2014 Formula Ford National Series is all go

The future of Formula Ford national level racing in 2014 has been secured with CAMS officially giving the Formula Ford Association’s proposal for a revised national series the tick of approval.

The five round series will see four rounds held as part of the Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals and an additional round as part of the Island Magic event at Phillip Island.

Round 1 25-27 April Mallala Motorsport Park

Round 2 13-15 June Winton Motor Raceway

Round 3 8-10 August Queensland Raceway

Round 4 17-19 October Wakefield Park Motor Raceway

Round 5 29-30 November Phillip Island

Additional rounds may be considered if viable and in line with competitor demand.

“Our aim was to restructure a national racing series to rebuild participation. A cost reduction is pivotal in doing this and where we race makes a big difference to the costs for participants. The commercial realities of running a national series has lead us to this point and we are pleased that we have a positive direction for all those seeking to participate and support Formula Ford”, said Formula Ford Association chairman John Van Leeuwen.

As part of the revised series, the Formula Ford 1600 Kent powered cars will return as a second tier class alongside the Formula Ford Fiesta cars.

The Fiesta powered cars will continue to be the preeminent Formula Ford national class with the Kent powered cars fighting out their own series.

“When your focus is on cost containment and boosting participation you need to tap into as many pockets of the racing community as possible. It is for this reason we are reintroducing the Formula Ford 1600 Kent powered cars as a second tier category in the national series. Not only are there over three hundred and fifty Kent powered cars in Australia that would be eligible to now compete at national level but it also provides prospective competitors greater avenues to participate in Formula Ford at the highest level in the country”, said John Van Leeuwen.

The Formula Ford 1600 cars are not new to national level racing having been raced between 1969 and 2005 before the introduction of the Fiesta powered cars. Both classes of cars have raced successfully at state level events for many years, proving that they can successfully coexist in the same race and supply healthy grid numbers.

As part of the Shannons National programme, Formula Ford will return to the airwaves. The Shannons Nationals TV package not only includes coverage on SBS Speedweek and Fox SPEED but also includes live internet streaming of all Sunday races, “on demand” tv via the Shannons Nationals website and motorsport tv app.

“The addition of Formula Ford on the Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals is welcomed by us. It not only provides another open wheel category to our offering but also showcases some of the up and coming young talent in Australia.”, said Shannons Nationals Series Director Rob Curkpatrick.

The Formula Ford Association is now working towards completing the final stages of preparation for the 2014 series with some further exciting initiatives to be announced in due course.

For further enquiries email admin@formulaford.org.au.