Mason signs up with Kiwi Motorsport for 2023 New Zealand campaign
British racer Josh Mason will join Kiwi Motorsport for a shot at the 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship after two seasons racing in one of the leading northern hemisphere junior single seater series, the Euroformula Open Championship.
The 20 year old will compete in the first season of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – certified by FIA. Formerly known as the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, it is the first full international season for the New Zealand championship since the pandemic and Josh is aiming to be competitive on all of the challenging five tracks that make up the unique Kiwi series.
Josh's path to single seaters could be described as an unusual one. He began kart racing at the relatively late age of 14 and made solid progress winning rookie trophies in the Junior Max (Rotax) and Junior X30 classes during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Josh moved up to single seater racing in the 2018 season taking part in selected races in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship.
An impressive start to his circuit racing career included a win in the last race of the season at Silverstone.
2019 brought his first full circuit racing season and dual campaigns in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and the India-based MRF Challenge. A second place finish at Spa-Francorchamps and a third place at Brands Hatch were notable highlights and he finished a fine second overall in the MRF Challenge. After another season in BRDC British F3 in 2020 he made the step up to the Euroformula Open Championship in 2021 with Double R Racing and in 2022 has competed for CryptoTower by Motopark, winning three times.
Looking ahead to the New Zealand campaign – Josh explained: "I am looking forward to competing woth Kiwi Motorsport. I chose to compete in New Zealand because it offers five weeks of back to back racing which will be a new exciting experience. Plus, heading there to drive around unfamiliar tracks in an unfamiliar car is a challenge that I can't wait to take on.
“My aims are to further enhance my skills in the world of motorsport and, of course, to become champion.”
Kiwi Motorsport’s David Versalko rates Mason highly and is anticipating a solid campaign too, commenting: "We are very excited to Josh onboard for the 2023 season. He has shown very promising results in Euroformula this year and we are looking forward to seeing what he can deliver in Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania ."
Mason’s 2023 championship challenge begins in the South Island at Highlands Motorsport Park on January 13-15 before heading to nearby Teretonga Park for Round Two a week later. It then heads to the North Island for consecutive weekends at Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild, Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park for the 67th New Zealand Grand Prix and a final weekend at Taupo International Motorsport Park on February 10-12.
The Castrol Toyota Racing Series had one of the best records in junior formulae for the proportion of its drivers over the years who have made it to Formula One or achieved other notable successes. Current F1 aces Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Nicolas Latifi, Lance Stroll and Guanyu Zhou all raced in TRS. Norris and Stroll were both champions.
2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – certified by FIA
13-15 January 2023 - Highlands Motorsport Park
20-22 January 2023 - Teretonga Park Raceway
27-29 January 2023 - Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon
3-5 February 2023 - Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park
10-12 February 2023 - Taupo International Motorsport Park
