HOTLY CONTESTED
Rookies vie for F1600 title
MOTORSPORT: It’s been the season for up-and-coming rookie drivers, who have dominated the 2017/18 New Zealand Formula 1600 Championship.
This weekend sees the fifth and final round at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, Feilding, in support of the NZ Grand Prix meeting, featuring the 2018 Toyota Racing Series.
The overall national title will be decided between rookie Auckland drivers Callum Hedge and Josh Bethune. Both have duelled throughout the preceding four rounds since beginning at Timaru International Raceway in early November 2017.
Although Hedge has won nine of the 14 races so far, it wasn’t until the third round in Invercargill that he took the lead in the championship.
At the opening round at Timaru, Hedge set the fastest lap in qualifying and went on to win the first two races from Bethune, but had his only DNF (did not finish) in the third race, won by Soutland’s Jordan Michels. In his third season of Formula 1600, Michels took the lead into the second round in Christchurch in early January, only to relinquish it to Bethune, who won two races, including the Wigram Cup.
A week later, the third round took place at Teretonga Park in Invercargill. This proved to be the undoing of third title rival Jordan Michels, who had a crown wheel and pinion failure. Without replacement parts immediately available, he was not able to continue racing and saw his title fight come to an abrupt halt.
Controversy threatened the result of the fourth race at Teretonga, which Bethune won. Following a technical inspection, stewards ruled Bethune’s car had a technical infringement and was excluded from the results. Undeterred, Bethune continued to focus on the next round at Taupo¯ last weekend, while his team appealed the finding, which was eventually decided in their favour. The race win and points were reinstated, closing the gap between Hedge and Bethune to just one point.
Taupo¯ ’s penultimate round last weekend saw Hedge make a clean sweep, winning all four races and taking maximum points from the round. Bethune debuted a brand new 207 Ray F1600 and with having to come to grips with the new machinery, wasn’t quick enough to beat Hedge. However, four second placings still sees him in the hunt for the title, just 23 points behind.
‘‘I’ve just got to finish all the races,’’ Hedge said. ‘‘I cannot have a DNF.’’
‘‘It’s hard to say what may happen,’’ Bethune said. ‘‘We can only really win if Callum doesn’t finish a race.’’
Both drivers have limited experience at the Manfeild circuit, with Hedge having only tested there and Bethune having previously raced a Formula Vee.
There are also three F1600 class titles to be decided this weekend. The overall winner of the title will also take the class 1 title. The class 2 title has already been decided, with Christchurch’s Robert Toshach having an unbeatable lead over Southland’s Noel Atley.