Tom Sargent has extended his lead in the NSW Formula Ford Championship by taking his second-consecutive overall round victory, winning two of the three races at Sydney Motorsport Park on Sunday.
Sargent qualified second behind Cody Burcher and finished second behind his rival after a close battle in Race 1.
“In qualifying, the track temperature was very hot, which meant we only had limited opportunities to record a fast lap; unfortunately I made a mistake on my best lap and lost some time,” Sargent said.
“Cody had a pace advantage in Race 1; I was defending for most of the race but eventually he got past me.”
Some well-judged setup changes from Sargent’s CHE Racing Team improved his car for the second race, which he won despite some challenging track conditions.
“Just before our second race, there was an oil spill in one of the other races; the officials put some absorbent material on the circuit to soak it up, and when we went racing it was extremely dusty and slippery,” Sargent said.
“However, the crew did an excellent job of setting up the car and it really suited those conditions, which gave us an advantage.”
Sargent won the third race, withstanding some early pressure from Burcher.
“The third race was hard work, Cody was very fast in the early stages,” Sargent said.
“Fortunately, I was able to pull a gap and bring it home for the win.
“Overall, we had to work hard this weekend, so it’s very satisfying to come away with another round win and extend our advantage in the championship.”
Sargent isn’t expecting the final round at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park circuit, on 12-13 December, to be any easier.
“Formula Ford racing is always extremely close at Wakefield Park and we don’t normally race so late into the year; the weather in Goulburn can be brutally hot in December so we’re anticipating another big challenge,” he concluded.
