WILLIAMS STRIKES FIRST IN SEASON 2025 AT PHILLIP ISLAND
A bumper field of 26 Formula Ford machines descended on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to launch the 2025 Australian Formula Ford Series, in conjunction with the second outing of the Victorian Formula Ford Championships.
All 12 competitors in the national series were joined by a further eight drivers contesting the state Duratec title, with six further entrants in Kent-class machines pining for Victorian FF1600 points.
New faces and veterans alike took advantage of dry conditions for qualifying and the weekend’s first race, in what was a damp and challenging day for the rest of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships sharing the paddock.
Qualifying
Kobi Williams (#94 ACMF/Siclids Spectrum) secured the first Racer Industries Pole Award of the season with his last lap of the session.
With a slightly damp track rapidly drying throughout the session, Williams’ time of 1:39.1269 was a whopping 0.4453 ahead of second-placed Seth Burchartz (#24 Tickford Autosport Spectrum).
Qualifying results:
Race 1
Williams successfully converted pole to clinch the first win of the season, emerging victorious from a fierce podium battle.
Burchartz nailed the launch from the outside grid slot, but the #94 stayed alongside and slotted back into the lead at the end of the opening straight.
The action only lasted one lap before Jack Pennacchia (#44 Mygale) came unstuck at Siberia, necessitating a brief détente behind the Safety Car.
Williams waited until the last possible second to plant his foot on the restart, in an effort to break away from Burchartz, Lachlan Evennett (#88 BF Racing/Ottostyle Spectrum) and Joe Fawcett (#23 ICCONS/Build Fourth/Konstrukt Spectrum).
It was a strategy that played out well for Williams, who held the advantage by a handful of car lengths while the battle for second kicked off behind him.
Evennett and Burchartz soon found themselves leap-frogged by Fawcett, who then went on to set the fastest lap and slipstream past Williams for the lead on lap 5.
The two leaders proceeded to swap positions all the way to the end, and Evennett found the pace to catch up to the leaders after shaking off Burchartz.
Lap traffic in the final corner compressed the podium battle into a grandstand finish, and it was Williams who prevailed – barely – by 0.0416s ahead of Fawcett.
Evenett rounded out the podium a mere 0.0917 seconds later, followed by Burchartz, Hunter Salvatore (#16 Versa Motorsport Spectrum), William Lowing (#53 Mygale), Lachlan Mineeff (#15 Anglo Motorsport/MMS Mygale), Toby McCormack (#86 Simple Green/BF Racing Spectrum), Fraser Hie (#11 Spectrum) and Bradley James (#61 Carac/Marcos Ambrose Motorsport Spectrum).
Van Diemens filled out the rostrum in the Victorian Kent class, with Richard Davison (#40) leading home Dean Koutsoumidis (#12) and Craig Arnold (#90).
The action continues tomorrow, with Race 2 (9:05am) and Race 3 (12:46pm) rounding out the weekend.
Race 3 results: