Kaleb Ngatoa Explained

Kaleb Ngatoa
Nationality: New Zealander
Birth Date:2001 5, df=yes
Birth Place:Marton, New Zealand
Racing Licence: FIA Silver
Current Series:S5000 Australian Drivers Championship
First Year:2021
Current Team:Team BRM
Car Number:15
Starts:11
Wins:2
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:1
Best Finish:1st
Year:2021
Prev Series:Toyota Racing Series
New Zealand Formula Ford Championship
Toyota Finance 86 Championship
New Zealand Formula First Championship
Prev Series Years:2021
2019-2020
2018-19
2017-18

Kaleb Ngatoa (born 11 May 2001), is a New Zealand Māori motor racing driver.

Career

Before his switch to car racing, Ngatoa was one of the country's most successful karting talents. He started karting in 2011 and immediately shot to prominence by winning the cadet class of the NZ CIK Trophy. Two seasons later he was on the top step of the championship podium again winning the 100cc Junior Restricted Class of the Kartsport NZ North Island Sprint Championship. 2015 saw him claim the Kartsport NZ North Island Sprint Championship in the Rotax Junior class. 2016 followed where he won the Giltrap Group Kartsport NZ Sprint Championship in the Junior Rotax class and demonstrated a seamless transition to circuit racing in the same year by winning the Formula First winter series run at Circuit Chris Amon, Manfeild.

Ngatoa would enter his first car racing national championship racing in the New Zealand Formula First Championship in 2017. Ngatoa finished runner-up to Callum Crawley in a tight championship fight decided in the final round. The following year, he would contend the Toyota Finance 86 Championship, with modest results, picking up a race win at the final round at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.[1] Following a challenging Toyota Finance 86 Championship campaign filled with multiple mechanical issues, Ngatoa moved into the highly competitive New Zealand Formula Ford Championship for the 2019/20 season. Ngatoa again struggled with car reliability and mechanical issues, though picked up top 5 and podium results.

Following the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, Ngatoa would contend the Toyota Racing Series for the 2021 season. The series proved as a stomping ground for the Marton teen, picking up 3 podiums in 9 races. Ngatoa's main season highlight would prove to be his masterful pole position for the 2021 New Zealand Grand Prix in the wet, against the likes of Shane van Gisbergen and Chris van der Drift.[2] Ngatoa would go on to claim second in the championship behind Matthew Payne.[3] Following this, Ngatoa secured a drive in the S5000 Australian Drivers Championship for the remaining 3 rounds in 2021. [4]

Racing record

Karting career summary

SeasonSeriesPosition
2010CIK Trophy of New Zealand - Cadet4th
Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Cadet19th
2011CIK Trophy of New Zealand - Cadet1st
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Cadet4th
Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Cadet14th
43rd Blossom Festival - Cadet14th
2012CIK Trophy of New Zealand - Cadetstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Cadetstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Cadet19th
Kartsport New Zealand North Island Sprint Championship - Junior Restricted 4th
2013New Zealand Top Half Series - Junior Restricted12th
Kartsport New Zealand North Island Championship - Junior Restrictedstyle=background:#ffffbf1st
Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Junior Restrictedstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
2014Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - 100cc Junior Yamaha6th
Kartsport New Zealand North Island Sprint Championship - Rotex Max Junior9th
46th Blossom Festival - Rotex Max Juniorstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Formula Junior7th
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Junior Rotax11th
2015Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Rotex Max Junior4th
Kartsport New Zealand North Island Sprint Championship - Rotex Max Juniorstyle=background:#ffffbf1st
Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - 100cc Junior Yamaha4th
2016Kartsport New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Rotex Max Juniorstyle=background:#ffffbf1st
Rotax Max Challenge New Zealand National Sprint Championship - Junior17th
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Formula Juniorstyle=background:#ffffbf1st
Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - 100cc Junior Yamaha8th
2017Kartsport New Zealand National Schools Championship - Rotex Lightstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
2022Kartsport Auckland City of Sails - Vortex Rok DVS Seniorstyle=background:#dfdfdf2nd
CIK Trophy of New Zealand - Vortex Rok DVS Senior9th

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesPodiumsPointsPosition
2016Formula First Manfeild Winter SeriesKaleb Ngatoa Motorsport1212397121st
2016-17New Zealand Formula First Championship2400119567th
2017Formula First Manfeild Winter Series3000319410th
2017-18New Zealand Formula First Championship246111513812nd
2018-19Toyota Finance 86 Championship1810247817th
2019New Zealand Formula First 1 HourThomas Boniface Racing11000N/A1st
Formula Ford Manfeild Winter SeriesKaleb Ngatoa Motorsport610223365th
2019-20New Zealand Formula Ford Championship1300035117th
2020Formula Ford Manfeild Winter Series500032886th
2021Toyota Racing SeriesM2 Competition901032292nd
S5000 Australian Drivers ChampionshipTeam BRM920131619th
Formula Regional Americas ChampionshipKiwi Motorsport300002417th
2022S5000 Australian Drivers ChampionshipTeam BRM1210011778th
Aussie Racing Car SeriesLocal Legends Racing400003335th
2023Formula Regional Oceania ChampionshipGiles Motorsport6101211514th
Formula Regional Japanese ChampionshipSutekina Racing Team20000624th
S5000 Australian Drivers' Championship88Racing300004018th
S5000 Tasman Series30000409th
2024Formula Regional Oceania ChampionshipGiles Motorsport1210122056th

Complete New Zealand Grand Prix results

YearTeamCarQualifyingMain race
2021 M2 CompetitionTatuus FT-60 - Toyota1st4th
2023 Giles MotorsportTatuus FT-60 - Toyota3rd5th
2024 Giles MotorsportTatuus FT-60 - Toyota7thWD

Complete S5000 results

YearSeriesTeam123456789101112131415PositionPoints
2021AustralianTeam BRMSYM
R1
SYM
R2
SYM
R3
PHI
R4

PHI
R5

PHI
R6

SAN
R7

SAN
R8

SAN
R9

SMP
R10

SMP
R11

SMP
R12

9th161
2022AustralianSYM
R1

SYM
R2

SYM
R3

PHI
R4

PHI
R5

PHI
R6

MEL
R7

MEL
R8

MEL
R9

SMP
R10

SMP
R11

SMP
R12

HID
R13

HID
R14

HID
R15

8th177
2023Tasman88RacingADL
R16

ADL
R17

ADL
R18

9th40

Complete Formula Regional Oceania Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789101112131415DCPoints
2023Giles MotorsportHIG
1
HIG
2
HIG
3
TER
1
TER
2
TER
3
MAN
1
MAN
2
MAN
3
style=background:#FFFFBFHMP
1

style=background:#DFFFDFHMP
2

style=background:#DFFFDFHMP
3

style=background:#DFFFDFTAU
1

style=background:#DFDFDFTAU
2

style=background:#DFFFDFTAU
3

style=background:#14thstyle=background:#115
2024Giles Motorsportstyle=background:#DFFFDFTAU
1

style=background:#DFFFDFTAU
2

style=background:#DFFFDFTAU
3

MAN
1

MAN
2

MAN
3

HMP
1

HMP
2

HMP
3

CHR
1

CHR
2

CHR
3

HIG
1

HIG
2

HIG
3

7th205

Complete Formula Regional Japanese Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Motorsport: Marton's Kaleb Ngatoa earns first Toyota 86 Championship race win at Hampton Downs. 11 March 2019. 11 March 2019.
  2. Web site: Nineteen-year-old rookie Kaleb Ngatoa stuns with NZ Grand Prix pole position. 24 January 2021. 24 January 2021.
  3. Web site: Kaleb Ngatoa finishes second in maiden Toyota Racing Series. 19 Feb 2021. 19 Feb 2021.
  4. Web site: Nervous wait for young Kiwi ahead of S5000 debut. 5 March 2021. 5 March 2021.