History
The Formula Ford category was established in Great Britain in 1967 and two years later Australia’s first Formula Ford race was staged at the Sandown circuit in Victoria. A national series was contested in Australia for the first time in 1970 and then annually through to 1992. In the following year the series was granted national title status by CAMS and officially became the Australian Formula Ford Championship. After having powered Australian Formula Fords since the introduction of the category, the 1600cc Ford “Kent” engine was replaced by the Ford Fiesta unit for the 2006 Championship. The “Kent” powered cars continue to be raced in various State championships under the “Formula Ford 1600” category name.
The series has served as a stepping stone for many Australian racing drivers who have gone on to greater things in motor racing both in Australia and overseas. Notably, 1971 winner Larry Perkins went on to race in the Formula One World Championship and other winners Russell Ingall, Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup have each gone on to claim V8 Supercar titles.
Formula Ford has also proven a popular proving ground for Australian racing car manufacturers. In its early years the series was dominated by Australian designs from Elfin Sports Cars, Bowin Cars, Mawer and Birrana. 1987 to 1997 was dominated by the British marque Van Diemen, winning eleven straight title. The streak was broken in 1998 by Australian marque Spectrum, built by Borland Racing Developments. Van Diemen faded in the mid-2000s and Australian grids are now almost exclusively filled with Spectrums and French made Mygales.
Once almost exclusively the domain of competitor self-run teams, the modern Australian Formula Ford Championship is dominated by professional racing teams. Sonic Motor Racing Services, Brad Jones Racing, Team BRM as well as specialist Formula Ford outfits Synergy Motorsport, Minda Motorsport and Borland Racing Developments all field multi-car teams.
Read more about this topic: Australian Formula Ford Championship
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