Formula Ford celebrates 40 years in Australia

Headlining the capacity 50 car grid is 2007 Australian champion and 2008 British series runner-up, 21 year-old Victorian Tim Blanchard. He will be joined at the top of the grid by 1977 Australian Formula Ford and 1981 Australian Formula 2 Champion, John Smith.

Adding to the Formula Ford flavour at Phillip Island will be the guest appearance at the meeting’s Saturday night gala dinner of Tim Schenken, who won the world’s first Formula Ford Championship in the UK back in 1968.

In Australia, the V8 Supercar series is rich with Formula Ford champions, including Larry Perkins (1971 champion), Tomas Mezera (1985), Mark Larkham (1989), Russell Ingall (1990), Craig Lowndes (1993), Steven Richards (1994), Jason Bright (1995), David Besnard (1996), Garth Tander (1997), Greg Ritter (1999), Will Davison (2001) and Jamie Whincup (2002). And 2007 Australian Carrera Cup Champion David Reynolds took the Formula Ford title in 2004.

The Formula Ford races are part of a packed three-day Phillip Island Classic Festival programme that has attracted entries from more than 560 historic racing, sports and touring cars spanning six decades.

Practice and qualifying for all categories will take place on Friday March 13, with racing from 9.00am until 4.40pm on the Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15.