Following its unveiling at Zandvoort recently, the new-for-2012 Formula Ford machine publicly hit the track for the first time last weekend.
Newly crowned British Formula Ford champion, Scott Malvern, tested the new chassis during the annual Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, revealing afterwards that:
“…the new car is really very good. It’s nicely balanced and feels good to drive straight out of the box, with loads of potential. I’m looking forward to helping with the development and fine-tuning the details.”
The first order for the new chassis has already been accepted, with Dutch squad Geva Racing stepping up to the plate, while existing teams are still discussing the possibility of running the chassis.
After only running a partial schedule this year, Geva Racing will run at least one machine full-time next year, with the potential for further expansion at a later time. Should the new machine prove to be significantly quicker than the older model, it would be prudent to expect orders to increase very soon.
While events in 2011 saw on average sixteen entries per race, the numbers remain far lower than witnessed in recent years; how the introduction of a new chassis affects the numbers in the field is a pertinent thought.
It is more than conceivable that it may be some time before the grid swells up once again.
It will also be interesting to see which team / driver combination gets to grips with the new car first, for whoever does could potentially dominate in a manner akin to Malvern this year.
