By Ben Hope
JACK Le Brocq began his Formula Vee career on a high note with an impressive ninth place in his first race at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) Rising Star raced in a Formula Ford in front of thousands of people at Albert Park and said he walked away from the experience with more confidence.
In his race report to CAMS the Beaconsfield teenager said he was excited before the race but knew the atmosphere would be very different to anything he had experienced before.
“With the race only eight laps, it was very important to just keep it on the black stuff and complete every lap,” he said.
“After three laps I had gained five positions and had moved into 10th place, then after a driver came off and after one lap behind the safety car they were going to restart the race.”
The Minda Motorsport apprentice finished ninth in a field of 26 drivers despite a collision that damaged the rear of his Formula Ford.
“(A) car behind me drove into the back of me, bending my lower rear arm and damaging the exhaust system,” he said.
“This made the car very tailey and I was very lucky to be able to carry on in the position I was in.
“I was rapt with where I finished and that I was able to pick up two points in my first national event. This was definitely a ticked box for the weekend.”
His placing meant Le Brocq started his second race on Sunday in ninth position. He worked hard to get towards the front of the pack and made it into seventh place by the third turn.
Unfortunately a crash by one of the back runners meant the safety car was introduced in the second lap, before the red flag was waved. The 17-year-old was in eighth place when the race was called off.
“When I saw the red flag my stomach dropped,” Le Brocq said.
“I was shattered that I wasn’t going to get the chance to really see where I stack up against the front-running guys.”
As a CAMS Rising Star Le Brocq will race a Formula Ford at eight V8 meetings across Australia and will also have access to media training, a sports psychologist AIS training camps and mentoring by Australian racing identities.
His next race will take place in Ipswich at the Queensland Raceway V8 meeting in late April.
“I walked away from the weekend with a great deal more confidence and now know that I can run with the top guys. I am now really looking forward to the Queensland Raceway meeting in a month’s time,” he said.
