Formula Regional Oceania – Hampton Downs

The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy commenced on New Zealand’s North Island with a pair of Aussies rolling off the mark for the four-round Championship season at Hampton Downs.

Formula 3 driver James Wharton and Jack Taylor each undertook the four-race weekend with gusto, stringing together solid performances.

For Wharton, his weekend encompassed a top 10 finish in Race 1, 17th in Race 2, fifth in Race 3 and another top 10 performance in the fourth and final feature race session.

Wharton collected 46 points for the weekend and sits eighth overall in the drivers’ standings.

Taylor finished 15th in Race 1 to get his season going, before improving to 10th in Race 2. Taylor finished the weekend in 14th for Race 3, as a personal issue prior to lights out in Race 4 prevented him from starting the round’s final session.

Both drivers head to Rotokawa this weekend for Round 2 at Taupo International Motorsport Park.

Dakar Rally – Dakar

Australia’s Toby Price continues to impress at the world famous Dakar Rally, currently sitting among the leading pack among more than 170 cars, after seven stages and a litany of flat tyres.

With six more stages still take place, Price returned his two best stage results of fourth in the two drives before the weekend.

Despite suffering some flats, the Aussie current ranks 12th overall, close to half an hour off the pace of rally leaders Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin.

Price, behind a factory-backed Toyota with Toyota Gazoo Racing, drove over 870 kilometres during the last stage alone. He is accompanied by Spaniard Armand Monleon.

6 Hours of Abu Dhabi – Yas Marina

Indy NXT competitor Nicolas Stati and the team at Leipert Motorsport made good progress through Free Practice and then in GT3 Qualifying, securing P6 at the start line.

Behind the wheel of the #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO, Stati closed out strong to assist the team to a top 10 finish, slotting into ninth overall, and in class, alongside Kiwi Brendon Leitch, Stanislav Minsky and Thomas Kiefer.

Jayden Kelly was back with Optimum Motorsport in the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo for the latest round of the Michelin 24 Hour Series Middle East Trophy Series.

Teaming up with with Britons Andrew Gilbert and Michael Porter, the #74 vehicle finished fifth-fastest in GT3 Qualifying to place them near the front of the grid for the main race.

Kelly, who served as the finishing driver for the race, mustered a final placing of 15th overall and 15th in class after 130 laps of the Yas Marina Circuit.

Proven talent Christian Mansell was back in the driver’s seat for 2026 with Team Motopark following a break from motorsport in 2025, to partner with Denis Remnyako and Marcelo Ramirez for the 6 Hour event.

Among the AM cohort, Mansell and company secured P4 in Qualifying by posting following the drivers’ combined laps, and third-quickest among all Mercedes AMGs.

The fortunes for the team would reverse 98 laps into the main race, when a contact incident during a lapping scenario ended the race for the team.

The 24 Hours of Dubai will close out the series this weekend at the Dubai Autodrome.