Kyle Evans planned to take his EzyStone Benchtops Duratec powered Spectrum Formula Ford south of the border many months ago, only to be denied by Covid-19 and Queensland border restrictions.
A window of opportunity finally arose for the 16 year old from the Redcliffe area with the border to NSW opened in time for final round of the NSW Motor Racing Championships. The event at Wakefield Park marked the first race meeting for Kyle at the circuit, located near Gouldburn in regional NSW.
The plan was to simply gain experience against some of the fastest Formula Ford drivers in Australia. It was very much an eye opener for Kyle and somewhat a pleasant surprise.
"In the Queensland series we might have two or three Duratec powered cars on the track, here there are ten." Kyle exclaimed. "It was awesome to work myself up to speed and compare where I am with the standards needed to race at the front of the pack."
Kyle acquitted himself well over the course of the weekend and surprised many older heads with his speed in the car as well as his mechanical knowledge. He pulled out of the opening race when he noticed an issue with the left rear, which turned out to be a loose shim. A problem that was easily fixed overnight, but could have had far worse implications had Kyle continued to race with the issue.
As the weekend progressed Kyle attached the course and got amongst the action with many more experienced drivers, but left the circuit with barely a mark on his car.
"Everybody here has been so nice and friendly," Kyle said. They even came up at the start of the weekend to introduce themselves, which was great."
Kyle has now focused his attention on the opening round of the 2021 Formula Ford Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park from 5 to 7 March 2021.
"As always, a huge thanks to EzyStone Benchtops, Velocity Motorsport Magazine and Aus Timing," Evans added.