The Investchem Formula Ford championship took to Killarney Raceway in Cape Town to decide the winner of the sixth round of their 2016 championship. The duel for the top spot has been running all year between Dewald Brummer (4 – MAD Racing / Ango Trucks / Fuchs Oils) and Julian van der Watt (42 – Race Driver SA).
With Van der Watt competing on his home track in the Western Cape it was anticipated he would turn the tables and be the driver to beat. From the outset though Brummer set the pace and kept pushing the pace, holding on to the top spot from qualifying right to the overall standings for the day.
While Brummer was in control of the day, Van der Watt was not making it easy and hounded him through every lap, just 0.259 of a second behind in qualifying and 0.014 of a second behind by the end of the first race! Unfortunately for Van der Watt, he pushed a little too hard in race two and he was forced to settle for second with a 2.5 second gap to Brummer.
The fight for third saw Stuart White take the position in qualifying, with Dean Venter (77 – MAD Racing / Ango Trucks / Fuchs Oils) finishing third in race one and Alex Gillespie (50 – ERP Trucking Solutions) took over the third place finish in race two. Of the three, it was Venter that finished in the final podium spot on the day.
The class B victory at Killarney in the Investchem Formula Ford championship was taken by Ian Schofield (10 – Investchem) who proved the fastest in this category all weekend. Schofield went from quickest in qualifying to win both races and take first in class B for the day.
Schofield was followed home by Allen Meyer and Andreas Petrou in the class. Claudio Piazza-Musso joined the Investchem Formula Ford racers for their Killarney outing. While in different classes, Schofield and Piazza-Musso tussled during both races, ensuring the crowd were treated to close competition between them.
“Competing today reminded me just how physical single-seater racing is,” says Piazza-Musso. “You have to be aware of what is happening around you at all times, you are working at every moment and by the end of the race you’re just trying to get to the finish line while you’ve still got some strength left.”
“It was a fantastic day of racing and now I’m starting my training programme so I’ll be able cope for the racing at Kyalami.”
The Investchem Formula Ford competitors will race at the recently revamped Kyalami circuit on Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23. This will be the penultimate round of the 2016 national championship season and the battle that will decide the outcome for the season has yet to be run. With just two rounds left, the fight to decide the title will provide some tense moments in these closing rounds, ensuring the season ends on a high note.