{"id":449236,"date":"2026-01-31T09:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449236\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T09:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:26:15","slug":"supercars-news-ryan-wood-qualifies-second-for-70th-new-zealand-grand-prix-at-highlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449236\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: Ryan Wood qualifies second for 70th New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wood
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRyan Wood at Highlands Motorsport Park.<\/p>\n

Nakamura will share the front row with Supercars star Ryan Wood, who wound up just a tenth away in a dramatic three-part qualifying session.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car was on rails,\u201d said Nakamura.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had so much pressure. I enjoyed that a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Series leader Ugo Ugochukwu qualified third for Sunday\u2019s feature race, but it wasn\u2019t without drama.<\/p>\n

The M2 Competition driver suffered a suspension failure in the dying minutes of Q1, leaving his team racing to get the damaged FT-60 ready in time for Q2.<\/p>\n

The American looked like he might miss the top eight cut to advance to Q3, until a last minute lap put him sixth and through to the final segment.<\/p>\n

Ugochukwu will share the second row with Zack Scoular. Freddie Slater, Louis Sharp, and Liam Sceats completed the top eight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the last lap, I was starting to feel something a bit weird in the steering. Then all of a sudden I pressed the brakes and the wheel flew off,\u201d said Ugochukwu.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that was the end of quali, the end of the weekend, and the end of the championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t thank the whole M2 team enough. All the mechanics, everyone who helped get the car back together to get back out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI managed to get back out and put it P6 in Q2, which was good enough. P3 is really good, a good place to start the Grand Prix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood, who took Rookie of the Year honours on Friday, was stoked to secure a front row start but bemoaned a slow start to qualifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really cool. I do a similar style [of qualifying] in Supercars, but that felt pretty intense,\u201d said Wood.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally happy. Q1, I\u2019m a bit gutted with. Stuffed it all up. Congrats to Jin and Hitech. Good to see Ugo up here after he had a bit going on in that session. All in all, happy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car was awesome. Rich (engineer Richard Harris) just said to find my balls and hang on, so I did. The car has been pretty good.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually really gutted about Race 1 because starting fifth, it\u2019s super hard to pass. Hopefully the boys in front get their elbows out and actually have a race and we can try settle in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Times from Q1 set the grid for Race 1, which was topped by Nakamura ahead of Ugochukwu.<\/p>\n

It will be an all-New Zealand second row, with Sharp and Scoular in third and fourth respectively.<\/p>\n

Wood will line-up fifth alongside Slater, who narrowed the championship deficit to 18 points with his Friday race win.<\/p>\n

Results: Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Highlands Motorsport Park, Q1<\/p>\n

Pos
\nNum
\nDriver
\nBest Lap
\nDiff
\nLaps
\nBest Lap<\/p>\n

1
\n12
\nJin Nakamura
\n1:28.704<\/p>\n

9
\n9<\/p>\n

2
\n4
\nUgo Ugochukwu
\n1:28.718
\n0.014
\n9
\n6<\/p>\n

3
\n11
\nLouis Sharp
\n1:28.718
\n0.014
\n9
\n8<\/p>\n

4
\n3
\nZack Scoular
\n1:28.790
\n0.086
\n9
\n8<\/p>\n

5
\n40
\nRyan Wood
\n1:28.796
\n0.092
\n8
\n6<\/p>\n

6
\n27
\nFreddie Slater
\n1:28.821
\n0.117
\n9
\n4<\/p>\n

7
\n23
\nLiam Sceats
\n1:28.930
\n0.226
\n9
\n9<\/p>\n

8
\n13
\nJames Wharton
\n1:28.946
\n0.242
\n9
\n8<\/p>\n

9
\n24
\nErnesto Rivera
\n1:29.008
\n0.304
\n9
\n7<\/p>\n

10
\n52
\nNolan Allaer
\n1:29.011
\n0.307
\n8
\n8<\/p>\n

11
\n19
\nKanato Le
\n1:29.032
\n0.328
\n9
\n9<\/p>\n

12
\n21
\nYevan David
\n1:29.137
\n0.433
\n8
\n7<\/p>\n

13
\n5
\nYuanpu Cui
\n1:29.149
\n0.445
\n9
\n8<\/p>\n

14
\n22
\nSebastian Manson
\n1:29.158
\n0.454
\n8
\n4<\/p>\n

15
\n33
\nFionn McLaughlin
\n1:29.400
\n0.696
\n9
\n6<\/p>\n

16
\n14
\nCooper Shipman
\n1:29.521
\n0.817
\n8
\n8<\/p>\n

17
\n41
\nRicardo Baptista
\n1:29.545
\n0.841
\n9
\n8<\/p>\n

18
\n50
\nJack Taylor
\n1:29.678
\n0.974
\n8
\n5<\/p>\n

19
\n8
\nTrevor LaTourrette
\n1:30.713
\n2.009
\n8
\n8<\/p>\n

Results: Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Highlands Motorsport Park, Q2<\/p>\n

Pos
\nNum
\nDriver
\nBest Lap
\nDiff
\nLaps
\nBest Lap<\/p>\n

1
\n27
\nFreddie Slater
\n1:28.486<\/p>\n

6
\n4<\/p>\n

2
\n19
\nKanato Le
\n1:28.639
\n0.153
\n6
\n6<\/p>\n

3
\n3
\nZack Scoular
\n1:28.702
\n0.216
\n6
\n6<\/p>\n

4
\n40
\nRyan Wood
\n1:28.762
\n0.276
\n5
\n4<\/p>\n

5
\n23
\nLiam Sceats
\n1:28.764
\n0.278
\n5
\n4<\/p>\n

6
\n4
\nUgo Ugochukwu
\n1:28.918
\n0.432
\n3
\n3<\/p>\n

7
\n12
\nJin Nakamura
\n1:28.940
\n0.454
\n6
\n4<\/p>\n

8
\n11
\nLouis Sharp
\n1:28.943
\n0.457
\n5
\n4<\/p>\n

9
\n24
\nErnesto Rivera
\n1:29.070
\n0.584
\n6
\n4<\/p>\n

10
\n22
\nSebastian Manson
\n1:29.070
\n0.584
\n6
\n5<\/p>\n

11
\n13
\nJames Wharton
\n1:29.073
\n0.587
\n5
\n4<\/p>\n

12
\n52
\nNolan Allaer
\n1:29.133
\n0.647
\n4
\n4<\/p>\n

13
\n5
\nYuanpu Cui
\n1:29.186
\n0.700
\n6
\n6<\/p>\n

14
\n21
\nYevan David
\n1:29.423
\n0.937
\n5
\n4<\/p>\n

Results: Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Highlands Motorsport Park, Q3<\/p>\n

Pos
\nNum
\nDriver
\nBest Lap
\nDiff
\nLaps
\nBest Lap<\/p>\n

1
\n12
\nJin Nakamura
\n1:28.339<\/p>\n

7
\n3<\/p>\n

2
\n40
\nRyan Wood
\n1:28.439
\n0.100
\n7
\n4<\/p>\n

3
\n4
\nUgo Ugochukwu
\n1:28.487
\n0.148
\n7
\n4<\/p>\n

4
\n3
\nZack Scoular
\n1:28.554
\n0.215
\n7
\n5<\/p>\n

5
\n19
\nKanato Le
\n1:28.556
\n0.217
\n7
\n4<\/p>\n

6
\n27
\nFreddie Slater
\n1:28.599
\n0.260
\n7
\n4<\/p>\n

7
\n11
\nLouis Sharp
\n1:28.625
\n0.286
\n7
\n7<\/p>\n

8
\n23
\nLiam Sceats
\n1:28.646
\n0.307
\n7
\n3<\/p>\n


\"\"\/
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