Nine wins in the United States last season marked Cooper Shipman as one to watch for 2026 – whichever category he competes in.  But to begin 2026, he’s staying with the team he won the U.S. title with – Kiwi Motorsport – and heading to New Zealand.

Shipman expects the challenge of taking part in the country’s four-round premier championship will be a very tough one when he races against a high-quality field of proven talent from other junior formula categories around the world.

“Competing in FR Oceania will be the biggest challenge of my racing career,” explained the seventeen-year-old from Austin, Texas, who is following in the tyre tracks of another F4 U.S. star, Patrick Woods-Toth, by competing in New Zealand after a successful F4 U.S. season.

“I’m not only moving from F4 to Formula Regional, but also stepping onto a global stage against some of the world’s top emerging talent. 

“The series has proven itself in its ability to develop young talent, with recent series champion Arvid Lindblad and newly-crowned F1 world champion Lando Norris both using the series as a launchpad to progress their careers.

“I’m grateful to my family and supporters for giving me the opportunity to test myself against the best in the world as opposed to a U.S. winter testing program. I trust Kiwi Motorsports, Driven DynamiX, and my own abilities to rise to the occasion and put out a competitive effort," Shipman concluded.

Like many of the grid – which in 2026 will include two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovanperä and Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin – Shipman began his racing career in karts at just five years old.

After rising through regional and national karting, he moved to Formula Ford in 2024 to learn mechanical grip and full-size formula cars. He then graduated to F4 and delivered a standout rookie season, winning the 2025 championship.

2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy
Rd1 - 9-11 January - Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park
Rd2 - 16-18 January - Taupo International Motorsport Park 
Rd3 - 23-25 January - Teretonga Raceway, Invercargill 
Rd4 - 30 Jan -1^st Feb - 70^th New Zealand Grand Prix – Highlands International Motorsport Park