How Did We Win the Championship?

The championship was alive for 74 days, from the 25th of January to the 6th of April, and we were hustling to score more points than anyone else.

So, how did we win the championship? Well - we scored 923 points. Thanks for reading my newsletter!

I'm joking, of course. So how did we actually win?

Saturday at Hampton Downs

We rounded up our testing as one of the fastest cars on the track, showing what we'd worked so hard to achieve. Unfortunately that meant nobody would want to give us a tow come qualifying. We banked a lap good enough for P4, but weren't helped out anywhere else. I'd have loved a better grid, but the action starts at Race 1.

We went into Lap 1, Turn 3 in 4th, and exited last - turned in a big crash and almost taken out of the race. Red flag. We restarted second to last... the lights went green and we were flying, passing multiple cars every lap to climb from 16th to 4th in around seven laps. We were then caught up in an incident, leaving us with a flat tyre to follow the safety car over the line. P3 with the fastest lap! (We crossed the line 4th; the championship structure meant we inherited P3 points in both NIFF and NZFF.)

Sunday at Hampton Downs

We weren't gifted anything today. It was a hard-fought battle with a seriously big target on our back, but we emerged with an even bigger championship lead than we started the weekend with.

In Race 2 I barely had time to breathe - it was all on from lights to chequered. The race got really messy and I had no idea where I'd finished until the penalties were called. I crossed the line 6th, but wound up with 5th for NZFF and 3rd for NIFF. Race 3 we finished 4th. After a crazy weekend I was delighted to finish 3rd for the round, extending the championship lead to 80 points.

The Manfeild Decider

What a weekend to finish the championship. Getting to sleep in my own bed and race with my mates supporting me made the end of the championship even sweeter. Manfeild was the track where I did my first race, got my first win - and now it was where I'd get my first championship.

All through practice the track was wet, and we were fighting for data on the dry setup. The local knowledge is always handy, and we made the right call going into a mixed-condition qualifying, coming out P2 - missing pole by 0.04 seconds.

Race 1 was a two-car race between Toby and me right to the end. The track was drying every lap, and I kept on top of the car to cross the line 1st, with a huge 9.6 second gap back to 3rd. Race 2 was another close one with a pack fighting at the front; this time Toby just had the edge, crossing the line 0.127 seconds ahead of me.

April 6th - a day I'll remember. We carefully reviewed our data and footage overnight. I had the privilege of starting on the front row again, and I made the absolute most of it, taking the lead early and pulling a gap to begin Race 3. This was the race where the championship was decided, and I didn't want to make a boring one of it. Toby and I made a break, but the race wasn't over until it was over. I took the outside into the final corner and ran the car around the outside to take the win and the championship. To say I was happy is an understatement.

“I took the outside into the final corner of the race and ran the car around the outside to take the win - and the championship.”

So why did I even go out for the last race? The Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy. This trophy means a lot to me - I won it the first time in 2023 while wearing Kenny Smith's gloves, and it was also my first race win in the Ford. So I wanted to go and win it again. And win it I did, in a race that went all the way, with the first three cars crossing within three tenths of a second.

At prizegiving, all of our hard work showed, as I picked up trophy after trophy - each one representing weeks and weeks of work, all recognised in a moment. What a championship!

Why Does This Championship Mean So Much?

I've held the dream of winning this championship since I was a young boy driving go-karts. Formula Ford has been a winning formula since it began just over 50 years ago. The class means a lot to me, and I can truly say I've developed massively as a driver over my time in the Ford.

Another huge motivation was the incredible prize provided by Rodin Cars - the Formula Ford to Formula 1 Programme, a collaboration between Rodin Cars and MotorSport NZ creating a new pathway to Formula 1, with the NZFF champion invited to an all-expenses-paid, three-day testing and evaluation programme.

In the Press & Replays