Kiwi Breanna Morris – one of the brightest young female talents in world motorsport – has this week been confirmed for the 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The current North Island Formula Ford champion will run the full season with Giles Motorsport, run by former Formula 1 mechanic Stephen Giles.
She will join Chloe Chambers – who will be a teammate at Giles Motorsport – as the second woman racing in the 2023 championship and the eighth to compete in the Kiwi championship’s history.
There’s no doubting Morris credentials as a racer. As well as winning the North Island Formula Ford title and taking five wins in the process earlier this year, the 19-year-old finished fourth overall in the chase for the national title in 2022 and third in the North Island series a season earlier.
She impressed in New Zealand’s highly competitive Formula First championship and has an outstanding karting record dating back to 2015 which includes a championship win in Mini ROK. She’s also tested the current Toyota FT-60 car extensively and has impressed with speed and feedback.
Morris has caught the eye of a number of significant motorsport organisations and individuals for both her raw pace and racecraft and many believe she has the talent not only to take on the boys but to progress significantly in the sport in the coming seasons.
One of those is motorsport and business magnate Tony Quinn, who is supporting Bree this coming season via his TQF Foundation.
Breanna herself cannot wait to get started in what was traditionally known as the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, which has recently been upgraded to Formula Regional status by the world governing body, the FIA. It now offers no fewer than 18 points for the championship winner to help on the way to higher level categories like Formula 2 and Formula 1.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic to be able to compete in the Formula Regional Oceania Series this 2023 season, it’s a great way to test a drivers’ ability,” she said.
“My expectations for the series would be to develop my skills as a driver and to push myself as hard as possible, which will open up opportunities for my next season. “
Morris and Giles Motorsport will begin their partnership next month when the new-look championship begins at Cromwell’s Highlands Motorsport Park over the weekend of January 13-15.
Over the years, New Zealand’s premier single seater championship has proved itself to be one of the most consistent junior series in world motorsport for producing young talent. Current F1 aces Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Nicolas Latifi, Lance Stroll and Guanyu Zhou have all raced in TRS. Norris and Stroll were both champions. Liam Lawson is another who has used the championship to catapult himself into a major international single seater career.
2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship Schedule:
| Round | Venue | Date |
| 1 | Highlands Motorsport Park | 13 to 15 January, 2023 |
| 2 | Teretonga Park Raceway | 20 to 22 January, 2023 |
| 3 | Manfield Circuit Chris Amon | 27 to 29 January, 2023 |
| 4 | Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park | 3 to 5 February, 2023 |
| 5 | Taupo International Motorsport Park | 10 to 12 February, 2023 |
Main image: Supplied | Words: Supplied
