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Asher Johnston To Support Teenage Cancer Trust At Home Formula Ford Showdown |
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Sunday, 25 February 2007 |
Rising South Australian Formula Ford Star Asher Johnston will sport a small helmet visor strip supporting a big cause at this years’ Clipsal 500 Adelaide – the opening round of the Australian Formula Ford National championship – in two weeks time.
Johnston, 20, will support the UK-based Teenage Cancer Trust after meeting relatives of cancer survivor and British racing driver Joe Twyman on a recent trip to Europe.
Asher will sport a Teenage Cancer Trust band across the top of his
Visor as he pilots his #18 AJR / G-Force Mygale SJ07 around the
demanding Clipsal 500 Circuit in the Adelaide Parklands on March 1 – 4.
The event will be the beginning of Asher’s first Australian Formula
Ford Championship campaign following a storming year in the 2006
Victorian State Formula Ford 1600 championship last year, where the
Glenelg-based teenager won a round and finished third in the
championship despite it being his first year in Formula Ford
competition.
Joe Twyman races in the UK – with ambitions of a LeMans start in the
future – and spent over two years fighting Leukaemia after being
diagnosed aged 18.
Whilst in hospital watching the LeMans 24hr race, Twyman raised over
$30,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and organised to have the
organisations logos on the Intersport Racing Lola running in the event.
When on a trip to Europe late last year to visit the Mygale factory in
France, Asher Johnston met Twyman’s relatives on a stopover in London
and was immediately moved by the cause, purchasing a number of the
helmet strips to support the charity.
Twyman is selling the visor strips to help raise funds and awareness for the trust.
“It was great to go to Europe and meet the guys who were making my new
car, but finding out about the Teenage Cancer Trust and what Joe Twyman
had achieved was the real highlight,” Asher said.
“To find out from Joe’s uncle, Craig, about what was achieved, what the
Trust stands for and how much they helped a fellow young driver like me
was all I needed to get on board and support what they are trying to
achieve for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
“I can’t wait to proudly wear the visor strip on my helmet when I make
my first real attempt at the Australian Formula Ford Championship, at
my home event.
”The Clipsal 500 is such a big event, my home race, and I hope that people take notice of what we are doing,” he said.
Johnston’s brand-new Mygale SJ07 arrived in Australia three weeks ago
and since then his team has been busy assembling the car ready for
battle at the Clipsal 500.
Asher will once again race with the support of the G-Force Mygale team
and at this stage intends to contest a limited campaign on the national
Formula Ford series in preparation for a full-scale championship attack
in 2008.
Johnston heads to his home round with confidence, having already raced
the demanding street circuit in a Formula Ford once before, in 2005.
“It will be nice to go to Clipsal knowing the circuit,” He said
“I finished inside the top fifteen there in 2005 and that was my first
ever drive of a Formula Ford. To go back there this year, with a full
year in the car under my belt will be great.
“It won’t be a case of having to learn the track – instead I’ll be able
to go out and develop the car right from the first practise session. I
can’t wait – it’s going to be a huge weekend and I’m confident that we
can pull a good result on our first start.”
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide gets underway next Thursday in the Eastern Parklands of Adelaide, and runs for Four days.
The Formula Fords will have two practice sessions Thursday, Qualifying
on Friday before staging two races on Saturday and the third on Sunday
as a lead in to the V8 Supercar season opener.
The Seven Network is expected to carry live coverage of at least one Formula Ford race from Adelaide throughout the weekend.
For more information head to www.asherjohnston.com.au
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