The intensity of action and competitiveness in the domestic Formula Ford scene is reaching a crescendo. The South Island Formula 1600 Championship has just finished its six-round season while the North Island Formula Ford Series is beginning to take flight having just completed its third of a five-round series. Now this weekend we have the first of a two-round national championship at the Taupo International Motorsport Park in Taupo.
Both series’, this season, have produced multiple race winners without one clear favourite driver. In the South Island there were four different winners over seventeen races while in the North there have been six over nine races held so far.
What we can ascertain heading into the national rounds is that the South Island drivers will be the ones to beat, with newly crowned series winner, Zac Christensen (Ray GR20) a clear favourite. Jack Noble-Adams (Ray GR21), a previous South Island series winner, knows how to win races, rookie Alex Crosbie (Ray GR21) has been on the podium multiple times while Simon Hunter (Mygale SJ08A) will also be at the pointy-end.
Over nine races in the North Island Series, two drivers are starting to emerge as title favourites. Liam Sceats (Van Diemen Stealth) and Bree Morris (Ray GR17) have won the last five races between them and will be the likely title contenders. However, Callum Crawley should not be discounted having previously finished second and third in the NZ Formula Ford Championship.
The good-money is on the southern drivers for one very good reason. Over the six-round South Island series, no North Island driver, that ventured south, won a race or even looked likely to.
With the second and final round of the NZ Formula Ford Championship to take place in Christchurch 1 May, several North Island drivers made the journey to the city to compete in the fourth round of the South Island series in January this year. Morris, Kyan Davie (Spectrum 015), Leo Scott (Spectrum), Sebastian Manson (Spectrum) all took part in four races at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park with Morris the best placed finisher with an eighth and three fifth placings.
Morris is now proving to be the person to beat in the North Island and is a fast-improving Formula Ford driver. Having also competed in the fifth South Island round at Timaru earlier this month, she was knocking on the door of a podium but not competing for wins.
There will be two Class titles also up for grabs in the NZ championship. The overall winner is likely to come from Class 1 (post 2000) while a North Island driver may well take away the Class 2 (1990-1999) title. Shane Drake (Van Diemen RF92) and Liam Sceats may well fight for this title but don’t discount the experience of Christchurch’s Robert Toshach (Swift FB89), a previous Class national title winner.
The beauty of Formula Ford competition is that on the day, any driver that is ‘in-the-zone’ with a well prepared and setup car can win the day. With eight races across two rounds at two different circuits the competition will be tight.
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