Johnson to start big year with New Zealand campaign
United States racer Nikita Johnson will begin a big year with a campaign in New Zealand in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The 16-year-old from St Petersburg, Florida, will join the most successful team in the history of the country’s premier single seater series, M2 Competition, for the five round championship ahead of joining Hitech Motorsport for a second season – his first full one - in the GB3 Championship.
A rising star on the United States motorsport scene, Nikita is the only driver to have won at all three levels of the USF Pro Championships as well being the youngest driver to win in each of the series. Drivers who have been through those series over the years include the likes of Rinus Veekay, Kyle Kirkwood and Louis Foster, who was a pacesetter in New Zealand in 2023 and who is the most recent to secure a full-time IndyCar drive after winning the IndyNXT title this year.
Johnson finished second in the USF Pro 2000 Championship in 2024, with eight wins, ten podiums, six pole positions and eight fastest laps. He also won two races in the GB3 Championship in the UK with VRD by Arden.
His talent isn’t limited to single seaters and tarmac either. In 2021 he was Legends Road Course World Champion, was third in the Legends Asphalt Oval USA National Championship and in 2020 runner up in the Legends Dirt USA Nationals.
A multiple karting champion who also raced with success in the USA and Europe, he is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead in the New Zealand championship – which has a remarkable record of success producing future drivers for the top levels of motorsport.
“I want to thank my management team at Infinity Sports Management, especially Harry Soden, JRMFast and Obie Johnson, who worked with Hitech Motorsport’s Oliver Oakes to secure this outstanding opportunity to race with M2 Competition in New Zealand,” he explained. “ I am looking forward to racing down under and seeing the country of New Zealand.”
The 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship is one of the FIA’s official global FR championships and offers drivers more than 3,000km of back-to-back practice, qualifying and competitive racing around five very different and very challenging circuits.
The championship concludes with the New Zealand Grand Prix. 2025 will see the 69th running of the event, one of only two events outside of F1 – the other is the Macau GP – recognised by the FIA as a Grand Prix event. The 20th season of the championship will feature as a major category in NZ’s brand new NexGen Motorsport Championship series.
M2 Competition boss Mark Pilcher says he has high hopes for his talented young charge and expects him to relish the competition and learning curve he’ll face in his first racing season in New Zealand.
"We have eyes on junior categories globally at all times,” he said. “It did not take long to identify Nikita as an excellent driver option for M2 in 2025. We welcome Nikita to New Zealand and have everything ready for a competitive campaign for him."
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
