Gold Coast based Kiwi Hunter McElrea, continued to prove he is one of the up and coming drivers to watch after Round 5 of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at the weekend at the Sydney Motorsport Park.
After a clean run through Friday practice, Hunter felt confident going into qualifying taking pole position by a dominant 0.4 seconds ahead of the 30 other Formula Fords, becoming the only driver to score multiple pole positions all season.
“Qualifying was really cool, I always love going out on new tyres and just nailing the lap,” commented McElrea. “The car was phenomenal and I even set my pole lap on my first flying lap with a pass!
In the opening race McElrea led the opening 8 laps, only to be passed under yellow flags. After a post-race investigation, due to ‘insufficient evidence’ justice was unfortunately not in McElrea’s favour.
The second race saw McElrea drop to third on the opening lap, before having to avoid a spinning car ahead of him. This meant he spent the race chasing down the leader. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old ran out of laps and once again had to settle for second place.
.
The final race of the weekend proved to be a non–event, with only half a lap of racing and the balance spent behind the safety car with McElrea settling for second place.
“Overall it was a solid weekend, the highlight was definitely qualifying and I am very happy to have performed like I did, however I am quite disappointed no to get a win. I now head into the last round of the series being one of the four drivers who can win the Championship, and I will definitely be bringing 100% to the finale.”
BF Racing Mygale driver Cameron Shields won the round after winning all three races to keep his title chances alive. The final round takes place 29 September-1 October – Phillip Island (Vic State).
Australian Formula Ford Series – Top 10 Points (after Round 5 of 6)
1. Max Vidau – 216
2. Cameron Shields – 171
3. Hunter McElrea – 168
4. Jayden Ojeda – 160
5. Cooper Murray – 118
6. Liam McLellan – 107
7. Nathan Herne – 104.5
8. Harrison Jones – 95
9. Zac Soutar – 64.5
10. Jordan Boys – 55.5
Comments