The 2022/23 Promains Formula Open New Zealand Series finale is set to go at the Taupo International Motorsport Park this weekend. While the Jim Palmer Cup for the FT40 category is pretty much settled, the race for the Graeme Lawrence Cup is wide open.
While Christchurch’s Zac Christensen has one hand and two fingers on the Jim Palmer Cup, the race in this Class will be well worth watching with series new-comer, Hayden Bakkerus, showing real speed at the previous round. Leo Francis is still in with a mathematical chance to win, should Christensen faulter.
The Graeme Lawrence Cup remains wide open with both James Watson, Liam Sceats and Sam MacNeill extremely close together, once every body drops their worst round.
Both Sceats and MacNeill know that this is a Formula Atlantic friendly track and will be both out on Friday for private testing trying different setups to see if they can not only best each other but close the gap to the Watson’s #31 Swift DB4.
Watson very rarely turns up on these private test days as he tends to rely on past data to set the car up and is usually exceptionally fast straight off the trailer. However, he is taking the challenge from the two very fast FT50’s seriously and has booked to do some testing and suspension fine tuning. He currently has the class record at a 1min 24.6 and is looking to get the black beast into the 23’s.
The fly in the ointment for both Sceats and MacNeill will be Kaden Probst in the FT50 and Gary Rush in the other DB4 Atlantic. Probst’s FT50 that has recently had some setup adjustments made which should see him lower his previously impressive lap times. Probst is super-fast and could upset the other two. Gary Rush will also be faster with a fresh 4AGE Toyota bolted in the back of the Swift and a point to prove.
The Promains Howden Ganley Cup for the overall series winner comes from either the Jim Palmer Cup or the Graeme Lawrence Cup depending on who has the highest points score. This will come down to one of four drivers who can win it. We won’t know who until 4:00pm on Saturday.
Promains Formula Open New Zealand practice is Taupo on Friday 14th with Qualifying and three races on Saturday 15th.
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