Nineteen-year-old Bree Morris heads to the penultimate round of the Yokohama South Island Formula 1600 Championship with a hunger for more race wins. Having won twice, last weekend in the North Island Formula Ford Series at Taupo, Morris has the confidence in both herself and her speed heading to Timaru International Raceway, Timaru. The series has been thrown wide-open with several top runners not having entered the one-day event this Saturday.
Notable omissions from the entry list include current overall points leader, Louis Sharp, Simon Hunter (fifth overall) and Ryan Low (11th overall). Sharp has won five of the eleven races this season while Hunter has stood on the podium six times, including his first maiden single seater win in Timaru last November.
Their absence due to other commitments, will undoubtedly promote those attending up the leader board and the potential for an intense battle for podium places across the three races.
Sharp may currently hold a 92-point lead over Zac Christensen (Ray GR20) with Matt Hamilton (Van Diemen RF88) just two-points behind in third overall, but with 75-points for a race win, either could be leading heading to the final round in Invercargill (19-20 March).
Throw into the mix Alex Crosbie (Ray GR21), Daniel Brown (Ray GR21) and Dylan Petch (Ray GR20) all seeking podium finishes and the three-race meeting could prove to be intense for these young drivers. 2019/20 South Island champion Jack Noble-Adams has had a mixed season getting to grips with his new Ray GR21, finally finishing second to Sharp in the feature race at the last round.
Also, in contention are three Class titles. Christensen is likely to take over the Class 1 (>2000) lead while Dyson Freeman (Van Diemen RF92), fresh from winning Class 2 (1990-1999) at the last meeting, has closed to within 62-points of his cousin Cameron Freeman (Van Diemen Stealth RF93) who leads the category. Matthew Hamilton meanwhile continues his absolute domination of the pre-1990 Class 3.
Saturday morning sees one practice session before qualifying with the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy $500 prize on the line for fastest driver. The award is part of the $60,000 prize pool from the Tony Quinn Foundation with funding for travel and testing opportunities with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ.
Overall Points after 5/6 rounds (Top 15)
Place, Name, Car, Points
1/ Louis Sharp, Spectrum 015, 747
2/ Zac Christensen, Ray GR20, 655
3/ Matthew Hamilton, Van Diemen RF88, 653
4/ Alex Crosbie, Ray GR21, 509
5/ Simon Hunter, Mygale SJ08A, 502
6/ Daniel Brown, Ray GR21, 477
7/ Dylan Petch, Ray GR20, 382
8/ Cameron Freeman, Van Diemen RF93 Stealth, 340
9/ Jack Noble-Adams, Ray GR21, 326
10/ Dyson Freeman, Van Diemen RF92, 313
11/ Ryan Low, Ray GR08, 268
12/ Robert Toshach, Swift FB89, 268
13/ Harry Wilson, Mygale SJ12, 220
14/ Bo Hill, Van Diemen RF94 Stealth, 195
15/ Blake Knowles, Van Diemen RF92 /RF05, 193
2021/22 South Island Formula 1600 Championship Calendar
Rnd 1: 29-31 October 2021, Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, Christchurch
Rnd 2: 6 November 2021, Timaru International Raceway, Timaru
Rnd 3: 4-5 December 2021, Teretonga Park Raceway, Invercargill
Rnd 4: 20-23 January 2022, Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, Christchurch
Rnd 5: 5 March 2022, Timaru International Raceway, Timaru
Rnd 6: 19-20 March 2022, Teretonga Park Raceway, Invercargill
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