Taranaki driver puts crash behind him

Fifteen-year-old Taranaki motorsport star, Thomas Boniface of Egmont Village, is ready for the next step in his journey to becoming a professional racing car driver.

This weekend he is competing in round two of the ITM NZ Formula Ford Championship at Manfeild raceway.

Thomas recently competed at the opening round, in front of a massive international audience, as a support category to the Virgin Australia V8 Supercars championship. Unfortunately, the debut did not go according to plan, with Thomas being the victim of a crash on the opening lap, forcing a DNF (Did Not Finish) and some expensive damage to the rear suspension of his Mygale SJ13a racecar. The damage was repaired, and Thomas completed the weekend, recording a seventh and sixth place in the remaining two races.

Since this meeting, the engine was found to have been low on power and has been upgraded and rebuilt. There is a high expectation that the #67 Formula Ford should be competitive this weekend, and Robert Boniface says his son Thomas is very excited about the potential to run at the front of the field and secure some good results and points.

Due to the DNF, Thomas currently sits 12th in the championship, with the goal being to achieve a top-six finish. The NZ Championship is run over six rounds, with the team traveling to Invercargill after this round in January 2020. Team Boniface Racing would like to thank all the supporters and members of his Partner/Supporters club who have enabled him to compete in the championship.