The 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship was an Australian motor racing competition for Formula Ford cars. [1] It was sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as an Australian title. [1] Promoted as the Ford Racing Australian Formula Ford Championship, [2] it was the 32nd national series for Formula Fords to be held in Australia [3] and the ninth to carry the Australian Formula Ford Championship name. [3]
The season was dominated by both Will Davison and Will Power, with both drivers winning 14 out of the 15 races completed. Nick Agland was the only other driver to win a race; taking victory at Sandown as both Davison and Power retired from proceedings. Their overwhelming success as compared to the rest of the field led to a year-long title fight that would be dubbed The Battle of the Will's. Davison secured pole position in all but one of the events, and in the penultimate round in Queensland, he secured the championship with a round to spare.
This season would see the emergence of future V8 Supercar champion, Jamie Whincup. Entering a privately-run entry, his pace improved considerably throughout the year and his consistency helped secure him third outright in the drivers standings. Long-time rival Mark Winterbottom would also make his debut in racing cars midway through the season with Borland Racing Developments.
| Team | Chassis | No | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borland Racing Developments | Spectrum 05 | 5 | | All |
| Spectrum 05 | 41 | | 6, 8 | |
| Spectrum 06 | 71 | | 1–7 | |
| Sonic Motor Racing Services | Van Diemen RF01 | 6 | | All |
| Van Diemen RF01 | 17 | | 4–6, 8 | |
| Power Racing | Van Diemen RF95 | 7 | | All |
| Factory Enterprises | Spectrum 06b | 9 | | 4–5, 7–8 |
| JW Motorsport | Van Diemen RF94 | 10 | | All |
| Hanger Racing | Spectrum 06b | 11 | | 1–3, 5–8 |
| Barton Mower Motorsport | Van Diemen RF01 | 12 | | 1–3 |
| Fastlane Racing | Van Diemen RF94 | 13 | | 1–5, 8 |
| Van Diemen RF90 | 37 | | 3 | |
| Van Diemen RF94 | 38 | | 3, 5–6, 8 | |
| Van Diemen RF94 | 50 | | 3, 5–6 | |
| Van Diemen RF92 | 62 | | 8 | |
| Van Diemen RF91 | 63 | | 8 | |
| Van Diemen RF92 | 82 | | 3 | |
| Van Diemen RF94 | 93 | | 3 | |
| Brad Jones Racing | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | | All |
| Simon Wheeler | Van Diemen RF98 | 16 | | 3 |
| No Limit Racing | Van Diemen RF01 | 17 | | 1–3 |
| Robert Jones | Van Diemen RF94 | 21 | | 4, 6 |
| Black Cat Racing Products | Spectrum 07 | 22 | | 1–3 |
| J&F Motors | Van Diemen RF97 | 24 | | 1, 8 |
| Daniel Reinhardt | Spectrum 06 | 28 | | 8 |
| Bob's Panels | Mygale 98 | 29 | | 1, 4, 8 |
| Whincup Racing | Mygale SJ2000 | 30 | | All |
| Anglo Australian Motorsport | Van Diemen RF93 | 31 | | 1–5 |
| Van Diemen RF94 | 35 | | 5–6 | |
| Kurt Wimmer | Van Diemen RF95 | 32 | | 7 |
| Perth Brake Parts | Van Diemen RF92 | 33 | | 1, 3 |
| John Pettit | Swift FB90 | 33 | | 5 |
| Lowe Racing | Swift SC93K | 34 | | 1–2, 4–8 |
| Mark Douglas | Van Diemen RF94 | 34 | | 3 |
| Michael Henderson | Swift SC95K | 35 | | 3 |
| Chris Gilmour | Van Diemen RF96 | 36 | | 7 |
| Craig Kermond | Van Diemen RF93 | 39 | | 1 |
| Sausage Software | Van Diemen RF94 | 40 | | 1–6 |
| In Tune Racing | Swift SC95 | 42 | | 2 |
| Rupert Collins Plastics | Spectrum 06b | 42 | | 8 |
| James Small Racing | Mygale SJ01 | 43 | | 1, 3–6, 8 |
| Matthew Cherry | Spectrum 06 | 44 | | 3 |
| ESANDA | Van Diemen RF93 | 44 | | 8 |
| Kai Heller | Van Diemen RF97 | 46 | | 3 |
| Tim Wheeler | Van Diemen RF98 | 48 | | 3 |
| Nick Torelli | Spectrum 06 | 49 | | 1, 5 |
| JV Crash | Ray 95 | 52 | | 6 |
| Nathan Lea Racing | Swift SC94K | 53 | | 2, 5 |
| Tony Quinn | Vector MG96 | 53 | | 7 |
| Vector TF94 | 54 | | 7 | |
| William Hall Motorsport | Spectrum 06 | 55 | | 3–4, 6 |
| Fisher and Paykel Racing | Swift SC94F | 56 | | 2, 5 |
| Neil McFadyen Racing | Van Diemen RF96 | 59 | | 2, 5 |
| Laminate Traders | Van Diemen RF96 | 60 | | 1, 4, 8 |
| Jordan Orsmby | Van Diemen RF93 | 61 | | 8 |
| G-Force Motorsport | Van Diemen RF96 | 63 | | 4 |
| MGM Zifa Motorsports | Spectrum 06 | 65 | | 1–3 |
| Sean Supanz | Van Diemen RF87 | 67 | | 3 |
| Luke Morton | Van Diemen RF94 | 69 | | 3 |
| Nomad Racing | Spectrum | 74 | | 3 |
| Laurence Burford | Van Diemen RF92 | 75 | | 2 |
| Brian Sampson | Spectrum 06b | 75 | | 8 |
| Clem Smith | Van Diemen | 78 | | 6 |
| Richard Chamberlain | Spectrum | 79 | | 6, 8 |
| Michael Boyland | Van Diemen | 80 | | 6 |
| Mineruanet Motorsport | Spectrum 06 | 83 | | 1–2, 4, 6–8 |
| Tony LeMessurier | Van Diemen RF95 | 87 | | 5, 7 |
| Optima Motorsport | Van Diemen RF98 | 88 | | 1–2, 4–7 |
| John McCowan | Van Diemen RF90 | 92 | | 3 |
| Greg Fahey | Van Diemen RF95 | 95 | | 7 |
The championship was contested over an eight-round series [2] with two races per round. [4]
| Round | Circuit | Dates | Supporting | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 25 March | Shell Championship Series | |
| 2 | | 29 April | Shell Championship Series | |
| 3 | | 23–24 June | Shell Championship Series | |
| 3 | | 15 July | Shell Championship Series | |
| 5 | | 29 July | Shell Championship Series | |
| 6 | | 12 August | Konica V8 Supercar Series | |
| 7 | | 25–26 August | Shell Championship Series Queensland 500 | |
| 8 | | 2 December | Shell Championship Series | |
Championship points were awarded at each race on the following basis:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Pos. | Driver | PHI | EAS | WAN | CAL | ORA | MAL | QUE | SAN | Pts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | |||
| 1 | | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Ret | C | 266 |
| 2 | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Ret | C | 210 |
| 3 | | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | Ret | 3 | 7 | Ret | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | C | 146 |
| 4 | | 10 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 7 | Ret | C | 121 |
| 5 | | 19 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 1 | C | 108 |
| 6 | | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 6 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | C | 104 |
| 7 | | 17 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 2 | 3 | C | 101 |
| 8 | | 5 | 5 | Ret | 11 | 21 | Ret | Ret | DNS | 5 | 4 | 7 | C | 48 | ||||
| 9 | | 6 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 25 | 6 | 4 | DSQ | 15 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 47 | ||
| 10 | | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 | Ret | Ret | C | 42 |
| 11 | | DNS | DNS | 4 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 15 | 8 | C | 38 | ||||||
| 12 | | 7 | 6 | 6 | Ret | 3 | 12 | 36 | ||||||||||
| = | | Ret | 8 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | C | 36 | ||||||||
| 14 | | 12 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 9 | DNS | DNS | 11 | Ret | 26 | ||||||
| 15 | | 8 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 12 | Ret | 10 | 6 | Ret | 16 | 15 | Ret | Ret | C | 19 | ||
| 16 | | 18 | 13 | 10 | Ret | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 11 | C | 17 | ||
| 17 | | Ret | 13 | 5 | C | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 18 | | 14 | Ret | 15 | 14 | 8 | Ret | 11 | 8 | 13 | 13 | Ret | C | 8 | ||||
| 19 | | 15 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 20 | | 9 | Ret | 11 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 5 | ||||||
| 21 | | 13 | 9 | Ret | C | 2 | ||||||||||||
| = | | 9 | C | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 23 | | 18 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| = | | 22 | 15 | 14 | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 1 | ||
| = | | 13 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | Ret | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 1 | ||
| = | | 10 | C | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 11 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 0 | ||||||||||
| - | | 16 | 16 | 14 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 20 | 18 | DNS | DNS | 12 | C | 0 | ||||||||||
| - | | 21 | 19 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 23 | Ret | 15 | Ret | 15 | C | 0 | ||||||||||
| - | | 24 | 21 | Ret | 20 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | Ret | Ret | 22 | 22 | 21 | 0 | ||||||||||
| - | | DNS | DNS | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 18 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 19 | Ret | 21 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 20 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 21 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 22 | 21 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 11 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 16 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 0 | ||||||||||
| - | | 23 | 23 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 24 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 25 | Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 26 | 22 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | 11 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | 17 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | 24 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 11 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 16 | 15 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | DNS | DNS | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 16 | 19 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 17 | 22 | 16 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | DNS | 17 | 17 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| - | | 20 | 23 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 17 | Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 20 | DNS | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 15 | 15 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 16 | 16 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 18 | 14 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | Ret | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 19 | 19 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 13 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 16 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 17 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 18 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| - | | 19 | C | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Pos. | Driver | PHI | EAS | WAN | CAL | ORA | MAL | QUE | SAN | Pts | ||||||||
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | |||