Congratulations to MotorSport New Zealand on their decision to award the joint management for running the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, to both the South Island and the North Island Formula Ford Clubs. An even bigger kudos to the individuals, the committees and stakeholders who have enabled this collaborative decision to take place as we will see some stability and confidence in the championship for the next three seasons.
A long-term agreement between the two clubs and MotorSport New Zealand has been signed which outlines the key roles and responsibilities for each of the parties along with goals and KPI’s that must be achieved in the timelines outlined in the agreement.
Our domestic Formula Ford category is in a healthy state, reflected by the recent and very successful Formula Ford Festival in which we saw over sixty-entries competing over the one-day event, which ultimately decided both the 2021 NZ Formula Ford title and the winner of the trip to the UK to attend the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch later in the year.
This is on the back of some very large and regular grids, competing for a number of seasons, in the South Island Formula 1600 (Ford) Championship, a resurgence of the North Island series, new cars being imported into the country over the last three years with more arriving shortly and more kartsport drivers (and their families) making the commitment to the category.
Let’s not get complacent, as the passion for Formula Ford racing runs deep and the management of the national series can set the tone for the rest of the country. With the passion comes opinion, advice, experience and knowledge, plus the opportunity to keep driving this popular open-wheel racing category to become even better and bigger.
The beauty of this new arrangement is that there is potential for the return of larger numbers competing for the national title amongst the separate North and South series’ competition.
What we are likely to see is a national change to the Yokohama A046 tyre. In April, the South Island Formula Ford Club announced their decision to change their control tyre away from the Avon ACB10 to the Yokohama A046. This was unlikely to have taken place without consultation with the North Island club and MSNZ while all worked on running the national championship together.
As for the actual race calendar, there are no details yet but one can assume that there will be an equal level of racing in both Islands’.
Let’s not forget the context of Formula Ford in New Zealand and the fact that we have just celebrated 50 years of its racing as a domestic series. Yes, there have been ups and downs along the way but it has well and truly stood the test of time and more importantly, is its continued contribution which it brings to the learning and racecraft experience that is vital for our young drivers coming through the ranks.
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