positions those slowest six achieve will determine their grid position – from 15th to 20th - for the GP itself.
In the second session, the top 14 drivers will be reduced to the top eight and the slowest six in that session will start the GP from ninth on the grid through to 14th. The final 12 minute session will see the top eight drivers fight for pole position and the top eight places on the GP grid.
There will also be prize money for the best of the 20 drivers to aim for this weekend, with the Castrol Pole Position winner taking home $500. The Grand Prix winner will get a cheque for $5,000 with $3,000 for the runner up and $2,000 for the third placed finisher.
The 2021 event was won sensationally by Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, who fought back from a pitlane start to take victory. He added his name to a list that includes some of motorsport’s all-time greats, including Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon and Jackie Stewart.
2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship Round 4
New Zealand Grand Prix Entry List
- Charlie Wurz (AUT) – M2 Competition
- Louis Foster (GBR) – Giles Motorsport
- Ryder Quinn (AUS) – M2 Competition
- Jacob Abel (USA) – Kiwi Motorsport
- Liam Sceats (NZL) – M2 Competition
- Callum Hedge (NZL) – M2 Competition
- David Morales (USA) – M2 Competition
- James Penrose (NZL) – Kiwi Motorsport
- Adam Fitzgerald (IRL) – Giles Motorsport
- Ryan Shehan (USA) – Giles Motorsport
- Tom McLennan (AUS) – Kiwi Motorsport
- Billy Frazer (NZL) – Hamilton Motorsport
- Chloe Chambers (USA) – Giles Motorsport
- Josh Mason (GBR) – Kiwi Motorsport
- Lucas Fecury (BRA) – Kiwi Motorsport
- Bree Morris (NZL) – Giles Motorsport
- Chris Van Der Drift (NZL) – Hamilton Motorsport
- Laurens van Hoepen (NED) – M2 Competition
- Kaleb Ngatoa (NZL) – Giles Motorsport
- Brendon Leitch (NZL) – Kiwi Motorsport
2023 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 Motorsport Park – 67th New Zealand Grand Prix
10-12 February 2023 - Taupo International Motorsport Park
New Zealand Grand Prix winners
1950 – John McMillan – Jackson Special
1951 – Not held
1952 – Not held
1953 – Not held
1954 – Stan Jones – Maybach Special
1955 – Prince B Bira – Maserati 250F
1956 – Stirling Moss – Maserati 250F
1957 – Reg Parnell – Ferrari 555/860
1958 – Jack Brabham – Cooper T43 Climax
1959 - Stirling Moss – Cooper T45 Climax
1960 – Jack Brabham – Cooper T51 Climax
1961 – Jack Brabham – Cooper T53 Climax
1962 – Stirling Moss – Lotus 21 Climax
1963 – John Surtees – Lola Mk4 Climax
1964 – Bruce McLaren – Cooper T70 Climax
1965 – Graham Hill – Brabham BT11A Climax
1966 – Graham Hill – BRM P261
1967 – Jackie Stewart – BRM P261
1968 – Chris Amon – Ferrari 246 V6
1969 – Chris Amon – Ferrari 246 V6
1970 – Frank Matich – McLaren M10A Chevrolet
1971 – Niel Allen – McLaren M10B Chevrolet
1972 – Frank Gardner – Lola T300 Chevrolet
1973 – John McCormack – Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden
1974 – John McCormack – Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden
1975 – Warwick Brown – Lola T332 Chevrolet
1976 - Ken Smith – Lola T332 Chevrolet
1977 – Keijo ‘Keke’ Rosberg – Chevron B34
1978 – Keijo ‘Keke’ Rosberg – Chevron B34
1979 – Teo Fabi – March 79B
1980 – Steve Millen – Ralt RT1
1981 – Dave McMillan – Ralt RT1
1982 – Roberto Moreno - Ralt RT4 Ford
1983 – David Oxton – Ralt RT4 Ford
1984 – Davy Jones – Ralt RT4 Ford
1985 – Ross Cheever – Ralt RT4 Ford
1986 - Ross Cheever – Ralt RT4 Ford
1987 – Davy Jones – Ralt RT4 Ford
1988 – Paul Radisich – Ralt RT4 Ford
1989 – Dean Hall – Swift Cosworth
1990 – Ken Smith – Swift Cosworth
1991 – Craig Baird – Swift Toyota
1992 – Craig Baird – Reynard 92H
1993 – Craig Baird – Reynard 92H
1994 – Greg Murphy – Reynard 90D
1995 – Brady Kennett – Reynard 90 D
1996 – Not held
1997 – Not held
1998 – Simon Wills – Reynard 94D
1999 – Simon Wills – Reynard 94D
2000 – Andy Booth – Reynard 94D
2001 – Not held
2002 – Fabian Coulthard – Van Diemen Stealth RF94
2003 – Jonny Reid – Van Diemen Stealth RF94
2004 – Ken Smith – Van Diemen Stealth Evo 2
2005 – Simon Gamble – Spectrum 010
2006 – Hamad Al Fardan – Toyota FT40
2007 – Daniel Gaunt – Toyota FT40
2008 – Andy Knight – Toyota FT40
2009 – Daniel Gaunt – Toyota FT40
2010 – Earl Bamber – Toyota FT40
2011 – Mitch Evans – Toyota FT40
2012 – Nick Cassidy – Toyota FT40
2013 – Nick Cassidy – Toyota FT40
2014 – Nick Cassidy – Toyota FT40
2015 – Lance Stroll – Toyota FT50
2016 – Lando Norris – Toyota FT50
2017 – Jehan Daruvala – Toyota FT50
2018 – Richard Verschoor – Toyota FT50
2019 – Liam Lawson – Toyota FT50
2020 – Igor Fraga – Toyota FT60
2021 – Shane van Gisbergen – Toyota FT60
2022 – Not held
