Zak Lobko will lead the CHE Racing Team campaign at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend for the final round of the Australian Formula Ford Series.
This will be the second trip the national series makes to the premier motor racing facility in New South Wales and it proved an impressive weekend for Lobko back in August.
Maintaining a position in the top 10 in each race, Lobko finished a best of sixth in Race 2 as teammate James Piszcyk clean-swept the round, but will miss the finale to take up a test opportunity overseas.
Lobko has demonstrated rapid improvement since his last trip to Sydney Motorsport Park as his best qualifying and race results occurred a round later at Morgan Park.
Currently 10th in the standings, Lobko is aiming to be eighth by the close of the weekend’s action to end his maiden Australian Formula Ford Series campaign on a high.
Joining Lobko will be CHE Racing Team’s New South Wales State Formula Ford Championship driver Imogen Radburn, who is targeting a podium result in the standings in just her first season of racing after stepping up from karts.
Radburn is fourth in NSW State Championship and with double points on offer for those competitors this weekend, third is very much achievable as she lies just 12-points adrift.
This weekend completes a very competitive Formula Ford season in both state and national competitions for the CHE Racing Team.
QUOTES
Zak Lobko
#7 Elite Attachments Australia/CHE Racing Team
“It’s going to be my first time going to a track to race for a second time, so I think I should go quite well as I gained a lot of experience from my first time at Sydney Motorsport Park.
If I can move up a few more spots in the series I’d be happy. I’m going to finish top 10 in the title in my first year and I’m quite happy with that. I’ve been competing against drivers with two or three years more experience, so to come top 10 is quite good, but I believe eighth is still on the table, so I’d like to get that.
Learning from Cameron, Colin and Tom has been good. Obviously, they have a lot of experience in Formula Ford and they’ve moved on to bigger categories, but learning racecraft and different driving techniques has really helped me throughout the year.
Imogen Radburn
#29 Ironman 4x4 Kinghorn/CHE Racing Team
“I’m hoping to maintain fourth position in the state championship and maybe have a crack at third,” said Radburn.
“The forecast says it will be dry and if it remains that way it will be the second time I’ve raced in those conditions, but that should be okay.
“I don’t have high expectations, it’s more of a learning experience and gaining more time in the car. I know the drivers I need to beat, so I’ll be focused on doing that.
“It’s been a challenging season, but I’ve learnt a lot moving up from karts to Formula Ford in such a short time.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the CHE Racing Team heaps. It’s a very professional team, well organised and I recently had Cam come down to my place two hours away to do a planning session, so it is a serious operation. I’ve learnt a lot from all aspects whether it be Cam, the mechanics or my teammates.”
