Wellington-born driver Ryan Wood has been one of New Zealand’s most exciting rising motorsport talents in recent years. After making his mark in karting across a successful eight-year career, Wood would then transition into car racing, opting against the traditional open-wheel pathway and instead moving straight into touring car competition.
It was in the Toyota 86 Championship where Wood’s raw speed and race craft quickly set him apart. During the 2021–22 season, he became a regular race winner, with his breakout performances signalling the arrival of one of New Zealand’s brightest young talents.
In 2023, Wood made his international debut in Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia, quickly turning heads with an extraordinary rookie season that delivered six race wins, multiple pole positions, and a third-place finish in the championship standings. The success rapidly accelerated his career progression and earned him a coveted opportunity with Walkinshaw Andretti United in Super2, the development category for the Repco Supercars Championship.
Wood immediately impressed, securing Pole Position during his first Super2 round in Newcastle before going on to claim five race victories on his way to third in the championship standings. The impressive rookie campaign ultimately earned him promotion into Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Repco Supercars Championship line-up for the 2024 season.
Across his first two seasons in Supercars, Wood has continued to establish himself as one of the category’s future stars, consistently challenging teammate Chaz Mostert and securing several stand-out results in that time, including his maiden Supercars victory in Perth last year.
Then, fresh off his stand-out performance at the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000, Wood was announced as the recipient of a $40,000 Tony Quinn Foundation grant to contest the 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT), the premier category of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship.
For Wood, the opportunity to contest the New Zealand Grand Prix marked a major career milestone.
“To be competing in the New Zealand Grand Prix is a real bucket-list race for me. I never thought I’d get the opportunity, so it’s super special to be racing in New Zealand’s most iconic event,” Wood said.
Wood went on to complete a strong campaign across the four-week 2026 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy season, finishing fifth overall in the championship with multiple victories, including winning the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy at Taupo International Motorsport Park.
Wood would then return to his full-time Repco Supercars Championship campaign with Walkinshaw TWG Racing, now aboard the Toyota GR Supra, with the 22-year-old Kiwi already making headlines earlier this year after securing Toyota’s first Supercars victory on New Zealand soil.
Beyond Supercars, Wood has continued to broaden his skill set by gaining experience across a range of different categories.
