Whatshot
Solid Outing For Team Ford Racing At Zwartkops
Solid Outing For Team Ford Racing At Zwartkops
Date: 2012-05-30
Team Ford Racing had a solid outing at the fourth round of the WesBank Super Series, which took place at Zwartkops Raceway east of Pretoria. The team emerged with a race win and a further three podium finishes in Class T of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship.
It was clear from the outset that it was going to be a tough weekend. The Castrol Ford Focus STs faced an uphill battle thanks to the air intake and boost restrictions imposed by the series controllers as a means of performance equalization.
"The performance equalization measure can be frustrating as they curb the outright performance of the cars," explains Formato. "But this is part of the game and we have to look at ways to maximise our performance."
The team focused on set-up and handling, with Gary Formato setting the third quickest qualifying time. Shaun Duminy was slightly in sixth, only four tenths of a second off Formato's time.
Formato had a fairly uneventful first race, maintaining his third place for the duration of the eight-lap event. Duminy took fifth place after a race-long tussle with Michael van Rooyen.
The top six finishers were inverted for the second race grid. This placed Duminy in second and Formato in fourth. Formato had a brilliant start and went on to take the race victory with Duminy securing fourth place.
The grid for the final race was based on the fastest race two lap times. This made it an all Ford second row, with Formato third and Duminy fourth. The pair made good progress throughout the race with Formato moving up to second and Duminy taking third.
Team Ford Racing currently lie second and third in the 2012 championship points standing at the halfway point in the season.
"I am very happy with the results, it has been a really tough week and I am proud of the team and what we were able to accomplish," commented Duminy.
Formato was equally upbeat as the weekend drew to a close. "There is still a long way to go in the championship. Consistency is proving key to this year's championship and in that regard we are looking strong."
The next round of the championship will take place in Durban on 16 and 17 June.
