Mathew Hart has broken through for his maiden Australian Formula Ford Championship round win, after being victorious in all three heats at Queensland Raceway this weekend.
Throughout the races, Hart was able to drive away from the field, in the process pegging back Jack Le Brocq's title lead to 27 points. After being challenged by pole sitter Garry Jacobson through the first half of the opening race, Hart was seldom hindered in the two Sunday heats.
"It's awesome to get my first round win, and to do it with three race wins I couldn't be happier," Hart said. "The car was on fire this weekend; I'm stoked for the boys on the team to get this result, as they have put in a massive effort. Justin (Cotter, team manager) was on the radio telling me to keep concentrating on my corner exits throughout the races. I had my eyes forward, and was able to pull away."
The Sunday morning race featured a spirited battle for second place, which was eventually claimed by Le Brocq, over Jacobson and Shae Davies. Jacobson came back strongly in the finale, securing second after clearing out from a battle which saw Le Brocq came home in third, from Davies and Macauley Jones.
Overall for the round, Le Brocq edged out Jacobson for second in the weekend point score, with the result marking a complete reversal of fortunes for Jacobson after scoring zero points last time out in Townsville.
"I was really happy with the last race, I was able to lap consistently, and take charge of my situation," Jacobson said. "Towards the end I was starting to bridge the gap to Mathew, which was pleasing. After the position we found ourselves in at Townsville, to be on pole here and race hard at the front, it's a credit to the whole Sonic team."
Fourth for the weekend was Davies, with the highlight of his efforts being a new Queensland Raceway track record for Formula Ford, which he set in the second race.
Anton De Pasquale had an impressive second up national level effort to be placed fifth for the round, followed by Jones, Sam Power, and Simon Hodge, with Queenslanders Matt Campbell and Jordan Lloyd rounding out the top-ten.
The Australian Formula Ford Championship continues as a support to the Dick Smith Sandown 500 on September 14-16.
Race 2 Results
| 1. | Mathew Hart | ACT | 17:28.3338 |
| 2. | Jack LeBrocq | VIC | 17:33.8142 |
| 3. | Garry Jacobson | VIC | 17:35.1554 |
| 4. | Shae Davies | QLD | 17:35.3858 |
| 5. | Anton De Pasquale | VIC | 17:35.7307 |
| 6. | Macauley Jones | NSW | 17:36.2248 |
| 7. | Sam Power | SA | 17:39.5145 |
| 8. | Simon Hodge | SA | 17:43.2099 |
| 9. | Ash Quiddington | VIC | 17:49.1919 |
| 10. | Jordan Lloyd | QLD | 17:49.4473 |
Race 3 Results
| 1. | Mathew Hart | ACT | 17:31.2812 |
| 2. | Garry Jacobson | VIC | 17:33.2327 |
| 3. | Jack LeBrocq | VIC | 17:38.3570 |
| 4. | Shae Davies | QLD | 17:38.5100 |
| 5. | Macauley Jones | NSW | 17:38.7278 |
| 6. | Sam Power | SA | 17:38.9256 |
| 7. | David Sera | VIC | 17:43.6322 |
| 8. | Simon Hodge | SA | 17:47.5158 |
| 9. | Rhett Noonan | WA | 17:47.6324 |
| 10. | Jordan Lloyd | QLD | 17:47.9576 |
Championship Points After 5 of 8 Rounds
| 1. | Jack Le Brocq | 251 |
| 2. | Mathew Hart | 224 |
| 3. | Garry Jacobson | 182 |
| 4. | Shae Davies | 132 |
| 5. | Sam Power | 91 |
| 6. | Macauley Jones | 85 |
| 7. | Simon Hodge | 82 |
| 8. | Jonathon Venter | 64 |
| 9. | Liam Sager | 37 |
| 10. | Anton De Pasquale | 32 |
5 Aug 2012 16:32
Hart Completes Queensland Sweep
