CTFROT | 2026 | Round 1 | Hampton Downs | Race 4 | Ugochukwu claims the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup after a stellar Sunday - Motorsport

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After securing pole position in the earlier Qualifying 2 session on Sunday, Ugo Ugochukwu lined up on the front row alongside Jin Nakamura for Race 4 of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT) at Hampton Downs. New Zealander Louis Sharp occupied the second row, with Kanato Le starting alongside him. Jack Taylor did not take the start, retiring to the pit lane after the formation lap due to feeling unwell.

Red flag on the first lap of the race

Ugochukwu made a strong launch off the line to lead the field through the opening corner, but the advantage was short-lived as drama unfolded further back. An incident between Kalle Rovanperä and Sebastian Manson triggered a multi-car crash on the opening lap, leaving them, along with Ryan Wood and Yevan David, stranded on track and prompting an immediate red flag.

Safety car restart

Ugo Ugochukwu had a strong restart, leading the pack away after the Safety Car. Freddie Slater made a bold move on the outside of Zack Scoular to advance into P5, while Nolan Allaer overtook Ernesto Rivera to move up to P6. By Lap 7, Rivera activated push-to-pass to reclaim P6 from Allaer, establishing a two-second gap between himself and the seventh-placed driver.

On Lap 11, Cui used push-to-pass to overtake James Wharton, with Wharton unable to defend, moving Cui to P9.

Slater steadily closed in on Sharp, darting behind him, which created a gap between the pair and Le in P3. It wasn’t until Lap 18 that Slater made a definitive attempt to pass Sharp, though Sharp held firm. Sharp then ran wide into Turn 1, allowing Slater to inch closer, but he still couldn’t make the move stick, eventually settling into P4.

For much of the rest of the field, little changed as the gaps between drivers were too large for meaningful overtakes, leaving the remaining positions largely unchanged.

Ugo Ugochukwu won his second Race for the weekend, claiming the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup after a stellar Sunday. Nakamura remained closely behind Ugochukwu and finished in P2, with Le in P3.