Photo: Great South Photography

The Spectrum 015-driving Marco Manson tops the standings at the halfway point of the New Zealand Formula Ford season.

Round one was at Teretonga on January 23-25, and Manson showed he was the driver to beat from the off by topping practice. He had a 0.429-second gap to Maxim Kirwan in second place, and 0.52s to Toby Musico in third.

His advantage grew in qualifying, as he clinched pole for the season-opening race by 1.316s. Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi was second, with Dylan Petch and Campbell Owens the only other drivers within 1.7s of Manson.

However it was a different story in the race itself, which was soaking wet. Manson had a super slow start and was fifth before the opening corner. Eskandari-Marandi took the lead by avoiding wheelspin off the line, but could do little up front as the safety car was summoned due to Musico skating off into turn one’s gravel trap.

Racing resumed on lap six, and Petch looked to either side of Eskandari-Marandi at turn one as Manson flew off but carried enough speed to eventually rejoin the track at the back. Petch then had to hold off Owens, and on lap seven Kirwan mirrored Manson’s off. Toby McCormack was next to go off there, but he got beached and it led to the race finishing behind the safety car and Manson finishing ninth.

It remained wet the next day for race two, which used the same grid. Manson again started badly, losing two places before getting back past Jacob Begg with greater speed exiting turn one. Owens made contact with Musico and sent him off, triggering a safety car period that lasted until the end of lap four and earning himself a 10s penalty.

Manson reclaimed the lead down the pit straight as the field returned to racing speeds, while Izaak Fletcher fell from fourth to sixth through turn one.

There was a 2.5s gap between Manson and Eskandari-Marandi on lap seven when he flew through the gravel at turn three but again maintained enough speed to emerge from the other side of it and rejoin the track in eighth.

Eskandari-Marandi kept the lead to the finish, and on the final lap Owens swept around the outside of Begg at turn one in a move he ‘wasn’t expecting to stick’. His penalty dropped him to eighth though, and Begg ended up holding off Petch for second by 0.105s.

Manson went on a charge, going from eight seconds behind the leader to 2.86s by the end as he recovered to fifth.

Drivers’ fastest laps from the weekend until that point set the dry race three’s grid, so Manson got another pole ahead of Owens.

The first pressure on the poleman came at the last corner on laps two and three. Next time by, Owens was all over Manson the whole lap and a group formed with Petch and Fletcher. Petch got on Owens’ inside at the final corner, and through turn one on lap five Owens lost two places. He reclaimed third around the outside of turn one a lap later, and the lead fight was reinvigorated on lap nine when Manson had a big slide.

Petch got alongside him all the way to the exit of turn one on lap 10, and on lap 13 that lasted until turn three where Manson braked late to stay ahead. He was alongside through the lengthy turn one again on lap 14, but then he lost out to Owens as lap 15 began.

Owens’ favoured attack spot once into second was also turn one, and when Petch tried pressuring Manson too he got baulked and lost third to Musico. He had been picking off drivers, and taken fourth from Fletcher during lap 14.

Lap 18 began with Manson leading by 0.094s, and Owens almost had contact with him as they went through turn one. That was the last attack, while Eskandari-Marandi rose from seventh to fifth in a three-wide photo finish.

Round two took place at Timaru on January 30-February 1, and Manson led the way in practice again. This time his advantage around the shorter circuit was 0.412s over Kirwan. That was slashed to 0.053s in qualifying, and Fletcher was only 0.072s off pole. Owens trailed by 0.193s in fourth, Eskandari-Marandi was sixth and 0.5s split the top 11.

Manson led lights-to-flag in race one, finishing 1.959s ahead of Kirwan. Owens had an off after the same corner on lap one and two, which cost him third to Fletcher. He slipstreamed back past on lap three, and after Fletcher pitted Eskandari-Marandi was next to challenge him. They traded places on lap five, and Petch soon got past too.

Owens then repeated his earlier off, and finished sixth before a five-second driving standards penalty for Eskandari-Marandi meant he moved up to fifth.

Manson had another lights-to-flag success in race two. Jake Bryant made a great launch to get into second and initially distance himself from Kirwan, but the front row starter was back ahead by turn three of lap two.

There was a brief off for Manson but he was untroubled, and Bryant held on for the rest of the race to make the podium. Eskandari-Marandi overtook Fletcher for fourth on lap six, and Owens was close behind until Musico went into his side at the hairpin on the last lap. He had dropped to ninth by the finish, but gained back a spot once Musico was penalised.

Race three was the next day, with the same top two on the grid. Matthew Basso started third, ahead of Fletcher, Bryant, Owens and Eskandari-Marandi.

Kirwan took the lead on lap two after Manson put a wheel off, and on lap four Manson used the slipstream to get back ahead at the end of the back straight. They remained super close, and had not shaken off Basso when the safety car appeared on lap eight as a kerb hit led to Petch losing a wheel and crashing out.

Red flags waved on lap nine, which was where the restarted behind the safety car. Three laps of racing remained following that, and Manson initially got the jump but the slipstream effect brought his chasers back onto him. Basso overtook Kirwan on lap 10, and at the end of the back straight on lap 11 he got back past on the inside while Owens overtook Fletcher around the outside for fourth. Bryant had previously held fifth until he cut the chicane at the start of lap eight.

The victory fight came down to the last lap, and Kirwan squeezed down Manson’s inside at the end of the back straight to make the winning move.

Manson lined up on pole again in race four, ahead of Musico, Kirwan and Eskandari-Marandi. Kirwan took second on lap two, and Manson got defensive against him on lap four but Kirwan still found a way through as a four-car fight formed.

A lap later, Manson swept around the outside at the end of the back straight to snatch back the lead. Kirwan kept on his gearbox until a wide moment on lap seven meant he lost out to Musico and then Eskandari-Marandi. Third place returned to Kirwan on lap eight, and Musico’s robust defending against him after that allowed Manson to pull away to win. Kirwan did get his overtake done on lap 10, echoing the move Manson had made on him.

Results round-up
Teretonga race 1 (10 laps)
1 Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi 17m09.576s
2 Dylan Petch +0.565s
3 Campbell Owens +1.210s
4 Jacob Begg +1.519s
5 Izaak Fletcher +1.887s
6 Matthew Basso +2.794s
7 William Beck +3.832s
8 Olivia Lorenzen +7.371s
9 Marco Manson +7.640s
10 Maxim Kirwan +8.546s
Pole: Manson, 1m13.638s
Fastest lap: Manson, 1m14.390s

Teretonga race 2 (13 laps)
1 Eskandari-Marandi 19m04.922s
2 Begg +1.894s
3 Petch +1.999s
4 Fletcher +2.364s
5 Manson +2.863s
6 Kirwan +6.962s
7 Basso +8.209s
8 Owens +10.334s
9 Beck +46.538s
10 Lorenzen +1 lap
FL: Manson, 1m12.174s

Teretonga race 3 (18 laps)
1 Manson 19m30.395s
2 Owens +0.754s
3 Toby Musico +0.850s
4 Petch +1.139s
5 Eskandari-Marandi +5.510s
6 Begg +5.590s
7 Basso +5.603s
8 Fletcher +5.722s
9 Kirwan +5.747s
10 Beck +34.943s
FL: Owens, 1m03.533s

Timaru race 1 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m05.818s
2 Kirwan +1.959s
3 Petch +11.393s
4 Jake Bryant +11.683s
5 Owens +12.343s
6 Toby McCormack +15.116s
7 Eskandari-Marandi +15.549s
8 Begg +16.011s
9 Cameron Freeman +19.191s
10 Beck +29.117s
P: Manson, 1m06.110s
FL: Manson, 1m05.895s

Timaru race 2 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m23.063s
2 Kirwan +0.908s
3 Bryant +4.441s
4 Eskandari-Marandi +4.887s
5 Fletcher +5.147s
6 Basso +7.008s
7 Petch +7.171s
8 Owens +7.242s
9 McCormack +11.173s
10 Begg +11.275s
FL: Basso, 1m06.158s

Timaru race 3 (12 laps)
1 Kirwan 16m12.118s
2 Manson +0.128s
3 Basso +0.510s
4 Owens +1.844s
5 Fletcher +2.249s
6 Bryant +3.039s
7 Musico +3.123s
8 Eskandari-Marandi +3.352s
9 Begg +3.655s
10 Beck +4.189s
FL: Musico, 1m06.023s

Timaru race 4 (12 laps)
1 Manson 13m25.653s
2 Kirwan +0.865s
3 Musico +1.723s
4 Eskandari-Marandi +1.987s
5 Basso +1.987s
6 Petch +6.016s
7 Owens +9.439s
8 McCormack +11.832s
9 Begg +14.165s
10 Fletcher +14.322s
FL: Kirwan, 1m05.936s

Championship standings
1 Manson 456   2 Eskandari-Marandi 400   3 Kirwan 390   4 Owens 358   5 Petch 331   6 Basso 323   7 Begg 319   8 Fletcher 308   9 Beck 246   10 Musco 198

The post Manson leads at season’s halfway point in New Zealand FFord appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Geoff Ridder

Blake Dowdall was crowned 2025 New Zealand Formula Ford champion in the final round at Manfeild last weekend.

He put one hand on the title by doubling his gap at the top of the standings in round three at Hampton Downs on March 21-23 despite Toby McCormack winning all three races.

McCormack topped every practice session, then in qualifying set a 1m09.284s to beat rookie Marco Manson (the 14-year-old brother of Formula Regional race-winner Sebastian) to pole by 0.207 seconds. James Penrose, the 2021 champion, was a further 0.084s behind and Dowdall was 0.005s slower than him in fourth.

Manson took the lead from McCormack at the start of race one, but a mistake later in the lap put McCormack back ahead. Dowdall meanwhile dropped outside the top 10, but had the pace to recover to fourth and grow his points lead since main title rival William Neale had retired in a crash that brought out the safety car.

McCormack dominated race two, winning by 6.77s over Penrose. There was a close fight for third, with Manson pipping Lincon Taylor, Neale and Dowdall.

Penrose went from third to first at the start of race three, but McCormack reclaimed top spot on lap two and pulled away for another dominant success that earned him the North Island FFord points lead.

A five-way fight for second was decided in a photo finish. Neale took runner-up spot by 0.004s over Manson, with Penrose being passed by both as he finished a further 0.005s back. Dowdall was 0.131s away from the podium, and Dylan Grant was 0.145s behind him.

At Manfeild it was Penrose led the way in practice, but he was only fifth fastest in a damp qualifying session. McCormack took pole, a 1m15.47s earning him top spot by 0.033s over Dowdall. Neale and Izaak Fletcher also beat Penrose.

The top two qualifiers diced through race one, and Dowdall emerged triumphant by 0.419s. Some way further back, Neale stayed in title contention by edging Penrose to third by 0.279s.

Setting the fastest lap meant Dowdall got to start race two from pole, and he led through the first half under pressure. McCormack learned how Dowdall defended against his various attacks, and eventually made a move that put him ahead. He led Dowdall across the line at the end, and Penrose struck back against Neale in the battle for third.

The next day McCormack was on pole again, and now Dowdall’s main title rival. That status would not last long, as Dowdall became champion by pipping him to race three victory by 0.046s.

He at least had pole for the Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy-awarding final race, but that went in Dowdall’s favour too as a mistake dropped McCormack down the order. A safety car period helped him recover to fifth, enough to beat Dowdall to the NIFF title.

Dowdall won the race with Neale right on his tail, and with Penrose just 0.3s behind. Finishing fourth was NZ FFord’s top rookie Jacob Begg.

Results round-up
Hampton Downs race 1 (15 laps)
1 Toby McCormack 20m48.169s
2 Marco Manson +0.740s
3 James Penrose +1.372s
4 Blake Dowdall +1.864s
5 Jacob Begg +2.155s
6 Campbell Owens +2.423s
7 Jack Groenewald +2.962s
8 Shane Drake +3.556s
9 Dylan Petch +3.807s
10 Izaak Fletcher +4.106s
Pole: McCormack, 1m09.284s
Fastest lap: Dowdall, 1m09.705s

Hampton Downs race 2 (17 laps)
1 McCormack 19m52.773s
2 Penrose +6.770s
3 Manson +14.596s
4 Lincoln Taylor +14.685s
5 William Neale +14.922s
6 Dowdall +15.046s
7 Dylan Grant +15.602s
8 Leo Scott +16.061s
9 Fletcher +17.955s
10 Groenewald +18.001s
FL: McCoremack, 1m09.210s

Ron Frost Memorial Trophy (16 laps)
1 McCormack 20m16.854s
2 Neale +7.813s
3 Manson +7.817s
4 Penrose +8.122s
5 Dowdall +8.248s
6 Grant +8.393s
7 Begg +10.479s
8 Taylor +12.826s
9 Owens +13.674s
10 Drake +13.702s
FL: McCormack, 1m09.499s

Manfeild race 1 (12 laps)
1 Dowdall 14m47.089s
2 McCormack +0.419s
3 Neale +9.659s
4 Penrose +9.938s
5 Begg +15.830s
6 Fletcher +16.171s
7 Petch +16.251s
8 Groenewald +16.966s
9 Drake +17.063s
10 Grant +18.054s
P: McCormack, 1m15.470s
FL: Dowdall, 1m13.052s

Manfeild race 2 (12 laps)
1 McCormack 14m45.370s
2 Dowdall +0.127s
3 Penrose +5.568s
4 Neale +6.102s
5 Grant +8.360s
6 Begg +8.483s
7 Petch +8.606s
8 Groenewald +13.032s
9 Drake +13.253s
10 Fletcher +13.739s
FL: McCormack, 1m12.654s

Manfeild race 3 (12 laps)
1 Dowdall 14m42.058s
2 McCormack +0.046s
3 Neale +3.106s
4 Grant +3.313s
5 Begg +12.882s
6 Fletcher +13.038s
7 Groenwald +13.144s
8 Drake +18.940s
9 Mason Potter +20.860s
10 Penrose +21.904s
FL: McCormack, 1m12.610s

Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy (18 laps)
1 Dowdall 26m12.126s
2 Neale +0.114s
3 Penrose +0.301s
4 Begg +1.782s
5 McCormack +2.485s
6 Petch +4.271s
7 Potter +8.741s
8 Drake +8.761s
9 Toby Musico +8.976s
10 Diesel Thomas +9.093s
FL: McCormack, 1m12.429s

NZ FFord standings
1 Dowdall 923   2 Neale 792   3 McCormack 791   4 Penrose 719   5 Grant 670   6 Begg 640   7 Taylor 511   8 Fletcher 501   9 Petch 384   10 Owens 377

North Island FFord standings
1 McCormack 1461   2 Dowdall 1444   3 Groenewald 994   4 Grant 581   5 Reagan Edwards 559   6 Fletcher Sloan 534   7 Scott 492   8 Owens 391   9 Manson 381   10 Nick Buxeda 351

The post Dowdall laps up New Zealand FFord title at Manfeild finale appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Geoff Ridder

New Zealand Formula Ford drivers put on a show in round two at Highlands Motorsport Park.

Blake Dowdall was fastest in the red-flagged qualifying session, setting a 1m43.084s to lead Australian racer Lincoln Taylor by 0.235 seconds. Toby McCormack and James Penrose were 0.4s and 0.5s off pole, with Dylan Grant and William Neale also within a second of Dowdall.

Taylor swept across at the start of race one to lead, then Penrose flew past the front row starters before the turn two/three chicane. Taylor had a look at getting back past at the turn 14 hairpin, but went off at the penultimate corner and fell to fifth.

Grant inherited third, but William Neale passed him at turn 14 on lap two. Campbell Owens crashed out shortly after, and the safety car came out.

On the lap five restart, Neale held off Taylor until the sweeping turn 10, and four corners later Taylor darted past Penrose. Taylor quicked gapped himself from the battle for third after that, and finished 2.245s behind Dowdall.

Neale demoted Penrose to fourth at turrn 14 on lap six, but his defensive line on the exit set up Penrose to get back past at the turns 15/16 chicane. Roles reversed on the next lap, and Penrose’s defending brought Grant into the battle.

The pressure reduced on Neale when Penrose spun at the penultimate corner of the penultimate lap, and Grant finished fourth but was penalised five seconds so Izaak Fletcher took the position in a photo finish with Jake Bryant.

Taylor led almost the entirety of race two but failed to win. He was passed by Dowdall on lap three, but got back ahead the next lap and beat him to the chequered flag by 0.106s. However a five-second penalty for track limits abuse (which was appealed) demoted him to fourth, so Dowdall was victorious by 0.477s over Penrose. Neale claimed the South Island FFord title in third.

Race three was a thriller, with Dowdall on pole. Taylor cut across him at the start, and Penrose made it three-wide as Dowdall traversed the grass. Taylor led into the chicane, and Penrose took second. Neale was in sixth, stuck behind Dylan Petch.

Penrose struck the pit wall on lap two and soon retired, which freed Dowdall. He closed in on Taylor, and attacked at the bridge on lap six. They began lap seven 0.096s apart, and he got alongside at turn 19. After going side-by-side on lap eight, he took the lead a lap later by diving down the inside at turn 10. It was now a three-car fight.

Neale had passed Petch (another retiree) on lap two, and cannily drove past Grant at turn two on lap four. He was 2.6s off the lead then, and 0.385s behind at the start of lap 10 as Taylor moved back ahead.

At turn 17, Neale got the run on Dowdall and passed on the inside, then at turn 14 next time by darted down Taylor’s inside. Taylor pulled off a switchback at turn 10 to reclaim the lead, but then dropped a wheel in the grass and two places. Not giving up, he made an incredible dive on Dowdall at turn 14 and completed the move at turn 15.

Neale won, and Grant was second as Taylor and Dowdall got track limits penalties. Jacob Begg put in a defensive masterclass in fifth, soaking up laps of pressure, and Bryant snatched sixth from McCormack at the flag.

Results round-up
Race 1 (10 laps)
1 Blake Dowdall 20m38.453s
2 Lincoln Taylor +2.245s
3 William Neale +9.423s
4 Izaak Fletcher +12.247s
5 Jake Bryant +12.330s
6 Jacob Begg +13.724s
7 Daniel Kelly +13.966s
8 Dylan Grant +15.381s
9 Diesel Thomas +20.139s
10 Toby McCormack +20.183s
Pole: Dowdall, 1m43.084s
Fastest lap: Dowdall, 1m43.813s

Race 2 (12 laps)
1 Dowdall 20m59.354s
2 James Penrose +0.477s
3 Neale +4.742s
4 Taylor +4.894s
5 Dylan Petch +5.101s
6 Grant +5.595s
7 Begg +9.443s
8 Bryant +9.674s
9 McCormack +10.042s
10 Reagan Edwards +16.284s
FL: Dowdall, 1m43.749s

Race 3 (12 laps)
1 Neale 20m56.173s
2 Grant +3.622s
3 Taylor +5.797s
4 Dowdall +5.925s
5 Begg +14.482s
6 Bryant +15.406s
7 McCormack +15.570s
8 Edwards +15.819s
9 Jacob Cunniffe +21.630s
10 Kelly +26.462s
FL: Dowdall, 1m43.182s

Championship standings
1 Dowdall 468   2 Neale 430   3 Taylor 409   4 Grant 395   5 Penrose 309   6 Begg 305   7 McCormack 304   8 Cunniffe 261   9 Fletcher 252   10 Edwards 207

The post New Zealand FFord puts on a show at Highlands Motorsport Park appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Blake Dowdall

New Zealand Formula Ford’s 2025 season kicked off at Timaru this weekend, and Blake Dowdall left as points leader.

Free practice was on Friday, and Will Neale topped FP1 by 0.066 seconds over Dylan Petch with a 1m06.112s. Petch lowered the pace to 1m05.946s in FP2, leading Neale by 0.099s, Toby McCormack by 0.121s and reigning champion Blake Knowles by 0.148s.

Laptimes were even faster in FP3, with Neale returning to the top. He set a 1m05.784s, edging Knowles by 0.13s and Dowdall by 0.143s.

Neale continued to be fastest in qualifying, improving to 1m05.705s to snatch pole by 0.096s from Knowles. Dowdall and Dylan Grant trailed by 0.178s and 0.201s respectively, and McCormack was excluded for breaching technical regulations after going seventh fastest.

The first two races followed on Saturday, then races three and four on Sunday.

Race one was hectic, and Grant jumped up into the lead early on. He managed to hold it, as Neale immediately lost ground on lap one and had to work to reclaim it in the race’s first half while Knowles dropped position after position.

Another to go on a charge was Petch, who entered podium contention in the race’s second half and finished a distant second behind Grant.

There was four-and-a-half seconds between those two, and only half a second between Petch and Neale in third. There was another big gap to Lincoln Taylor in fourth, with James Penrose not too far behind him. Knowles and Dowdall were a lonely sixth and seventh, and McCormack recovered to 12th.

Knowles again had a downwards trajectory early in race two, and Neale held the lead at first but soon ended up squabbling with Knowles. Dowdall passed both and pulled way to win by 1.9s.

Neale triumphed in his fight against Knowles by 0.314s, and Penrose got himself into fourth then held on to that position by 0.154s. He was helped by Petch and Taylor fighting behind him.

Knowles was on course for race three victory before retiring a few laps from the finish (meaning a one-minute penalty for careless driving went unserved), leaving Dowdall in the perfect position to capitalise. Except he was passed by Taylor and then Petch.

Australian racer Taylor’s breakthrough win was earned by 1.359s, and Dowdall held off McCormack for second by 0.375s after Petch – who had risen up from seventh – was disqualified from the runner-up spot for breaching technical regulations.

Neale ran in fourth for much of the race but lost ground late on and finished 10th, albeit with the fastest lap.

Race four was also dramatic, as red flags waved early on. Dowdall led from the start until lap eight, when Neale and Taylor got through. He reclaimed one spot on the penultimate lap, then passed Taylor on the final lap to win.

Neale inherited second once Taylor was penalised five seconds for jumping the start, dropping him to seventh, and Petch was disqualfied due to another technical breach after finishing fourth on-the-road.

Results round-up
Race 1 (10 laps)
1 Dylan Grant 12m40.050s
2 Dylan Petch +4.564s
3 Will Neale +5.014s
4 Lincoln Taylor +8.396s
5 James Penrose +9.053s
6 Blake Knowles +11.653s
7 Blake Dowdall +13.394s
8 Izaak Fletcher +15.417s
9 Jacob Cunniffe +16.175s
10 Jacob Begg +16.980s
Pole: Neale, 1m05.705s
Fastest lap: Grant, 1m13.583s

Race 2 (10 laps)
1 Dowdall 11m10.646s
2 Neale +1.943s
3 Knowles +2.257s
4 Penrose +8.691s
5 Petch +8.845s
6 Taylor +9.214s
7 Jake Bryant +9.617s
8 Jack Noble-Adams +9.749s
9 Grant +10.135s
10 Begg +11.315s
FL: Toby McCormack, 1m06.127s

Race 3 (12 laps)
1 Taylor 14m04.637s
2 Dowdall +1.359s
3 McCormack +1.734s
4 Grant +2.345s
5 Penrose +3.243s
6 Begg +3.989s
7 Bryant +4.595s
8 Noble-Adams +4.999s
9 Cunniffe +5.217s
10 Neale +5.714s
FL: Neale, 1m06.134s

Race 4 (12 laps)
1 Dowdall 22m49.205s
2 Neale +0.563s
3 Grant +1.200s
4 Penrose +4.454s
5 McCormack +4.583s
6 Noble-Adams +5.289s
7 Taylor +5.507s
8 Fletcher +5.625s
9 Bryant +6.465s
10 Begg +6.691s
FL: Dowdall, 1m06.367s

Championship standings
1 Dowdall 262   2 Grant 238   3 Neale 235   4 Taylor 228   5 Penrose 212   6 McCormack 181   7 Begg 165   8 Fletcher 162   9 Cunniffe 153   10 Ryan Denize 121

The post Blake Dowdall leads the way after NZ FFord round one at Timaru appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Rodin Cars and MotorSport New Zealand have tied up to provide a prize to next year’s New Zealand Formula Ford champion.

The automotive manufacturer and national governing body of Kiwi motorsport will commit to providing “an all-expenses-paid, three-day testing and evaluation programme with Rodin Cars in New Zealand”, then should the driver impress then Rodin will offer them a testing programme with its racing team in England.

An “outstanding performance during this phase could secure the driver a seat in one of Rodin Motorsport’s Formula 4 teams in either the British or Spanish championships”. Other stars of the NZ FFord scene may also be evaluated by Rodin.

• Read more: The Red Bull junior keeping an eye on FF1600

“We’re in a great position to provide a clear pathway for talented young drivers from this side of the world,” said Rodin founder David Dicker. “Watching them grow and excel on the global stage reaffirms our company’s passion for driving and motorsport in general.”

MotorSport New Zealand president Deborah Day added: “We are incredibly proud to partner with Rodin Cars to offer this truly life-changing opportunity to our aspiring drivers. New Zealand has a remarkable history of producing world-class driving talent, and FFord has played a crucial role in that for over 50 years. The list of New Zealand’s FFord graduates who have excelled internationally is a testament to its success as a development formula.”

Rodin bought out the team formerly known as Carlin last year, and kept its racing programmes active in Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, GB3 and F4. It also has two Kiwi drivers it individually supports: Liam Lawson and Louis Sharp.

On the same day as Rodin announced its new talent programme, Lawson was confirmed as replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season and Sharp was named as a finalist in the Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award.

The 22-year-old Lawson is returning to the team’s line-up after standing in for Ricciardo in five grands prix last year. He secored two points and came 20th in the standings, and was also Super Formula runner-up in 2023 with three wins.

In his junior single-seater career, Lawson won the NZ FFord title, was Australian F4 and ADAC F4 runner-up, Toyota Racing Series champion, Euroformula runner-up and then a race-winner in FIA F3 and F2.

With an impressive lineup headlined by Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson and reigning British Formula 4 Champion and GB3 Championship leader Louis Sharp, Rodin has quickly established itself as a force in world motorsport. Its teams compete in championships around the globe, including FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2.

Sharp, 17, came fifth in New Zealand’s South Island FFord series and fourth in British F4 in 2022, then won the title in the latter series last year. For 2024 he stepped up to GB3, and looks set to wrap up that title this weekend.

The 2025 NZ FFord season starts next January, with races at Timaru, Highlands Motorsport Park, Manfeild and a to-be-announced venue for round four.

The post Rodin announces talent programme as protege Lawson lands F1 seat appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Geoff Ridder

The 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford season concluded this month with rounds at Manfeild and Taupo, where Blake Knowles became champion.

The top of the points table closed up when the paddock visited Manfeild on April 5-7, as Sebastian Manson won twice.

He topped practice first, then took pole by 0.022 seconds over Mason Potter and 0.031s over points leader Knowles. Dylan Grant and Toby McCormack were within 0.185s of pole too, while everyone else was more than half a second off the pace.

NZ FFord last raced at Manfeild before the COVID-19 pandemic, but drivers quickly figured out the many places they could go side-by-side.

Manson pipped Potter to victory by 0.35s in race one, but did lead every lap. Potter had fought with Grant early on, then set the fastest lap as he proved to be a thorn in Manson’s side. Grant finished third, Blake Dowdall was 11s behind in fourth and Knowles retired.

The gap between the top two was even closer in race two, as Manson triumphed by 0.113s over Potter in a late fight for victory. Knowles had been involved in the leading group in third place before the top two pulled away.

Potter avenged his two defeats by winning races three and four. Just 0.93s covered the top five at the finish of race three, with Potter leading Manson home by 0.172s. William Neale was a further 0.131s behind in third, Knowles was just 0.66s behind the winner in fourth and Grant was fifth.

Although Potter more comfortably won race four by 3.4s, there was still close battles behind with Manson missing out on the runner-up spot by 0.36s, Knowles finishing 0.099s behind him and Grant a further 0.38s back.

The results meant Knowles headed to Taupo two weeks later 24 points clear of Manson and 59 ahead of Neale. Potter, Grant and Izaak Fletcher made it a six-way title fight for the three-race round, which ended with the Ron Frost Memorial Trophy race.

Neale topped FP1 on Friday, setting a 1m36.388s to lead Potter by 0.045s. Zach Blincoe was third, but 0.834s behind. Manson lowered the pace to 1m34.739s in FP2, putting 0.255s between himself and Grant, and with Potter a further 0.214s slower in third.

Manson delivered under pressure in qualifying, improving to 1m34.126s to take pole by over a third of a second. Blincoe was second fastest, with less than 0.1s splitting Neale, Grant and Knowles in third to fifth.

Race one was the sole track activity of Saturday, and it was wet. Grant moved into second place early on but could not challenge Manson until late in the race and a pass was not possible. Neale and Knowles (now only one point ahead of winner Manson) finished third and fourth, and Potter was seventh after he had a penalty removed.

Sunday was sunny and Knowles moved nine points clear by winning race two after Manson and Neale had contact. Manson finished 0.404s behind the winner, while a 30s penalty restricted Neale to 15th place.

Neale won the finale, again battling Manson but only after they had pulled away significantly. After trading places several times, Neale was victorious by 0.178s. Finishing third made Knowles champion by two points, and Grant successfully defended his North Island FFord title in fourth place.

Results round-up

The post Blake Knowles wins 2024 New Zealand FFord title by a whisker at Taupo appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Geoff Ridder Photography

Blake Knowles leads the New Zealand Formula Ford standings after round two at Ruapuna.

His title rival Sebastian Manson was the pacesetter in practice, topping all three sessions. He remained on top in qualifying, with Caleb Byers his closest rival and Knowles going third fastest.

In race one Manson was also the on-the-road winner, but he and Byers got five-second penalties for moving in their grid spots before the lights went out, and so victory went to Knowles.

Initially Byers kept with Manson, leaving Knowles behind and a multi-car battle for fourth led by William Neale.

By lap four there was a fight for second, and Knowles got by. He lacked the pace to chase down Manson, but it did not matter as on lap eight the safety car appeared and then red flags waved due to Cameron Tanner and Jacob Cunniffe having a big crash that ripped part of the rear off the latter’s car.

Manson and Byers dropped to fourth and fifth with their penalties, with Knowles victorious ahead of Neale and Izaak Fletcher.

Dylan Grant got ahead of Neale and Fletcher in their fight for fourth, with Zach Blincoe briefly getting ahead of Fletcher too, but a lap six lock-up by Grant enabled Neale to get back past. When Grant attempted to go around the outside at turn on the next lap he instead lost out further, getting passed by Fletcher and Mason Potter (another driver with a jump start penalty) before hurtling off the track and dropping behind Dylan Petch too.

Manson and Knowles shared the race two front row, with Byers and Petch behind. Having been scheduled to run 10 laps, this one only lasted seven but was super tight. Manson almost lost the lead off the line with a slow start, and then he got his tyres too hot too quickly.

That meant Knowles was able to keep pressure on him, and a mistake by Manson not only meant a change of leader but also brought Byers into play. Manson was able to get down the inside of Knowles late on to reclaim the lead, and won by just 0.084s with Byers 0.282s behind. The result put the top two level on points at the top of the standings.

There was also a photo finish for fourth, which Petch lost out in as he dropped to sixth behind Neale and Potter. Simon Hunter and Michael Hey retired on lap six, prompting the race shortening.

Knowles and Manson fought each other for victory again in race three but it all went wrong when they made contact at turn one. While Knowles then had to hold off Byers to win, Manson was on the back foot and following a spin he retired. Fifth place for Neale was enough to move him past Manson into second in the standings.

Results round-up
Race 1 (8 laps)
1 Blake Knowles 19m30.501s
2 William Neale +1.711s
3 Izaak Fletcher +2.534s
4 Sebastian Manson +3.325s
5 Caleb Byers +5.963s
6 Zach Blincoe +5.990s
7 Dylan Petch +6.940s
8 Dylan Grant +9.038s
9 Toby McCormack +9.350s
10 Mason Potter +9.502s
Pole: Manson,
Fastest lap: Manson, 1m29.625s

Race 2 (7 laps)
1 Manson 10m41.540s
2 Knowles +0.084s
3 Byers +0.282s
4 Neale +3.311s
5 Potter +3.559s
6 Petch +3.658s
7 Grant +4.100s
8 Fletcher +4.218s
9 Blincoe +8.066s
10 Jake Bryant +10.754s
FL: Manson, 1m30.207s

Race 3 (12 laps)
1 Knowles 20m11.974s
2 Byers +0.293s
3 Petch +0.677s
4 Fletcher +0.976s
5 Neale +1.263s
6 Potter +1.942s
7 Blincoe +2.140s
8 Bryant +2.380s
9 McCormack +2.665s
10 Daniel Kelly +3.266s
FL: Manson, 1m29.986s

Championship standings
1 Knowles 473   2 Neale 433   3 Manson 398   4 Fletcher 360   5 Grant 321   6 Byers 315   7 Potter 313   8 Blincoe 292   9 Petch 246   10 Kelly 232

The post NZ FFord title rivals Knowles and Manson win, and collide, at Ruapuna appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Terry Marshal/Euan Cameron Photography

The 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford championship began last weekend at the Timaru circuit.

Three practice sessions and qualifying kicked off the event, and Blake Knowles set the practice pace with a 1m05.735s lap. That put him 0.135s ahead of William Neale, with Dylan Grant 0.597s behind in third. The qualifying pace was slower, as Neale took pole with a 1m06.248s. Sebastian Manson was 0.192s behind in second, with Knowles 0.259s back in third.

Manson took the lead from Neale before the first corner of race one and held it all the way to the finish of the 10-lap encounter. The top three immediately broke away from the rest of the 22-car field, and Knowles attacked Neale at the end of the back straight on lap two but put a wheel into the dirt rather than making a move.

Just 0.767s covered the trio on on lap three, and 0.456s on lap seven. Knowles repeated his attempt at passing Neale on lap four, while on lap five Neale had tried the outside of Manson at the end of the back straight and the leader cut across him as they exited the hairpin at the end of the straight.

Knowles pressured Neale down the pit straight and into turn one on lap eight, then again down the back straight and this time did get by while also visiting the dirt. Neale reclaimed second at the next corner, and the pair dropped 1.275s behind Manson. He won by 1.549s, with 0.31s splitting Neale and Knowles. Grant was fourth, while Mason Potter rose from 10th to finish sixth.

A very distant 20th was MotorSport New Zealand’s CEO Elton Goonan, who has FFord experience but was a circuit debutant.

Neale started from pole for race two, ahead of Manson and Knowles. Manson’s grid spot proved advantageous again as he led the field after just a few metres.

Knowles took second from Neale at the hairpin on lap two, and attacked Manson three times mid-race before finally getting ahead on lap seven by going around the outside – and putting his wheels into the dirt – at the hairpin. Lapping Keith Miller complicated his final lap defences but Knowles held Manson off by 0.277s, until a five-second penalty post-race handed a second victory to his rival. A lap three off dropped Grant from fifth to 13th, and he recovered to eighth.

The front of the grid was unchanged for race three. Manson had better traction off the line to lead, and won by 0.213s over Knowles. He attempted to dive down the inside of Neale at the hairpin on lap three, got ahead on lap five then set the fastest lap as he chased the leader. Several drivers behind spun and crashed, but the safety car was not needed.

Knowles’ fastest lap earned him second on the grid for the 12-lap race four, and he converted it into the lead straight away. Manson also passed Neale, then ran side-by-side with Knowles before passing into turn one on lap two.

The lead returned to Knowles on lap four, but Manson repeated his move on lap five. Knowles went around his outside at the hairpin, Manson passed him again down the pit straight on lap seven, then Knowles did his hairpin move again. That brought Neale into play and he passed Manson after making contact.

Points leader Manson returned to second and finished 2.133s behind winner Knowles, before a five-second penalty dropped him to seventh.

Results round-up
Race 1 (10 laps)
1 Sebastian Manson 11m14.793s
2 William Neale +1.549s
3 Blake Knowles +1.859s
4 Dylan Grant +3.033s
5 Izaak Fletcher +5.544s
6 Mason Potter +7.581s
7 Jake Byrant +7.858s
8 Simon Hunter +11.343s
9 Zac Blincoe +11.499s
10 Caleb Byers +12.459s
Pole: Neale, 1m06.248s
Fastest lap: Knowles, 1m06.660s

Race 2 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m16.336s
2 Neale +0.190s
3 Fletcher +3.098s
4 Knowles +4.723s
5 Blincoe +6.230s
6 Hunter +8.570s
7 Potter +8.676s
8 Grant +9.638s
9 Bryant +10.239s
10 Byers +11.451s
FL: Manson, 1m06.542s

Race 3 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m09.964s
2 Knowles +0.213s
3 Neale +0.612s
4 Grant +1.118
5 Fletcher +3.536s
6 Potter +9.431s
7 Blincoe +10.691s
8 Dylan Petch +10.838s
9 Daniel Kelly +14.118s
10 Toby McCormack +16.116s
FL: Neale, 1m05.790s

Race 4 (12 laps)
1 Knowles 13m27.873s
2 Neale +3.541s
3 Grant +3.835s
4 Potter +4.023s
5 Fletcher +4.593s
6 Byers +4.766s
7 Manson +7.133s
8 Blincoe +8.963s
9 Byrant +18.804s
10 Kelly +20.728s
FL: Manson, 1m06.331s

Championship standings
1 Manson 267   2 Neale 263   3 Knowles 256   4 Grant 207   5 Fletcher 207   6 Potter 186   7 Blincoe 166   8 Byrant 130   9 Byers 129   10 Kelly 129

The post Manson takes early points lead in opening NZ FFord round at Timaru appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

The end-of-year classics once again attracted big names, but the national and regional series in Formula Ford in its various forms also had strong grids this year. Here’s what happened across the world

United Kingdom

This year turned out to mark the end of BRSCC National Formula Ford 1600. For two years there have been two national series in England for modern cars, with United FFord being the rival offering from James Beckett Motorsport and run under MotorSport Vision Racing’s watch. From 2024 onwards only the latter series will continue to run.

This big change was shared with and then reported by Autosport in August, with the National FF1600 teams then putting out a statement once the news became public:

FF1600 National are excited to share the news that National FFord will have a new home next year after the BRSCC announced a collaboration with MSVR. This shake up will see the professional teams move from the National championship over to the United FFord championship, where the co-ordinator James Beckett is working on building an exciting and enticing calendar for the 2024 season.

 

As professional teams within FFord, we are hugely excited by the move and want to assure all our current and future customers that our usual expert service, alongside the brilliant and entertaining racing that FFord offers, will remain at the forefront and we will continue to bring you all the action from each of the rounds next year. We all truly believe in and recognise the importance of FFord within the landscape of UK motorsport and are all dedicated to seeing the passion remain and the grids grow in the future.

United FFord later announced its 2024 calendar, which retains an England-only schedule (while National FF1600 has had a history of racing in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) but does include a first ever trip to former World Rallycross Championship venue Lydden Hill.

Photo: Ida Wood

What happened at race meetings this year gave just as much to talk about as what was happening behind the scenes, and in National FF1600 it was Team Dolan’s Jordan Kelly who won the title. Kelly won seven races, and really hit form in the second half of the season as he went unbeaten at Knockhill and Silverstone. His other victories came at Snetterton, Kirkistown and Brands Hatch.

Oldfield Motorsport’s Lucas Romanek was his title rival and led the points for much of the campaign, winning the Oulton Park season opener then taking further victories at Snetterton, Donington Park and Kirkistown. He was disqualified from the results of the entire last round at Silverstone due to an incident that occurred once he and Kelly got out of their cars.

Ammonite Motorsport’s Elliott Budzinski – a Team USA scholar in 2022 – came third in the standings with one win, and Romanek’s team-mate Brandon McCaughan was fourth with two victories. Chris Middlehurst did little more than half of the season but by winning three races the FF1600 veteran was able to come sixth in the standings.

Another name to watch though the year was Kevin Mills Racing’s Lucas Blakeley. The Esports star made an impressive transition to real-world racing, and even won a race at Brands Hatch.

Romanek won the United FFord title by a huge margin, scoring 65 points while runner-up Jacob Tofts only scored 25 and no other drivers scored more than 18. One reason for Romanek’s domination was that he did most of the rounds, unlike almost everyone else, and won 10 of the 14 races. Middlehurst (Dolan) won the season-opening race at Donington Park, while Tofts (Souley Motorsport) took his only win in a depleted field of six at Oulton Park. The next round at Brands Hatch however was used by 28 drivers as a warm-up to the FFord Festival, and Rory Smith (B-M Racing) won both races.

Brands also hosted the season finale, where Romanek lapped everyone up to and including fifth place as he took two wins.

After almost a decade racing in Castle Combe FF1600, TM Racing’s Felix Fisher finally won the title in 2022 after a season-long battle with Luke Cooper. Their lengthy rivalry continued into 2023, and Fisher came out on top for a second time.

Photo: Craig Woollard

He started the season as he meant to go on by winning from pole, and he went on to win the next three races. Cooper struck back with a double in round three, then in July the winning streak of Cooper and Fisher families dating back to 2021 was ended by Romanek who won a damp race. The rain got worse later in the day when race two was held, and Fisher won again.

Romanek got another victory a month later in dramatic fashion. Fisher beat Cooper to pole by 0.61s, but Cooper got ahead on lap one of race one and resisted Fisher until they clashed going over Avon Rise on lap eight in a racing incident. First place was inherited by Romanek. In race two Fisher bounced back to take his sixth win of the year, which meant even with Cooper winning both races of the final round he was able to take the title by four points.

Another driver who had a successful title defence was Team DDR’s David McCullough, who became Northern Irish FF1600 champion for a fourth time. Alan Davidson took his far older car, a Mondiale M89, to a win and second in the standings, while Kelly and Jordan Dempsey also picked up victories. Dempsey’s win earned him the Martin Donnelly Trophy.

You can click the hyperlinked text to read about all of the drama at this year’s FFord Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy.

United States

The SCCA National Runoffs in October featured races for Formula Continental (which uses FF2000 cars) and Formula F (where 1600c engines from Ford and Honda are used). Nolan Allaer was the FContinental winner for the second year in a row, beating his dad Robert to victory by 5.389s, and also was the FF winner at Virginia International Raceway but only by 0.051s over Jonathan Kotyk in a photo finish.

The F1600 Championship Series lacks the second ‘F’ because of its use of Honda rather than Ford engines, but is the USA’s answer to National FF1600. Porter Aiken claimed the 2023 crown with a campaign that featured seven wins, a pole and five fastest laps.

Photo: Formula Race Promotions

His title-winning margin was 94 points, with Team USA scholars Ayrton Houk and Jack Sullivan coming second and third in the standings. All three headed to the FFord Festival afterwards, with Aiken replacing Romanek in Oldfield’s line-up while the Team USA duo joined Ammonite Motorsport.

Canada

Winning the equivalent Team Canada Scholarship was 16-year-old Logan Pacza, who dominated Ontario’s Toyo Tires F1600 series. He became champion despite missing the last round, having topped qualifying at all five rounds he contested and won 12 out of 15 races. He finished second in two others, with only one start in the series not leading to a podium.

Australia

Australia has its national championship, but the huge country also has state series that continue to be the starting point for drivers whose racing careers take them across the world and into different categories.

Matthew Hillyer became Australian FFord champion by a huge 90-point margin with a total score of 352 points and 13 wins. He won all three races at Winton Motor Raceway and at Phillip Island, with double wins at three other tracks.

Jake Santalucia was championship runner-up with four wins, and Zak Lobko was third with two wins. The only other drivers to win were Xavier Kokai, who is moving up to USF2000 in America this year with Velocity Racing Development, and Harrison Sellars. Kokai’s victory came at Symmons Plains Raceway, a track on the island state of Tasmania which has only hosted the championship twice in the last decade.

43 years on from winning the Australian F2 title, Richard Davison won the Victorian FFord championship’s Kent class, while Joe Fawcett topped the points table for drivers in cars with Ford’s Duratec engines. Santalucia was runner-up again, this time by just 21 points and after missing the opening round.

Photo: FFord Australia

In New South Wales, Lobko and Kaleb Belak both scored 188 points in the championship’s Fiesta class and both went unbeaten in the two rounds they did each. There were more drivers using Kent engines and they competed for the John Smith Trophy. Thomas Kalamakis took top honours with five wins from 12 races and Will Liston, driving a car from 1986, came second in the standings.

In the combined Duratec and Kent classification of the Queensland championship, Liam Loiacono became champion by taking pole and winning the final four races of the season at Morgan Park Raceway. He had started the campaign by finishing 14th, 16th and 11th in the opening three races. One win was enough to put Oliver Loiacono second in the points, and Jeremy Mattea was the top Kent driver in fourth.

The Western Australia title was won by 16-year-old Logan Eveleigh, with Marc Redman pipping Brock Brewer to the runner-up spot by one point. Motorsport journalist Andrew van Leeuwen came 14th in the standings.

New Zealand

Alex Crosbie became New Zealand FFord champion for a second successive year in the final round of the season at Ruapuna after several duels with title rival Blake Knowles.

The title-deciding 12-lap finale counted for double points, and William Neale started on pole with points leader Crosbie in fourth. Knowles led the early running, then several laps of trading first place with Neale enabled Crosbie to close in on and then pass both to win the race and the title. Second place for Knowles earned him the 2022-23 South Island FF1600 crown and second in the national standings.

The Tony Quinn Foundation has organised for this year’s champion to get prize tests in Formula Regional Oceania’s car and in a Formula 4 car in the USA. The latter “will be with a team that has a close association with an IndyCar team”. The champion of the Class 2 title in the 2023-24 North Island FFord season will get a prize test in an old Toyota Racing Series car.

Photo: Euan Cameron

It took until the final lap of the final race to determine who would win the 2022-23 title, with Dylan Grant leaving Manfeild as champion. He entered the final round with a 33-point lead, equivalent to a 10th place finish, with Blake Dowdall and Mason Potter chasing him.

Dowdall set the pace in qualifying, with Grant third fastest but not taking long to get into the lead of the weekend’s first race. Once ahead he could not be passed, and he took victory ahead of Zac Blincoe and Dowdall.

Blincoe won races two and three, the latter awarding double points, with Dowdall beating Grant to second place in both. Grant had a difficult job holding on to third on the season’s final lap though, with championship chairman Shane Drake an Potter pressuring him hard. But he held on, with third place earning him the title and a test in a TRS car.

Europe

Matthieu Midy was the benchmark driver of Trophee FFord Kent in France, beating Arnaud Dousse to the title by over 100 points. But Dousse did finish 11 seconds clear of Midy to win the European FFord Festival final at Circuit de Croix-en-Ternois, and in Midy’s absence at the Historic French Grand Prix pre-season Dousse won race one and was pipped to race two victory by just 0.045s by Gislain Genecand.

Portugal’s vaguely named Single Seater Series attracted very few FFord entries in 2023, although Al Capone (not to be confused with the dead American gangster) competed in the Formula Renault class. Fernando Mayer Gaspar was the top FFord driver by 44s in race one at the Estoril Top Motor Show, then beat Capone to overall victory in race two by 17s.

South Africa

The South African Formula 1600 season began at Kyalami in February, and Troy Dolinschek comfortably set the pace in qualifying. But his engine cover came loose at the start of race one and Gerard Geldenhuys swept by into the lead.

Photo: Colin Windell Images / Motorsport Media

Although Dolinschek had the pace to run in second, he was required to pit due to the flapping bodywork and Nicholas Van Weely became Geldenhuys’ closest rival. But he didn’t have the pace to battle for victory, and Geldenhuys pulled away to win. Dolinschek finished 12th, but bounced back to win race two.

Killarney hosted round two a month later, and Antwan Geldenhuys took pole on a damp track. Dolinschek could only qualify 11th, but he came through to win race one. Geldenhuys spun away his pole advantage on the opening lap, while Dolinschek climbed six spots, and by lap three he was in a podium position. It wasn’t long before he was leading, passing Jason Coetzee who had a 30s penalty for jumping the start.

Race two went to Gerard Geldenhuys, while Dolinschek’s recovery drive this time brought him up to third.

Next up was Zwartkops in May, and Dolinschek took pole and both victories to move into the championship lead. The on-track battles tightened up in round four at Aldo Scribante, with Antwan Geldenhuys, Coetzee, Dolinschek, Alex Vos and Van Weely split by just 0.14s at the top of the times in qualifying.

Dolinschek rose to the front to win twice, but only by 0.547s in race one and 0.986s in race two. Coetzee finished second in both to become Dolinschek’s closest championship rival. After losing the lead on the opening lap of race one, Geldenhuys fell down the order and eventually retired when he collided with Vos.

Round five was at former Formula 1 venue East London, and Dolinschek very almost added another two victories to his tally. He did win race one, after a dramatic late pass on poleman Siyabonga Mankonkwana that cost him several places, but lost race two in a photo finish. Van Weely beat him to the chequered flag by 0.088s.

The field then returned to Killarney, and the close action continued. Dolinschek beat Gerard Geldenhuys to pole by 0.093s, and grew that gap to two seconds to win race one and the title, then led home Coetzee in race two.

Photo: Investchem Formula 1600

There was still lots up for grabs in the final round at Zwartkops, and it was Vos who edged Coetzee to pole in qualifying. Championship runner-up Coetzee finally took his first win in race one and by just 0.203s, with Mankonkwana and Vos completing the podium, while in race two Mankonkwana also became a first-time winner.

South African F1600’s 2022 champion Josh le Roux moved into the Global Touring Car Championship last year, and Dolinschek got a prize GTC test by winning the 2023 F1600 title.

The post Reviewing 2023’s international FFord action, and what to expect in 2024 appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Euan Cameron

Alex Crosbie became New Zealand Formula Ford champion for the second successive year in the final round of the 2023 season at Ruapuna.

He was fastest by 0.126 seconds over Daniel Brown in qualifying, with just 0.182s covering the top four that was completed by William Neale and Blake Knowles.

Brown and Knowles lined up on the right-hand side of the track for race one, and both started far back in their grid box. As the lights went out they both rolled forward to the front of their box and so already had momentum when the two cars to the left of them launched off the line.

By turn one it was Brown and Knowles in front, but then there was a crash involving seven cars and the safety car came out. Before the race was put under safety car conditions, Brown dropped down to seventh and Crosbie went from third to first ahead of Neale, Knowles and Blake Dowdall.

Racing resumed on lap five of 10, and Neale passed Crosbie early in the lap. But Crosbie went back around the outside of him to reclaim the lead while Dowdall passed Knowles for third.

Knowles passed Dowdall back on lap seven, and a lap later the lead fight reinvigorated. Neale tried a move at turn two, then again at the hairpin and got the job done. Crosbie tried to take the lead back with a late-braking move on the penultimate lap but it did not work, and then another side-by-side moment on the last lap lost him time and any further chances at victory.

Fastest lap was claimed by Knowles as he tried to chase the top two, while Brown recovered to fourth.

Rain hit Saturday’s second race hard, and a safety car period set up a two-lap battle at the end. Crosbie led Neale on the restart, but was passed by his rival while Brown went off and fell down the order. Crosbie then hounded Neale to the chequered flag, finishing 0.108s behind and with Knowles on his tail a further 0.193s back.

Race three was another closely contested contest, with multiple lead changes. Crosbie led by 0.164s over Knowles after seven laps, with Neale a further 0.307s behind, but by the end of the next lap Neale was leading by 0.247s over Knowles and 0.390s over Crosbie.

There was changes again on the penultimate lap, with Knowles claiming the lead while Crosbie demoted Neale to third by 0.152s. The continued fight for second enabled Knowles to win by 1.216s, and Crosbie took second by 0.09s.

Dowdall held fourth ahead of Sebastian Manson and Brown, who traded positions behind him several times until the final lap when Manson tried to pass Dowdall and finished 0.103s behind him.

The title-deciding 12-lap finale counted for double points, and Neale started on pole with points leader Crosbie in fourth.

Knowles led the early running, then several laps of trading first place with Neale enabled Crosbie to close in on and then pass both to win the race and the title. Second place for Knowles earned him the South Island FF1600 crown and second in the national standings.

Results round-up
Race 1 (10 laps)
1 William Neale 19m54.858s
2 Alex Crosbie +0.330s
3 Blake Knowles +0.775s
4 Daniel Brown +4.031s
5 Dylan Petch +4.980s
6 Blake Dowdall +5.137s
7 Sebastian Manson +6.940s
8 Caleb Byers +7.031s
9 Jack Noble-Adams +7.230s
10 Dylan Grant +12.053s
Pole: Crosbie, 1m30.076s
Fastest lap: Knowles, 1m30.700s

Race 2 (10 laps)
1 Neale 18m29.625s
2 Dowdall +0.108s
3 Knowles +0.301s
4 Manson +0.841s
5 Mason Potter +1.393s
6 Petch +1.830s
7 Byers +3.518s
8 Noble-Adams +4.911s
9 Ryan Low +5.320s
10 Crosbie +5.620s
FL: Neale, 1m30.044s

Race 3 (10 laps)
1 Knowles 15m13.371s
2 Crosbie +1.216s
3 Neale +1.306s
4 Dowdall +2.723s
5 Manson +2.826s
6 Brown +3.061s
7 Petch +7.098s
8 Noble-Adams +10.219s
9 Low +14.006s
10 Byers +16.855s
FL: Neale, 1m29.753s

Race 4 (12 laps)
1 Crosbie 19m26.074s
2 Knowles +0.103s
3 Neale +0.454s
4 Manson +1.588s
5 Brown +3.028s
6 Potter +3.111s
7 Petch +4.146s
8 Byers +4.517s
9 Noble-Adams +6.015s
10 Low +6.870s
FL: Neale, 1m30.237s

Championship standings
1 Crosbie 956   2 Knowles 861   3 Brown 838   4 Manson 834   5 Neale 822   6 Dowdall 704   7 Byers 653   8 Grant 616   9 Noble-Adams 607   10 Potter 561

South Island FF1600 standings
1 Knowles 1358   2 Crosbie 1286   3 Neale 1135   4 Brown 1026   5 Byers 980

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