Tom Alexander returns to the Promains Formula Open New Zealand grid for the fourth round of the championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway on February 25 to 26, 2023, for the final classic and historic meeting at the iconic track.
Other racing and business commitments have kept the former Toyota 86 and Australian Super Utes Champion out of the series so far the season, but he relishes the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of the Black Bull Racing Tatuus FT50.
The last time Alexander was in the car was in April at Manfield where he had an epic battle all weekend with James Watson in the Swift DB4 Formula Atlantic that had the crowd on their feet with excitement.
That battle will no doubt resume at Pukekohe but with the added interest of Liam Sceats back in his Tatuus FT50 fresh from five rounds of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship in the Tatuus FT60. Sceats will be superfast given his extensive seat time and his extremely impressive performances in the Toyota Formula Regional and given his performance, Liam is expected to be the man to beat.
Add to the mix series new comer 17-year-old Kaden Probst, despite being new to racing cars, the ex-Karter is superfast having beaten Watson at Ruapuna and will surely be in the mix at Pukekohe. Add in former TRS racer Sam Mac Neill in yet another of the Tatuus FT50’s and there will be some intense racing at the front.
Of course you can never write off the King, Kenny Smith, as he will be in the ex-Marcus Armstrong Tatuus FT50. Smith was hoping to campaign his 1990 NZIGP winning Ford BDA powered Swift DB4 but in reality even though it is almost ready, he wants some extensive testing in it to make sure it is perfect for its return to racing. Smith says it has been apart for 25 years so it will take time to sort and set up. If experience is anything to go by when he does finally bring it out it could be a real weapon.
That is not to say that others won’t be in the mix as Zac Christiansen proved at Skope the Tatuus FT40’s that contests the Jim Palmer cup (sponsored by The Fitness Portal) are extremely fast in a straight line and given that this meeting will be using the Pukekohe long back straight, it could upset the FT50’s and the Atlantics. Keeping Christensen honest in the Jim Palmer Cup will be Leo Francis the ex-NZ Formula First Champion also using the straight line advantage of the FT40 to best effect.
Add to the mix Fergus Crabb who is getting quicker each outing and turned on a stellar performance at Ruapuna, this time he will have his dad as his team mate with Richard climbing back into the teams second FT50 for this round.
The Formula Atlantic brigade is getting stronger with the addition of a couple of new cars, in particular young Ethan Sillay with the Reynard 93H Formula Atlantic that set a pole position lap time at Skope before detonating an engine. At time of writing they were hoping to have a replacement installed but were not overly hopeful. Another new comer to the series is Ollie Gee who was hoping to make it back from business commitment’s in Australia to campaign his Swift DB4 Atlantic.
With the other two Atlantics in the field, it will be good to see Grant Rivers return to the track after missing Skope with his immaculately presented ex-Pope racing Swift DB4 and hopefully we will see Gary Rush get the troublesome Swift sorted. Poor Rush seems to have upset the electronics gods as his Swift DB4 seems to continually suffer ignition ailments. It seems impossible to replicate the issue on the dyno but whenever it sees a race track the problems resurface. Lets hope a new Link computer solves his issues.
So if you want to see some of the country’s fastest wings and slick cars perform one last time at the fastest track in the southern hemisphere you need to get to Pukekohe Park Raceway for the 60th anniversary of the fabulous circuit. It is fitting that Mr Jim Palmer who was the first man ever to drive the track and finished 3rd in the first GP to be held there will be the guest of honour at this meeting.
On the Saturday (February 25, 2023), Formula Open New Zealand will be having a drivers parade at lunchtime where attendees will get to see and meet some of the series great drivers and motorsport personalities from the past. The morning will consist of qualifying with the first round of racing in the afternoon.
On Sunday (February 26, 2023) there will be two more rounds of racing with the afternoon being the feature race for the Promains Formula Open New Zealand Championship.
Header Image: Matt Smith Photography | Words: John Tomlin
