CTFROT | 2026 | Round 1 | Hampton Downs

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Day two of racing at Hampton Downs opened with the second Qualifying session of Round 1 of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT). After an ultra-close Qualifying 1 and two fiercely contested races on Saturday, the fight for pole position for the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup remained wide open. As a result, expectations ran high heading into the final 15-minute qualifying shootout of the weekend.

A slow start to Qualifying 2

As on Saturday, drivers began the session conservatively, using the opening minutes to bring their tyres up to temperature. However, trouble struck early for Trevor LaTourette, who brushed the wall while exiting his garage. Fortunately, he avoided damage and continued, a welcome escape after a challenging Saturday. Meanwhile, the timing screens remained fluid as the field slowly built pace.

Within the first five minutes, Ugo Ugochukwu, James Wharton and Freddie Slater traded positions at the top of the timesheets. Slater initially set the pace with a 1:35.1, laying down the first meaningful benchmark of the session.

Soon after, with around eight minutes remaining, Kanato Le and Louis Sharp emerged as serious contenders. Ugochukwu responded immediately, improving his lap to stay ahead of Le. Wharton slotted into third, while Ernesto Rivera climbed to fourth ahead of Sharp as the session entered its second half.

Ugochukwu takes control

With just over five minutes left, Ugochukwu underlined his authority. He delivered a stunning 1:29.331, topping all three sectors and stretching his advantage. Wharton improved to fourth and again bettered his time on the following lap, although he failed to gain a position despite setting a personal best in sector two. Moments later, Ugochukwu went quicker still. His 1:29.224 proved decisive and kept him firmly on top with just two minutes remaining.

Late improvements and final shake-up

As the chequered flag approached, the order behind the leader shifted rapidly. Rivera briefly moved up to second with a 1:29.601, but Kanato Le and Louis Sharp soon displaced him. At the same time, Jin Nakamura surged into P2 after spending much of the session in the midfield.

Further back, Kalle Rovanperä climbed as high as sixth on a strong final lap. However, Nolan Allaer, Zack Scoular and Slater all improved moments later, dropping the Finn to ninth. Sharp then delivered a late 1:29.512 to secure third place, just ahead of Le.

Throughout it all, no one threatened Ugochukwu, who crossed the line unchallenged to claim pole position, his second of the weekend.