Ash Quiddington
BALLARAT driver Ash Quiddington has his eyes set on contesting the Australian Formula Ford Championship next season after clinching third in this year’s state title.
The 18-year-old from Smythes Creek, who had set himself a goal of top five in the Victorian Formula Ford Championship at the start of the season, had his best round to date at Phillip Island but was unable to sneak into second overall at the completion of the fifth and final round of the development race car series.
Quiddington finished with 263 points from five rounds, 50 behind second placed Anton DePasquale. Jonathan Venter won the title with 333 points.
Quiddington will now chance his arm in the national championship, which supports the V8 Supercars at eight rounds after just one season in the state series.
He will begin his preparation with a one-off appearance in the national round at Winton on November 17-18.
“We’ll aim for a one year campaign in the national series but we have to see how we go,” Quiddington said.
“We want to get our name out there as a rookie first.
“It will be very hard to win the title in the first year but if we could get a top five placing and be highest placed rookie, that might get people thinking about me.
“I’d love to then get into the V8 development series and then eventually to become a full-time V8 Supercar driver.”
At Phillip Island, Quiddington needed a lot to go his way to dislodge DePasquale.
“Going into the final event I was sitting in third, I was hoping to sneak up to second spot,” Quiddington said.
“In the first race, I was the sixth qualifier but I got into the lead on the first lap and led for six laps.
“There was a battle for first, and I finished third.”
Over the next two races Quiddington was in the lead battle for first position, but finished fifth and third respectively.
“I had the best weekend, but I couldn’t close the gap,” he said.
Formula Ford is motor racing’s equivalent of the AFL’s TAC Cup, with most of Australia’s V8 Supercar drivers having started in the wingless open-wheelers.
Graduates from the Australian Formula Ford Championship include Formula One driver Mark Webber, Nascar racer Marcos Ambrose,
Quiddington is hopeful of racing the latest model Spectrum 014 prepared Borlands Racing Developments, in next season’s AFFC, after running a Spectrum 012 this year.
nicole.cairns@thecourier.com.au