New Zealander headlines record Yokohama Tyre AASA Australian Formula Ford Championship field

Three new entries headlined by New Zealander Maxim Kirwan will compete at the latest round of the Yokohama Tyre AASA Australian Formula Ford Championship run in conjunction with the AASA Race Series Fight in the Night event at Queensland Raceway.

Kirwan is joined by local drivers Angus Baills and Lochlan Shearsmith in a record field of 19 entries at Queensland Raceway.

After making his Formula Ford debut last November in his native New Zealand, Kirwan has achieved impressive results leading to third in the title by April. Kirwan has since made the next progression in his career by racing an elder model Toyota Racing Series model in Formula Racing NZ and testing a newer specification chassis at Hampton Downs last month.

Kirwan’s entry will be run by the experienced Synergy Motorsport squad led by Justin Cotter, who already field an entry for Giuseppe Imbrogno.

Baills and Shearsmith both make the step up into national competition after making their respective debuts in the Queensland Formula Ford Championship at the beginning of this season.

All three are exciting additions to the championship, which is currently led by Triple Eight Race Engineering protege Oli Wickham by 43-points from Seth Burchartz.

Isaac Demellweek endured a rough event at Sydney Motorsport Park and lost ground to the lead duo, while fourth-placed Jamie Rowe is missing from the field due to an injury suffered between rounds.

Lachie Mineeff won last time out at Queensland Raceway in emotional fashion and will be aiming to close the gap to those ahead in the title race.

Consistency will be key for Hunter Salvatore as he builds towards breaking into the top five, with Will Lowing the biggest mover after a maiden win in Sydney.

Rounding out the top 10 contenders in the title are Kaleb Belak, Sam March and Brad James.

Remaining entries for this round include Giuseppe Imbrogno, Xavier Henderson, Tabitha Ambrose, Will Hickey, Rio Campbell, Ryan DeBorre and Jett Leicester.

The Yokohama Tyre AASA Australian Formula Ford Championship will feature three practice sessions on Friday followed by Qualifying and two races on Saturday, then replicated on Sunday.

QUOTES

Maxim Kirwan

#68 Synergy Motorsport Spectrum

“I’m super excited to come over to Australia and go for it,” said Kirwan.

“My mechanic Phil Barrett has contacts in Australia and he’s familiar with the Spectrum chassis, so a few phone calls were made to piece it altogether.

“I’ve done a lot of sim racing with the Formula Ford in iRacing and Assetto Corsa practicing at Queensland Raceway. It’s a pretty fun track, which is quite fast considering it is just a six-corner layout.

“For the weekend I want to be obviously at the front and win, that’s got to be the aim. For my career, the aim is to go to Formula 1.”

Schedule (All times AEST)

Friday, August 14

Practice 1 9:05am

Practice 2 10:55am

Practice 3 1:25pm

Saturday, August 15

Qualifying 9:30am

Race 1 1:25pm

Race 2 3:35pm

Sunday, August 16

Qualifying 8:40pm

Race 1 12:00pm

Race 2 3:05pm