The first national championship of 2019 will conclude this weekend, with The Bend Motorsport Park hosting the final two rounds of this year’s CAMS PAYCE Australian Formula 4 Championship.
Coinciding with the championship’s first visit to South Australia, AGI Sport’s Luis Leeds holds a commanding 77-point lead over nearest rival Ryan Suhle of Team BRM. A maximum of 150 points is on offer for this weekend’s race winners – leaving Suhle, Lochie Hughes and Antonio Astuti as the remaining mathematical contenders for the title.
With a clean-sweep of round victories and Castrol Pole Positions, Luis Leeds is naturally confident heading into the final six races of the year.
“It’s an awesome track,” Leeds said.
“Long flowing corners, it has a good combination of slow speed ones. I think it’ll suit our car and hopefully we can win more races.”
It was a mixed weekend last time out for current runner-up Ryan Suhle at Phillip Island, with two race wins offsetting a DNF.
Burson Auto Parts Rookie of 2018 Lochie Hughes remains third outright in the standings and will look to add The Bend to his career race wins from Winton and Phillip Island to his Formula 4 CV.
Tommy Smith returns to Team BRM for the season conclusion after juggling stints in the Asian F3 Series. Patrizicorse’s Jackson Walls will also race at The Bend full of confidence after claiming a podium finish at the most recent Asian F3 Series round at Suzuka, and will be eager to snatch away a runner-up finish back home in the final Australian Formula 4 Championship standings.
Team BRM’s Emerson Harvey has all but secured the Burson Auto Parts Rookie of the Year honours, with Team BRM now claiming back-to-back rookie titles after Lochie Hughes’ success in 2018.
AGI Sport will again field a third car for newcomer Christian Mansell, who impressed with a mature performance to finish every race on debut at Phillip Island. Mansell scored a best result of fourth in his second Formula 4 race.
A solitary practice session will await crews on Friday morning, with two qualifying sessions to determine the opening race grids for rounds five and six. The opening race for round five will take place late Friday afternoon.
Saturday and Sunday’s remaining five races will be broadcast live and free at formula4.com.au via the Shannons Nationals live stream.
Championship Points after Round Four
1. Luis Leeds (AGI) 242
2. Ryan Suhle (BRM) 165
3. Lochie Hughes (BRM) 153
4. Antonio Astuti (AGI) 143
5. Jackson Walls (Patrizicorse) 84
6. Emerson Harvey (BRM) 72
7. Harry Hayek (BRM) 66
8. Tommy Smith (BRM) 44
9. Jayden Ojeda (AGI) 35
10. Taylor Cockerton (MTEC) 31
11. Ryan Yardley (MTEC) 27
12. Jackson Burton (AGI) 19
13. Josh Smith (AGI) 6
14. Dylan Thomas (Tank Motorsport) 6
Schedule
Friday 12 July
10:00–10:30am: Practice
1:00–1:20pm: Castrol Pole Position (Round Five)
1:30–1:50pm: Castrol Pole Position (Round Six)
4:10–4:30pm: Race One (Round Five)
Saturday 13 July
10:05–10:25am: Race Two (Round Five)
12:45–1:05pm: Race Three (Round Five)
Sunday 14 July
9:40–10:00am: Race Four (Round Six)
12:00–12:20pm: Race Five (Round Six)
2:30–2:50pm: Race Six (Round Six)
Weather
Friday: Min 10 / Max 15 °C – Cloudy, high chance of showers
Saturday: Min 6 / Max 14 °C – Partly cloudy, slight chance of a shower
Sunday: Min 5 / Max 17 °C – Partly cloudy, slight chance of rain