NSW Formula Vee Championship - Round 1
Lister Bros Racing participated in the delayed Round 1 of the 2020 NSW Formula Vee Championship held at Wakefield Park over the weekend. In what turned out to be one of the wettest races, with challenging conditions even for the most experienced drivers, Paul Lister was able to complete the race and secure P18 in a field of 21 cars.
The weekend started with free practice on Friday and Saturday morning where many Formula Vee drivers took the opportunity to brush up on their driving skills after a long period off the track. With new Dunlop tires fitted LBR improved on their previous outings to set a personal best lap time of 1m11.9s, around 4.5 seconds off the front runners, placing LBR in the mid-field.
Qualifying started on a dry track allowing drivers to lay down some quick qualifying times before light rain set in with some drivers opting for the pits. Paul qualified 12th with a time of 1m.12.2s. Less than a second separated the top seven drivers and 7.5s separated the entire field providing an idea of just how closely matched the field is.
Race one was shaping up to be wet and the heavens didn’t disappoint. The race was run in extreme conditions including heavy rain, poor visibility and limited grip, providing some of the most challenging conditions experienced by the category. Despite the poor conditions the LBR #18 completed the race and was able to secure P18 in a 21 car field.
Sunday delivered dry track conditions for race two and three however Paul woke up with flu symptoms and LBR made the decision to put other competitors’ safety first and retire from racing on Sunday. A COVID19 swab test was undertaken on Sunday afternoon and a negative result was returned Monday afternoon.
All drivers had a successful weekend with fierce competition across all sections of the grid from the front runners to mid-fielders and back runners with everyone having someone to race against.
The next round of the 2020 NSW Formula Vee Championship will take place over the weekend of 1-2 August at Sydney Motor Sport Park, Eastern Creek where a field of 25 cars is expected.