American teen becomes first woman to win in NZ race series

Sunday, 12 February 2023

Chambers becomes the first woman to win an FIA Formula Regional race anywhere in the world.

America’s Chloe Chambers has become the first woman to claim a race win in New Zealand’s leading open-wheel racing series – the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.

Chambers also becomes the first woman to win any Formula Regional race around the world.

By virtue of finishing eighth in the category’s opening race at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupō yesterday, Chambers was handed pole position for the partial reverse-grid second race of the weekend.

The 18-year-old then proceeded to hold off a race-long challenge from Giles Motorsport team mate Kaleb Ngatoa (Marton) to win the 18-lap race by just over two seconds. New championship leader Charlie Wurz finished a distant third.

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Chloe Chambers on her way to winning the penultimate race of the 2023 Toyota Formula Regional Oceania championship.

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Austrian driver Charlie Wurz leads the standings with one race to go this afternoon.

“Just to get it here after everything this season, it definitely feels really good,” said Chambers.

“At the beginning [Ngatoa] was definitely hanging with me. A couple of times I saw him pull out and try to make a pass. I was just trying to keep my head cool and keep putting in laps and build a gap for the end.

“It’s super important, it’s important for my own confidence going into this 2023 season […] to get that first win.”

Chambers kicked off the 18-lapper by winning the race to turn one. From there, she and Ngatoa gapped the rest of the field, with Wurz unable to match their pace.

The gap between the leaders hovered at around one second for the majority of the race, blowing out to double that by the end; Chambers aided by using fresh tyres that had initially been destined to be used in qualifying earlier today.

Chambers wasn’t the only woman celebrating on the podium, with her engineer Lulu Clearwater from Invercargill also applauding the effort in victory lane. The win caps off a consistent season that’s seen her finish in the top 10 on all but four occasions.

The Chinese-born American is one of two women competing in the 2023 championship, with Kiwi Bree Morris also on the grid.

Chelsea Herbert (Auckland), Christina Orr-West (Whakatane), and Tatiana Calderon (Brazil) are among the women to have competed in the series previously.

Chambers entered the New Zealand series following a season competing in the European-based W Series, where a full grid of women race in Tatuus F3 machinery (powered by Alfa Romeo engines, instead of Toyota engines).

The Toyota Formula Regional series’ final race takes place this afternoon at 4.00pm, with just a handful of points separating championship leader Wurz and Auckland’s Callum Hedge. Wurz will start the finale from pole. Hedge has it all to do from fifth on the grid.