CTFROT | 2026 | Round 3 | Teretonga

Spread the love

After a weekend dominated by wet conditions, Race 4 of Round 3 of the 2026 CTFROT finally began at Teretonga Park in marginally drier weather. Crucially, this allowed drivers to use push-to-pass for the first time all weekend. However, mixed conditions, multiple interruptions, and late drama ensured the Spirit of a Nation Cup delivered yet another unpredictable contest. In the end, Freddie Slater emerged victorious after a chaotic race that saw championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu tumble from contention.

Race start abandoned with Le unable to start

The grid order followed the disrupted Qualifying 2 session. As a result, M2 Competition teammates Freddie Slater and championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu locked out the front row, with Slater on pole. Behind them, Hitech TGR’s Japanese pairing of Kanato Le and Jin Nakamura filled the second row in third and fourth.

Meanwhile, local hopes rested with mtec Motorsport’s Louis Sharp and Zack Scoular, who lined up fifth and sixth respectively. Kalle Rovanperä started seventh for Hitech TGR alongside mtec Motorsport’s Yuanpu Cui. Ernesto Rivera and Ryan Wood occupied row five, while Fionn McLaughlin and Yevan David started from row six.

Further back, Jack Taylor and Cooper Shipman lined up thirteenth and fourteenth. Nolan Allaer and Ricardo Baptista followed, with Sebastian Manson and Trevor LaTourrette completing the grid.

However, before the race could even begin, trouble struck. Kanato Le failed to leave the grid on the formation lap after extensive last-minute work on his car. Mechanics eventually confirmed a gearbox issue, forcing the Japanese driver to retire without completing a single lap. Consequently, officials delayed the start and reduced the race distance from 30 laps to 29 after a second formation lap.

Start, incidents, and early Safety Car

When the lights went out, Ugochukwu launched aggressively and went wheel-to-wheel with Slater into the opening corners. Although he briefly seized the lead, Slater quickly stabilised the situation.

Chaos then erupted behind. Zack Scoular ran wide and beached his car, while Ernesto Rivera tangled with Yuanpu Cui and lost his front wing, forcing his retirement. Cooper Shipman and Ryan Wood also suffered off-track moments, although Wood rejoined without significant damage. While Scoular recovered to rejoin in tenth, officials deployed the Safety Car to recover Rivera’s stranded car.

Restart and mid-race battles

On Lap 6, the Safety Car pulled in, and Slater immediately controlled the restart, opening a small gap to Ugochukwu. Sharp capitalised on the tow to close on the lead battle, while Nakamura, Cui, David, and Rovanperä ran nose-to-tail behind.

As the race settled, Scoular began an aggressive recovery drive. He passed McLaughlin for eighth and then used push-to-pass to sweep around the outside of Rovanperä. Shortly afterwards, Race Control placed Scoular under investigation for a potential Safety Car restart infringement.

Up front, Ugochukwu increased the pressure. On Lap 11, he set the fastest lap of the race with a 53.698, cutting the gap to Slater to just 0.822 seconds. However, Slater repeatedly used push-to-pass to defend, despite several small off-track moments that kept his teammate within striking distance.

Lead change, a red flag and rising rain

On Lap 15, officials handed Scoular a five-second time penalty for the restart violation, undermining his progress. Moments later, Ugochukwu finally capitalised. On Lap 16, he overtook Slater for the lead using push-to-pass.

However, Slater immediately came under attack from Sharp after another wide moment. Although Slater defended successfully, the threat intensified as rain began to fall once again. Further back, McLaughlin overtook Rovanperä for eighth as grip levels dropped rapidly.

On Lap 19, the worsening conditions triggered another Safety Car after Sebastian Manson suffered a heavy spin into the wall at Turn 4, destroying both front and rear wings. One lap later, Race Control declared wet conditions, disabled push-to-pass, and then red-flagged the race.

Initially, most drivers waited on the grid, hoping for a brief delay. However, as rain continued to pour, teams pushed their cars back to the pit lane and switched to wet-weather tyres. After approximately 30 minutes, conditions improved enough for the race to resume.

Final restart and late drama

The race restarted behind the Safety Car, and on Lap 23 it peeled into the pits. Ugochukwu led the field but hesitated on the restart, allowing Slater to remain glued to his rear wing.

Then disaster struck. Ugochukwu ran off the circuit and dropped to the back of the field, handing the lead to Slater. Sharp inherited second, while Nakamura moved into third and immediately applied pressure.

Despite Nakamura closing to within 0.7 seconds, Slater steadily extended his advantage. Meanwhile, Ugochukwu recovered one position but ran off again later, ultimately limping home well outside the points.

Slater, meanwhile, controlled the final lap with authority and crossed the line to secure a hard-fought victory. Sharp claimed second, while Nakamura completed the podium after a measured drive in treacherous conditions. Scoular’s post-race penalty dropped him out of the top ten, capping a frustrating afternoon.