Zac Soutar takes Formula Ford round victory as his championship rivals collide in Ipswich

Zac Soutar has taken the weekend victory as the Australian Formula Ford championship hit Queensland Raceway for round two.

Cody Burcher claimed pole for Race 1 by just 0.07 seconds, but it was Callum Hedge who would take the race victory, winning by more than six seconds on the drenched Ipswich track. Cody Burcher held second place, while championship leader Tom Sargent completed the podium.

Race 2 was a much tighter-fought battle, with Hedge, Soutar, and Sargent fighting through the entire 2-lap race, and it finished in that order, giving Hedge his third victory in two rounds.

Zac Soutar leads the pack at Queensland Raceway. Photo: Peter Zsidy

Zac Soutar launched his tilt at the championship in Race 3, taking the race lead from Callum Hedge at turn two during the opening lap. Hedge’s day went from bad to worse as contact with Tom Sargent at turn six meant a penalty and DNF for Hedge. Soutar consolidated his lead and crossed the line more than 2 seconds ahead of Angelo Mouzouris and Lachlan Mineeff.

Soutar was very happy with the result from the weekend:

To grab a race and a round win and closing on the championship lead, it’s a weekend you dream of. I’m really looking forward to the next round at Winton.

Sargent reset after the race 3 collision and drove back through the field to an eighth-place finish, which garnered him just enough points to hold the championship lead for the second round in a row.

The 2019 Australian Formula Ford Championship will resume May 24-26 at Winton Motor Raceway in support of the Supercars Championship.

2019 AFFC Standings (top 10)
1st - Thomas Sargent - 90pts
2nd - Callum Hedge / Zac Soutar - 86pts
4th - Angelo Mouzouris - 73pts
5th - Cody Burcher - 62pts
6th - Courtney Prince - 59pts
7th - Lachlan Mineeff - 55pts
8th - Jake Donaldson - 54pts
9th - Jay Hanson - 51pts
10th - Cody Donald - 39pts