Maiden race and round win for McCormack in North Island Formula Ford Series

Auckland’s Toby McCormack has claimed his first Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford race victory and round win at the Taupo Motorsport Park on Sunday. After finishing runner up in the opening race, McCormack (Spectrum 015) went on to win the remaining two races and has now moved into second overall in the six-round series. Blake Dowdall (Spectrum 015) continues to lead the points table after winning the opening race and then finishing second and third.

“I’m very happy with how we went this weekend,” commented McCormack. “We spent a lot of the off-season thoroughly rebuilding the car. In the opening round we had a few problems which we have sorted, and everything went right this weekend with no problems. Practice day really helped with how it went and the preparation leading into Sunday’s racing.”

Third overall for the round was Leo Scott with three podiums who was also awarded the NAPA Auto Parts Driver of the Day award for his outstanding return to the category after 18-months off.

Scott (Spectrum 010) proved quickest in qualifying taking home a $500 cash prize supplied by the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy with McCormack less than a tenth behind and Dowdall third ahead of Shane Drake (Van Diemen RF92).

“I didn’t quite have the pace of Blake (Dowdall) in the opening race,” said McCormack. “We were using older tyres from the first round and lost the tow which is really important at Taupo.

“We ran new tyres for the second race. I didn’t get the best of starts dropping to fourth so pushed hard as we knew we had a tyre advantage getting passed Blake then Leo. Once I got rid of the draft, I was able to create a gap until the end.

“It was a lot closer in the final race. Leo was really quick and once I got passed, again I was able to create a gap to the end.”

While the top three battled for podium placings, behind them was a fight between Reagan Edwards (Spectrum 015), Jack Groenewald (Mygale SJ07A) and Shane Drake (Van Diemen RF92) for a top five result.

Dowdall has a 32-point lead over McCormack with Scott a further 45-points back in third followed by Edwards, Groenewald and Drake.

“The round went really well for us,” commented Dowdall. “We are playing the long game with tyres, so we used the same set for all three races as we know the Taupo circuit is hard on rubber. I’m very happy with our speed and know there is more to come.”

The third round takes place 7-8 December 2024 at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding with four races over the two-day event.

“We have a lot of confidence for the rest of the season,” said McCormack. “Our main focus is the nationals so pleased with the Taupo round.”

The Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy 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 New Zealand 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.