Blake Dowdall has won the 2025 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship title at the final fourth round at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Fielding over the weekend.
Having led all season, Dowdall continued to dominate the round and scored enough provisional points to claim the title after the third of four races. He then won the 18-lap Morrie Smith Memorial race, the second time he has etched his name on this trophy.
“Feels amazing,” said Dowdall.
“Winning this title means the world to me as it’s something I have wanted to do for years. It’s a day I will remember.
“It’s been a tough season, but we’ve managed to be well prepared and made our luck the whole way through.”
Second overall was South Island Formula Ford champion Will Neale, just one point ahead of a resurgent Toby McCormack.
McCormack struggled through the first two rounds with car troubles before he had the perfect third round, setting the fastest lap and winning all three races, which then propelled him to third overall.
This weekend, he was fastest again in qualifying, picking up the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy $1,010.10 cash prize. He then twice finished second to Dowdall and won a race, putting him provisionally second overall.
However, while leading the final race, he went wide on the last corner, heading onto the start-finish line, and dropped down the order. A safety car period brought the field together, giving him another chance to close the gap. However, he fell short by one point, finishing third overall.
Dowdall is now the recipient of a three-day evaluation at Rodin Cars in North Canterbury as part of their Formula Ford to Formula One Pathway with the opportunity to compete in single-seater categories in Europe with Rodin Motorsport. Rodin Cars Managing Director Emma Duncan awarded the prize at the weekend, along with a wildcard prize for Toby McCormack.
In a fortnight’s time, the pair will spend three days at Rodin Cars near Waiau, where they will undergo driver training and evaluation with Australian driver/coach Mark Williamson. Both simulator and track experience will see them progress through driving a McLaren GT4, a Formula 4, and a Formula 3 single-seater.
In addition to the experience, there may be an opportunity to test a Formula 4 car in the UK, with options for competing in the category with Rodin Motorsport.
The weekend was also the final sixth round of the 2024/25 North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF), in which McCormack came out on top, beating Dowdall by 13 points with Shane Drake in third. Jack Groenewald won the Driver of the Day and the NIFF Rookie of the Year awards.
In the overall national standings, Jacob Begg won the Stephen Gillard Trophy for Top Rookie Driver.
Dowdall won the round, the national title and the Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy for the final race of the season.
“I first won this race back in 2023,” commented Dowdall.
“Before that race, Kenny Smith (Morrie Smith’s son) gave me his old race gloves, shook my hand, and told me I had to go out and win it. That was my first-ever race win in Formula Ford, so I was thrilled to do it again.
“It’s icing on the cake. It’s the best way to wrap up our time in Formula Ford.
“I think the South Island (rounds) were absolutely crucial to our success. We got to grips with two new tracks pretty quickly and that gave us a good advantage heading back north to our home tracks.”
Dowdall now has six Super Licence points towards participating in the Repco Supercars Championship, with a total of 15 points required over the past five years to be eligible to race in the series.
This season’s prizes included a $51,000 travel fund made available by the Tony Quinn Foundation. NAPA Auto Parts has offered prizes for Driver of the Day at each round, while Yokohama is the tyre of choice for Formula Ford Racing in NZ.
2025 NZ Formula Ford Championship Overall Points:
- 1. Blake Dowdall 923
- 2. Will Neale 792
- 3. Toby McCormack 791
- 4. James Penrose 719
- 5. Dylan Grant 670
- 6. Jacob Begg 640
- 7. Lincoln Taylor 511
- 8. Izaak Fletcher 501
- 9. Dylan Petch 384
- 10. Campbell Owens 377
- 11. Diesel Thomas 348
- 12. Jacob Cunniffe 261
- 13. Reagan Edwards 207
- 14. Ryan Denize 121
North Island Formula Ford Series Overall Points:
- 1. Toby McCormack 1461
- 2. Blake Dowdall 1444
- 3. Jack Groenewald 994
- 4. Dylan Grant 581
- 5. Reagan Edwards 559
- 6. Fletcher Sloan 534
- 7. Leo Scott 492
- 8. Campbell Owens 391
- 9. Marco Manson 381
- 10. Nick Buxeda 351
- 11. Kim Crocker 288
- 12. Mason Potter 259
- 13. Toby Musico 231
- 14. Bree Morris 129
- 15. Josh Thomas 42
Header Image: Oliver Foote
