Round two of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship proved to be a challenging outing for the Ford Motorsport team. Having secured a podium finish at the opening round of the championship the team were upbeat ahead of this weekend’s event but, despite having the pace to challenge for victory, teething problems put an end to the team’s victory chase.
Gary Formato powered his Ford Focus ST to pole position during Friday’s qualifying session and was ecstatic with the pace of the car. “Even though we are in the very early stages of development the car is very quick and we have been able to set consistently quick times,” said Formato.
Formato got off to a strong start in the first heat but his progress was interrupted by an oil leak, which brought out the black flag leaving Formato unable to finish. The second heat provided more drama with a suspension problem causing Formato to retire the vehicle.
“It was a very frustrating weekend. The pace was there for all to see but we still have some teething problems to work through. Once again we’ll be working round the clock to iron out any problems with the car ahead of the next round,” concluded the Ford driver.
Round three of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship is set to take place at the Aldo Scribante race circuit in Port Elizabeth on the 25 April.
The team would like to thank their sponsors, Ford Motor Company, Nando’s and Stanger Auto for their continued support.
