CTFROT | 2026 | Round 4 | Highlands | Race 1 | Ugochukwu claims victory and extends title lead - Motorsport

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Ugo Ugochukwu claimed victory in Race 1 at Highlands Motorsport Park for CTFROT 2026. After moving ahead of Nakamura off the line, he lead the race from then onwards to extend his championship lead by 29 points.

Jin Nakamura lined up on the front row alongside championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu, while New Zealanders Louis Sharp and Zack Scoular shared the second row of the grid.

Ryan Wood remained under investigation following a ride-height breach during Saturday morning’s Qualifying session. He was initially disqualified from Qualifying, but after further review by the stewards, Wood was reinstated for Race 1 based on his Q1 result. A final decision regarding his eligibility for Sunday’s New Zealand Grand Prix is still pending.

Ugochukwu takes the lead off the line

Ugochukwu made a lightning start, immediately surging ahead of Nakamura and opening up a gap of several car lengths over the opening lap. Behind them, Sharp was glued to the back of Nakamura, with Scoular also applying pressure, while Slater moved ahead of Wood on Lap 1 to join the battle at the front.

Trevor LaTourrette pitted early after encountering rear-end issues, while on Lap 4 David made a decisive move on Rivera at Turn 13 to claim P9. However, his progress stalled two laps later when officials handed him a five-second time penalty for repeated track limits violations, having already exceeded the limits on three occasions.

Scoular ran wide onto the grass on Lap 7 but managed to rejoin the race, dropping to the back of the field as a result.

For the remainder of the race, positions largely remained unchanged, with overtaking proving difficult on a circuit that offered few clear passing opportunities

Rivera goes off on the final lap

On the final lap of the race, Rivera went off track and made contact with the concrete barrier, bringing out the Safety Car and effectively ending the race. He appeared okay as he exited the car, though the M2 Competition machine sustained significant damage.

Ugochukwu claimed the victory, with Nakamura finishing second and Sharp completing the podium in third. With David’s five-second time penalty applied, Le provisionally sits in P8, a result that currently secures him pole position for Race 2 tomorrow.