Sargent Pumped for Formula Ford Debut

Young racer Tom Sargent can barely contain his excitement ahead of his debut in the NSW Formula Ford Championship this weekend with the CHE Racing Team.

The 16-year-old karting star has prepared thoroughly for his first race meeting in a full-sized car, but says there will be nothing like racing wheel-to-wheel against other young guns.

“We’ve done a lot of testing to make sure we’re as well-prepared as possible, and I can’t wait to see how I stack up against the rest of the field,” Sargent said.

“Cameron Hill has given me some excellent driver coaching and his dad Colin Hill is one of the best race engineers in the category, but there are some very talented drivers in the field this weekend. I’m aiming to run solidly in the mid-pack, and maybe challenging some of the front-runners towards the end of the weekend.”

The talented drivers Sargent refers to include Cameron Shields and Nathan Herne, who are two of the front-runners in the Australian Formula Ford Series, along with Jake Donaldson who won races in last year’s NSW Formula Ford Championship.

“I’ll be racing against some of the best Formula Ford drivers in Australia this weekend, but I see that as a good thing – it gives me a benchmark to aim towards,” Sargent said.

“Sydney Motorsport Park is an awesome track – Turn 1 is a really fast corner so you have to be very brave, and there are some technical elevation changes around the back of the circuit which require a lot of precision.

“I know we’ve prepared the best we can, so now it’s time to hit the track and have some fun,” Sargent concluded.

The weekend’s action consists of practice on Friday, qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, and Races 2 and 3 on Sunday.