FROT – Taupo: Scoular and Wood win, Ronvanperä still in the top 10

Races 3 and 4 of this second round of the Formula Regional Oceania series were exciting in several respects. Winner of the first race, Zack Scoular triumphed on home soil, definitively confirming the strong form of the Oceania drivers in this competition. Closely followed by Freddie Slater, the local driver finally saw the Briton shine in this winter series, after having consistently struggled to qualify well. Former Supercars driver Ryan Wood completed the podium, also confirming his rapid adaptation to the series. car in this context.

For the first time since last weekend, however, Ugo Ugochukwu failed to score significant points to defend his championship lead. Finishing 13th in Race 3, the American never managed to escape the back of the pack – due to a far less impressive qualifying session than in recent practice – and ultimately finished just ahead of Kalle Rovanperä, who came in 14th.

Slater's first major mistakes

While Race 3 allowed him to bounce back, Race 4 was one of Freddie Slater's worst performances so far. Making two glaring errors when he was in a good position to challenge for a top-five finish, the Briton ultimately finished in 17th place. Having gone off the track twice, one of which nearly resulted in retirement in the gravel trap, the reigning FRECA champion is not at his best on New Zealand soil.

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Conversely, Ugo Ugochukwu delivered a solid performance to finish fourth, behind a podium dominated by Ryan Wood. Kalle Rovanperä, once again benefiting from the misfortunes of those ahead of him, doesn't yet have the race pace to challenge for the top positions, but his flawless performance at the wheel of his Hitech highlights a rapidly improving learning curve. Eleventh in Race 4, the Finn is picking up points (everyone scores points in FROT), although overall victory isn't his primary objective.

In the overall standings, Ugo Ugochukwu remains in the lead with 194 points, while Kenato Le is close behind with 161. Louis Sharp (159) and Jin Nakamura (153) now lead Ryan Wood (150) and Freddie Slater (144), for whom the battle is far from over. Kalle Rovanperä, in 15th place, achieved his best result to date.

FROT (Oceania Regional Formula)
The classification of Race 3

The classification of Race 4

1. R. Wood (MTEC Motorsport)
2. K. Le (Hitech)
3. L. Sharp (MTEC Motorsport)
4. U. Ugochukwu (M2 Competition)
5. J. Nakamura (Hitech)
6. Y. Cui (MTEC Motorsport)
7. E. Rivera (M2 Competition)
8. N. Allaer (Giles Motorsport)
9. K. Rovanperä (Hitech)
10. S. Manson (M2 Competition)
11. J. Taylor (Giles Motorsport)
12. R. Baptista (TJ Speed ​​with HMD)
13. Y. David (Kiwi Motorsport)
14. F. McLaughlin (Hitech)
15. C. Shipman (Kiwi Motorsport)
16. J. Wharton (TJ Speed ​​with HMD)
17. F. Slater (M2 Competition)
18. T. Latourrette (TJ Speed ​​with HMD)
19. Z. Scoular (MTEC Motorsport)