|
As
we look ahead to the final round of the 2007 Australian Formula Ford
Championship there is one question on everyone's lips; can Tim
Blanchard hold out Ashley Walsh to win the title?
With
a twenty-eight point buffer we can expect Blanchard to protect his lead
and race as he has all year, erring on the side of caution and
unwilling to put himself in situations that will jeopardise his title
aspirations, a mature approach that has the young Victorian in the box
seat for a National title.
However,
Blanchard is keen on clinching the National title in style and at a
circuit he is well and truly familiar with he hopes to turn it on at
his home track.
"We
are going there with the intention of winning races, it's my favourite
track and I have a lot of family history there," explained Blanchard.
"Having said that, no one remembers how many races you win in a season and the Championship is my main priority."
On
the other end of the scale is CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh who has no
choice other than to go out all guns blazing in an effort to snare
three race wins, something he is well and truly accustomed to.
Walsh
managed eight wins on the trot in the middle part of this year's
schedule, and while he has proven speed is not an issue, it's going to
take some luck for the young Queenslander to snare the Championship.
"It's
all or nothing at Phillip Island, I would probably need Blanchard to
have some bad luck for me to have a chance at the title but I wont die
wondering- I'll give it everything this weekend," said Walsh.
While the Championship seems to be a two horse race, a Phillip Island round win is well and truly up for grabs with a number of drivers staking their claims in Tasmania two weeks ago.
CAMS
Rising Star Kristian Lindbom secured his maiden race and round wins of
the year at Symmons Plains and BRM's Nick Percat took out line honours
in a thrilling final race showing he will command respect come Phillip Island.
Sonic
Motorsport and the CAMS Rising Star team tested at the Phillip Island
circuit a week prior to Tasmania, all drivers from the two camps
showing good speed however there will be a host of drivers pushing for
podium finishes in the final round of the series.
Victorian Taz Douglas knows the Phillip Island circuit well and will look to finish the year with some success after a less than fortuitous 2007.
Newcomers to the national scene at Phillip Island include Irishman Lee Farrell who will drive alongside Nick Percat for the BRM team.
Farrell
has joined Opes Prime / Team BRM for the 2008 Australian Formula 3
Championship National Class and will race with the team at Phillip
Island in the second Team BRM / Van Diemen RF06 Formula Ford to further
enhance his working relationship with the team.
Eighteen
year old Victorian Trent Harrison will make his National Formula Ford
debut this weekend, stepping up from Victorian state level for a taste
of the national class before entering for a full season in 2008.
Adam
Graham also returns to a grid of twenty-one drivers for the final round
of the Championship in what promises to be a fitting finale to another
fantastic year for a category well and truly entrenched as the breeding
ground for Australia's future stars.
|
