Jake Santalucia Mygale has taken out a dramatic Race 1 one of the Australian Formula Ford Series at Symmons Plains.

In near freezing conditions, Santalucia won the 17-lap race after pole-sitter Xavier Kokai (Spectrum) was beaten off the start by Eddie Beswick (Spectrum), Kokai spinning at Turn 1 the following lap and falling to sixteenth.

Cody Maynes-Rutty (Synergy Energy Spectrum) capitalised on the racing and misfortunes around him, to grab second on the final lap after starting the race in sixth.

Second in the points, Colin Hill Engineering’s (CHE) Zak Lobko (Mygale) started the race out of twelfth position and worked his way through to become involved in the fight for the lead, only to slip to third on the final lap.

He did make inroads in the points advantage of series leader Matt Hillyer (Sonic Mygale) who started sixth.

Hillyer was another in the fight for the lead, battling with Beswick. The pair had contact at the end of the back straight on lap 17 when Hillyer tried a daring outside manoeuvre.

Both went off consequently but they were able to recover with Beswick placed eighth and Hillyer two spots further back, behind Bailey Collins (Spectrum).

By the end he had charged through to fourth ahead of Lachie Mineeff (Mygale), Lachlan Strickland (Mygale) and Daniel Frougas (CHE Mygale).

Eleventh went to Harrison Sellars, the Borland Spectrum driver was able to recover from a touch with the spun Sonic Mygale of Conor Somers at the turn four hairpin.

There were others that were also in recovery mode due to mishaps like Matt Holmes, Imogen Radburn, Fraser Hie, Elliot Cleary and Kobi Williams who was fourth early.