CTFROT | 2026 | Round 1 | Hampton Downs

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Just hours after Louis Sharp secured victory in Race 1, the field returned to Hampton Downs for Race 2 of Round 1 of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy. This time, Zack Scoular capitalised on the reverse-grid format to take a commanding win, while Jin Nakamura and Freddie Slater completed the podium after an action-packed race marked by a Safety Car, multiple battles, and several strategic retirements.

David starts from pole

Under 2026 CTFROT regulations, the top eight finishers from Race 1 reversed positions to form the front of the grid for Race 2. As a result, Yevan David started from pole after finishing eighth earlier in the day, becoming the first Sri Lankan driver to start from the front in Formula Regional Oceania’s 21-year history.

Zack Scoular lined up alongside him on the front row, while Freddie Slater and Jin Nakamura locked out Row 2. Ryan Wood started fifth next to Kanato Le, with Race 1 polesitter Ugo Ugochukwu in seventh and Race 1 winner Sharp in eighth.

Behind them, Ernesto Rivera and James Wharton occupied ninth and tenth. Yuanpu Cui and Sebastian Manson started 11th and 12th, followed by Fionn McLaughlin, Nolan Allaer, Jack Taylor and Ricardo Baptista. Kalle Rovanperä and Trevor LaTourette filled the penultimate row, while Cooper Shipman started 19th after failing to finish Race 1.

Scoular strikes first as Wharton triggers Safety Car

As the clock struck 15:22 local time, the field set off on the formation lap. However, Rivera struggled to get underway and dropped to the back of the grid before the start.

When the lights went out, Scoular launched aggressively and swept around the outside to take the lead from David, mirroring Sharp’s decisive move from Race 1. Slater also made a strong start and challenged David, briefly drawing Scoular into a three-way fight for the lead. However, Slater’s bold move cost him momentum, and he dropped back, handing third place to Nakamura.

Further back, Wharton spun, triggering a Safety Car. Although he rejoined the race, the interruption brought Sharp’s earlier pass on Wood under scrutiny, as the move appeared to occur just as Race Control deployed the Safety Car.

Restart and opening battles: Nakamura moves forward; David falls back

Racing resumed on Lap 3, with Scoular immediately stretching his advantage at the front. Behind him, David came under intense pressure from Nakamura, and the pair engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle over several corners. Although Nakamura briefly took the position, David fought back and reclaimed second before Lap 5.

However, the drama continued. Kanato Le suffered front-wing damage and returned to the pit lane, ending his podium hopes. At the same time, Ugo Ugochukwu used Push-to-Pass to move ahead of Sharp. Amid the disorder, Rovanperä surged from 17th to 11th, producing one of the strongest opening stints of the race.

Slater and Wood close in

On Lap 7, Nakamura renewed his attack on David. A lock-up from David handed Nakamura second place, leaving the Sri Lankan driver immediately under pressure from Slater and Wood. One lap later, Slater and Wood used a double tow to move into third and fourth, respectively, pushing David further down the order.

Meanwhile, LaTourette made steady progress, passing Baptista and Manson to climb to 14th from his P18 starting position. Shortly after, Wharton, Rivera and Manson returned to the pit lane to focus on setting fast laps for Race 3 grid positions.

Slater defends as Scoular escapes

As the race entered its final third, Slater and Wood engaged in a tense battle for the final podium position. Wood remained within two tenths of Slater and applied sustained pressure. However, Slater defended resolutely.

Further back, Yuanpu Cui slowed on Lap 11 and eventually returned to the pit lane, promoting Rovanperä into the top ten. Allaer then passed David to take seventh, dropping the former polesitter to eighth.

On Lap 14, Slater locked up in the final sector and briefly allowed Wood alongside. Nevertheless, Slater held firm. At the same time, McLaughlin passed Rovanperä to claim tenth after a close battle.

By the penultimate lap, Scoular had built a gap of more than 2.6 seconds and controlled the race to the flag. Nakamura followed him home in second, while Slater successfully resisted Wood’s late challenge to secure third. Ugo Ugochukwu completed the top five, with Sharp finishing sixth after a busy recovery drive.