The prestigious Dan Higgins Trophy will be on the line at the third round of the 2025/26 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF) at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding this weekend. Second round winner Campbell Owens (Ray GR21) is particularly motivated with Higgins as a major sponsor.
“Our big goal this weekend is to win the Dan Higgins Trophy,” said Owens. “We have done the Winter Series there (Manfeild) and are confident of our pace. We know the track well so want to carry momentum into the round.”
After a poor opening round at the beginning of October, Owens bounced back at Taupo in November winning all three races in round two and moving up to seventh on the points table.
However, rival Jack Groenewald (Mygale SJ07A) will be wanting to defend his newly acquired lead in the NIFF, now with a healthy 75-point buffer over rookie Oliver Sentch (Van Diemen Stealth). Just one-point behind is seasoned campaigner and ex- NZ Formula Ford Champion Shane Drake driving a Class 2 Van Diemen RF92.
While the front three have a jump on the rest of the field for overall points, rookie James Collie (Van Diemen RF91) will keep improving and currently sits fourth just one-point ahead of Toby McCormack.
McCormack has been quick in the six races so far this season but unfortunately did not score points in two of them. However, in the other four races he has finished three times on the podium and will be looking for more points including race wins. He sits fifth on the points table.
While William Beck (Spectrum 010) sits eighth overall, two retirements haven’t helped his climb up the leader board. Also in his rookie year, Beck made a real statement in the opening race of the season finishing third, on the podium. He has been a top five runner and maybe a dark horse to watch.
Making her Formula Ford debut at the round is Hibiscus Coast resident Olivia Lorenzen. The 18-year-old makes her step-up from kartsport in a NIFF scholarship car and will compete in the rest of the NIFF season as well as lining up for the four-round national Formula Ford Championship starting in January.
“I’ve always loved speed, competition, and the feeling of being behind the wheel,” Olivia says. “Formula Ford is a huge step forward, and I’m so excited to see how far I can go.”
While the field maybe small, the competitiveness is high, and it is hard to pick a standout. What is certain is that the leaderboard will change at this halfway point in the series.
This weekend’s round is sponsored by the Higgins family with prize money for all podium placings for Race 4 only, along with some fabulous trophies.
“We are delighted that that the Higgins Family headed by Shane Higgin’s, former Formula Ford Champion has elected to re-establish the Dan Higgins Trophy to Formula Ford,” said Series Coordinator Shane Drake. “Other than the Championship, this was the race to win back in the 80’s and 90’s.”
Driver’s face qualifying on Saturday morning with three 12-laps races leading up to the 18-lap Dan Higgins Trophy race on Sunday afternoon.
The NIFF organising committee acknowledge the support of major sponsor the Giltrap Group along with the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy cash prize for fastest qualifier at each round. Yokohama are continuing their backing of the series along with the support from NAPA with their Driver of the Day award.
Overall Points after 2/5 rounds
1/ Jack Groenewald 383
2/ Oliver Sentch 308
3/ Shane Drake 307
4/ James Collie 249
5/ Toby McCormack 248
6/ Dylan Grant 227
7/ Campbell Owens 225
8/ William Beck 203
9/ Braxton Kraayvanger 129
10/ Maxim Kirwan 67
11/ Kim Crocker 0
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