Le Brocq takes stunning round win at Sandown

September 12, 2011

CAMS Rising Star driver, Jack Le Brocq has fought back from a disastrous Saturday qualifying session to finish Round 5 of the National Formula Ford Championship on the top step of the podium. The maiden round win comes only weeks after the young Victorian took out his first race victory at Ipswich.

Coming into the Sandown round, both Le Brocq and his Minda Motorsport teammate Trent Harrison were confident it was their time to top the results. They knew they had the race package, the only question was who was going to make the breakthrough first.

Harrison gained the upper hand in Saturday’s 20-minute qualifier. By the time the session was cut short due to Davies spearing off the track at turn 9, Harrison had already managed to get a time early on the drying track to put him 5th on the grid. For Le Brocq however it was too late to show his true potential and he was left behind in 16th with a huge task ahead of him.

#12 Trent Harrison “As the track started drying, we could’ve shown the real pace of the car, but with the red flag we didn’t get a single lap in the dry. We know we have pace and could’ve been closer to pole, that’s for sure.”

#49 Jack Le Brocq “We were unlucky. We went out with a dry setup and had almost finished a competitive lap before the red flag came out so there was simply no chance to put a dry lap time in. This happens in motorsport so I’ll put my head down and see where I end up.”

Race one was looking very promising for the CAMS Rising Stars with Le Brocq slicing through the field along the main straight, taking three positions as the field went four wide into turn one. Le Brocq continued his fine form down the back straight before crossing the line to complete the first lap, already inside the top ten.

Harrison also had a great start taking his Penrite sponsored machine to 4th. However on lap three while fighting for 3rd up the back straight, the battling group charged towards the turn five kink three abreast. Harrison was caught up in contact which damaged the left rear and rendered the Mygale unable to continue - a disappointing bump in the road for a promising weekend.

Le Brocq made it through safely, avoiding the carnage ahead and keeping pace to move into 4th. When the safety car was deployed on lap four, the field bunched up again. An action-packed race saw Le Brocq trade positions with Jacobson a couple of times and after Sager’s machine pulled into pit lane, Jack finished in 3rd. It was an outstanding effort by the young Rising Star from the rear of the field to secure a podium finish.

#49 Jack Le Brocq “I had wanted to get back into the top five today so am rapt with that – it’s always good to get a couple more positions but it’s looking good and there are two races for more to come tomorrow.”

“We won’t make any massive changes, just a few tweaks because we’re close!”

#12 Trent Harrison “We had speed and were sitting in third when the accident happened. We’ll be back tomorrow, better than ever and will go and repeat what Jack’s done today.”

Sunday was another typical Sandown day - rain, sun, safety cars, shortened races and then some more rain.

Race 2 started behind the safety car as the wet track caught out an unsuspecting driver on the warm up lap. Right from the get go, the Le Brocq–Jacobson battle continued with Jack going under Jacobson into turn one, before the switch back saw Jacobson out in front again. Harrison had a good start, gaining position off the line and starting his push through the field, but his charge was cut short by yet another safety car for the weekend.

As green conditions returned, Harrison went side by side with Ramerman along the main straight, finding a way under to move into 8th through turn one. Le Brocq was right on the lead battle heading towards Dandenong Road, getting crossed up but regaining control to lose minimal time from the leaders. With conditions constantly changing, Le Brocq was unable to make a further gain and came home in 3rd, while Harrison pressed on and finished 7th - a great effort considering the race didn’t go the full distance.

The final race of the weekend saw Le Brocq starting from the front row, with Waters having been penalised for the safety car spin. A great start had Le Brocq pulling ahead towards turn one and it was three-wide just off his rear wheels, but an action packed four-wide attempt up the rise saw Le Brocq back off to avoid contact, thereby losing positions.

Harrison got a great start and took to the inside on the straight to make an early pass on Fenech, using his pace to get ahead. A tangle for the leaders sent Le Brocq up to 2nd while teammate Harrison had charged on from the green, now right behind his Rising Star teammate. With the rain on lap two came the safety car, banking up the field that now saw Le Brocq and Harrison battling for 2nd as they hunted Waters for the lead.

Both Le Brocq and Harrison put the accelerator down for the final laps, but with the top three so close on lap times, the challenge was to find the gain. The CAMS Rising Stars had done enough to dominate the top three finishes, Harrison greeting the chequered flag in 3rd, with Le Brocq taking 2nd and securing his first round win in challenging conditions - an outstanding achievement.

#49 Jack Le Brocq “It feels really good to finally have a lap record, race win and round win. It’s all happening pretty quickly this weekend after a long time coming so I’m very happy. Anything’s possible now so we’ll see what happens.”

“All the hard work is finally starting to pay off after we’ve all been working really hard. We made some changes to make the car nicer in the dry for this last race so it’s just awesome for things to come together.”

#12 Trent Harrison “I got a good start, made a few positions into the first corner and I put my head down. I was trying for more but it was hard racing and third is still good.”

“At Phillip Island we’ll be up there. I don’t think it’ll be a bad one for us, I like the track and we’re pushing on until its car #12 winning too. A win’s not far away – we know we’ll be up there ‘cause the car’s fast and now we just need the luck.”

Bruin Beasley, Team Manager “It’s been a long time coming. The team has bonded really well, it’s a really good place to be and everyone’s really happy. This was a very well deserved win as Jack’s been working hard towards this and we know Trent’s first win won’t be far away.”

“The racing this weekend showed the level of skill of the guys in the field, and from both our Rising Stars, a commitment to hard, clean racing.”

2011 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP (after five rounds) 1. Cameron Waters, Mygale SJ011a, 221 2. Nick Foster, Mygale SJ011a, 163 3. Jack Le Brocq, Mygale SJ011a, 145 4. Garry Jacobson, Mygale SJ08a, 127 5. Tom Williamson, Mygale SJ011a, 105 6. Trent Harrison, Mygale SJ011a, 93 7. Matthew Brabham, Mygale SJ10a, 89 The CAMS Rising Stars are proudly supported by CAMS, Australian Sports Commission, Minda Motorsport, Penrite, OAMPS, Relux Slabs, Boylan Traffic solutions, Revolution Racegear and Mark Webber.