![]() ![]() Webber was a true privateer at the time, with his three person set-up including driver, and knew that a single crash could end his year. “There was no simulators, you just go out and learn the track, learn what you’re good at, learn what you’re weak at very quickly.” Very very little telemetry, so that was good for us,” he told Formula Scout. “‘ brilliant, absolutely brilliant old-school racing. It was a struggle for Webber, with only one podium over the eight round season, but the driving was something he was enjoying massively. He finished 14th in the standings in 1994, with the title being won by Bathurst legend Steven Richards. Young and ambitious, Webber headed straight to the Australian national championship. Webber was fastest that day by 1.6 seconds, and a few months later he was the proud owner of a Van Diemen previously driven by future V8 Supercars legend Craig Lowndes, two years Webber’s senior and the reigning national Formula Ford champion. In 1993, 16-year-old Webber got his first taste of FF1600 in a trial day at Oran Park, a now closed circuit near Sydney which held the Australian Grand Prix in 1974 and ’77. But it was a very different grand prix track to Silverstone where he first met the type of car he would start his single-seater career in… First steps He still takes a interest in the category, as well as the world championships he used to compete in, but as a 45-year-old retired professional there’s not many places where he could have as much fun as sliding through Brooklands with 25-odd cars of similar control around him. He may be better known for his Formula 1 and Le Mans exploits, but it was in FF1600 where he made his name known. Mark Webber has an affinity to Formula Ford 1600. We look back at the Australian’s FF1600 career in an interview conducted with the Formula 1 grand prix winner in 2018 Photos: Exactly a quarter of a century has passed since Mark Webber won the Formula Ford Festival. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |