Wood converted pole position in perfect fashion, leading all 18 laps of the opening race in his MTEC entry.
He crossed the line 2.5s ahead of series leader Ugo Ugochuwku marking a perfect comeback from his first-lap crash in the feature race at Hampton Downs last Sunday.
“Big credit to our whole team,” said Wood. “Obviously Sunday last week was rough and they got the car built back up and it’s been a jet ever since.
“I’m really happy, I can’t thank the MTEC crew enough. It feels nice. Still got a bit of work to do I think, Ugo was cruising there a fair bit. I think we’re there or thereabouts. I’m more than happy.”
Zack Scoular was able to run with the lead pair early in the race before a lock-up at the hairpin on Lap 8 while chasing Ugochuwku put him on the back foot.
Dealing with a flat spot, the Kiwi quickly fell into the clutches of Freddie Slater who was able to pounce and grab a third place he would comfortably hold until the end.
Scoular then found himself under pressure from fellow Kiwi Louis Sharp, who grabbed fourth on the penultimate lap.
James Wharton was the best-placed Aussie in sixth place ahead of Ernesto Rivera, Kanato Le, Jin Nakamura and Yuanpu Cui.
The top eight will be reversed on the grid for the second and final race of the day, which kicks off at 2:08pm AEDT.
2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy – R2 Taupo Race 1
| 1 | 40 | Ryan WOOD | NZL | MTEC Motorsport |
| 2 | 4 | Ugo UGOCHUKWU | USA | M2 Competition |
| 3 | 27 | Freddie SLATER | GBR | M2 Competition |
| 4 | 11 | Louis SHARP | NZL | MTEC Motorsport |
| 5 | 3 | Zack SCOULAR | NZL | MTEC Motorsport |
| 6 | 13 | James WHARTON | AUS | TJ Speed with HMD |
| 7 | 24 | Ernesto RIVERA | MEX | M2 Competition |
| 8 | 19 | Kanato LE | JPN | Hitech |
| 9 | 12 | Jin NAKAMURA | JPN | Hitech |
| 10 | 5 | Yuanpu CUI | CHN | MTEC Motorsport |
| 11 | 21 | Yevan DAVID | LKA | Kiwi Motorsport |
| 12 | 52 | Nolan ALLAER | USA | Giles Motorsport |
| 13 | 22 | Sebastian MANSON | NZL | M2 Competition |
| 14 | 41 | Ricardo BAPTISTA | BRA | TJ Speed with HMD |
| 15 | 50 | Jack TAYLOR | AUS | Giles Motorsport |
| 16 | 69 | Kalle ROVANPERÄ | FIN | Hitech |
| 17 | 33 | Fionn MCLAUGHLIN | IRL | Hitech |
| 18 | 14 | Cooper SHIPMAN | USA | Kiwi Motorsport |
| 19 | 8 | Trevor LATOURRETTE | USA | TJ Speed with HMD |
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