Crosbie a likely candidate for success in Castrol Toyota FR Oceania
A great 2024 racing year could be the springboard that sets up Kiwi Alex Crosbie for a title challenge in the forthcoming 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Seventeen-year-old Crosbie is a product of New Zealand’s prolific karting and Formula Ford championships and has already made a successful mark in international junior single seater categories.
He was a stand-out performer in his first Formula Regional campaign when he ran the full New Zealand championship in 2024, impressing with an early podium finish in just the second race of the 15 race series. A consistent top ten finisher throughout the rest of the campaign saw him finish a solid first campaign in fifth overall, an impressive debut.
He went even better when he went competed in the United States Formula 4 Championship with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport - taking two wins and four further podium finishes on his way to fourth overall.
For his home 2025 championship campaign in the new NextGen promoted NZ championship series, he’ll team up with Giles Motorsport, which is headed up by former McLaren F1 lead engineer Stephen Giles . Crosbie is looking forward to putting everything he las learned over the past 12 months to good use.
“I cannot wait to get back in the car with Giles Motorsport,” he said. “After a great rookie season, I hope to improve again for this next campaign and I hope to be a top contender for the championship.
“Stephen Giles has been a great help over my time in Formula racing and I look forward to see what we can do for CTFROC 2025.”
Giles believes Crosbie will perform well on circuits he knows well and in a car he has a season’s experience with.
“Alex returns to the team and this year’s championship a more experienced and mature driver after his season in USF4. We’ll be doing our best to help him build on that confidence and be in the mix at the front of the field.”
A full grid of 20 cars is expected for the first round at the Taupo International Motorsport Park next month. It will also be the 20th season for New Zealand’s premier single seater championship. Some of the most talented rising stars in world motorsport will take part, and all will be hoping to attract the attention of some of the sport’s big players in Formula One and IndyCar.
They’ll also be aiming to put their names on one of the most prestigious trophies outside of F1 for the NZ GP. The New Zealand Grand Prix forms the final round of the championship and 2025 will mark the 69th running of an event which includes motorsport royalty such as Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, Denny Hulme and Lando Norris on its list of winners.
It will be the first full championship field since 2020, when the pre-Covid field include three current F1 stars in Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto.
2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship
Round 01: 10 - 12 January 2025, Taupo International Motorsport Park
Round 02: 17 - 19 January 2025, Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park
Round 03: 24 - 26 January 2025, Manfeild, Circuit Chris Amon
Round 04: 31 January – 2 February 2025, Teretonga Park, Invercargill
Round 05: 7 - 9 February 2025, Highlands Motorsport Park, 69th New Zealand Grand Prix
