Rodin Cars ‘Formula Ford to Formula 1’ pathway programme creating international appeal

The joint venture programme between Rodin Cars and MotorSport New Zealand is already creating international interest for drivers to race in the New Zealand Formula Ford championship to earn themselves a test opportunity that may lead to a race seat in the British Formula 4 championship.

It’s been over a decade since an overseas driver entered the Kiwi series but the Rodin Cars offer has already seen a couple young Australian drivers competing in the current series with rookie Lincoln Taylor a race winner and championship contender.

The sixteen year old Queenslander immediately impressed by winning on debut at Timaru’s Levels Raceway during the opening round of the Napa Auto Parts New Zealand Formula Ford championship.

Taylor was unaware of the ‘Formula Ford to Formula 1 pathway, powered by Rodin Cars’ opportunity before he arrived to race in New Zealand, but is now pushing for a place in the testing programme.

“I didn’t know the Rodin opportunity was a thing until I got here but it’s a really good opportunity for the championship winner. We’re going for the championship win obviously but we’ll see where that goes,” said Taylor.

His pathway to the New Zealand Formula Ford championship has been unusually diverse and brings a wide range of racing experiences.

Taylor started kart racing when I was 7 years old, went to speedway, off-road racing, a brief stint in the one-make Hyundai Excel series in Queensland, and most recently raced a Toyota 86 successfully. His previous single-seater experience is a one-off drive in a round of the South East Asian Formula 4 championship.

The first time Taylor ever drove a Formula Ford race car was at Levels and it was an experience he immediately enjoyed.

“Awesome car to drive. I just got in and drove it and I didn’t really have to adapt to anything. I just kept learning and learning and then it all came to me. Every race I improve more and more.

“If the Rodin opportunity arises I’d definitely be there to take it, it’s a good path to be on. If I got an opportunity [to test] it’d be awesome, I’d make the most of it.”

As word of the Formula Ford to Formula 1 pathway gathers more awareness it’s foreseen to encourage international drivers back to the Kiwi championship as happened in the early 2000’s with the likes of Team USA Scholarship entries. Spike Kohlbecker was the last off-shore driver to contest the series back in 2016-17. Even earlier than that, several European drivers like Alexander Wurtz and Brazilian Luciano Burti came to New Zealand to race in their off-seasons, an incentive that still holds today. Australian driver Shannon O’Brien is still the only international driver to have won the New Zealand Formula Ford championship in 2005.

“The day the Rodin Cars programme was announced I had a call from a father in Miami that wanted to bring his kid over to New Zealand, it didn’t happen but it shows how this opportunity has created immediate international interest,” said North Island and national championship coordinator Ian Barlow.

“This is another avenue for someone to try and cut their way to Europe without having to go to Europe and I’d expect even more interest in the future.”

The timing of the New Zealand championship is also at the right time of the year so it doesn’t interfere with too many other series, so that’s a bonus,” added Barlow.

The soon to be crowned 2024-25 Formula Ford champion and selected drivers will be invited to an all-expenses paid, three day testing and evaluation programme with Rodin Cars.