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2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship Awards

Overall Championship -

1st place: Nick Percat

2nd place: Mitch Evans

3rd place: Scott Pye

Rookie of the Year: Mitch Evans

Champion Team: Sonic Racing

Champion Constructor: Mygale

IMA Pole Award: Nick Percat & Mitch Evans (tied at three poles each)

Best Presented Car: Nick Percat

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2009 FORMULA FORD FINALE A CRACKER 

The class of 2009 had the crowd cheering for more during a spectacular final race of the 2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship on the Gold Coast this afternoon.

Queenslander Ash Walsh emerged the victor in the shortened race after an enduring battle with New Zealanders Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway.

Starting from third on the grid, Walsh ran with the kiwi duo until they clashed and was able to sneak past Evans and take the fight for the lead to Stanaway.

"It was pretty intense out there," Walsh quipped.  "I hope the spectators enjoyed that because we were really on the edge in those opening laps," he added.  "Mitch and Richie were charging but I had some great car speed ... Borland's really put together a brilliant car this weekend so I knew I had the tools to get the job done, it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and trying to stay out of trouble – which thankfully I managed to do."

"It feels pretty good to be on top of the podium again – hopefully it's a sign of things to come next year," he added.

Walsh's persistence paid off and after just three laps of the Surfers Paradise street circuit was able to take the lead for the first time this weekend – but the real action was yet to begin.

With Evans and Stanaway now fighting each other like a world championship was on the line, and rain starting to fall on the back section of the circuit,it was only a matter time before one of them came to grief in the challenging conditions.

It was Evans who was dealt the first cruel blow - an unassisted spin found him re-joining the race mid-field. "The back section was just so greasy once we got that shower," Evans said. "Unfortunately I was the first one to get caught out but I suppose it was almost to be expected when you consider how hard we were pushing ... again it wasn't the best way to finish a race but it was good to bag enough points to take home second for the round."

Just to make things more interesting, 2009 champion Nick Percat now entered the fray, along with CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye. As Walsh made the most of a clear track, the fight of the year began in earnest with Percat, Pye and Stanaway all trading blows and position changes at every turn ... something that is normally impossible on the tight concrete-lined streets.

Percat played it smart, hanging back to let Stanaway and Pye fight it out on their own, knowing that it wouldn't be too long before the two pushed it just that little too far and an opportunistic promotion into second place would be granted.

That it was, when an aggressive passing move by Stanaway on Pye on the back chicanes led to the pair tangling in spectacular fashion launching the Spectrum of Pye into the air sideways and ultimately into the wall.

What happened next had the crowd on their feet as Pye returned to terra firma and back into the path of Stanaway who then had his turn to display some fancy aerobatics in front of the raucous Gold Coast gallery.

The pair then bounced off each other another couple of times before Stanaway raced off albeit in a slightly worse-for-wear Mygale, crossing the line in fifth position. Pye miraculously was able to continue but it wasn't too long before the young South Australian's Spectrum refused to play any longer, with Pye finishing back in 11th place.

As the two aforementioned limped home, Sonic Racing's Geoff Uhrhane and Borland Racing Luke Ellery took advantage of the wounded street-fighters to sneak home in third and fourth places respectively. For his efforts Ellery also picked up the Davies, Craig EWP 'Hard-Charger' Award.

So to a close comes another fantastic season of Formula Ford racing in Australia. A season where we saw lap records tumble at every round, the introduction of our EWP 'Hard-Charger' and IMA 'Pole Position' Awards, and our youngest ever competitor and round winner in the form of Mitch Evans – here's hoping 2010 provides us with just as many exciting moments.

Few Find paradise on the streets of Surfers
 

It is fast becoming an expensive outing for many of the Formula Ford teams competing in the final round of the 2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Surfers Paradise this weekend.

In the second race of the round, several incidents claimed the scalps of no less than four drivers who now face the task of rebuilding their machines in time for the third and final race on Sunday.

Just two racing laps were counted in the shortened race which was eventually declared under the supervision of the safety car with young New Zealander Mitch Evans again taking the honours, ahead of his fellow national Richie Stanaway and Queenslander Ash Walsh.

“Not the ideal way to finish a race but I’ll take the points!” Evans said, who has now secured second place in the 2009 championship, and a one-two for his Sonic Racing team with teammate Nick Percat already taking the title at Phillip Island last month.

“Hopefully we can have a clean race tomorrow and finish the weekend with some good racing,” he added.

Ash Walsh and Richie Stanaway provided a great spectacle for the early morning crowd in the opening laps as they jostled for second place, with Stanaway’s tenacity winning in the end before the first of the several safety car interventions.

Local speedster Chaz Mostert was the first casualty, retiring after the first lap with suspension problems – a result of yesterday’s accident with Nick Percat.

Martin Swindells was next to go after losing control at turn one, tagging the wall and leaving the right side of his Spectrum seriously buckled and the tow truck called to clear the wreckage.

On the re-start young CAMS Rising Star Nathan Morcom and Nick Simmons were involved in separate incidents also at turn one which led to the safety car again being deployed and the race ultimately called prematurely.

Evans takes first race win at Surfers

Sonic Racing’s Mitch Evans has again shown why he is one of Australasian motorsport’s hottest future talents after another stellar driving performance on the streets of Surfers Paradise this afternoon.

Contesting the final round of the 2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship, Evans spent most of the race chasing down his New Zealand compatriot Richie Stanaway who tried valiantly to defend his lead but succumbed to the pressure from his arch-nemesis in the closing laps.

Evans’ win today takes him a step closer to sealing the runner-up champion trophy this weekend.

“I had to work for that one,” Evans said.

“Richie beat me off the start so I was playing catch-up for a while ... but once things settled down I knew I had the pace to get past him – it was just a matter of finding the opportunity and there aren’t too many of them around here,” he added.

Ash Walsh held third place for most of the race but mounting pressure from No Fear racer Nick Percat eventually led the pair to tangle allowing CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye to sneak through for the final place on the podium.

“I struggled early on with straight-line speed so having a crack at Percat was never going to be easy ... as it turned out he had his hands full with Ash so when the chance presented itself I wasn’t going to let it pass,” Pye said.

The race claimed several scalps – as the treacherous circuit normally does – the most dramatic being the Factory Enterprises Spectrum of Chaz Mostert who came together with Nick Percat after passing him on the back straight on the opening lap.

Master Electricians racer Andre Borell also had his race cut short after an ambitious move by Martin Swindells left his Van Diemen in need of some straightening.

 

Nick Percat wins 2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship

No Fear racer Nick Percat gave himself the best possible birthday present on Sunday 13 Sept when he wrapped up the 2009 Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this morning.

Percat, who turns 21 on Monday, clinched the title with his race two victory, but was caught out by the slippery conditions in race three – ending the race for the first time this year off the podium and out of the points.

“It’s such a relief to finally secure the championship,” Percat said. “We’ve worked really hard this year for this moment so it’s a great reward for the team ... I learnt a lot after coming so close last year – just to drive smarter and the importance of consistently earning points.”

Percat thoroughly deserved this year’s title, winning 12 of the 20 races on offer so far this season and secured three pole positions along the way.

“Sonic have really been fantastic this year and I don’t think I could have performed as well as I did in another car,” he added. “The pressure’s off now so I’m looking forward to having some fun and really enjoying my driving when we head to the Gold Coast.”

After three years in a Formula Ford, Percat will now turn his attention to finding the funding necessary to launch an assault on the V8 Supercar Development Series.

Races two and three this morning were incident packed with several drivers falling victim to the rain affected circuit.

Minda Motorsport were the worst hit, with all three team members coming to grief in a high-speed incident at the treacherous turn one, along with Synergy’s Nick Simmons and Ryan Simpson.

Amid the carnage there were some brilliant driving performances from the series’ younger drivers, with CAMS Rising Star drivers Luke Ellery and Nathan Morcom posting their best results for the season, while Queenslander Chaz Mostert revelled in the wet conditions to collect his first race win for the year.

“Finally bagged a win!” Mostert beamed. “It’s been a long time coming after so many ‘could of – should of’ and ‘almosts’ – hopefully I can keep it going when we get to the Gold Coast.”

Victorian Trent Harrison collected the Davies, Craig EWP “Hard Charger” Award after finishing race three in third place after starting the weekend back in 16th position.

Percat closes in on the Title

Sonic Racing’s Nick Percat took another step towards his championship dream when he convincing won the first of three races during round seven of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this afternoon.

Percat and his Sonic team mate Mitch Evans stormed off the start line and instantly pulled an unassailable lead over Borland Racing’s Scott Pye – and in doing so, Percat eclipsed his 2008 lap record, adding yet another accolade to his already long list of achievements this year.

“Well we’ve started the weekend in the right direction,” Percat said.“Mitch and I got a great start and from there we worked together and made the most of our green tyres to get a break on the rest of the field.”

Evans, who wasn’t enjoying the same pace as Percat, crossed the line just five hundredths (.05secs) behind his team mate to take second place.

Spectrum racer Scott Pye didn’t have the advantage of fresh rubber for the opening race and struggled to keep the Sonic duo within striking distance, but held off a tenacious Ash Walsh to finish third.

“It was hard-going out there today,” Pye said. “After Nick and Mitch pulled away I was pretty much out there on my own ... I didn’t have anyone I could tow off and coupled with my run-in tyres there wasn’t much chance of improving on my position.”

“I’ll have some green tyres for tomorrow’s race so hopefully the advantage will swing back my way and we’ll have a better race on our hands,” Pye added.

Walsh, who hasn’t driven a Formula Ford since 2007, gave Pye plenty to think about in the early laps before a gearbox problem curtailed his charge, and ultimately his race.

“I’m still getting the feel for the car so up until my gearbox seized I was pretty happy with the way things were going. “We’ll sort it all out overnight and be back for another shot at it tomorrow,” Walsh said.

Queenslander Chaz Mostert again raced hard and provided much of the excitement in an otherwise pedestrian race.

Mostert duelled with Sonic’s Geoff Uhrhane and Synergy team mate Ryan Simpson for most of the ten laps, moving two places up the grid to come home in fourth place.

 

EVANS RACES HIMSELF INTO FORMULA FORD RECORD BOOKS

Mitch Evans, the 15 year old New Zealand whiz-kid, stamped his authority on Queensland Raceway today when he won the third and final race of round six of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship.

Sitting on pole, Evans once again launched a perfect start to maintain the lead into turn one and from there on lead the race to become the youngest driver in Australian Formula Ford history to taste the success of a national championship round win.

“I’m stoked with how this weekend has turned out,” Evans said. “From first practice the car was fast, so it was just up to me to learn the track as quickly as possible ... everything just fell into place – I wish every round was like this,” he added. “Becoming the youngest driver to take out a round was the icing on the cake ... if you told me I’d be a round winner at the start of the year I would have thought you were joking.”

It was a great weekend out for Evans’ team Sonic Racing and his chassis builder Mygale, who claimed the top three places for the round, with Nick Percat coming home second and Geoff Uhrhane third.

CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye fought valiantly for third place in the final race, but the pace of the Sonic Mygales proved too quick this weekend.

New South Welshman Ryan Simpson again put in a strong performance finishing fourth, and in the process set a new lap record, edging out Kristian Lindsom’s 2008 record by just one hundredth (.01) of a second.

Synergy Motorsport’s Chaz Mostert started race three from 17th, and as predicted, blasted his way through the field 12 places to finish fifth. Chaz's Synergy teammate Nick Simmons also posted his best result of the season, finishing sixth.

CAMS Rising Star Luke Ellery’s horror run of bad luck continued when on lap nine - and after making considerable progress through the field - was tagged by Martin Short, ending his race and weekend in unflattering fashion.

Short was in the thick of the drama during today’s final race, also tangling with Uhrhane on the opening lap, causing the Safety Car to be deployed. While Uhrhane’s race ended there, he had collected enough points from the two previous races to take home third place for the round.

Queenslander Andre Borell posted his best result of the season after a calculated driving performance. For his efforts, Borell for the second time in as many meetings takes home the Davies, Craig EWP ‘Hard-Charger’ Award after qualifying in 15th and finishing the weekend in eighth place.

 

EVANS ON A ROLL AT QR

Formula Ford’s youngest competitor, Mitch Evans, continued his winning form this morning taking another race win during round six of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Queensland Raceway.

Evans, in a Banklink backed Mygale, stormed off the start line and was only serious challenged once for the lead by his Sonic Racing teammate Nick Percat. Evans kept a cool head and drove with maturity beyond his years to pull a commanding lead, eventually crossing the finish line nearly a full second ahead of Percat.

“I could get used to this winning feeling,” Evans said. “I was lacking some grip this morning so to maintain my lead was a little harder than yesterday,” he added.

“We’ll make a few changes before the final race but I’m hoping we can make it another Sonic one, two, three ... the car’s still got plenty in it so I’m confident I can use my pole position to advantage again.”

Sonic Racing made it another trifecta for both the team and chassis manufacturer Mygale, with championship leader Percat coming home in second place the much improved Geoff Uhrhane finishing in third.

CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye reversed his poor fortune from yesterday’s opening race to come home in fourth in his Spectrum after starting back in ninth place, with Minda Motorsport’s Ben Walter rounding out the top five.

“That was a much better result ... the car’s showing some speed again which is promising,” Pye said. “Now the challenge is to get a good start and get past Nick (Percat) so I can hang on to Mitch – if not have a crack at the lead.”

Synergy Motorsport’s Chaz Mostert had a forgetful race, losing two places in the opening laps, and then was given a drive-through penalty for an altercation with Parramatta Smash Repairs’ Ryan Simpson. Mostert will start race three from 17th. Mostert will be one to watch in race three if his performance at Sandown (where he raced from dead last to second) is anything to go by.

Bad luck also paid young Victorian Luke Ellery a visit after a promising race one performance. Ellery was in 7th place before being turned around by Minda Motorsport’s Jesse Dixon. Ellery’s damage from the tangle was terminal, prematurely ending his race on lap seven.

Local Master Electricians racer Andre Borell continued his good form this weekend with a much improved 11th place 

EVANS RUNS AWAY WITH RACE ONE AT QR

Sonic Racing’s Mitch Evans has convincingly won the opening race of round six of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Queensland Raceway this afternoon.

Evans, starting from pole position was never challenged for the lead, taking his second race win for the year. “This weekend’s eventually making up for the shockers I had earlier in the season,” Evans joked. “I got a great start and was able to pull clear and stay out of trouble for the remainder of the race. The car’s got plenty of speed and I looked after my tyres pretty well so I should have plenty left to give it another crack tomorrow.”

Joining Evans on the podium was his Sonic Racing teammate Geoff Uhrhane, who displayed he has what it takes to be a future race winner, finishing second after starting back in fifth position. “It’s great to be back on the podium again,” Uhrhane said. “I haven’t had a run like this since Winton (where he finished third) so it’s good to know we’ve got the package to take it to the likes of Nick (Percat) and Chaz (Mostert). It was great racing out there ... we all pushed pretty hard but all gave each other plenty of room – it was good clean racing,” he added.

Evans made the most of his pole position, beating Chaz Mostert to turn one and then pulling away from the field who were left to battle it out for the minor placings ... and battle they did.

No Fear racer Nick Percat and Mostert fought hard for second place over several laps mid-race, all the while Uhrhane kept the duelling duo within striking distance, eventually throwing his hat into the ring for a piece of the action.

The threesome traded places several times each, before Uhrhane got the better of them to cross the line in second place. Percat and Mostert traded blows until the end, but it was Percat that managed to hang on to finish in third.

After a horror start to the weekend, young Victorian Luke Ellery found the pace he was looking for and blitzed his way from 14th on the grid to finish in 7th place. CAMS Rising Star teammate Scott Pye wasn’t so lucky, experiencing gearbox gremlins that dropped him three places on the grid for the start of tomorrow’s second race.

 

RISING STAR WINS FORMULA FORD

40th ANNIVERSARY TROPHY AT SANDOWN 

Borland Racing’s Scott Pye continued his winning form taking out the third and final race of round five of the Genuine Ford Parts Formula Ford Championship, at Sandown International Raceway this afternoon. 

After a perfect start, Pye held off desperate challenges from No Fear’s Nick Percat before a series of yellow flagged corners allowed him to race clear of the pack on to an unassailable lead. Pye was never threatened until the closing laps, when a safety car period once again bunched the field – but thankfully for Pye, yet an anti-climax for spectators, the race concluded under yellow conditions. 

“That was a great weekend’s racing,” Pye said. “The team has been working towards this since the opening race of the season and now after the last two rounds we have really found our feet … after starting from pole today I really wanted to let everyone know how good the car was ... I felt really comfortable out there because I knew we had some really good speed,” he added. “Hopefully we can carry on from here when we go to Queensland in a few weeks.” 

Commendable as it was, Pye’s winning performance was equaled by the incredible efforts of Synergy Motorsport’s Chaz Mostert, who twice today raced from the rear of the grid to finish in second place. Mostert was penalised after race two for a technical infringement when a team member entered parc ferme without authorisation to collect Chaz’s helmet. An innocent error that most likely cost him a race win this weekend.

Mostert’s stellar display was enough to secure him second place for the round. 

“The car was great all weekend. I knew when we qualified it on pole that we had our set-up right,” Mostert said. “It’s disappointing I had an off in race one and then was penalised after race two because there was definitely enough in the car for a round win this weekend. 

This weekend is a nice confidence booster going into my home event in Queensland because Sandown can be a pretty heart-breaking circuit as many of the boys found out … so I’m pretty stoked to go home tonight not only with a trophy but a straight car,” he joked.  

Chaz’s Synergy teammate Ryan Simpson also drove a brilliant race, at times running as high as second place but such was the aggressive nature of the race and the numerous position changes, Simpson was on the receiving end of a Percat tow when the safety car was called and had to settle for fourth place. 

Sonic Racing’s Nick Percat had, by his standards, and average weekend - unable to secure an elusive race win, but was consistent enough to snare some valuable points in his quest for the championship. 

The Craig Davies Hard Charger Award this weekend went to Master Electrician Racing’s Andre Borell, who after starting back in 19th position blasted eight spots through the field to finish in 11th place. Andre walks away with a handy cash bonus and a state-of-the-art  Electric Water Pump from Craig Davies. 

PYE TAKES OUT FORMULA FORD RACE TWO THRILLER

CAMS Rising Star racer Scott Pye emerged victor this morning in one of the most exciting races of the 2009 season, holding off a tenacious Chaz Mostert and equally determined Ritchie Stanaway and Mitch Evans in race two of round five of the Genuine Ford Parts Formula Ford Championship, at Sandown International Raceway.

A thrilling race from the start, the lead changed no less than ten times, giving spectators more than their share of excitement and team owners more than their share of tension during the 12-lap race.

“That was a cracker!“ Pye beamed.

“It’s a pretty sweet win because it was such a strategic race … getting a tow at the right place at the right time is paramount and unlike most circuits there’s two great slipstream opportunities at Sandown so you always have your mirrors full.

Chaz’s mistake made things easier for me but it was always my plan to have a crack on the last lap at the Dandenong Road chicane … I now just have to ensure that my plans for race three play out,“ the young South Australian added.

Pye dueled for the lead in the closing laps with Synergy Motorsport’s Chaz Mostert who drove an amazing race, blasting his way through the field after starting way back in 17th place. Mostert held the lead on the last lap but was caught out by the still slippery conditions on the back chicane and called on every ounce of his talent to regain control of his Spectrum, but the damage was done and Pye was able to cruise through to take the lead and the win.

“That was an awesome race,” Chaz said.

“I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t hold on for the win but to start where I did and end up in the lead gives me plenty of confidence we have our set-up right … the car’s got plenty of speed to burn this weekend so hopefully I can keep it together for race three this afternoon.

It looks like it’s going to stay dry so hopefully after further action on the track before our next race there will be a bit more grip out there and I can push even harder,” Mostert said.

New Zealand compatriots Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway also provided plenty of action at the front of the field, and were supported in their great show of fearless driving by championship leader Nick Percat.

Percat, Evans and Stanaway swapped places for the lead several times in the opening laps of the race, providing plenty of nail-biting moments. Eventually the duel ended in tears with Stanaway and Evans coming to blows at turn one – knocking Evans out of contention. Percat held on to finish the race in third place.
 

WET SANDOWN BREAKS HEARTS AND CARS IN FORMULA FORD OPENER

A rain soaked Sandown Raceway played havoc with Formula Ford racers this afternoon in the opening race of round five of the Genuine Ford Parts Formula Ford Championship, with several cars being left with severe damage after a series of race incidents.

In the most dramatic, young CAMS Rising Star driver Nathan Morcom was left limping from his mangled Spectrum after he lost control at the tricky turn two dogleg and collided heavily with the safety barrier.

It wasn't a good day for the Borland Racing managed CAMs Rising Star team with Luke Ellery also coming to grief in the opening lap of today's 12-lap race. It was a bitter disappointment to Ellery who showed great form after qualifying second on the grid next to polesitter Chaz Mostert.

Mostert was the third victim of the slippery conditions, spinning out of the race in the closing laps.

For those who escaped the carnage, it was young New Zealander Mitch Evans who emerged victorious, but a dubious encounter with Ritchie Stanaway may come under speculation from the stewards.

Evans' Sonic Racing teammate Nick Percat drove a brilliant race, displaying the experience that has him currently leading the championship, moving through the field from eighth place to finish second.

New Zealander Richie Stanaway also drove with a level-head and after fighting Evans for the lead, came home in third place.

Another notable performance this afternoon was from Evans Motorsport's Trent Harrison. Harrison, who only races occasionally in the national championship, started the race in tenth place and keep his nose clean to finish a respectable fourth.

PERCAT CLEAN SWEEPS FOR ROUND WIN 

No Fear backed pilot Nick Percat has taken his third round win for the season at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin this afternoon.  

In a repeat of race two, Percat was beaten off the line by Sonic teammate Mitch Evans who briefly led the 12-lap race before Percat used the long Hidden Valley straight to slipstream himself back into the lead.  

“Three from three ... can’t do much better than that!” Percat exclaimed.“Apart from my dodgy starts I’m happy with the way things turned out. Credit to Mitch too – he really had some pace this weekend and pushed me pretty hard,” he added. “Hopefully I can carry this form onto Sandown (round five) next month and redeem my performance there last year.” 

Evans did his best to hang on to the tail of Percat, but his efforts were in vain as his teammate stretched his lead to over two seconds by the final lap. “I’m happy with second for the round but I think I probably could have looked after my tyres more for a better showing in this final race.” Evans said. “Keeping up with Nick is hard work and for my first time here I’m happy with the result ... a few more laps around here and I would be less prone to some of the mistakes I made which all part of the learning curve I guess.” 

Ryan Simpson was able to hang onto third place after a great battle with Borland Racing’s Scott Pye and Team BRM’s Richie Stanaway. The trio pushed each other for the duration of the race and were joined by Synergy Racing’s Chaz Mostert who also hustled for a place on the podium. 

“ Again I made a meal of the start ... the clutch was slipping off the line and I just got bogged down. A shame because I think I had the pace to run with Nick and Mitch which was reflected in the lap times,” Simpson said. “After the start I got caught up with Scott and Richie which provided for some good racing but I would have preferred to be fighting for the lead. I’m looking forward to Sandown now knowing I can run at the front and hopefully will be able to go one or two better.”  

PRECAT TAKES RACE ONE AND RECORD RACE WIN 

Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship leader Nick Percat has taken out race one of round four at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, and in doing so, has eclipsed Steven Richards ‘ record of most race wins in Australian Formula Ford with a total of 18 wins.  

“That’s a great way to start the weekend,” Percat said.“It’s not a record I ever set out to achieve but it’s an honour to take it home,” he added. 

Percat didn’t have an easy run to his record win, with Sonic teammate Mitch Evans applying pressure from the opening lap.  Evans beat Percat off the line and held his more experienced comrade at bay before Percat reclaimed the lead after several laps, and set about putting some distance between himself and the young New Zealander. Evans fought tenaciously to reel Percat in and when they crossed the finish line just eight hundredths of a second split the pair. 

“Mitch kept me pretty honest in that one and no doubt will be pushing me again in race two ... hopefully I’ll get a better start - he’s got enough pace to have a serious crack so I’m guessing I’m going to have to watch my back!” Percat said. 

Evans, who turns 15 this week was happy with his performance and is hoping he can go one better in race two tomorrow. “I got a great start but Nick had me covered pretty quickly,” Evans said. “It was good knowing I had the pace to run with him and I’m confident I can do it again tomorrow,” he added. 

Queenslander Chaz Mostert rounded out the top three after trailing Team BRM racer Richie Stanaway for most of the race. Stanaway made an error on the final lap allowing Mostert to sneak back into third place. 

Further back in the field, Scott Pye, Ryan Simpson and UK import Joey Foster put on a great display of aggressive racing, as did Nicholas Simmons and Luke Ellery. 

STANAWAY TAKES MAIDEN WIN AT SYMMONS

Mygale pilot Richie Stanaway has broken Nick Percat’s stranglehold on the Australian Formula Ford Championship with an impressive win in the third and final race at Symmons Plains Raceway this afternoon.

In a dramatic race where the lead changed no fewer than a dozen times, Stanaway, Percat and Scott Pye fought the entire 15 lap distance providing spectators with a dazzling display of skill and courage.

Stanaway raced to the lead on the opening lap but was soon pegged back by Percat and the two traded the lead several times until Percat caught a wheel on the grass, and for a moment looked at being another casualty of the deceptively tricky Tasmanian circuit.

Percat dropped back to fourth position and Spectrum drive Pye picked up where Percat left off, swapping the lead with Stanaway on several occasions before succumbing to the New Zealander’s speed.

“Wow that was a pretty awesome race,” Stanaway beamed.

“Nick, Scott and I had a great battle and it probably could have gone either way, but thankfully I had the speed to hang on at the end ... hats off though to Nick and Scott, it made for some great racing,” the 16 year old said.

“We’ve finally found the speed we’ve been searching for which is confidence boosting going into Darwin ... hopefully this is the start of some bigger and better things.”

CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye also drove a brilliant race worthy of a better result.

“Overall I’m pretty happy with the way things have turned out this weekend,” Pye said.

“We have definitely turned the corner in terms of car speed and set up ... it was a shame in that last race I couldn’t find a way clear of Richie towards the end because I think we had more speed in reserve and could have probably pulled clear. It’s good to know we have the ability now so I’m feeling good about Darwin (next round).”

Round four of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship will be staged at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin on June 18-21.

PYE AND STANAWAY APPLY PRESSURE TO PERCAT

No Fear racer Nick Percat faced a serious challenge to his winning form this morning, in race two of the third round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains Raceway.

CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye and Team BRM rookie Richie Stanaway both mounted challenges to Percat’s lead over the 15 lap race, but he managed to hang on and maintain his unbeaten record.

Percat now equals Steve Richards’ record of most Formula Ford wins and will be looking to go one better this afternoon.

Pye, driving a Borland prepared Spectrum, beat Percat off the line and took the race lead where he remained for the majority of the race before Percat reeled him in during the closing laps to regain the lead.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start, but with the nature of this circuit and the opportunities for slipstreaming I was always going to have my hands full keeping Nick in my mirrors,” Pye said.

Pye continued to hassle Percat but was soon replaced by New Zealander Richie Stanaway who made several desperate lunges for the lead under brakes, but in the end was beaten by the clock having to settle for second place – his best race result this year.

“I’m really pleased with the way things are panning out this weekend,” Stanaway said.

“I was really pushing it in the last few laps and am confident there’s still a bit more in the car for the final race,” he added.

Stanaway, in his charge for the lead, also set a another new Symmons Plains lap record in his BRM prepared Mygale, a 55.30sec lap, an improvement of .27sec on his record breaking lap yesterday.

Chaz Mostert reversed his pole position from yesterday having to start race two from the rear of the grid, after receiving a 25 second penalty for his involvement in a tangle in race one. Mostert put the drama behind him and charged through the field, making up six places to finish in seventh position.

“Well I’m a little happier with today’s outcome,” Mostert wryly stated.

“Although I had a good run and clawed my way back towards the front, it’s not something I want to have to repeat in a hurry.”  

PERCAT BACK IN FRONT AT SYMMONS PLAINS

Sonic Racing’s Nick Percat took just one corner to reclaim his winning form in the opening race of the third round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains Raceway this afternoon.

Blasting from second place on the grid, Percat beat pole-sitter Chaz Mostert to turn one and within the first lap, pulled a half second gap on the rest of the field.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start this afternoon,” Percat enthusiastically said.

“Chaz has had some pretty good speed this weekend so I was relived to get the jump on him ... it’s not the easiest place to pass so had it turned out the other way I think I would have struggled for a win today,” he added.

After snaring his first pole position for the season, Queenslander Chaz Mostert had a forgetful race, having to contend with brake issues after picking up dirt and debris in the opening lap. Mostert soldiered on to come home in sixth position.

CAMS Rising Star pilot Scott Pye put in a solid performance, and endured a nail-biting duel with New Zealander Richie Stanaway to finish second in the 15 lap scrap. After starting from fourth place, Pye picked off Ryan Simpson and then applied pressure to Stanaway who succumbed in the closing lap after a fuel surge stalled his impressive charge.

“I had a great fight out there with Richie today ... really good, hard, racing,” Pye said.
“I was looking at the speedo when we were side by side coming down the back straight and it was peaking at 215(kph) which was pretty full on ... on the last lap Richie had some sort of issue and I was able to get past.”

Stanaway recorded his best result this year coming home third after keeping leader Percat in his sights for most of the race.

“Obviously I would have liked to go one better but I’m wrapt with the way things turned out today,” Stanaway said.

“We’ve still got plenty of speed in the box so hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to improve on today’s result and I can have a crack at Nick (Percat),” he added.

PERCAT BAGS SECOND ROUND WIN AT WINTON 

South Australian racer Nick Percat has once again made a clean sweep of all three races at round two of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship held at Winton Raceway this weekend.

Percat was never seriously challenged in the third and final race, storming home nearly seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Queenslander Chaz Mostert, who found himself in a battle with third place-getter Mitch Evans.

“This is a great start to the season,” Percat said, underestimating his achievement. “The car was perfect all weekend ... I had plenty of speed and even thought of having a crack at Jamie’s (Whincup) lap record but thought better of it when my rear started to fade and it got a little skaty,” he chuffed. “Hopefully we can take the same performance to Tassie and make it three in a row!” Percat ominously said.

Factory Enterprises pilot Chaz Mostert valiantly fought for second place on the podium this weekend, after he was passed in the opening lap by New Zealander Mitch Evans. Evans was hunted down by Mostert, who clearly had greater car speed, and after an exciting duel taht lasted most of the 12 laps regained his second placing just before the finish line.

“I had a great battle out there this afternoon with Mitch,” Mostert said. “It was a bit of a shame it took me so long to get passed him (Evans) because I really had the pace to run with Nick (Percat) today which is promising going into the next round,” he said.

14 year-old Evans salvaged what began as an average weekend, finishing third overall for the round and again displaying ability and maturity under pressure beyond his years.

Coming home in fourth place today was CAMS Rising Star and Scott’s Transport backed driver Scott Pye. The South Australian showed great pace and was never far off launching an attack on the duelling Mostert and Evans but rear tyre fade eventually put an end to him mounting a serious challenge for position.

Pye and the other young CAMS Rising Stars, Luke Ellery and Nathan Morcom had a secret weapon in their garage this weekend in the form of retired V8 Supercar legend Mark Skaife. Skaife, through his association with the Australian Motor Sport Foundation, was on hand throughout the weekend to share his intimate knowledge of Winton and how the young racers might be able to improve their chances of a good showing.

“Having Mark around was fantastic,” Scott Pye said. “His knowledge and experience is just awesome ... and he didn’t just turn up and tell us how to drive – but how we can give our engineers a better idea of what’s going on in the car and how we might be able to get some more speed out of it ... that sort of stuff is invaluable and will definitely help as the season progresses.”

The EWP “Hard Charger” award this weekend went to Ritchie Stanaway, who after finding himself at the back of the field when he ran off and span in race one, blasted his way back through the field in the next two races to finish in fifth place.


 

PERCAT TAKES RACE TWO WIN BUT STANAWAY THE STAR 

In what’s fast becoming a formality, Sonic Racing’s Nick Percat chalked up another race win at Winton Raceway this morning, in round two of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship.

While Percat’s lead was rarely threatened the real action was taking place further back in the field with New Zealand racer Richie Stanaway (pictured)  charging his way through the field in a display that confirms his reputation as one of motorsport’s brightest future stars.

Stanaway blasted his way from 13th place to 7th in just five laps and then made a further gain to finish in 6th position.

After two laps of the 3.0km circuit, the Safety Car was deployed when Minda Motorsport’s Nicholas McBride was hit by Steeline backed racer Nick Foster – McBride’s team will work feverishly in the next few hours to get his bent Spectrum back on the track for race three this afternoon.

On the restart, Road Solutions racer Ben Walter moved into fourth place after passing Sonic’s Geoff Uhrhane - who had dropped back from third to fifth position after running out of brakes at turn three – while young Mitch Evans and CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye battled for third place.

Pye, who made a blinding start to take third, worked hard to hold off Evans who eventually got past him on lap eight when the usually precise South Australian made an uncharacteristic mistake under pressure going into turn one.

MOSTERT MOUNTS EARLY CHALLENGE BUT PERCAT POWERS ON 

The performance freight train that is Nick Percat continued his dominance of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship when he took out race one of round two at Winton this afternoon(Saturday).

Percat came home ahead of DIY Pool Fencing's Chaz Mostert and Sonic Racing teammate Geoff Uhrhane.

After being challenged in the early stages of the race by Queenslander Mostert, Percat pulled away in the last laps to an unassailable lead to take his fourth race win for the season.

"That pretty much went to plan," Percat said.

"I was a bit shaky off the start but had the inside line on Chaz so I managed pull through that ok ... once I found some space I just concentrated on looking after my tyres for tomorrow's races."

Percat also posted the race's fastest lap with a 1min26.39secs.

Spectrum pilot Chaz Mostert will be searching for some more speed tomorrow if he is again to challenge Percat for line honours.

"I was giving it a good go out there today but unfortunately the car just wasn't in it," the happy-go-lucky Mostert said.

"My tyres held out until about half way through and then they just went off really quickly and I was fighting massive understeer for the rest of the race," he added.

"We'll shape up again for tomorrow and have another crack ... regardless, I'm pretty stoked with second today," Mostert said.

Scott's Transport racer Scott Pye and Banklink's Mitch Evans rounded out the top five after defending their qualifying positions.

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