A competitive field of young drivers will take to the grid in Timaru this weekend as the 2024/25 Yokohama South Island Formula Ford Championship (SIFF) gets underway. The Timaru International Raceway hosts the first of five rounds which will see the return of a number of seasoned South Island drivers joined by two very competitive North Islanders.
Will Neale (Van Dieman RF94) from Prebbleton will be hard to beat, coming with a lot of race experience having finished third overall in last season’s NZ Formula Ford Championship. He knows how to win, is used to standing on the podium and has experience on all the South Island circuits.
Neale will have his hands full with Auckland’s Dylan Grant entered for this round. Driving a Van Diemen RF03, Grant is the defending Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF) champion and sits second overall after the opening NIFF round in October and will be hunting for race wins. Also down from the North Island is Toby McCormack (Spectrum 015) now in his second Formula Ford season and having moved up to a Class 1 car.
Dylan Petch (Van Dieman RF93) returns with extensive Formula Ford experience, last year competing in the national series and finishing third in the SIFF Championship. Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Izaak Fletcher (Ray GR20), will be looking for race wins after standing on the podium four times.
Jacob Begg, Jacob Cunniffe and Ryan Denize will all be driving Mygale’s under the Nigel Barclay & Co Racing Projects Team. Begg and Cunniffe return with a season’s experience while Denize comes to the category after competing in the TR86 Championship last summer.
Dyson Freeman (Van Dieman RF92) makes a welcome return and will quickly need to get up to speed for the Class 2 battle with his cousin Cameron Freeman (Van Diemen RF92).
The Hampton Downs NZ Driving Academy will again be sponsoring the fastest qualifier at each round with a $500 cash prize. The award is part of the $60,000 Formula Ford prize pool from the Tony Quinn Foundation with funding for travel and testing opportunities with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ. NAPA Auto Parts will again offer prizes for both Driver of the Day and Rookie of the Year and Yokohama return as the tyre of choice for Formula Ford Racing in NZ.
This summer sees a collaboration between Rodin Cars and MotorSport NZ to create a new pathway to Formula 1 with the NZFF champion and selected Formula Ford drivers invited to an all-expenses-paid, three-day testing and evaluation program with Rodin Cars in New Zealand.
From there a driver who exhibits exceptional talent has the possibility to test with Rodin Motorsport in the UK with the possibility of securing a seat in one of Rodin’s F4 teams.
Timaru International Raceway will host qualifying and the first of three races this Saturday 2 November 2024 with the final two races on Sunday.
South Island Formula Ford Round 1 Entry List
| 17 | Dylan Petch | Van Dieman RF93 |
| 18 | Jacob Begg | Mygale SJ08A |
| 19 | Cameron Freeman | Van Dieman RF92 |
| 20 | Dylan Grant | Van Dieman RF03 |
| 24 | Ryan Denize | Mygale SJ08A |
| 26 | Dylan Freeman | Van Dieman RF92 |
| 28 | Will Neale | Van Dieman RF94 |
| 35 | Izaak Fletcher | Ray GR20, |
| 56 | Jacob Cunniffe | Mygale SJ12 |
| 77 | Jake Bryant | Van Dieman RF94 |
| 86 | Toby McCormack | Spectrum 015 |
| 99 | Michael Hey | Van Dieman Stealth, |
2024/25 Yokohama South Island Formula Ford Championship Calendar
| Nov 2-3 | Timaru International Raceway |
| Nov 23-24 | Euromarque Motorsport Park |
| Dec 7-8 | Teretonga Park Raceway |
| Jan 25-26 | Timaru International Raceway |
| Mar 22-23 | Euromarque Motorsport Park |
