Round 4, Winton (Victoria) Sunday, 3rd May 1998 

Click On Thumbnail For High Res Image

MACROW CLEANS UP IN FORMULA FORD DEMOLITION DERBY 

Victorian Formula Ford star Adam Macrow has moved another step closer to driving the Longhurst Racing Ford Falcon at Bathurst after dominating both Formula Ford races at Winton Raceway today. 

Starting from pole in the first race, Macrow was never headed all day, winning each race by around two seconds in what was otherwise an incident-packed Formula Ford schedule. 

The Melbourne racer has now stormed 48 points clear of nearest rival Dugal McDougall in the Australian Formula Ford Championship, the first prize of which is a drive at this year's Primus 1000 at Bathurst in November. 

Macrow launched from the grid in the first race, establishing a clear lead on the first lap despite a nervous slide in the esses before the start/finish line. 

Other drivers were not so lucky with 13 cars crashing out of the first race, including title hopeful Tim Leahey. 

The 19 year-old Spectrum racer then cruised for the remainder of the race, holding off Queenslander Christian Jones, while Craig Zerner and Greg Ritter battled for third. 

The Ford Motorsport Brat Pack member then repeated the dose in the second, leading home fellow Brat Pack driver Ritter and Mygale team boss Dugal McDougall in an uncharacteristically one-sided Formula Ford battle. 

"It's hard to put a finger on one particular reason I'm doing so well," Adam Macrow says. 

"Basically, it's all about the entire 'package' ... the car is outstanding, my team is excellent, and my experience in the car last year has made me feel very confident behind the wheel. 

"Qualifying has been very important because I've been able to sneak away from the rest of the field while they've been jockeying for position, and that is also allowing me to be soft on the car ... it's just all falling in to place perfectly at the moment." 

The esses where Macrow almost spun in the first race was the scene of two major crashes: a four car pile-up on the eighth lap of the first race that claimed Steven Grocl, Stuart Dedear, Jon Woelders and Jim McKinnon, and a three car crash in the opening lap of the second which ended Leanne Ferrier and Scott March's races. 

Fortunately nobody was seriously injured despite severe damage to the Swift of Scott March, which came to rest upside-down. 

Leading rookie Steve Owen failed to make it to the starting grid after his engine broke down. 

Formula Ford 2. 

Ford Motorsport/Slick 50 Australian Formula Ford Championship: Round 4, Winton (Victoria) 

Race 1: 1. A. Macrow (Vic) Spectrum 06B, 15 min 02.3079 secs; 2. C. Jones (Qld) Spectrum 06B; 3. C. Zerner (NSW) Spectrum 06; 4. G. Ritter (Vic) Van Diemen RF98; 5. O. Kelly (Vic) Spectrum 06B; 6. D. McDougall (Vic) Mygale SJ98; 7. J. Cotter (NSW) Van Diemen RF95; 8. I. Harrington (Vic) Mygale SJ98; 9. C. Jory (Tas) Swift SC93; 10. K. Wade (WA) Van Diemen RF95. 

Race 2: 1. A. Macrow (Vic) Spectrum 06B, 15 min 05.9891 secs; 2. G. Ritter (Vic) Van Diemen RF98; 3. D. McDougall (Vic) Mygale SJ98; 4. C. Zerner (NSW) Spectrum 06B; 5. I. Harrington (Vic) Mygale SJ98; 6. O. Kelly (Vic) Spectrum 06B; 7. C. Jory (Tas); 8. T. Leahey (NSW); 9. K. Wade (WA) Van Diemen RF95; 10. C. Jones (Qld) Spectrum 06B. 

Pointscore: 1. A. Macrow 140; 2. D. McDougall 92; 3. C. Jones 67; 4. Tim Leahey 66; 5. C. Zerner 62; 6. Greg Ritter 48; 7. S. Owen 42; 8. A. McNally 35; 9. I. Harrington 32; 10. A. Seward 31.