HIGHAM WALKS ON WATER TO TAKE RD4

Another round, another round win for Higham, as the 19 year old North Shore local continues to stamp his dominance on the 2011/12 Weldwell New Zealand Formula First championship.

Race one was jammed with drama, as polesitter Kyle George – who suffered an engine expiry during the qualifying session - would pit-in on the warm up lap with driveline issues. This would eventually cost him crucial points as George would only complete 5 of the 8 laps to register a DNF.

Meanwhile, the race was a classic formula first battle, where all top five drivers had a chance to take a victory.

The driver right behind George in the title chase, Rowan Shepherd, would capitalise on his misfortune, finishing second overall and taking third place on the championship table.

Te Puke’s Michael Scott would cross the line to take his second win of the year, .015 ahead of Shepherd and Ryan Hellier, with Higham claiming fourth overall. Scholarship winner Malcolm Finch would take a personal best fifth place finishing spot

Sunday was an entirely new playing field, as Saturday’s heat gave way to torrential down pours, which left teams scrambling for wet setups before the first race of the day.

The first race of the day was a sign of things to come for Higham, as he would proceed to drive away from the field.

Eight laps later Higham would take the victory, but behind him was an epic battle for second. The three way duel was eventually won by Michael Scott, outpacing Ryan Hellier and Kyle George to the line. Fifth place would go to Cory Holmes, who continues to show hints of his legendary father’s rally skills in the wet.

The final race of the weekend was just a mere formality for the Juiced Magazine machine of Matt Higham, as he would drive off into the rain clouds and leave his championship rivals to resume the battle for second.

This time around while George had the initial pace, Ryan Hellier would stay consistent and eventually pass the 3NZ for second place. Fourth would go to rookie Rowan Shepherd, with David Ruthven claiming fifth overall.

With the next round not until late January, the teams will enjoy the Christmas break before heading to Taupo Motorsport Park to resume the chase for the 2011/12 Weldwell NZ Formula First title.