At Teretonga Park, Hitech TGR’s Jin Nakamura emerged from Round 3 of the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT) with another podium finish but plenty to reflect on. A red-flagged qualifying session, persistent rain and a demanding circuit combined to test both confidence and consistency. Despite finishing second in Race 1, the Hitech TGR driver remained analytical, honest and forward-looking as he assessed a weekend shaped by fine margins and difficult conditions.
A complicated start to the penultimate 2026 CTFROT weekend
Early promise in Qualifying 1 quickly turned awkward for Nakamura, even though he ultimately secured the fastest time. He acknowledged the contradiction immediately, saying, “Yes. Today, I was lucky to get the qualification this morning, but [of] a bit embarrassing way to finish the qualifying.”
However, the qualifying drama did not end there. Nakamura openly admitted that his race performance failed to match his one-lap pace, but remained optimistic. “Then I didn’t have any pace in Race 1, so we have to analyse for tomorrow’s races, I think, yeah, but first win is getting closer and closer.”
Breaking down the Turn 1 incident in Qualifying 1
As multiple drivers struggled at Turn 1 throughout the weekend, Nakamura offered a clear explanation of how his own mistake unfolded. In Qualifying 1, the Japanese driver had missed his braking point, and with wet conditions underfoot, this proved disastrous, bringing a premature end to his session as Race Control showed the red flag.
“Yeah. So this morning, I got a mistake on the braking time as well. Then, yeah, I pushed a little bit of braking point, then I missed the line, good line. Then I went too much wider, then I was on the big water, then, yeah, I lost everything.“
He concluded, “Then I went off, then I stopped.”
Beyond his own mistake, he emphasised the technical challenge of the corner itself, noting, “Also, that corner is quite long, so you have to find a good grip, even when you are rotating the corner. So, yeah, that’s a quite different point in this one.”
Race pressure and honest self-assessment after Race 1 podium at Teretonga Park
Despite a poor end to Qualifying 1, Nakamura fought his way through a disrupted Race 1 marked by Safety Cars and limited visibility. Even so, pressure from Hitech TGR teammate, Kalle Rovanperä, never eased. When asked about his teammate’s performance, he admitted, “Yeah, I was feeling so much pressure from him.”
At the front, however, the gap told its own story. Nakamura did not shy away from comparing himself to the race winner, saying, “But, yeah, Freddie was pulling away, so I was a bit ashamed for our pace.”
Although the race exposed areas for improvement, Nakamura still found reasons to take encouragement from the double podium result for Hitech TGR. He closed his assessment on a positive and generous note, saying, “But, yeah, I’m happy to be on the podium with Kalle as his first podium.”
As Teretonga Park’s weather dictated the narrative of the penultimate 2026 CTFROT weekend, Nakamura ended Saturday’s activities with valuable points, renewed motivation and a clear focus on turning proximity into victory.
