FRA will be run by the Giti Formula Australian Open promoter Tim Macrow in a new alliance with the Formula Regional Oceania organisers based in NZ.

“It works out perfectly logistically and operationally for both series to work together and it maximises the opportunities for drivers in this part of the world to get relevant race miles before progressing further internationally,” said Macrow.

While most cars will come from their base at Highlands Motorsport Park on the NZ South Island, two Tatuus T318 cars are already in Australia, owned by Tim Macrow Racing while other FR cars globally will also be eligible to enter. The NZ cars will return to their homebase by October to prepare for their new season.

Formula Regional is the second step on the FIA’s Global Pathway for single-seater categories. It was launched in 2018 with the first series in Asia and North America, followed by Europe series in 2019 and Japan in 2020. The Formula Regional Oceania Championship was rebranded in 2022 from the Toyota Racing Series.

FRA will provide a new opportunity for drivers coming from Giti AFO and F4 series to develop their career, at a reasonable cost and without the need to go overseas first. It also cements a commitment for safer open-wheel racing in Australia in line with Motorsport Australia’s Safety First Policy.

With a modern state-of-the-art Tatuus chassis, the latest FIA safety features includes the ‘halo’. Eligible turbo charged engines include Toyota and Alfa Romeo, which makes FRA the first FR championship with multiple makes of engines. Technical advisors will be supplied by Alfa Romeo and Toyota NZ to support the Australian teams and competitors.

FRA aims to prepare drivers for global Formula Regional Championships, FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, and USF2000 or IndyPro200. Local teams that have expressed interest include Tim Macrow Racing, Volante Rosso, Gilmour Racing and Team BRM. Asian FR teams have also expressed interest to be part of the inaugural season including EvansGP.

Further category information including calendar and entry fee structure will be available in the coming weeks.