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Australian Formula Ford Championship

Category	Open Wheel Racing Formula Ford
Country	Australia
Inaugural season	1970
Engine suppliers	1.6 litre Ford Duratec
Tyre suppliers	Yokohama
Drivers' champion	Eddie Beswick
Official website	formulaford.com.au
Current season

The Australian Formula Ford Championship is an Australian motor racing competition for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars, held annually since 1970. From 1970 until 1992 it was a national series and from 1993 until 2013 the series was sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as the Australian Formula Ford Championship. From 2014 to 2018 it reverted to national series status. The Australian Formula Ford Championship name was then applied to the series by the Formula Ford Association from 2019.

Australian Formula Ford is renowned for producing future champions in other categories with many V8 Supercar drivers and Australian international open-wheeler drivers having had a background in the category.

History

The Formula Ford category was established in Great Britain in 1967 and two years later Australia's first Formula Ford race was staged at the Sandown circuit in Victoria. A national series was contested in Australia for the first time in 1970 and then annually through to 1992. In the following year the series was granted national title status by CAMS and officially became the Australian Formula Ford Championship. After having powered Australian Formula Fords since the introduction of the category, the 1600cc Ford “Kent” engine was replaced by the third-generation Ford Fiesta unit for the 2006 Australian Championship. The "Kent" powered cars continued to be raced in various State championships under the "Formula Ford 1600" category name.

The series has served as a stepping stone for many Australian racing drivers who have gone on to greater things in motor racing both in Australia and overseas. Notably, 1971 winner Larry Perkins went on to race in the Formula One World Championship and other winners Russell Ingall, Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup have each gone on to claim V8 Supercar titles. Other graduates of Australian Formula Ford include Brad Jones, Marcos Ambrose, Tomas Mezera, Jason Bright, Steven Richards, David Besnard, Will and Alex Davison, and nine-time Formula One race winner Mark Webber finished third in the F1 World championship on three occasions.

Formula Ford has also proven a popular proving ground for Australian racing car manufacturers. In its early years the series was dominated by Australian designs from Elfin Sports Cars, Bowin Cars, Mawer and Birrana. 1987 to 1997 was dominated by the British marque Van Diemen, winning eleven straight titles. The streak was broken in 1998 by Australian marque Spectrum, built by Borland Racing Developments. Van Diemen faded in the mid-2000s and Australian grids are now almost exclusively filled with Spectrums and French made Mygales.

Once mainly the domain of competitor self-run teams, the modern series is dominated by professional racing teams. Sonic Motor Racing Services and Synergy Motorsport both field multi-car teams, while some of those and Spectrum works team Borland Racing Developments also compete in the Victorian Formula Ford championship.

Australian Formula Ford Series

In August 2013 the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport announced that the Australian Formula Ford Championship would be discontinued at the end of 2013. The Formula Ford Association subsequently announced that approval had been obtained from CAMS to organize a national series for 2014. It was contested over six rounds and was officially known as the Australian Formula Ford Series. “Kent” powered cars were re-introduced for the 2014 series.

During the 2016 season, the championship ran one event at a race meeting sanctioned by the Australian Auto Sport Alliance.

In 2017, the Queensland round was run at a "RACERS' sanctioned race meeting.

For 2018 four of the seven rounds will be run at CAMS sanctioned race meetings, two at the AASA sanctioned "AMRS" series, and one at Queensland Raceway again.

The winner of the Australian Formula Ford Series was awarded a "golden ticket" to the INDYCAR Road to Indy Shootout, provided the driver is age-eligible per INDYCAR regulations. If the winner is ineligible (as was the case in 2016 because of age), the driver highest in points eligible for the award will claim the prize. The 2018 Australian Formula Ford winner won the Shootout, and was awarded a 2019 USF2000 ride fully funded by the promoters.

Now the winner is awarded a test in a current gen DJR supercar.

State championships

Formula Ford has also proved to be a very popular category for state level series and championships, including competitions held in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. In the majority these championships continue to utilise the first-generation Ford Kent engine. State level series have served as a stepping stone for kart racers looking for a cheap entry level into circuit racing before moving into the national series. State series often provided additional cars to the national series.

Series winners and Australian Champions

National Series

Australian Formula Ford Championship

Australian Formula Ford Series

Australian Formula Ford Championship

References

1. "Australian Titles, 2016 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, as archived at web.archive.org" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
2. 2014 Australian Formula Ford Series Sporting Regulations, docs.cams.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
3. 2018 FFA NATIONAL FORMULA FORD SERIES SPORTING REGULATIONS, formulaford.org.au, as archived at web.archive.org
4. "2019 Australian Formula Ford Association Championship Sporting Regulations, formulaford.org.au, as archived at web.archive.org" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
5. History Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.formulaford.com.au on 25 September 2009
6. CAMS Manual of Motor Sport > About CAMS > Australian Titles Archived 3 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.camsmanual.com.au on 25 September 2009
7. What is Formula Ford Archived 22 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.formulaford.com.au on 25 September 2009
8. A quick Overview of Kent Formula Ford Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.formulaford1600.com.au on 25 September 2009
9. National Formula Ford Championship to be axed, Tuesday 27 August 2013, www.speedcafe.com Retrieved on 11 October 2013
10. 2014 Formula Ford National Series is all go, 8 November 2013, formulaford.org.au Retrieved on 27 November 2013
11. 2014 Australian Formula Ford Series Sporting Regulations, formulaford.org.au Retrieved on 28 April 2014
12. Formula Future Locked, The Racing Magazine, Number 11, Australian Motor Racing Pty Ltd, page 6
13. ^ Records & Stats Archived 18 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.formulaford.com.au on 26 September 2009
14. Reynard Owners Listings Archived 17 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 24 August 2011
15. 2014 Australian FORMULA FORD SERIES, formulaford.org.au, as archived at web.archive.org
16. "2019 Pointscores, Australian Formula Ford Championship, www.formulaford.org.au, as archived at web.archive.org". Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
17. "Mat Coch, COVID claims Australian Formula Ford Championship, Tuesday 15th September 2020, www.speedcafe.com, as archived at web.archive.org". 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
18. Thomas, Miles (30 October 2022). "VALENTINO ASTUTI SECURES THE 2022 FORMULA FORD SERIES TITLE". Auto Action. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

External links

• Australian Formula Ford Championship
• Auto racing series in Australia
• 1970 establishments in Australia
• Sports leagues established in 1970