Southern Highlands racing driver Lachlan Mineeff achieved his goal of finishing in the top 10 in his maiden Australian Formula Ford Championship round at Winton Motor Raceway on the weekend, but says there are plenty more improvements to come.
The CHE Racing/Southern Star Truck Centre driver qualified eighth before slipping to 11th in Race 1 with a slow start.
In Race 2, the 15-year-old slipped back to 16th after stalling on the grid, but recovered to finish ninth.
Mineeff again had to work hard in Race 3 after a clutch issue caused another slow start, but he fought back to eighth place.
“It was a good learning weekend, and I was pleased to achieve my goal of finishing in the top 10 for the weekend,” Mineeff said.
“Competing in the NSW State Championship last year was a good learning experience for me, but the national series is a whole other level.
“Just to crack the top five will be a real challenge, and at Winton I identified some areas I need to work on for the next round.”
Mineeff’s driver coach and mentor, 2015 Australian Formula Ford Champion Cameron Hill, was pleased with Mineeff’s progress.
“It was a really positive weekend for Lachlan’s first crack at a full national-level campaign in Formula Ford, and Winton was always going to be tough because all the Victorian teams test there,” Hill said.
“We did a lot of work on Lachlan’s race-craft over the weekend and it’s paying off; he has come a long way in confidence, and is a lot more assertive in wheel-to-wheel dicing with other cars.
“Later in the year when the series heads to tracks like Wakefield Park and Sydney Motorsport Park, where Lachlan has done more racing, I think he’ll shine.”
The next round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship is at Queensland Raceway, 20-22 April.
Round Results Summary
Qualifying: 8th
Race 1: 11th
Race 2: 9th
Race 3: 8th
Overall: 10th
Top 10 Points – After Round 1
1. Hunter McElrea – 61
2. Hamish Ribarits – 46
3. Liam McLellan – 34
4. Nathan Herne – 28
5. Zac Soutar – 28
6. Cody Donald – 27
7. Courtney Prince – 26
8. Cameron Shields – 25
9. Angelo Mouzouris – 21
=10. Lachlan Mineeff – 20
=10. Jake Donaldson – 20
Lachlan Mineeff is proudly sponsored by:
Southern Star Truck Centre
UsedTrucks.Sydney
Acceleration Helmet Parts
Race Stars Simulators+ Slot Cars Bowral
Zego Building Systems
Midcoast Trucks
Lous Smash Repairs
Pitman Truck Sales
Global Equipment Finance
Bowdens Own
Thermo King Rail
National Truck Wholesalers
Corsa Custom Apparel
