Blenheim’s Brook Reeve made an entertaining and encouraging start to the New Zealand Formula First championship over the weekend, confirming himself as a title contender.
The 17-year-old finished runner-up in two of the three races held at Manfield Autocourse in Feilding, beaten to the chequered flag by mere hundredths-of-a-second on both occasions.
At the end of the opening round, Reeve holds second place in the series, just 23 points behind multiple series champion Michael Shepherd, who finished first, second and third in the three races.
Reeve is in his second season in the Formula First single-seater category, having claimed the Rookie of the Year title last year.
On the weekend he had leads in all three races, eventually finishing sixth in the first. Having started that race fifth on the grid, Reeve quickly moved into the lead, before a driving mistake sent him off the track. He recovered though, moving from eighth back into first before contact with a rival dropped him to sixth as he crossed the line.
The two second place finishes followed though, leaving Reeve excited about the season ahead.
“That would have to be the closest racing I’ve had since I started car racing. In the last two races we were racing two and three wide through the corners with the lead constantly changing, but there was no contact between us, just fast, close racing,” Reeve said.
“I’m really pleased I came back to this class [Formula First] for another season as this type of racing is what really makes you sharp as a race car driver. There’s simply no other form of [car] racing in this country where you can get that close, cut-throat competition.”
The championship will be contested over eight rounds, all in the North Island, culminating in April. It comes at a large cost, so the teen is currently in search for sponsorship as he guns for the Formula First championship.
“The car’s fast, the team did a great job and I’ve got a year of experience to call on. I’m sure the team and I can give the championship a serious challenge this year,” Reeve said.
It’s just over 12 months since Reeve won the SpeedSport scholarship and moved up from racing karts to cars and he is quickly impressing.
His next opportunity to excel will be round two of the championship, held in Taupo on the last weekend of October.
