The North Island Formula Ford Championship have unveiled their latest plan to accelerate the growth and expansion of the category by targeting up-and-coming drivers.
Series organisers, with the help of 15 investors, have purchased a 2001 Van Diemen Class 1 Formula Ford. The car will then be prepped and run at NIFF ‘Have a Go’ days held twice a month at Hampton Downs.
Drivers from KartSport, Formula First, Toyota 86 and the BMW Race Driver Series looking to make the step into Formula Ford will be offered the opportunity to receive tuition and guidance from experienced NIFF engineers and drivers at the test days.
Three drivers will be selected for each day, and all will get 100km of testing mileage across multiple sessions.
NIFF will run a “Have A Go” day approximately every second month at Hampton Downs, where three drivers get 100km testing mileage over several sessions.
The car will also be available for lease for race meetings or private test sessions. Other drive options, tracks, and distances will be up for discussion if demand is high is enough.
The ‘Have A Go’ days are a non-profit program and designed purely to provide the opportunity to test a Formula Ford and encourage participation in FF racing in our domestic competitions.
It is not the first initiative taken this year to boost the participation of Formula Ford racing for young drivers.
2020 also saw the launch of the ‘Accelerate to the Podium’ concept by Invercargill-based team Track Tec Racing.
The team will run cars in both Formula First and the NZ Formula Ford Championship with the hope of collapsing some of the financial barriers often experienced by aspiring Kiwi drivers.
NIFF ‘Have a Go’ car will be on display this Saturday at Hampton Downs as part of round two of the 2020/21 championship.