Fawcett ready to pounce on Formula Ford opposition

BALLARAT driver Joe Fawcett has his Australian Formula Ford rivals firmly in his sights as he looks to build on an impressive start to his 2025 national championship tilt.

The 19-year-old will head to Sydney later this month for round three of the Australian Formula Ford Championship in second place on the leaderboard, well and truly within striking distance of the series leader Kobi Williams.

Confirming his status as one of the sport’s rising stars, Fawcett has enjoyed plenty more success this year in the Hi-Tec Oils Formula Ford Super Series.

He is currently third in the standings with two of five rounds still be run.

While Fawcett is eyeing greater consistency on the track, he is nevertheless happy with where his year is headed.

“The championship is definitely not over yet,” he said.

“I’m really happy with how things are going.

“We are doing our best to make sure the car doesn’t have any mechanical problems, or things like that.

“We’re just making sure we keep on top of things that could end up causing us problems.”

Fawcett still has four rounds in which to try to overhaul Williams for the national championship.

He credited his support team and an increased focus on fitness as the keys to his success behind the wheel in 2025.

 

“We have really been on top of looking after the car and making sure it’s set up as perfectly as possible for each event,” he said.

“I’ve been spending a bit of time in the simulator and in the gym getting myself ready for events.

“As much as anything, we’ve kind of picked up where we left off last year and have gained a few tenths here at every track.”

His good form has come on the heels of an ‘up and down’ year on the racetrack in 2024.

“We had a few good rounds – a few seconds and thirds,” Fawcett said.

“But we had a few rounds where we finished up with some DNFs and seventh overall in the national series.

“There was no Hi-Tech Oils (series) last year – this year is the first year they have run it.

“It’s been great having the Hi-Tech Oils.

“The format is quite different.

“They split the weekend up into a qualifying and two races on a Saturday and the same on Sunday, compared to the nationals where there is a qualifying and one race on Saturday and two races on Sunday.”

Fawcett, who graduated from Ballarat Grammar in 2024, is gearing up for the third round of the national championship at Sydney Motorsport Park.

It’s a venue that holds some fond memories for him.

“I really love Sydney as a track – I’m hoping to pick up where I left off from last time up there and get back to the front,” he said.

 

“The last time we were up there it was a Hi-Tec Oils round (in late May-June). I didn’t finish the first race, but was top three in the last three races.”

Fawcett, who like most motorsport drivers started his career in go-karts at age seven, made the transition to Formula Ford during COVID in 2020.

Following a swathe of interruptions and limited competition in his first two years, he has not looked back.

“It was definitely a challenge at first, but once we got our head around the cart, it wasn’t too bad a step,” Fawcett said.

“We bought the car in 2020, but could only do a few test-days towards the end of the year, and then 2021 was limited to about three races.

“2020 was the first full season.”

Fawcett’s long-term aim is to make the move into Supercars.

“That’s the dream and what we are looking forward to at the moment,” he said.

“We are trying to figure out the steps to try and get there, but we are struggling trying to find the money to fund the pathway.”

Fawcett acknowledged the generous support of his sponsors Konstrukt, Ballarat-based Buildforth, Omikron, Iccons, Intrinsic Healthcare and Brighton Best.