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Reigning Australian Formula Ford Championship winning team CHE Racing kicked off its season at Sandown this weekend, which hosted the first round of the national title.
Forming part of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Series’ opening round, the National Formula Ford title is expected to again be hotly contested as Canberra-based CHE Racing enter with a three-pronged attack featuring Jimmy Piszcyk, Zak Lokbo and Tom McLennan.
Piszcyk, driving the Mygale SJ13 used so effectively by Tom Sargent in last year’s title winning campaign, got his season off to a strong start to be third in qualifying, while Lokbo in sixth and 11th for McLennan proved a solid beginning for CHE Racing.
The opening race of the weekend was a non-event after two incidents resulted in lengthy Safety Car periods, with Piszcyk fourth, Lokbo seventh and McLennan 16th.
Piszcyk continued to fight with the lead pack in Race 2 and finished fifth, as his team-mates failed to complete the event. McLennan stopped on track, while Lokbo dropped out after contact with another competitor during the race’s conclusion.
It was a close fight in the third and final race of the weekend as Piszcyk completed a trio of top 10 results by finishing sixth. With both coming from the rear of the grid, Lokbo finished 18th right ahead of McLennan.
Victoria also holds Round 2 of the Australian Formula Ford Series at Phillip Island as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australian Championships on March 18-20.
QUOTES
Jimmy Piszcyk
“We have finished the first round of the Formula Ford national championship at Sandown, and we had a pretty good weekend,” said Piszcyk.
“There were a lot of Safety Cars, but we learned a lot over the weekend.
“The biggest thing I learnt this weekend was the starts and how important they are for the race. They definitely set you up for the race and I’ll look to use that as we focus on Phillip Island.”
Zak Lobko
“I had a good start to the weekend, qualifying sixth,” said Lobko.
“I had a good first race too, only losing one spot. Considering it was my very first car race, I didn’t think it was too bad.
“In the second race, I had an unfortunate tangle with another driver and started Race 3 from the back.
“The good thing is that I’ve learnt a lot and I’m really looking forward to showing the real pace that I have and get some results.”
Tom McLennan
“It wasn’t the greatest weekend. I qualified in a good position, but for the start of Races 1 and 2, I struggled with a line locking issue,” said McLennan.
“In Race 3, I didn’t use the line lock, made a good start and recovered a few positions which was a positive.
“A huge thanks to CHE Racing for putting on a great weekend and we look forward to getting onto the track at Phillip Island.”
