Lachlan Mineeff is predicting this weekend's fourth round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia to produce some of the most exciting racing of the year, and is ready to put his overtaking prowess to good use.
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The Southern Highlands driver is forging a reputation for hard-charging drives, most notably in the previous round at Winton where he stormed from 13th on the grid into the top six in the weekend's opening race, and he reckons the Tailem Bend track is one that suits his attacking style.
"It's a challenging track, but it's very rewarding when you get it right. There are some high-speed corners around the back part of the circuit that require commitment and bravery, but you also need to position the car very accurately," Mineeff said.
"They're the sorts of corners that reward drivers who have a good feel for the grip they have, and how much speed they can carry.
"The front straight is very long, and in these Formula Fords there will be a lot of slipstreaming, as drivers try to gain an advantage by getting a tow from the car in front. I can't wait to make some late braking moves into the first corner, but at the same time I know there will be people behind looking to do the same to me."
The 16-year-old is seventh in the Formula Ford standings after a consistent start to the year highlighted by a top-three result at Queensland Raceway, and is hoping his CHE Racing Team's 2018 form at Tailem Bend will translate to front-running results.
"The Bend was a happy hunting ground for us last year - I won a couple of races in a state championship event, and my team-mate Tom (Sargent) was on the podium in the national round, so our cars seem to work pretty well there.
"We're closer to the front-running pace than we've been before, but the competition has stepped up; we only need to make small gains to run right at the front.
"Our mentor and driver coach Cameron Hill had his first race win in Porsche Carrera Cup in Darwin on the weekend, so hopefully we can produce some more breakthrough results," Mineeff concluded.
