The Hill family-owned CHE Racing Team has achieved an overall 1-2 result in Round 4 of the Formula Ford Championship at The Bend Motorsport Park, completing a highly successful fortnight for the small Canberra squad.
Following on from Cameron Hill’s Carrera Cup race victory at Hidden Valley, the team’s Formula Ford drivers Lachlan Mineeff and Tom Sargent each won races at The Bend, with Mineeff taking the overall round victory just ahead of Sargent.
Hill said it was the culmination of a busy but rewarding couple of weekends for everyone in the team.
“We’re not a large team, but we’re fortunate to have some intelligent and dedicated people, who are always motivated to do their very best,” Hill said.
“After the elation of winning my first Carrera Cup race in Darwin, it was just as exciting to go to Tailem Bend, work with Lachlan and Tom, and watch them achieve fantastic results.
“For us to score race victories in two of the most competitive categories in Australia, in the space of two weekends, is very satisfying.”
While Hill’s driving focus is centred around his Porsche Carrera Cup programme, he still maintains a keen interest in Formula Ford, a category where he won the national title in 2015.
“We’ve maintained an involvement in the series because we believe it’s a critical stepping stone for young drivers in their progression from go-karts to car racing,” Hill said.
“It teaches you aspects of car control, setup and race-craft that take a lot longer to learn in other classes – that’s why so many drivers have stepped out of Formula Ford and been immediately competitive in higher-level categories.
“Drivers at the top level of Supercars like McLaughlin, Whincup, Reynolds, Mostert and Van Gisbergen… they all raced in Formula Ford.
“The racing this season has been close and competitive – there have been four different winners from the first four rounds, and it’s exciting to have both our drivers in the title fight.
“Beyond this season, we’re committed to continuing with our Formula Ford program and providing opportunities to the next wave of young talent rising through the ranks.”
Hill will next be on track for Round 5 of the Porsche Carrera Cup at Townsville, 5-7 July, while Mineeff and Sargent will be back in their Formula Fords for Round 5 of the national series at Sandown, 20-21 July.
