TRS cars homologated for W Series swap

The two categories have engaged in a unique chassis share this season, taking advantage of TRS's summer calendar to simplify the freight equation for the W Series.

TRS cars will stand in for the regular W Series cars at the Spanish and Japanese Grands Prix, which will allow the W Series to sea freight its regular cars, for example back from Miami after last weekend's appearance on the Formula 1 undercard.

Both TRS and W Series use the same Tatuus chassis, however the former is powered by a Toyota motor and the latter an Autotecnica Motori engine.

As such the TRS cars, which are currently at the W Series HQ in the UK, have undergone FIA homologation for the chassis/engine combination to be recognised by the Formula Regional regulations.

The TRS cars will soon be trucked to Barcelona for the Spanish GP before being re-prepped for Suzuka in the UK and then shipped to Japan.

After the Japanese GP they will be shipped back to New Zealand ahead of the 2023 TRS season.

As part of the swap programme TRS category manager Nicolas Caillol is on a fact-finding mission abroad, starting with Miami on the weekend before taking in a number of other open-wheel categories around the world.

The hope is to revive the international flavour for TRS following a two-year break due to the pandemic, with Caillol keen on talking some W Series talent into heading down under in January.

"It's great to be back and taking the show on the road as we start the countdown to 2023," explained Caillol.

"Obviously the W Series project will be a big part of the season and we would hope to attract several drivers from that, as they will have the distinct advantage of having done two race weekends in our NZ cars anyway.

"As well as generating interest abroad, it's also great that we have been able to retain the four teams we have in New Zealand who run these cars and provide engineering jobs at that time of year.

"All of our teams have engineers they retain or bring in for the championship who have worked at the highest levels of motorsport, so these young drivers will be in good hands.

"The championship has always proved popular as a stepping stone to a successful season in the Northern hemisphere and that will continue. For some they will secure points that will mean a big step towards securing a Superlicence to allow them to test or drive in their chosen categories."

The calendar for the 2023 TRS season will be unveiled soon.