Australian racer Patrick Heuzenroeder has made an impressive start to his 2025 season, taking part in the opening round of the 2025 Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Championship.

The FIA-recognised series, spanning over five weekends across New Zealand, has long been a proving ground for rising stars, with past alumni including Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, and Franco Colapinto.

Supported by his mentor, three-time Le Mans winner and ex-F1 driver, David Brabham, Heuzenroeder quickly made his mark in the series, even when the odds were stacked against him.

Embarking on his Motorsport career at 13 years old, Heuzenroeder has developed a spectacular racing history in such a short period of time, transitioning from karting to circuit racing after three years. The Aussie was quickly recognised on an international level, competing in the 2023 British Formula 4 season and in the 2024 GB3 season.

Driving for MTEC Motorsport, the young talent was challenged after a mechanical issue during the first qualifying, leaving him in the pits for 12 of the 15 minutes of the session. However, Heuzenroeder impressed spectators by making a strong recovery, jumping from P17 to P6.

The ambitious driver proved his determination as he was faced with challenges throughout the three races.

In Race 1, Heuzenroeder was tapped into a spin at Turn 1, forcing him to battle back from 15th. However, the Australian impressively completed six overtakes to finish in P9.

Race 2 saw Heuzenroeder start from P9, with him quickly gaining ground by passing his teammate and putting pressure on 2024 Supercars Champion Will Brown. After a great move into the final chicane, Heuzenroeder crossed the line in eighth.

Despite a lock-up in qualifying for Race 3, Heuzenroeder made a stellar start, moving up to sixth from ninth on the opening lap and later securing fourth after Brown and Shin collided. The Australian held off Brown in a thrilling battle, crossing the line in fifth but later being promoted to P4 after a penalty was issued to Brown.

“I was obviously disappointed with the issue in Qualifying 1 as it really set me back for the first two races,” reflected Heuzenroeder.

“But I was really happy with my pace and race craft, it’s not every day you get to dice with a Supercars Champion two races in a row and cause him some headaches.”

Heuzenroeder sits in eighth in the championship, where he will hope to significantly improve in the next 4 rounds, gaining valuable track experience before his main European 2025 campaign.

The second round of the 2025 CTFROC commences on January 16-19 at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.