Last year’s Formula Ford title-winning team, CHE Racing, has expanded to three cars for this year’s national competition.
Led by new Triple Eight Race Engineering Super2 driver Cameron Hill, the squad will field Jimmy Piszcyk, Zak Lobko, and Queenslander Tom McLennan in 2022.
They will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Tom Sargent, who won the series in 2021, with Noah Sands making for a CHE one-two on the points table.
“I’m really excited to start a new season with an all-new driver line-up,” said team manager Hill.
“We had an awesome year last year, finishing one-two, and the aim will be to be go one-two-three this year, so we’ll be giving it our best shot.
“Jimmy is a really great kid. He is quite mature for his age, and second time around in the category, we expect him to perform quite well.
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“Zak has extensive experience in karting and has a good head on his shoulders. In testing, it hasn’t taken long to get up to speed.
“He hasn’t been to the tracks, but we can supply him with the support that he needs, so hopefully he can feed off that and get right on the pace.
“Tom has proved to be fast in testing and will benefit from his time in Queensland Formula Ford.
“Once he gets his head around the southern state tracks and gets more experience on those circuits, I’m confident that he’ll pick it up.“
Piszcyk contested two rounds of the 2021 season with Synergy Motorsport, and takes over the Sargent chassis.
“I have my work cut out for me, but this year is about myself pushing to be the best I can and we’ll see what comes out at the end of the year,” said the 15-year-old South Australian.
“My expectation for the year is to do the best I can and try and finish in the top three. That will be a great achievement for me in my first full year.
“We’ve done some pre-season testing. The car is different to what I’ve driven in the past, but it’s certainly fast enough, and I’m feeling confident with the team.”
For Lobko, this weekend’s first round of the 2022 Australian Formula Ford season at Sandown will represent his competitive car racing debut.
“I want to pursue a career in Supercars in the future, and with COVID restrictions now starting to settle down, I felt that the right time was right to get out of karting and take my racing to the next level,” explained the 19-year-old New South Welshman.
“I would like to be up the front, but I’ve done limited testing, so I want to see how this first round at Sandown goes.
“I’ve improved every time I’ve gone out, so I guess a top 10 result would be a good result, but I don’t want to put any expectations on the result.”
McLennan is new to the national series also, but has a round win in his native Queensland to his name.
“It’s a great opportunity and I can’t wait to get into the season. It’s a good team with a very professional set-up,” said the 17-year-old.
“I’ve done three test days of testing at Phillip Island, Winton and Sydney and I loved it. It’s the first time that I’ve driven outside of Queensland, so it was great to experience some new venues.
“I’m aiming for a top 10 finish in the series and work my way towards a podium. The main aim is to be consistent and finish every race.
“I’m hoping to do every round, but I will need to balance that with schooling as I’m finishing Year 12.”
The national Formula Ford competition has returned to Motorsport Australia series status this year, opening up the door for it to be added to the Supercars Superlicence system.
In any event, the series winner will once again be given a test by Dick Johnson Racing in one of its Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustangs.
Practice for Round 1 starts tomorrow.
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