Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Louis Sharp will return to racing in New Zealand next month as he joins MTEC Motorsport for Formula Regional Oceania.
The 18-year-old was born in England but raised in New Zealand, where he became one of the country’s most successful ever karters on the domestic scene and started his car racing career.
He debuted in Formula First back in 2020, then stepped up to Formula Ford where he came fifth in the 2021-22 South Island season before local single-seater manufacturer Rodin Cars backed a relocation of his career to Europe.
His first two years were with Carlin, a team which Rodin then took over and Sharp continued to drive for as he made his way up the ladder. Joining MTEC will therefore be his first time racing for a different outfit since his South Island FFord days.
“I am honoured to be joining MTEC Motorsport in the upcoming FRegional Oceania Trophy season, and must thank the Tony Quinn Foundation for its support,” said Sharp.
“This championship has been on my bucket list since I first started karting so to be aligning myself with both Tony Quinn and MTEC is a dream come true and a great opportunity for me to draw from the knowledge and experience they both hold.”
With Carlin, Sharp sepnt two seasons in British Formula 4 and after coming fourth in the standings with two wins as a rookie he romped to the 2023 title with six victories and eight other podiums. At the end of 2022 he also won the single-round Formula Trophy event in the United Arab Emirates.
After the team became Rodin Motorsport, Sharp stepped up to GB3 and won the title as a rookie with five victories and five other podiums, then to the FIA Formula 3 Championship this year but was less competitive as he was 26th in the standings. Next year he will remain on the grid and switch to Prema’s line-up.
Another Antipodean headed to FRegional Oceania in 2026 is Karting Australia’s former director and Formula 1’s former race director Michael Masi. He will become event director of the NextGen NZ Championship, the programme of race events which FRegional Oceania is part of the billing of, and has been appointed by the national governing body MotorSport New Zealand.
Nicolas Caillol, motorsport manager for FRegional Oceania promoter Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ, said: “Michael has been a tremendous supporter of FRegional Oceania for many years, and his dedication was instrumental in helping us secure the first allocation of [FIA] superlicence points back in 2018.
“His arrival will further strengthen the MotorSport NZ official team and undoubtedly deliver significant benefits to the sport, both for our competitors and the wider motorsport community.”