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2007 Australian Formula Ford 2007 Australian Formula Ford Championship Top Five
Phillip Island Round Results Top Five
2007 Rookie of the Year: James Moffat 2007 Best presented car: Taz Douglas
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2007 Australian Formula Ford BLANCHARD CLEANS UP IN HOME STATE
Twenty year old Victorian Tim Blanchard was today officially crowned the Australian Formula Ford 2007 Champion racking up two more race wins as Victorian teammate James Moffat won Rookie of the Year honours at the final round at Phillip Island . "I just want to thank the team and my team mates for a great year, it's been a team effort and I am over the moon to win a championship- it still hasn't sunk in," said Blanchard.
James
Moffat took out second place for the final round and was third overall
for the Championship, with CAMS Rising Star the Championship runner up.
Fellow Victorian Taz Douglas Race 2 Drama filled the opening laps of the rounds second race this afternoon when Sonic Motorsport driver and race leader at the time, Glen Wood left the Phillip Island circuit at turn one. On re-entering the track at turn two Wood left himself open to a pack of drivers fast approaching and with no where to go James Moffat, Kristian Lindbom and Taz Douglas had no choice but to take evasive action, leaving the circuit resulting in Lindbom and Douglas retiring from the race due to damage. Moffat recovered to drive home to second position behind winner and 2007 champion Tim Blanchard but was later deemed to have passed Ashley Walsh on a yellow flag putting him back to fourth, enough to secure third in the Championship and Rookie of the year. Lindbom and Douglas however were not so fortunate; CAMS Rising Star Lindbom eventually retiring after stones quickly filled his radiator upon leaving the circuit and battling rough terrain to avoid a re-entering Wood, and Douglas suffering from the same fate with bent push rods prematurely ending his race.Wood was consequently shown the black flag for unsportsmanlike driving. Championship leader Tim Blanchard was able to avoid the drama and quickly opened up a lead on Moffat and CAMS Rising Stars Joshua Scott and Ashley Walsh. Walsh and Nick Percat were most impressive in driving through the field after race one mechanical failure left Walsh in position 19 on the grid and Percat alongside him after a DNF in the opening race. The two quickly worked through the field, eventually finishing second and fifth respectively, Walsh revealing a change in gears giving him a little extra power once he was up and going."We ran with two third gears so I was slower off the line but it helped a great deal in reeling in the field," he explained. Race 3 It was fitting that the top three placed drivers in the championship fought it out for a race win in the final race of the year with some good clean racing at Phillip Island . The lead changed hands six times between Tim Blanchard, Ashley Walsh and James Moffat, all holding the lead at some stage before Blanchard made a terrific outside passing move in the final stages to sneak home for a final victory in front of Ashley Walsh and James Moffat. Racing was red flagged half way through the final race of the season when Sam Sewell spun at turn four, Tobia Kipper cannoning into him and Luke Wood spectacularly ending up atop Kippers Spectrum, all drivers walked away from the incident. CAMS Rising star Kristian Lindbom drove brilliantly to come from the rear of the grid to record a fifth place in his final outing and Victorian taz Douglas was on track to do the same, setting the fastest lap of the race until a racing incident on the final lap forced another DNF ending his horror weekend. Ford Australia President Tom Gorman was on hand to present Tim Blanchard with his 2007 Championship Trophy in a fitting end to a fantastic year for Formula Ford.
MOFFAT VICTORIOUS AS BLANCHARD SEALS TITLE
James Moffat(pictured) secured a race victory and set a new lap record of 1:38.7257 at Phillip Island on Saturday(1 Dec) , his first win since round two at Barbagallo earlier in the season as Sonic Motorsport teammate Tim Blanchard sealed the 2008 Australian Formula Ford Championship. CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh smoked the field in morning qualifying posting a lap time of 1:37.5722, half a second quicker than Sonic Motorsport driver Glen Wood who posted a 1:38.0844 to line up next to Walsh on the front row of the grid for the opening race at Phillip Island.
Walsh and Moffat exchanged the lead four times with some classic slip streaming moves that have become mandatory occurrences for Formula Ford at the Phillip Island circuit before trouble struck Walsh's Spectrum, leaving him without a fourth gear as rivals easily passed the pole sitter destroying his Championship hopes. "It's satisfying to get another win on the board, it's been far too long and to get back that third position in the championship means a lot because I have been in the top three all year," said Moffat. "The car was brilliant today, I felt very comfortable and I think the lap record shows just how quick it was and there is still some room for improvement." Tim Blanchard crossed in third position, bagging fourteen points, enough for the young Victorian to secure the Championship with two races remaining tomorrow. A jubilant Blanchard explained just what the Championship win meant to him in a season he has worked hard to push his career on to bigger and better things."It's a feeling of relief in a way, it's been playing on my mind a bit in the last couple of rounds even though I was trying to block it out," he said. "To have my name on the trophy is an awesome feeling, some of the previous winners of the Formula Ford Championship have gone on to do some pretty impressive things so I look forward to what the future holds and it's a great feeling to win the Championship."
It was a one two three finish for Sonic Motorsport with Glen Wood finishing in second place, Victorian Taz Douglas finished fourth and CAMS Rising Star Kristian Lindbom crossing in fifth.
Walsh, Moffat and Lindbom will fight it out for final two Championship podium positions; with two races remaining tomorrow only six points separates Walsh and Moffat, with Lindbom a further 19 points adrift.
Lindbom has the right formula CAMS Rising Star Kristian Lindbom secured a race victory in this morning's second race of round seven of the Australian Formula Ford Championship, and followed up with third place in race three to secure his first round win of the season and third spot on the Championship points table. BRM's Nick Percat broke through for his first race victory of the Championship in the final race at the Symmons Plains circuit, securing second spot on the podium for the round with Championship leader Tim Blanchard occupying third spot on the podium at the completion of the penultimate round as the series moves to Phillip Island for its conclusion in two weeks time. Race 2 After his Bradbury-esque win in the opening race yesterday where team mates Ashley Walsh and Joshua Scott spun at the last corner handing the race win to Lindbom on a plate, Lindbom shone in this morning's second race of the weekend, holding out Sonic Motorsport's Tim Blanchard to record two wins on the trot."It was good clean racing between Tim and I and it was pleasing to come out on top," explained Lindbom. "I think we have a certain respect for each other and it shows out on the track, we have had some great battles this year without incident." Blanchard and Lindbom traded the race lead six times during the fifteen lap race, Blanchard was pleased with the speed of his Jaylec Mygale that was lacking in yesterday's first outing, though he wasn't prepared to give much away when prompted on the changes made overnight. "We worked hard on some front end changes that made the world of difference, it was a great race with Lindbom up the front, and hopefully we can do the same again in race two." said Blanchard. Ashley Walsh's nightmare weekend continued, a bent front right suspension forcing him to leave the track at turn two and unable to finish, further denting his title aspirations. "I got caught up in a tight pack early on in the race and drove around with bent suspension for a fair portion of the race, eventually it gave way and that was the end of my race, I'm still in with a shot at the title though, I'm not giving it up yet," said Walsh Remarkably, Walsh set a lap record with a 0:55.8536 with his bent suspension, only to have it improved on again by Nick Percat. Percat posted a new lap record of 0:55.7946 and consolidated his round standing, again crossing for third place after an impressive run at the leaders in the second half of the race. "I was really happy with the speed of the car late in the race, I was able to set the record and make up good ground on the leaders," said Percat. Sonic Motorsport pair Glen Wood and James Moffat finished fourth and fifth respectively, with Sam Sewell and Tobia Kipper in positions six and seven. Race 3 Kristian Lindbom set about trying to secure his maiden round win, however it was clear from the outset he was going to have his hands full in trying to wrap up a clean sweep and win all three of the weekends races. An early error by Glen Wood on lap two saw the safety car brought out when Wood clipped Nick Percat heading into the hairpin ending his race prematurely, fortunately there was little damage to Percat's car and he was able to continue. It was at the re-start where things got interesting, the lead changing hands between Kristian Lindbom, Tim Blanchard, Nick Percat and Ashley Walsh with Nick Percat winning out to secure his maiden victory of the season. "It's great for the entire team to have a win and a good result I was very happy with the car, it's the most comfortable I have felt in it since crossing to BRM," said Percat. CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh drove aggressively through the field, having started from tenth on the grid he momentarily claimed the race lead, but was happy to secure some valuable points looking to Phillip Island as his last chance to claim the championship. "I needed to make sure I finished the final race and got some points on the board, the title isn't out of reach but it won't be easy," said Walsh. Fellow CAMS Rising Star Kristian Lindbom lead the final race on two separate occasions after starting from pole, but was happy to secure third and his first round win of the year and catapulting him into third on the Championship leader board with a single point lead over James Moffat. "To come here and win the round is a great feeling, I came here with winning in mind and it's great to break through for race wins and a round victory," said Lindbom. Series leader Tim Blanchard lead early in proceedings, but with a Championship on the line was content to consolidate his lead and finished in fourth, he heads to Phillip Island with 28 point lead over Ashley Walsh. Race Three top five Lindbom cashes in for maiden Formula Ford victory Lindbom claimed his maiden victory of the season in the opening race of round seven of the Australian Formula Ford Championship this afternoon at Symmons Plains in what the youngster from New South Wales described as the most important win of his short career. Lindbom's teammate Joshua Scott claimed the first points of the weekend when he posted the fastest time in qualifying for pole position, Scott also looked set to claim a race victory until he and Ashley Walsh spun on the final corner gifting the race win to Lindbom. Qualifying Going toe to toe with Lindbom for a majority of the session, Scott secured pole with his third last lap of qualifying with a 0:56.3292 to put his Spectrum at the head of the grid for the afternoon's opening race at Symmons Plains. The red flag was waved twice early on in proceedings when Nick Percat and James Crozier temporarily left the tight Symmons Plains race track. However drivers were able to make the most of the short circuit and post their fastest times in the second half of the session, a rarity this season with many teams typically getting the best out of their tyres during the opening laps of qualifying. Series leader Tim Blanchard and his closest rival Ashley Walsh will start from the second row, a battle sure to test the nerve of both drivers with only eight points separating the two at the top of the points table. Blake Varney will start from fifth on the grid after his best qualifying performance of the year.A mere eight tenths of a second separated pole position and eleventh on the grid. Race 1 Lindbom came to the Symmons Plains circuit determined for a maiden victory, and while the youngster has been able to relax since finishing his year 12 exams earlier in the week, he had pressure of a different kind leading into race one. "It's such a huge relief to finally get a win, it means a lot in terms of sponsorship next year, I was behind the eight ball coming into the round so I am over the moon," explained Lindbom. "Talking to sponsors prior to the round they were keen for me to get a win on the board so it was fantastic to give them what they were after." It was hugs all round when Lindbom stepped out of his Spectrum to greet his CAMS Rising Star crew members, a sign the monkey had well and truly been lifted from his back. However it wasn't smooth sailing for Lindbom, as fellow CAMS Rising Stars Joshua Scott and Ashley Walsh were left to ponder what might have been after wowing the crowd with some brilliant racing only to spin on the final corner handing a victory to Lindbom. Seventeen year old Joshua Scott posted a lap record of 0:55.9529 and looked to be cruising to a podium finish, trading places with Ash Walsh as race leader an incredible seven times until things came unstuck on the last corner, both drivers spinning their Spectrum's resulting in Scott crossing the line in fourth and Walsh in sixth. The result could prove damaging to Ashley Walsh's title aspirations with Tim Blanchard extending his lead in what should have been a result that had Walsh cutting the points gap. Blanchard struggled to keep with the spectrums for a majority of race one, his Jaylec Mygale lacking the pace required to challenge for a podium finish, but with Scott and Walsh making errors Blanchard capitalised to cross in second spot doubling his points lead over Walsh in the process. Nick Percat also cashed in crossing in third position, with Sandown round winner Glen Wood in fifth, another good result for the young Victorian after starting from ninth on the grid. Race 1 top ten 1. Kristian Lindbom
Wood wins on dramatic day Melbourne resident Glen Wood received an early birthday present today, breaking through for his first Australian Formula Ford Championship race and round win at Sandown Raceway. Wood, who turns 19 tomorrow, was in the thick of the action from the outset, after recording results of second and fourth in the opening two races. Emerging unscathed from a brush with Joshua Scott at turn two on the opening lap, the Sonic Motor racing driver quickly assumed a position in a three-car battle for the race lead, along with Tim Blanchard and Ash Walsh, while Nick Percat and Adam Graham waited in the wings. The race lead was traded on numerous occasions, but the race - and the championship battle - was dealt a twist on lap nine. Entering turn 11, Walsh made contact with the rear of Blanchard's car, damaging Blanchard's rear suspension. The championship leader limped home to 13th, while Walsh was given a 26-second penalty by stewards after crossing the finish line first and dropped to 10th. Blanchard's championship lead is now eight points, with two rounds remaining, while the penalty has been appealed by Walsh's camp. The incident and subsequent penalty elevated Wood to top spot for the race and round. "It's fantastic, I'm over the moon," Wood beamed. "I had to push hard to get back up to the lead group after running wide at turn one on one of the early laps, but the car was great. "I'm delighted to have my first national win, especially at a big event like the Sandown 500." Second place for the race and third for the round - behind Wood and double race-winner Walsh - was Nick Percat. In his second round with Team BRM, Percat showed strong form and held out a late challenge from Adam Graham. Percat's result is the first time a Van Diemen has finished on the podium since last year's Phillip Island season finale."It was a good race, we had the pace to run at the front of the field and had a clean run," Percat said. "Everything was really rushed before Queensland Raceway, this was like my first weekend working with BRM, so it's really promising to get a result like this." Graham's third place capped a strong weekend, his second round back in the class, and completed a good recovery after an opening-race DNF.Also on the recovery trail, Scott ended the race in fourth place after his opening lap incident, edging out Michael Pereira. On debut at national level, a pair of sixth-place finishes yesterday and fifth today saw Pereira claim fifth for the round. "I'm happy with the way things went," Pereira said. "Coming into the weekend, I said I'd be happy with a top 10 finish, so to end up in the top five on my first run exceeded all my expectations." James Moffat ended a frustrating weekend with sixth in race three, ahead of Tobia Kipper, Kristian Lindbom, recovering from a race two gearbox problem, and Grant Doulman. Opening lap incidents accounted for a number of cars. Taz Douglas' luckless home weekend ended with rear suspension damage, while Sam Sewell, Brad Lowe, James Bergmuller and Luke Wood were also eliminated early. The Sandown Raceway action will be broadcast in a 30-minute package on Sunday 30 September from 12:30pm on Channel 7. The next round of the 2007 Australia Formula Ford Championship will be held at Tasmania's Symmons Plains Raceway on 16-18 November. Sandown Race Three Top Six 1. Glen Wood Sandown Round Top Six 1. Glen Wood 48 points
Walsh reduces championship lead, Blanchard fight back With two race wins at Sandown Raceway today in round six of the 2007 Australian FFord Championship, Ash Walsh has made significant inroads into Tim Blanchard's championship lead. Two wins for Walsh and a frustrating day for Blanchard saw the points margin reduced from 33 points to nine.Along with pole-sitter Joshua Scott, the pair were involved in a thrilling dice for the race one lead. Top spot was traded numerous times as slipstreaming came to the fore, with Blanchard eventually taking the lead on the back straight with one lap remaining.At the next corner, though, he was tagged from behind by Scott, with Walsh going through to take the win. Walsh extended his winning streak to eight races with a dominant victory in race two, leading start to finish.. "As soon as I broke the tow, I just tried to keep putting in consistent laps and pull away," Walsh said of his race two victory."I'm hoping for more of the same tomorrow. "Today's races closed the championship gap a lot, my goal is to keep winning and see where we are at the end." Having dropped to finish 16th after the altercation with Scott, race two was about damage limitation for Blanchard. He ended the opening lap in ninth place, and continued to make steady ground on his way to taking second. "Race one was pretty good for the most part, I led a lot of laps, but it was pretty disappointing to be taken out with a lap to go," Blanchard said. "I took a couple of risks in race two to get back up to the front, but it worked out well. It was good to recover as well as we did in race two and reduce the damage for the championship, we'll go out and try to get some more solid points tomorrow." Scott was given a 43-second penalty for the race one incident, and he also charged back through the order in race two. From 17th, Scott progressed up the order to finish third, just behind Blanchard, setting the fastest race lap in the process. Glen Wood was among the drivers to benefit from Blanchard and Scott's incident, finishing second in the opening race from 10th on the grid. Wood accumulated another strong result in race two, finishing fourth, holding out another consistent performer in Nick Percat who claimed fourth in the opening encounter. "I had a good run this morning in race one, I pushed hard and then had some luck at the end to get up to second," Wood said. "Race two was very tough, we had good pace but I made a couple of mistakes which cost me a couple of positions. Still, I'm happy to be mixing it with the big boys." Debutant Michael Pereira bagged a pair of sixth-place finishes today, the Melbourne resident finding his way up the order after qualifying 14th. Gearbox problems took their toll on Kristian Lindbom and Adam Graham; Lindbom was third in race one but eliminated early from the second race, while Graham was unable to finish race one before recovering to take seventh this afternoon. Brad Lowe and Taz Douglas both bounced back from radiator problems which eliminated them early from the opening encounter to finish eighth and ninth respectively in race two. Sam Sewell completed the race two top 10, after finishing fifth in race one, equaling his best finish of the year. The final race of the weekend will start at 12:05pm tomorrow, Sunday, and will be broadcast around the country as part of Channel 7's Sandown 500 telecast. Sandown Race One Top Six 1. Ashley Walsh Sandown Race Two Top Six 1. Ashley Walsh
Walsh dominates Formula Ford at home circuit Queenslander and CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh dominated round five of the Australian Formula Ford Championship this weekend at Queensland raceway, winning all three races and gaining ground on series leader Tim Blanchard. Three race wins moves Walsh (199 points) to second place on the points table, passing James Moffat (196), and cutting Tim Blanchard's(232) lead to just 33 points with three rounds remaining. The CAMS Rising Star squad of Walsh, Scott and Lindbom drove the team to a one, two, three round result as they work on gaining ground on series leader Tim Blanchard. Race 2 While Ash Walsh quickly worked on extending his lead, the race for second place was an intriguing battle as CAMS Rising Stars Kristian Lindbom and Joshua Scott battled it out with Sonic team mates James Moffatt and Tim Blanchard in some of the best racing seen in the series to date. CAMS Rising Star Kristian Lindbom posted a lap time of 1:14.8855 to break the record set by team mate Ash Walsh in race one yesterday, only to have Walsh take the record back on the next lap with a 1:14.8201. With the lead swapping for second place on a number of occasions, each of Lindbom, Moffat, Scott, and Blanchard held second position at different stages of the race, with Lindbom eventually holding off multiple challenges to cross the line in second place. The group of four all crossed the line with a mere one second separating second and fourth place, with James Moffat crossing third in his newly backed No Limit Mygale. Moffat found some extra pace after a disappointing practice and qualifying session, as well as team mate Tim Blanchard who both looked to have their Mygale's back on track with some genuine pace for the first time since round three at Winton. Joshua Scott took fourth place and has now passed Glen Wood on the points table holding a seven point gap back to Wood in sixth, while series leader Tim Blanchard crossed in fifth position. Series newcomer Adam Graham impressed to take sixth place in front of Sam Sewell who continued on his best round of his career banking 16 championship points so far for round five. Taz Douglas and Glen Wood started form the back of the row, and are to be commended on their efforts finishing eighth and ninth respectively after they were involved in a incident in race one forcing them to retire. Nick Percat and Adam Graham came together, resulting in damage to Percat's Van Diemen, the BRM driver unable to continue on in race two. Race 3 Ash Walsh cruised to the finish line more than four seconds ahead of team mate and fellow CAMS Rising Star Joshua Scott, while Taz Douglas drove his Hitachi Mygale to a third place in front of Sonic Motorsport team mates James Moffat and Tim Blanchard. "It's a great result for the entire CAMS squad this weekend and it feels awesome to do it in front of a home crowd, now I can begin to seriously think about a title challenge," explained Walsh. "It looks like it's going to be a fight to the final round, but now I have gained second spot on the points table and the pressure can be applied, it was a great weekend with some fantastic racing." With Walsh way out in front, a five car battle for second followed, as Taz Douglas drove through the field beautifully, his Mygale showing great speed as he worked his way from eighth on the grid with some slick passing to secure third place. Team mates James Moffat (34 points) and Tim Blanchard (32) banked some important points this weekend, both still well and truly entrenched at the top end of the leader board as the series heats up in a battle for first place. A very close round saw five drivers take home more than thirty points each, with Josh Scott passing Glen Wood on the leader board to take fifth position, and Ash Walsh moving to second place just three points in front of James Moffat. Round six of the Australian Formula Ford Championship is scheduled at Sandown Raceway in September. Round Results Queensland Raceway 1. Ash Walsh 60 points
Action a plenty as Walsh hits back Ashley Walsh took out round honours at Eastern Creek raceway this afternoon, winning all three races after qualifying fastest yesterday, a great result for the CAMS Rising Star as he strives toward pushing back up the leader board. Walsh now sits third on the overall series points table as series leader Tim Blanchard finished second for the round Eastern Creek round and James Moffat secured third outright after an action packed final day of the meet.
Race Two Walsh quickly worked on streaking ahead and posted a lap record of 1:36.3385, although it wasn't all smooth sailing as he held on tight for grip, almost losing control when rounding turn one early on during lap three. "I was lucky a couple of times not to lose control there and had to back off a bit to make sure I didn't do anything stupid, but so far so good, it's been a pleasing round for me," said Walsh. While Walsh escaped the race without incident, the same can't be said for Percat, Lowe, and Lindbom, all involved in an accident that left Lowe with a suspected broken foot and chassis damage to his new Spirit WL07 while Lindbom was also left with chassis damage and unable to race in the afternoons race three. After making an impressive start, Percat moved from sixth to second on the opening lap, closely pursued by James Moffat and Brad Lowe, before Moffat came together with the rear of Percat and rejoined in ninth place. With Moffat falling back, Percat and Lowe were locked in a battle for second and the slip stream clearly became a big factor on the Eastern Creek circuits long straight. Lowe set up to take advantage of the slip stream and seemed to have performed it to perfection as he passed on the inside, until he was squeezed out by Percat and the resulting accident became unavoidable for CAMS Rising Star Kristian Lindbom at the end of the front straight. With Percat and Lowe spinning and out of control, Lindbom was left no where to go as he cannoned into the front of Brad Lowe's Spirit WL07 from side on, leaving Lowe with a broken foot. Stewards subsequently charged Nick Percat under National Competition Rules for 'any action which causes or is reasonably likely to cause damage to other persons or property'. "It's very disappointing, we were having a good battle for second but there is not much you can do when you are squeezed into the wall and left with no where to go," explained Brad Lowe. The race restarted with one lap to go, and Walsh hung on for his second win of the weekend with series leader Tim Blanchard, who struggled with oversteer capitalising on the race accident and crossing in second place. Glen Wood finished third in his Wolfchester Mygale while Victorian Taz Douglas crossed in fourth, closely followed by Tobia Kipper who had his best result of the year in fifth place. CAMS Rising Star Joshua Scott finished in seventh, an impressive result after starting from the rear of the field due to a steering rack issue in race one. Ben Morley also had inspiring race after starting from the rear of the grid, Morley managed to cross the line in eighth place, a good result in his first round for the year in the National series.
Race Three Walsh's CAMS Rising Star team mate Joshua Scott also impressed, coming from seventh on the grid to finish second, a terrific result after steering problems forced him out of action in the opening race of the weekend. "It's great to be able to fight back from the rear of the grid and finish off with a second place, I don't feel that the car was anywhere near perfect but we were obviously quicker than the rest of the field," explained Scott. Scott took advantage of the long straight and slip streamed passed Glen Wood and James Moffat to take second position in his Spectrum 011b before the final lap commenced. Series leader Tim Blanchard brought home his Jaylec Mygale for third place giving him second position overall for the round and still holding a 38 point series lead. James Moffat finished the final race in fourth position, just holding out Glen Wood to beat him home by .02 of a second and keeping himself in second position overall on the Championship Points table. Victorian Taz Douglas and Queenslander John Magro both jumped the start and were subsequently given drive through penalties, while Ben Morley was caught up avoiding incident with Victoria Whitley and momentarily left the track and rejoining in ninth position. Morley was locked in battle with James Moffat for fourth position, when he was caught out avoiding Victoria Whitley as Moffat took the inside line resulting in a seventh place in the final race, a good result given the early trouble Morley had in the opening race. Race Three Top Five
1. Ashley Walsh Spectrum 011b
Round Results
Sonic - 3 from 3 Round Wins Much to the pleasure of team owner Michael Ritter the team has taken the spoils in each round of the championship thus far this year. As everyone knows the championship is not over for some months yet, but the current pace of the cars, now allows the drivers to race their competitors hard whilst holding a points buffer. James Moffat had a difficult weekend, with some strong results and some huge disappointments. Despite going into the round 5 points ahead, he left the event with a 30 point deficit to his team mate. In tricky conditions, the first problem to beset the Trend Windows backed driver was during qualifying. James he ran off the track and the floor was torn from the underside of his car. This was a very lucky escape and he was forced to take no part in the rest of the session. Race one he would start in 15th position and have to move up from there. At the conclusion of the first race, he was back to 5th place; gaining 10 positions. By the conclusion of race 2 he was in second position, and ready to challenge for another race win. The start of race 3 saw all the good work evaporate in one foul swoop. James did not see the start lights come on once the grid was set and so when the field raced off the line he was sitting stationary on the front row, and was collected by Taz Douglas who was unable to avoid him. His car was damaged too much for him to go on, and so he was forced to retire from the race. This was a very bitter pill to swallow, and damaged his points tally to runaway leader Blanchard. Tim Blanchard returned to the head of the pack, after a clean sweep of the points at Winton. The Jaylec Mygale was quickest in qualifying, and unbeatable in all three races. A number of challengers applied pressure to Tim, but he held his nerve, and took the chequered flag on each occasion. In some times wet and slippery conditions, his opponents either slipped off the track, and out of contention, or into each other, and spoiled there own races as they battled to pass him. This was a very pleasing weekend for Tim, and as he was carrying some on board camera's provided the TV audience with some great footage of him steering his way to victory. The additional point for qualifying helped him on his way to building up a good lead, before heading to the next round at Eastern Creek. Glen Wood continues to impress the team, and as he gains experience his results are now consistently in the top 6 or so cars. Finishing 3rd,7th and 6th in the changing conditions has resulted in him being now placed 5th in the championship points and as the year goes on, he should be able to move up the ladder further. This is a great result, and builds on the form shown last year in the state championship.
Another Round win for Sonic Practice Tim Blanchard and James Moffat were on the pace early and finished the first practice session less than half a second behind the fastest car. Glen wood was only 0.3 of a second behind his team mates. Glen was encouraged by this result, as it was his first trip across to the sandy Barbagello circuit. Practice 2 was held later that day, and James Moffat moved up to 2nd fastest in the field, while Tim Blanchard dropped back a little with some changes to the set up, failing to reap the anticipated gain. Glen continued to chip away gained more valuable laps in readiness for the next days qualifying session and opening race.
Blanchard bounced back to his more customary position on the front row
at the conclusion of the 20 minute qualifying session. James Moffat was
disappointed in his 6th place time and confessed to not getting the most
out of the car, it would require a measured drive through the field for
him to keep his points chase moving forward. Race 1 Tim Blanchard got away to a great start and began challenging for the lead on the opening lap. Meanwhile James Moffat and Glen Wood were moving up through the field. Moffat up to 3rd position by lap 3 and Wood up two positions from the start. While the 2 leaders pulled away from the field, Moffat was ahead of a line of drivers, all looking to take the 3rd place off him. Wood was racing well and was now up to 6th by half race distance. At the end of lap 7 Blanchard made his move for the race lead, and without the slower Spectrum blocking his progress, opened up a gap of almost a second. With the last lap board being displayed Blanchard looked set for another race win as he led the field across the line. Unfortunately for Blanchard another competitor had brought a heap of sand onto the track at turn 4 and with Blanchard the first to strike it, he under steered away from the apex, and had to lift of the throttle to regain control of his Mygale SJ07. This gave Walsh who was following a sniff of the lead, and that was all it took. As the two leaders arrived at the second last corner, Walsh attempted to drive around the outside of Blanchard in his bid to capture the lead. As is usually the case in such moves the two cars tangled wheels , Walsh suffered substantial damage to his car, with both cars leaving the track. While Blanchard’s car was only slightly damaged he scrambled back on the track to salvage some points. His team mate James Moffat came through the mayhem to record his first National Formula Ford win. Blanchard crossed the line in 4th position, and Wood was happy with a 5th place. Race 2 James Moffat got a great start and led the field into turn one, his efforts helped by the Spectrum of Lindbom failing to leave the line at the start with a problem, and dropping to last place. Tim Blanchard was up to third, and Wood 4th as the cars came past the start finish. With Moffat leading, Walsh was racing back through the field. Moffat briefly lost the lead to Scott in the middle section of the race. Blanchard and Wood were racing in the group occupying 4-7th positions and enjoying a spirited battle for the final podium position. With a few laps remaining, and with Walsh fast catching the leaders, Moffat made his move, and regained the lead. Moffat then set his fastest lap time; giving him enough of buffer to ensure that he would take his second win of the weekend. Race 3 Moffat led the field on the opening lap, but Walsh stormed up the inside of the young Victorian going into the final turn, and Moffat was forced to slot in behind him and look for a way to regain the lead. Meanwhile Blanchard had moved into a challenging position, and was now attempting to pass Moffat also. While the tree leading cars skipped away from the field, Wood was locked in a battle for 4th position with a number of competitors. The positions were altering on a lap by lap basis and Wood finished in 7th place at the end of the race. Moffat was passed by Blanchard midway through the race, and despite attempts to pass him, James crossed the line in third position, disappointed not to secure a clean sweep , but overjoyed to take out his first round win for the season, and move into the lead of the over all points for the 2007 National Formula Ford Championship. James is determined to make every round a successful one, while he searches for the funding to continue for the remained of the season. The support from Biante Model Cars and Perth based Sports Performance Vehicles being greatly appreciated.
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