CTFROT | 2026 | Round 1 | Hampton Downs

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After previously securing pole position in Qualifying 2 earlier, Ugo Ugochukwu went on to claim a commanding victory in Race 3 of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT) at Hampton Downs. Starting from the second row, Ugochukwu made a superb launch off the line, overtaking Ernesto Rivera in the opening phase before seizing the race lead from Kanato Le on Lap 9. He then maintained control through a late Safety Car restart to seal the win.

Rivera starts from pole

New for the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, the Race 3 grid was determined by the fastest laps recorded across both Race 1 and Race 2. Ernesto Rivera secured pole position under this format, with Kanato Le lining up alongside him on the front row. James Wharton and Ugo Ugochukwu occupied the second row, completing a highly competitive leading quartet.

Push-to-pass was expected to play a decisive role, with each driver allocated just six activations per race. Following a number of post-race penalties on Saturday for incorrect use of the system — particularly on the opening lap or immediately after Safety Car restarts — drivers were disciplined in their approach to avoid further sanctions heading into Race 3.

Rivera drops at the start

At the start, Rivera made a slow getaway and dropped to third, allowing Le to assume the lead while Ugochukwu moved up into second. Freddie Slater made aggressive use of push-to-pass to overtake Louis Sharp, elevating himself into sixth position.

On Lap 5, Ugochukwu set the fastest lap of the race, closing rapidly on leader Le. Further down the order, Kalle Rovanperä, running in 18th, used push-to-pass to overtake Ricardo Baptista and Jack Taylor, climbing to 16th.

Race 2 winner Zack Scoular received a five-second time penalty for a false start, while Louis Sharp and Yuanpu Chi were placed under post-race investigation for similar infringements. Race Control elected to defer its decisions on those incidents until after the conclusion of the race.

Ugochukwu takes the lead

Ugochukwu made his decisive move for the lead at Turn 2 on Lap 9, forcing his way past Le through the following corners before pulling clear at the front. Further back, Wood, running in eighth, began to close in on team-mate Sharp. However, a wide moment on the exit of Turn 1 on Lap 12 undid the progress he had made. Meanwhile, Slater began applying pressure to Wharton in the battle for sixth.

Safety Car on Lap 13

Trevor LaTourrette ran wide at Turns 6 and 7 and slid into the gravel trap, becoming beached and prompting a Safety Car deployment.

The Safety Car returned to the pit lane at the end of Lap 15, setting up a short sprint to the chequered flag. On the restart, Wharton was forced to defend robustly from Slater, who attempted a move around the outside. As Wharton squeezed Slater wide, Sharp capitalised on the battle ahead to pass Slater and move up into sixth. Slater subsequently dropped down the order to 12th, appearing to lose momentum following the exchange.

Fionn McLaughlin had a small moment, running slightly wide onto the dirt, but managed to keep his car on the circuit.

At the chequered flag, Ugochukwu secured a well-earned victory, with Le finishing second and Rivera completing the podium in third.