Tom Sargent says beating the Victorians on their home turf is his goal for this weekend’s sixth round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at Phillip Island.
Sargent is riding a wave of confidence after standout results in his last two race meetings – second overall in the previous national Formula Ford round at Tailem Bend, followed by a race win in the NSW state round at Wakefield Park. But he warns the Phillip Island round will present a tougher assignment.
“Phillip Island is another track I’ve never raced at before, so I’ll be learning the circuit during Friday practice,” Sargent said.
“Not only that, but all the Victorian drivers and teams have done lots of testing and racing there, so they will have the advantage of track knowledge. We’ll have to take full advantage of the practice sessions to get up to the pace as quickly as we can.”
Phillip Island is regarded as one of the premier driver’s circuits in the country, with a mixture of sweeping corners and elevation changes similar to many European tracks.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge – Phillip Island is a circuit I’ve always wanted to drive at. It has some really fast corners, especially Turn 1 where you have to be brave but also flow the car smoothly,” he said.
“Because it’s such a fast track, slipstreaming will be important in qualifying and the races; my team-mate Lachlan (Mineeff) and I will be working on a strategy to help one another in qualifying.
“The last two rounds have given us the confidence to know we can run at the front, so we’ll be doing our best to keep the momentum going.”
Free practice for the Formula Fords kicks off on Friday, with qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, and Races 2 and 3 on Sunday.
