The curtain has fallen on the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT), and the final standings after Round 4 at Highlands Motorsport Park confirm a season defined by sustained pressure, strategic execution and depth across both championships. After four intense rounds and 14 races, Ugo Ugochukwu emerges as Drivers’ Champion, while M2 Competition secures the Teams’ title following a relentless duel that ran all the way to the finale.
Drivers’ Championship: Ugochukwu converts control into the title
At the top, Ugo Ugochukwu finishes the season as the 2026 CTFROT Drivers’ Champion with 326 points. Although the final round demanded resilience rather than dominance, he nevertheless delivered when it mattered most. Crucially, his ability to manage damage, recover from setbacks and consistently score across all four rounds allowed him to absorb late pressure and still close the campaign on top.
Behind him, Freddie Slater ends the season second on 310 points, completing a formidable M2 Competition one–two in the standings. While Slater surged through the latter half of the championship and repeatedly applied pressure, the deficit built earlier in the season ultimately proved decisive. Even so, his final points haul underlined his status as Ugochukwu’s most consistent challenger.
Meanwhile, the battle for third went down to the final races. Louis Sharp secured third place on 295 points for mtec Motorsport, edging out Jin Nakamura by just two points. Sharp’s season-long consistency, combined with strong points scoring in the finale, ensured he held off Nakamura, who finishes fourth on 293 points after a campaign defined by speed, pole positions and resilience in the face of adversity.
Ryan Wood rounds out the top five on 276 points. Although interruptions and investigations shaped his final round, his underlying pace and racecraft ensured he remained firmly in the leading group. Kanato Le follows closely in sixth on 272 points, his Race 2 victory at Highlands proving decisive in cementing his final position.
Midfield fights settled as margins stretch late on
Further back, Zack Scoular completes the top seven with 203 points after a season that peaked spectacularly with victory in the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix. While inconsistency earlier limited his overall standing, his finale performance underlined his raw potential.
James Wharton finishes eighth on 167 points despite missing Round 3 entirely, making his return in Round 4 particularly impactful. Yuanpu Cui and Yevan David follow in ninth and tenth respectively, separated by just five points, as both drivers leaned heavily on steady accumulation rather than headline results.
Elsewhere, Ernesto Rivera’s campaign was curtailed in the finale, yet he still finishes 11th on 134 points. Nolan Allaer, Fionn McLaughlin and Jack Taylor remain tightly grouped behind, highlighting just how competitive the midfield remained even as the championship reached its conclusion.
Notably, Kalle Rovanperä ends the season 16th on 107 points after illness ruled him out of significant track time across the final events, while Liam Sceats’ single-round appearance still yielded 52 points, underlining the depth of talent present throughout the grid.
CTFROT 2026: Highlands: Drivers’ Championship standings after Round 4
- Ugo Ugochukwu, M2 Competition – 326 points
- Freddie Slater, M2 Competition – 310 points
- Louis Sharp, mtec Motorsport – 295 points
- Jin Nakamura, Hitech TGR – 293 points
- Ryan Wood, mtec Motorsport – 276 points
- Kanato Le, Hitech TGR – 272 points
- Zack Scoular, mtec Motorsport – 203 points
- James Wharton, HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed – 167 points
- Yuanpu Cui, mtec Motorsport – 157 points
- Yevan David, Kiwi Motorsport – 152 points
- Ernesto Rivera, M2 Competition – 134 points
- Nolan Allaer, Giles Motorsport – 133 points
- Fionn McLaughlin, Hitech TGR – 124 points
- Jack Taylor, Giles Motorsport – 123 points
- Cooper Shipman, Kiwi Motorsport – 110 points
- Kalle Rovanperä, Hitech TGR – 107 points
- Sebastian Manson, M2 Competition – 105 points
- Ricardo Baptista, HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed – 86 points
- Trevor LaTourrette, HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed – 55 points
- Liam Sceats, HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed – 52 points
Notes:
- James Wharton missed Round 3 but returned for Round 4
- Liam Sceats joined the 2026 CTFROT for Round 4 only
- Kalle Rovanperä did not compete in the reschedule Round 3 Race 3 or Round 4 due to illness
- Ernesto Rivera did not compete in Race 2 or Race 3 of Round 4
Teams’ Championship: M2 Competition withstands sustained pressure
In the Teams’ Championship, M2 Competition claims the 2026 title with 682 points, fending off a season-long challenge through depth, consistency and precise execution of the two-car scoring regulation. With both Ugochukwu and Slater delivering across the entire calendar, M2 repeatedly maximised its returns, even when individual races proved turbulent.
However, mtec Motorsport pushed them all the way to the end, finishing second on 658 points. Sharp and Wood combined effectively throughout the year, and while the title narrowly slipped away, mtec’s campaign confirmed its status as M2’s primary rival rather than a distant chaser.
Hitech TGR completes the top three on 620 points. Despite setbacks through injury, illness and incidents, the team remained a constant presence at the front, with Nakamura and Le both delivering race wins and podiums when opportunities arose.
Behind the leading trio, HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed finishes fourth, ahead of Kiwi Motorsport and Giles Motorsport in a closely contested midfield teams’ fight. Once again, the margins emphasised how vital every classified finish proved under the two-best-results-per-race rule.
CTFROT 2026: Highlands: Teams’ Championship standings after Round 4
- M2 Competition – 682 points
- mtec Motorsport – 658 points
- Hitech TGR – 620 points
- HMD Motorsport with TJ Speed – 315 points
- Kiwi Motorsport – 262 points
- Giles Motorsport – 256 points
Note that each team counts its two best results of each race.
A season defined by execution rather than margin
In summary, the final standings after Round 4 confirm a championship decided not by a single decisive weekend, but by cumulative execution across four demanding rounds. Ugochukwu’s title-winning campaign balanced speed with composure, while M2 Competition’s Teams’ Championship success reflected strength across both sides of the garage.
As the paddock now looks ahead to 2027, the 2026 CTFROT season stands as a reminder that in this championship, sustained pressure, adaptability and depth ultimately outweigh short-term momentum.
