The Tasman Cup will be awarded to the highest-placed Antipodean (Australian or New Zealander) upon the completion of the first two rounds of the season, which starts this weekend at Taupo.

It is a development which follows the shelving of the S5000 category due to lack of competitor interest which the Australian Racing Group’s Barry Rogers has attributed to Supercars’ driver eligibility regulations.

The shift of the title has been approved by the Australian Motor Racing Commission, in consultation with Motorsport New Zealand.

New Motorsport Australia CEO Sunil Vohra said the decision to bestow the Tasman Cup to FROC was an obvious one.

“This championship has always been a standout category in the region and given its significance and the driving talent on display, Motorsport Australia was pleased to work with our colleagues at Motorsport New Zealand to come to this decision,” said Vohra.

“The prestige of this trophy cannot be underestimated and looking at the trophy itself there are some of motorsport’s best etched into history, including the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart and Bruce McLaren.

“We’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing the racing unfold over the coming fortnight and wish everyone the best of luck.”

Motorsport New Zealand CEO Elton Goonan welcomed the development.

“This is an exciting addition to what is a thriving championship based here in New Zealand that has cemented itself as an important part of the FIA calendar,” said Goonan.

“We’re delighted that the first two rounds of the Championship will have an added incentive of the Tasman Cup for what is a really competitive group of drivers who will be eager to get their hands on such a historic trophy.”

The Tasman Cup was first awarded in 1964 and harks back to the days of the Tasman Series, which was comprised of open-wheeler races in Australia and New Zealand, including the Formula 5000 category which inspired S5000 in the modern day.

Past winners of the cup include Bruce McLaren, Sir Jackie Stewart, Chris Amon, Graham McRae, Warwick Brown, Simon Wills, Andy Booth, and, more recently as part of the S5000 events, Aaron Cameron and Nathan Herne.

This year’s title encompasses the FROC rounds at Taupo and, on the following weekend (February 26-28), Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon.