Mason Potter has dominated the penultimate round of both the NAPA Auto Parts 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship (NZFF) and the 2023/24 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF). Four races held at the Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding have produced some intense, close and clean single seater racing in which Potter emerged with two second placings and two race victories including winning the Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy. He now leads the NIFF and has jumped to fourth overall in the NZFF title fight.
“Really happy with the weekend,” said Potter. “After a great (NIFF) round two weeks ago at Hampton Downs, we had a lot of confidence coming into the round.”
Blake Knowles continues to lead the NZFF title race with one round remaining in a fortnight’s time at the Supercars meeting in Taupo. Two thirds and two fourths placings have allowed him to continue to accumulate valuable points although his overall lead has been reduced by Seb Manson who won two races and finished on the podium twice.
“Not a bad weekend,” said Knowles. “We struggled a little bit and lacked some pace. It was pretty intense and close racing all weekend. However, we achieved some solid results and it will be all to play for at Taupo.”
Seb Manson has managed to move into second overall, reducing Knowles’ lead from 75 to just 24-points. Manson set the fastest lap in qualifying winning the $1010.10 Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy cash prize. He then went on to win two races on Saturday after some close racing with Potter, Dylan Grant, Knowles and Blake Dowdall. He followed this up with two podiums, a second and a third placing, on Sunday but was pipped for the round win by Potter who had two race wins and two second placings.
Third overall is Will Neale who showed great pace standing on the podium twice on Sunday after his team changed his engine overnight.
“Manfeild always provides some good racing and this weekend the car was really hooked-up,” said Potter. “After two average South Island rounds we came back home and did some testing at Hampton Downs and found a couple of tenths. I’ve had a lot of racing at Manfeild in both Formula Vee (First) and the winter series. After the first practice on Friday we didn’t change the setup all weekend.”
In the Class 2 battle Cameron Tanner came away with the round win while Cameron Freeman continues to lead the national title fight with Jacob Cunniffe in third.
The weekend also doubled as the penultimate round of the 2023/24 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series. Heading to Manfeild just five points separated the top three drivers with Dowdall one-point ahead of Grant and Zach Blincoe in third. Potter held fourth, 74-points behind Dowdall and has now jumped into the lead with Grant still in second and Dowdall slipping to third.
Izaak Fletcher continues to be the top NZFF rookie driver with four top-ten placings while in the NIFF rookie standings, Toby McCormack (Van Diemen RF01 Scholarship car) continues to lead Reagan Edwards (Spectrum 015). Both are battling for a 237-piece SP Custom Series Tool Kit worth $3000 for the top rookie, provided by NAPA Auto Parts and SP Tools. Shane Drake continues to lead the NIFF Class 2 competition.
The NAPA Auto Parts Driver of the Day award went to Thomas Boniface on his return to Formula Ford racing after a serious car accident.
The winner of the overall NZ Formula Ford Championship title will receive a fully funded two-day Formula 4 test in the US with Kiwi Motorsport. They will also have a FT60 test compliments of the Tony Quinn Foundation while the Class 2 winner gets a FT50 test compliments of Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand.
The final round of both the NZFF and the NIFF takes place 19-21 April 2024 at the Taupo Motorsport Park as part of the support categories for the Repco Supercars Championship New Zealand round. This will include the Ron Frost Memorial Trophy to be contested at the final race and the Stephen Gillard Memorial Trophy which will be awarded to the highest placed Rookie at the end of the championship.
The NZ Formula Ford Championship is also supported by NAPA Auto Part, Yokohama and the Tony Quinn Foundation.
NAPA Auto Parts 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship Points after Rnd 3/4
1/ Blake Knowles 701
2/ Sebastian Manson 677
3/ Will Neale 642
4/ Mason Potter 597
5/ Dylan Grant 527
6/ Izaac Fletcher 522
7/ Caleb Byers 433
8/ Zach Blincoe 427
9/ Toby McCormack 353
10/ Dylan Petch 348
11/ Daniel Kelly 334
12/ Cameron Freeman 286
13/ Keith Miller 252
14/ Cameron Tanner 252
15/ Jack Noble-Adams 234
16/ Simon Hunter 143
17/ Jacob Cunniffe 134
North Island Formula Ford Series Overall Points after Round 5/6 (Top 10)
1/ Mason Potter 927
2/ Dylan Grant 922
3/ Blake Dowdall 892
4/ Zach Blincoe 847
5/ Toby McCormack 708
6/ Blake Knowles 664
7/ Sebastian Manson 656
8/ Shane Drake 652
9/Will Neale 624
10/ Reagan Edwards 613
Race Results
Race 1 (10 laps)
1/ Seb Manson, Spectrum 015
2/ Mason Potter, Spectrum 015
3/ Blake Knowles, Van Diemen RF05
4/ Dylan Grant, Van Diemen RF03
5/ Blake Dowdall, Spectrum 015
6/ Caleb Byers, Ray GR21
7/ Izaak Fletcher, Ray GR20
8/ Toby McCormack, Van Diemen RF01
9/ Shane Drake, Van Diemen RF92
10/ Dan Kelly, Van Diemen RF94
11/ Jack Noble-Adams, Ray GR21
12/ Will Neale, Van Diemen Stealth
13/ Cameron Tanner Van Diemen RF90
14/ Reagan Edwards, Spectrum 015
15/ Jacob Cunniffe, Swift SC96K
16/ Kim Crocker, Ray GR14
17/ Cameron Freeman Van Diemen RF92
18/ Thomas Boniface, Mygale
19/ Keith Millar, Van Diemen RF01
DNF Zac Blincoe, Mygale SJ07A
DNF Dylan Petch, Van Diemen Stealth
DNF Nick Buxeda
Race 2 (10-laps)
1/ Seb Manson, Spectrum 015
2/ Mason Potter, Spectrum 015
3/ Blake Knowles, Van Diemen RF05
4/ Dylan Grant, Van Diemen RF03
5/ Will Neale, Van Diemen Stealth
6/ Zac Blincoe, Mygale SJ07A
7/ Blake Dowdall, Spectrum 015
8/ Izaak Fletcher, Ray GR20
9/ Toby McCormack, Van Diemen RF01
10/ Caleb Byers, Ray GR21
11/ Reagan Edwards, Spectrum 015
12/ Shane Drake, Van Diemen RF92
13/ Dan Kelly, Van Diemen RF94
14/ Jack Noble-Adams, Ray GR21
15/ Cameron Tanner Van Diemen RF90
16/ Jacob Cunniffe, Swift SC96K
17/ Dylan Petch, Van Diemen Stealth
18/ Cameron Freeman Van Diemen RF92
19/ Kim Crocker, Ray GR14
20/ Nick Buxeda
21/ Keith Millar, Van Diemen RF01
22/ Thomas Boniface
Race 3 (10-laps)
1/ Mason Potter, Spectrum 015
2/ Seb Manson, Spectrum 015
3/ Will Neale, Van Diemen Stealth
4/ Blake Knowles, Van Diemen RF05
5/ Dylan Grant, Van Diemen RF03
6/ Zac Blincoe, Mygale SJ07A
7/ Blake Dowdall, Spectrum 015
8/ Dylan Petch, Van Diemen Stealth
9/ Toby McCormack, Van Diemen RF01
10/ Izaak Fletcher, Ray GR20
11/ Reagan Edwards, Spectrum 015
12/ Shane Drake, Van Diemen RF92
13/ Caleb Byers, Ray GR21
14/ Dan Kelly, Van Diemen RF94
15/ Jack Noble-Adams, Ray GR21
16/ Cameron Tanner Van Diemen RF90
17/ Cameron Freeman Van Diemen RF92
18/ Kim Crocker, Ray GR14
19/ Thomas Boniface, Mygale
20/ Nick Buxeda
21/ Keith Millar, Van Diemen RF01
22/ Jacob Cunniffe, Swift SC96K
Race 4 (12-laps) – Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy Race
1/ Mason Potter, Spectrum 015
2/ Will Neale, Van Diemen Stealth
3/ Seb Manson, Spectrum 015
4/ Blake Knowles, Van Diemen RF05
5/ Dylan Grant, Van Diemen RF03
6/ Zac Blincoe, Mygale SJ07A
7/ Blake Dowdall, Spectrum 015
8/ Toby McCormack, Van Diemen RF01
9/ Izaak Fletcher, Ray GR20
10/ Dylan Petch, Van Diemen Stealth
11/ Reagan Edwards, Spectrum 015
12/ Cameron Tanner Van Diemen RF90
13/ Shane Drake, Van Diemen RF92
14/ Nick Buxeda
15/ Cameron Freeman Van Diemen RF92
16/ Keith Millar, Van Diemen RF01
DNF Caleb Byers, Ray GR21
DNF Dan Kelly, Van Diemen RF94
DNF Jack Noble-Adams, Ray GR21
DNF Kim Crocker, Ray GR14
DNF Thomas Boniface, Mygale
DNS Jacob Cunniffe, Swift SC96K
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