![\"Ugochukwu](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ugo-Ugochukwu-teretonga-off.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUgo Ugochukwu went off at the first turn in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Spirit of a Nation Cup at Teretonga.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUgo Ugochukwu went off at the first turn in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Spirit of a Nation Cup at Teretonga.<\/p>\n
Ugochukwu led the lion\u2019s share of the 29-lap race, only to spear off in the closing laps following a Safety Car restart.<\/p>\n
The mistake gifted teammate Freddy Slater the win to close the gap from 44 points to just 15 with one round remaining.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, we didn\u2019t have the pace in the dry,\u201d said Slater.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw Ugo passed me and then the red flag, I knew it was reset time.<\/p>\n
\u201cManaged to reset quite well and put some pressure on that Safety Car restart.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a mega restart and was on his tail into T1 to put him under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good race and a good way to finish it, but we\u2019ve got some work to do to try and win this thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFull send from here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sunday afternoon\u2019s feature race began in the dry with Slater on pole position and Ugochukwu alongside him.<\/p>\n
There was drama immediately as Kiwi Motorsport\u2019s Cooper Shipman ran wide out of Turn 1 and skated over the gravel trap.<\/p>\n
Just moments later, M2 driver Ernesto Rovera went off at Turn 2 and buried his car in the gravel trap to bring out the first Safety Car.<\/p>\n
Racing resumed on Lap 7 with Slater ahead of Ugochukwu, Louis Sharp, Jin Nakamura, and Yuanpu Cui.<\/p>\n
Slater looked to have control of the race with a one-second lead over Ugochukwu, until Lap 16 when the American used push-to-pass to round up the Brit into Turn 1.<\/p>\n
After repeated mistakes at the Brickyard, Slater was forced to defend second place from Sharp.<\/p>\n
Then came a reprieve. Rain began to fall, and on Lap 18 the Safety Car was called for Sebastian Manson crashing out of Turn 4.<\/p>\n
The race was red-flagged on Lap 20, which created all sorts of confusion as teams wondered whether they could change from slick to grooved tyres during the stoppage.<\/p>\n
Those who hadn\u2019t already made the change were allowed to wheel their cars back into the pits, and the race eventually restarted on Lap 24.<\/p>\n
It was at that moment that Ugochukwu made the race-defining mistake entering Turn 1. His car cranked sideways, and off he went into the gravel trap.<\/p>\n
Slater slotted into the lead, Sharp into second, and Nakamura third.<\/p>\n
To add insult to injury, Ugochukwu went off the road again on the final lap at the final corner.<\/p>\n
Results: Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Teretonga, Race 4<\/p>\n
Pos
\nNum
\nDriver
\nLaps\/Diff<\/p>\n
1
\n27
\nFreddie Slater
\n29 laps<\/p>\n
2
\n11
\nLouis Sharp
\n5.129<\/p>\n
3
\n12
\nJin Nakamura
\n5.731<\/p>\n
4
\n5
\nYuanpu Cui
\n8.945<\/p>\n
5
\n21
\nYevan David
\n9.725<\/p>\n
6
\n33
\nFionn McLaughlin
\n11.333<\/p>\n
7
\n69
\nKalle Rovanpera
\n12.181<\/p>\n
8
\n40
\nRyan Wood
\n12.846<\/p>\n
9
\n50
\nJack Taylor
\n13.104<\/p>\n
10
\n41
\nRicardo Baptista
\n14.653<\/p>\n
11
\n3
\nZack Scoular
\n15.698<\/p>\n
12
\n52
\nNolan Allaer
\n17.093<\/p>\n
13
\n14
\nCooper Shipman
\n18.083<\/p>\n
14
\n4
\nUgo Ugochukwu
\n28.393<\/p>\n
15
\n8
\nTrevor LaTourrette
\n30.772<\/p>\n
16
\n22
\nSebastian Manson
\nLap 17<\/p>\n
17
\n24
\nErnesto Rivera
\nLap 1<\/p>\n
DNS
\n19
\nKanato Le<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/285249.gif\")