REDCLIFFE teenager Kyle Evans was "extremely happy" with his debut in the Australian Formula Ford Championships over the weekend. The 16 year old finished ninth with 20 points after the two-day, three-race opening round of the nationaltitles at the Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek. Due to the pandemic it has been 18 months between Kyle's first Formula Ford testing and taking on the best in Australia... but it was worth it. "I am extremely happy and proud of my results over the weekend to place ninth out of 17 competitors driving against the best Formula Ford drivers in Australia,' Kyle said. "The car performed well over the weekend. Chris Purvis assisted as pit crew and had a wealth of experience and knowledge was phenomenal to have on our team. "The highlight was driving at speeds up to 230km/hr up to turn one on the main straight. "I really enjoyed driving the track it offered plenty of passing opportunities, braking and cornering." Kyle's first national event followed two weeks' hard work preparing car for the 3.9km circuit which he had never raced on before. It was a "steep learning curve" but the St Patrick's College student qualified 11th on race one clocking a best lap time of 1 minute 37.9966 seconds. He lowered that time to 1:37.7442 on lap seven of the eight-lap opening round itself to finish in eighth place. In race two, Kyle started in eighth place and finished in 11th with a best lap of 1:38.2498 and went one place better in the final race on Sunday taking 10th with a top lap time of 1:38.2307. Kyle paid tribute to the other Formula Ford drivers and the category management saying it was "extremely welcoming and professional". The next Australian Formula Ford round is a Wakefield Park Raceway, again in NSW May 22-23 while his next Queensland event will be at Morgan Park, Warwick on March 26-28.
Picture John Morris, Velocity Motorsport Magazine - Kyle Evans takes a bend at Sydney Motorsport Park during his Australian Formula Ford debut.