Taupo International Motorsport Park will host the second round of Formula Open New Zealand (FONZ) this weekend, as one of the leading support classes to the Historic Grand Prix. Fans will be treated to some amazing racing from these historic and contemporary wings and slicks racing cars dating from as early as 1989 up to 2018. With seven Formula Atlantic/Pacific cars facing off against six ex Toyota Racing S eries FT50’s and two ex TRS FT’40’s, the racing is expectedt to be intense right throughout the field.
FONZ welcome Taupo circuit owner Tony Quinn who will be joining the grid for the weekend and piloting his own Reynard 93H Formula Atlantic. Quinn will be looking to reignite his past battles with his good mate, three-time NZ Grand Prix winner, Ken Smith, who’s first appearance in FONZ this season will be a welcome sight for all race fans. Smith will be piloting the ex-Marcus Armstrong Tatuus FT50 and at 81-years young, is still expected to be fast.
Series hot shot, James Watson, will be there piloting his very quick 1991 Swift DB4 Formula Atlantic. Watson currently has the FONZ lap record at Taupo so will be the man all the others will be trying to beat.
None more so than series ring-in, Kaleb Ngatoa, in the ex-Graeme Lawrence owned Swift DB4 Formula Pacific. This car won the 1989 NZIGP with American Dean Hall driving, powered by a Ford BDA engine. It won it again in 1991 with Craig Baird driving using a Toyota 4AGE. Ngatoa is now a full time professional racing driver based in Australia and has been racing the S5000 wings and slicks cars. His recent testing times in the Swift at Hampton Downs suggest that Watson will need to bring his A-game to keep this hard charging young man at bay.
Not that these two will not have it all their own way as there is a bunch of very fast drivers wanting the top step of the podium. First in the queue is 2009 TRS series runner up Sam MacNeill. This season MacNeill has switched to a FT50 and will be fighting at the front. Likewise team mates Fergus Crabb and Joshua Andrews will be right in there. Crabb is from an off road racing background and now into his third season of FONZ and is looking fast. Andrews comes from a SIM racing background and with one season of Formula Ford, has taken to the Crabb Racing owned FT50 like duck to water.
With a field of fifteen cars that all lap under 1min 30 sec, don’t expect processional racing amongst the FONZ cars. The individual characteristics of these cars will ensure plenty of passing and re-passing. There will be close fought battles throughout the field with Taupo’s long back straight suiting the FT40’s whereas the twisty sections suiting the Ground Effect Formula Atlantics/Pacifics with FT50’s being a balance between the two.
Taupo International Motorsport Park is the place to be on the weekend of 21st and 22nd January.
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