The Tony Quinn Foundation has announced an extensive prize package for the upcoming New Zealand Formula Ford season.
Formula Ford is seen as a significant step in nurturing aspiring driver from karts to single-seaters.
However, the past few years has seen entry numbers in the national series dwindle, primarily due to increasing travel costs.
Today, the Tony Quinn Foundation has confirmed a $60,000 prize pool for the new season, including cash prizes for pole positions and a travel fund.
A test in a Toyota Racing Series car is also featured in the prize package for winners of the North Island and South Island championships.
“This announcement is tremendously exciting, something never seen before in New Zealand Formula Ford racing,” said North Island series chairman Shane Drake.
“Adapting to a common Schedule F rulebook across the country is the most important step going forward.
“And now with the TQ Foundation support, I can see the national championship fields swelling to 30 cars.”
This year, the North and South Island Formula Ford championships will run with a conjoined rule book.
It includes using Yokohama as the sole tyre supplier for both series.
Both regional championships have six rounds each. The New Zealand championship is decided over eight races at two Super rounds.
One Super round will be at Highlands Motorsport Park, with the final at Taupo in March 2022.
The driver who wins pole at each regional round will be awarded $500.
The pole-winning driver at each NZ championship round receives $1010.10 – because 101 is an important number for Highlands.
Every time a competitor enters a round of the regional series, they will receive from the travel fund to attend the NZ Championship series.
Suppose they compete in all six of their regional rounds and attend both of the New Zealand Championship Super rounds. In that case, they will get the most from the $42,000 travel fund.
The fund is designed to assist competitors to travel inter-island for the national championship events.
“With the same rules and race formats, competitors can jump from island to island and know what to expect. All races are run in the same way,” SIFF Chairman Andy Robertson said.
“27 of our SIFF competitors have already signalled that if they qualify, they will look at entering the national Super rounds.
“With cars from the North Island regionals, I can foresee the first Super round at Highlands with 30 plus cars. That’ll be an action-packed spectacle.”
Last week, the Tony Quinn Foundation announced that the New Zealand Toyota 86 series winner will receive a test drive in a Triple Eight V8 Supercar.
Well done that will make a huge difference