Single seater rookie Simon Hunter is more determined than ever to win Formula Ford titles this season. The Christchurch driver recently won his first race in Timaru after qualifying fastest at the second round of the Yokohama South Island Formula 1600 Championship and now lies fourth overall with four rounds remaining.
“This is my first ever championship,” commented Hunter. “In kartsport, we only ever had major one-day events, not a series over six rounds. Because of this, I have immediately realised that consistency is important, particularly in finishing at or near the top.
“I’m pretty happy with the season so far. It was good to get our first race win. The racing, to be fair, has been tight particularly with Louis (Sharp), Matt (Hamilton) and Zac (Christensen). We have had a couple of races where I finished mid-pack due to contact and that has hurt where we could have been (on points).
Hunter has stood on the podium in four of the six races so far and scored points in the other two.
“We need to focus on finishing in the top three with the aim to win races. The results at Timaru last weekend in the second round gives us confidence and determination. The pressure is on then to keep scoring points.”
One of the keys for gaining experience is about seat-time.
“We will be testing before the next round in Invercargill in December,” said Hunter. “We are working on the whole package in order to get more speed. “
Hunter is campaigning the ex-Andre Heimgartner championship winning Mygale MJ08A.
“The As Is Where Is Mygale is great and definitely competitive. I do seem to be lacking some power which we are confident of sorting. With more power we will go much better.”
Heading to Teretonga Park in Invercargill for the third round, 4-5 December 2021, Hunter sits fourth on the table, just 65-points behind leader Louis Sharp.
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