Dowdall in form heading to Taupo for North Island Formula Ford round

Blake Dowdall will be aiming to take his current form into the second round of the 2024/25 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF) at the Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo on Sunday. Currently leading the series, Dowdall (Spectrum 015) was in winning form at the opening round six weeks ago at Hampton Downs and will have a distinct advantage over the field with closest rival Dylan Grant opting not to compete in Taupo.

“It is one of my favourite tracks,” commented Dowdall. “It’s one of those tracks that a lot of drivers are quick, so I expect some good competition.”

His nearest competition will now come from third placed Reagan Edwards (Spectrum 015) and race-ready Toby McCormack (Spectrum 015). Also in the mix is Leo Scott (Spectrum 010) who will be hunting for podiums.

McCormack and Grant both travelled to compete at the opening round of the South Island Formula Ford Championship at the beginning of the month in Timaru where Grant finished all four races in runner up position and McCormack placed sixth. Grant has chosen to leave his car in the South Island while McCormack has returned to compete this weekend.

Rookie Jack Groenewald (Mygale SJ07A) showed outstanding form at Hampton Downs with a podium third place in the rain and is likely to carry this confidence into the second round. NIFF Scholarship rookie driver Fletcher Sloan (Van Diemen RF01) was consistent across the first three races while the addition of experience driver Kim Crocker having his first outing in his Van Diemen RF01 and Nick Buxeda (Van Diemen RF01) will contribute to the mid-field competition.

James Collie (Van Diemen RF91) and Shane Drake (Van Diemen RF92) will be competing for Class 2 honours.

Key for achieving a top result at the Taupo circuit is qualifying well with the added incentive of a $500 cash prize from the Hampton Downs NZ Driving Academy. The award offered at each round is part of a $60,000 Formula Ford prize pool from the Tony Quinn Foundation with funding for travel and testing opportunities with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ. NAPA Auto Parts has prizes for both Driver of the Day and Rookie of the Year and Yokohama continues as the tyre of choice for Formula Ford Racing in NZ.

This summer sees a collaboration between Rodin Cars and MotorSport NZ to create a new pathway to Formula 1 with the NZFF champion and selected Formula Ford drivers invited to an all-expenses-paid, three-day testing and evaluation program with Rodin Cars in New Zealand. From there a driver who exhibits exceptional talent has the possibility to test with Rodin Motorsport in the UK with the possibility of securing a seat in one of Rodin’s F4 teams.

This Sunday will see qualifying followed by three races (2 x 10, 1 x 12 laps).