CHE Racing Formula Ford driver Lachlan Mineeff has enjoyed his first experience of racing a Formula Ford in the wet, surviving the tricky conditions in the weekend’s second round of the national series at Queensland Raceway to maintain his position inside the top 10 standings.
After qualifying eighth, Mineeff ran as high as fifth on the greasy track in Race 1, before falling back to 11th.
The Southern Highlands driver demonstrated strong pace in Race 2, moving up to eighth. He was making more progress in Race 3, working his way up to sixth before being caught out by oil left on the circuit by another car, and spinning down to 12th.
“It was good experience this weekend; I had never raced a Formula Ford in the wet before, but fortunately I had raced in the rain in other categories so I had an idea of what to expect,” Mineeff said.
“Unfortunately, the track conditions got worse as the first race progressed, and our car setup was more suited to a dry track, which cost us some positions at the end.
“Our pace in Race 2 was good – we were fast enough to be in the top five.
“We had a strong car in Race 3 as well, so it was a shame to be caught out by the oil on the very last lap.”
Mineeff said the weekend was another valuable learning experience.
“We weren’t able to do a test day before the event, which put us at a disadvantage compared to all the drivers who had done previous laps at the track,” Mineeff said.
“For us to be fast enough to be in the top five was encouraging, but car speed doesn’t mean much if you don’t have track position, and we were further back than we would have liked.
“We still banked some solid points and maintained a good position in the championship, which is important.
“The next round is on my home turf at Wakefield Park, a track where I’ve done plenty of laps, so hopefully we can translate our home ground advantage into top five results,” Mineeff concluded.
Round 3 of the Australian Formula Ford Championship is at Wakefield Park, 25-27 May.
Round Results Summary
Qualifying: 8th
Race 1: 11th
Race 2: 8th
Race 3: 12th
Overall: 11th
Top 10 Points – After Round 2
=1. Hunter McElrea – 103
=1. Hamish Ribarits – 103
3. Liam McLellan – 69
4. Zac Soutar – 66
=5. Nathan Herne – 54
=5. Cameron Shields – 54
=7. Courtney Prince – 49
=7. Jake Donaldson – 49
9. Angelo Mouzouris – 46
10. Lachlan Mineeff – 37
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
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