F4 Round Five Preview: Queensland Raceway
Queensland Raceway will play host to Round Five of the 2017 CAMS Jayco Australian Formula 4 Championship – supporting the Coates Hire Ipswich SuperSprint.
Affectionately dubbed ‘The Paperclip’, Queensland Raceway is set for plenty of action as the battle for the Championship heats up. New Zealander Liam Lawson (Team BRM) currently leads by just one point over West Australian Nick Rowe (AGI Sport).
It was a fiercely contested Round Four meeting at Phillip Island in May, as Victorian Simon Fallon (Team BRM) claimed his first ever round victory in his Australian Formula 4 career. Fellow CAMS Foundation Rising Stars Ryan Suhle (Zagame Autosport) and Cameron Shields (Team BRM) joined Fallon on the Phillip Island podium.
Fallon will be looking to notch up back-to-back wins as attention turns to Ipswich.
“I’m really keen to jump back into the car after the long break, but pretty keen to get the season back underway,” Fallon said.
“The track at Queensland Raceway is pretty fun but unfortunately it is a very hard track to overtake, so qualifying will be key.”
Shields is only 29 points off Championship leader Lawson, with Suhle a further 67 points behind. Suhle has a substantial lead in the Burson Auto Parts Rookie of the Year standings, with 54 points covering he and his nearest contender Aaron Love.
“It’s great to be leading the Burson Auto Parts rookie class, which was my goal coming into this season,” Suhle said.
“I really feel with three rounds left, we have all the pieces of the puzzle to challenge for wins and possibly the outright championship, which is super exciting for me.”
AGI Sport’s Sage Murdoch enjoyed a competitive round at Phillip Island, however a flip in the third and final race saw critical championship points slip away.
Aiming to overturn his luck, Murdoch has retired his #44 plate and will become the first Australian Formula 4 driver to race with the Championship’s namesake, #4.
“I have decided to start fresh with my race number, and hopefully it’s a lucky number as well,” Murdoch said.
“I’m hoping for a podium finish at Queensland to make up for all of the races I did not finish in and to help my point score for the championship.”
Practice Two, Qualifying and all three races will be televised live on Fox Sports 506 as part of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship coverage.
Follow @Formula4AU on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for on-the-ground content, including driver interviews throughout the weekend. Get talking with #F4AU.
Entry list (12)
#4 – Sage Murdoch (NSW) (R), AGI Sport, Racesah
#5 – Ryan Suhle (QLD) (R), Zagame Autosport, Ray White/CAMS Foundation Rising Star
#7 – Tyler Everingham (NSW), Zagame Autosport, JetGo
#11 – Zane Morse (ACT) (R), Team BRM, Charman Earthmoving/CAMS Foundation Rising Star
#21 – Harley Haber (NSW), AGI Sport, CEJN
#27 – Simon Fallon (VIC), Team BRM, CoolDrive/Fallon Developments/CAMS Foundation Rising Star
#30 – Liam Lawson (NZ), Team BRM, RetroCar.co.nz
#61 – Jordan Mazzaroli (NSW) (R), JRD, Real Equity Estate Agents/Mr Moto
#73 – Cameron Shields (QLD), Team BRM, McDonald’s Australia/Dependable Sheds/CAMS Foundation Rising Star
#76 – Zakkary Best (VIC), AGI Sport, Best Leisure Industries
#78 – Aaron Love (WA) (R), Team BRM, Coco’s
#97 – Nick Rowe (WA), AGI Sport, SCT Logistics
Schedule (AEST)
Practice One: Friday 28 July, 8:55am (20 minutes)
Practice Two: Friday 28 July, 10:25am (20 minutes)
Qualifying: Friday 28 July, 2:25pm (20 minutes)
Race One: Saturday 29 July, 12:25pm (13 laps)
Race Two: Saturday 29 July, 2:40pm (13 laps)
Race Three: Sunday 30 July, 11:05am (13 laps)
Weather
Friday: Min 5 / Max 25 – Mostly sunny
Saturday: Min 7 / Max 27 – Sunny
Sunday: See above – 100% shorts weather
Championship points (After Round 4)
1. Nick Rowe – AGI Sport: 187
2. Liam Lawson – Team BRM: 186
3. Cameron Shields – Team BRM: 158
4. Ryan Suhle – Zagame Autosport: 120
5. Josh Denton – Team BRM: 106
6. Tyler Everingham – Zagame Autosport: 104
7. Simon Fallon – Team BRM: 74
8. Aaron Love – Team BRM: 66
9. Zane Morse – Team BRM: 62
10. Jordan Mazzaroli – JRD: 56
11. Zakkary Best – AGI Sport: 40
12. Harley Haber – AGI Sport: 34
13. Sage Murdoch – AGI Sport: 18
Previous winners – Queensland Raceway
Pole Position: Thomas Randle (2015), Harry Hayek (2016)
Race Winners: Thomas Randle (1), Will Brown (1), Jordan Lloyd (2), Harry Hayek (2)
Round Winners: Jordan Lloyd (2015), Harry Hayek (2016)
Race Lap Record: Thomas Randle – DREAM Motorsport: 1:11.7807 (2015)