Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed, a new collaborative effort between two American teams, has named James Wharton as the first driver for its 2026 Formula Regional Oceania entry.
Top Indy Nxt outfit HMD, which has previously raced in IndyCar, struck a deal in November 2024 with USF Pro 2000 team TJ Speed for it to become a partner operation. The drivers that TJ Speed ran this year got the opportunity to do development with HMD on its simulator.
TJ Speed was established by Australian single-seater racing engineer Tim Neff, and the team previously competed in Indy Nxt. It was announced this July that it would enter FRegional Oceania in collaboration with HMD.
“This championship has a fine reputation throughout the world in junior formula racing and I see it as a very natural step in exactly the right time in my career,” said Wharton.
“I’ve got to trust in that process and do the best I can with a great team around me.”
Last month he made his Formula 2 debut, but the 19-year-old Australian will follow up his FRegional Oceania campaign with a second season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship next year. He did one round in the Formula 1 support series in 2024, then came 18th in the standings this year with one victory but only three other points-scoring races.
Wharton was Formula 4 United Arab Emirates champion, E4 runner-up and fourth in Italian F4 in 2023, then was FRegional European Championship runner-up and sixth in FRegional Middle East last year.