2025 Formula Classic – Round 3

Written by admin on July 29, 2025. Posted in 2025, Results

Collie – Ernie Hastie Memorial Race Weekend Report

Round three of the Formula Classic Series had a small but passionate group of drivers come
together for a chilly but ultimately beautiful day of racing.
It was great to welcome Phil Grove to his first race meeting sporting fresh “P” plates on his
recently acquired Van Diemen FF2000 and also to Tim Davies on a return appearance in his
lovely and very well prepared Ralt RT4.
With only five entries, making a commitment to the meeting the competition was spread (due
to the variety of cars) but the camaraderie between drivers and supporting crews was always
on show.
Qualifying: Slippery Surprises
The morning started off with temperatures dipping below 2°C. A very chilly start to the day
made the track conditions quite slippery for all competitors in the earlier qualifying events,
however the sun eventually provided a good dose of warmth for the remainder of what was to
be a stunning day.
Qualifying proved to be a bit of a challenge, with the cold track causing some slick conditions.
Ricky and Craig both had some tricky moments, with both spinning on the slippery surface.
With only five cars on track, there was no hiding, but it was Bill who managed to put in the
quickest lap, followed by a surprised Ricky in his RT5 and Tim closely behind. Craig and Phil
followed along but it was a solid showing from all drivers, considering the tricky conditions.

Race 1:
Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone. Ricky encountered some ignition
problems with the Ralt and was forced to withdraw before the start of Race 1. It was a
disappointing outcome for him given his qualifying position, but the team quickly got to work
diagnosing the terminal issue.
Phil, meanwhile, faced similar issues as he gets to know his way around a new car, but with
the support of the group, he was able to get his car going just in time for Race 2.
Bill had lead from start to finish followed by Tim and Craig. The race being a little processional
but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Race 2 & 3:
In Race 2 and Race 3, Tim managed to lead away from the rolling starts however Bill got his
head down and through his solid performance managed to overcome Tim in the later part of
both races. It was entertaining watching the battle at various parts of the circuit and clearly
room was given on a few occasions despite a good race between both drivers.
Phil managed to make the start of race two and was determined to complete the race with a car
that refused to behave, unfortunately retiring from Race 2 with one lap to go. It was a tough
break, but is confident he’ll be back stronger the next time out.
Craig settled into his mid field role for each race but did maage to provide an impressive “off”
in Race 3. After experimenting with tire pressures, he managed a spectacular spin at the high
speed turn one in full view of the onlooking crowd. No damage was done other than to his
pride, so he quickly restarted and bounced back, albeit a little gun shy on his way to finishing
the race.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend of racing, and despite the challenges, the spirit of teamwork
and sportsmanship was evident throughout weekend.
A big thank you to everyone who came out to race and support! We look forward to the next
event and hope to see everyone back on track in late June at Wanneroo.