Chris Symon is returning to defend his Formula First title this year, and while winning is always somewhere in mind, he’s more just excited to get back behind the wheel.
That’s because you will have to go back to April of last year to remember the last time Symon raced a car.
It was a perfect weekend. Symon won all three races in Taupo and wrapped up a first career Formula First title.
In doing so, Symon joined his father Ross as the series’ first father-son pair to etch their names on the championship trophy.
“It was pretty special to win the championship last year alongside my dad,” he said. “He’s just as motivated, if not more, to keep racing and performing well.
“So, winning again would be just as rewarding. He does have four in a row too.”
This weekend’s start to the 2022 season comes a while later than category organisers had initially planned for.
But while the Covid-induced break has given some drivers itchy feet, it’s been a silver lining for Symon.
I mean, we are talking about possibly New Zealand’s fastest school principal here.
“We were set to miss races due to some work commitments and our friend’s wedding.
“Since winning the title, I’ve become a primary school principal. It’s been a busy but rewarding transition.
“Luckily, I got to scrub in some new tyres at a test day a few weeks ago, which allowed us to brush off the cobwebs.
“We came up to speed fairly quickly. I’m motivated to keep racing and driven to continue the success.
“I’m certainly excited to be starting the title defence with everyone on the same points, zero.”
Formula First is traditionally a junior category. The series is an ideal platform for karters looking to progress into a single-seater career.
But Symon doesn’t care that he is up against kids. In fact, he thoroughly enjoys going toe-to-toe with some of New Zealand’s future superstars.
“I feel lucky to be involved in a fun, supportive, and competitive class. It’s great racing against some of the up-and-coming stars of the future.
“There’s a lot of great young talent coming through the ranks this year. A few karters making the switch have shown lots of promise in the 2021 Manfeild Winter Series.
“Jenson Bate has been doing a great job with Sabre Motorsport, and there are a few others in very quick cars too.
“Leo Scott and Zac Blincoe return this year and took their first wins last season, so I’ll be keeping an eye on them and look forward to racing wheel to wheel.”
