MTA NEW ZEALAND FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

SOUTH ISLAND FORMULA FORD DRIVERS EXPECTED TO CHALLENGE AT RUAPUNA

Powerbuilt Tools raceway at Ruapuna Park is a motor racing circuit with a deep history of Formula Ford racing as proven by some of the titanic battles conducted over the four decades of racing. Not only have some of New Zealand’s great past and present International drivers locked horns there but the nature of the track is renowned for springing major surprises such as last season when a 16 year old rookie, Simon Evans, took out his maiden race win in only his second Formula Ford championship appearance.

Following the opening round of the 2008-09 season, the favoured title contenders were Simon’s younger brother Mitchell Evans and Stefan Webling but Round Two at Pukekohe changed all that when three more drivers put their hands up as challengers. Simon Evans has been a sensation as, at only 14 years of age, he won his first two Championship races but suffered some rough on-track treatment at Pukekohe which drastically hampered his progress. Webling, though not involved, capitalised on the youngster’s problems to win the Round overall and leapfrog him to the top of the points table.

While most of the attention was focused on the two favourites, Richie Stanaway literally ambushed the Pukekohe field to record his first Formula Ford win in a hard charging display which saw him runner-up for the Round despite an unfortunate off-track dispute with officialdom. To further add to the mix, 15 year old Damon Leitch excelled in qualifying then backed up his effort by completing the Round 2 podium thus signaling his intention to mix it at the sharp end of the field.

While marveling at the spectacular driving of the aforementioned drivers, we must not forget that consistency can also be a Championship winner which might explain Simon Evans sitting at fourth in the points and ready to pounce if the leaders look like faltering. Another 15 year old making impressive progress is Jamie McNee who lies in the top six on the points ladder and improves with each outing.

An interesting aspect of this weekend’s “Hampsta Win $1 Million 200” meeting will be the performance of South Island drivers more familiar with the technical Ruapuna circuit including Matthew Penrose, Brett Sullivan and Chris Cox, all of whom will be determined to challenge for prominence in front of their “home” crowd. They will be joined by Stephen Heffernan, Nick Donaldson and Matt Williams who will all be looking to make their mark against the regular front runners. Whatever the outcome of this weekend’s racing, we can be rest assured their will be a “bolter” in the mix and judging by the wheel to wheel encounters we have seen to date, few will be willing to pick a winner just yet.

 

Championship Points After Round 2:

Stefan Webling (Oakura)  413; Richie Stanaway (Tauranga)  340; Mitchell Evans (Auckland)  313; Simon Evans (Auckland)  290; Damon Leitch (Invercargill)  276; Jamie McNee (Wellington)  268; Martin Short (Hamilton)  256; Matthew Penrose (Rangiora)  250; Brett Sullivan (Nelson)  196; Chris Cox (Rangiora)  192; Kerry Ross (Tauranga)  185; Kim Crocker (Tauranga)  154; Ken Smith (Auckland)  111; Daniel Jilesen (Taumarunui)  96.

 

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For Further Media Information Contact:

 

Kevin Lancaster

Ph. 09 627 8219 (Home)

Ph. 021 627 824 (mobile)

Email: kevlancs@xtra.co.nz