Published Articles

Freeman Snares Championship Advantage 22.11.14

Round two of the Ace Hire South Island Formula Ford Championship took place at Levels Raceway just North of Timaru last weekend, and the event also double as the opening round of the National Championship being contested throughout New Zealand over the summer. 

Blenhiems Dyson Freeman went into the event with high hopes after a confident start to the season leaving round one in Christchurch second in class 2 and fifth overall in the championship. 

Freeman managed to qualify 9th for race one but struggled with a missfire at high revs, meaning he suffered his first retirement for the season, pulling in on lap six and watching his solid start to the championship come to a grinding halt. The team worked hard to find the issue and managed to get the car out for race two, once again starting from 9th Freeman worked his way through the pack and took advantage of his closest rival in the championships bad luck, Michael Collins from Christchurch who was the leader going into round 2 made solid contact with the wall and suffered unrepairable damage putting him out for the remainder of the round, Freeman managed to work himself up to sixth place and first in class 2.

A number of changes were made to the car for the third and final race of the weekend, and whatever the team did, it seemed to do the trick with Freeman battling it out with Tom Alexander, the pair swapping positions and rubbing tyres on numerous occasions but Freeman couldnt manage to beat Alexander to the chequred flag and finished fifth overall and first in class 2, also giving Freeman the class 2 championship lead by 9 points over Derek Wilson. The Timaru weekend also puts Freeman second in his class for the National Championship.

Freeman now hopes to head South to Teretonga near Invercargill to contest round three of the Ace Hire South Island Formula Ford Championship being held on December 7th, Freeman said " it all depends on funding, i did the Timaru round on old tyres so I'm hoping to scrape up enough money to contest the Teretonga round" and if Freeman's eagerness to race isn't motivation enough to get him there, then there is always the thought of extending the championship lead heading into the New Year.

By Daryl Shuttleworth

High Expectations For Freeman  4.11.14

You could almost be excused for thinking Dyson Freeman was a seasoned campaigner when it came to Formula Ford racing, the 24 year old Blenheim based tyre technician has his sights set, his goals in place and has the correct attitude to make them become reality this season, and remarkably it is only his second year in the grade

Freeman who was born and raised in Dunedin had a stellar first season, finishing 3rd in his class and 9th overall in the Ace Hire South Island Formula Ford Championship, but with having that season under his belt Freeman sees himself as a front runner in his class and a top 5 prospect in the overall championship. Freeman said "ive spent all off season rebuilding the car myself, i stripped it, put it back together even repainted it myself" and Freemans hard work has not gone unnoticed, he has come under the watchfull eye of New Zealand Motorsport legend Kenny Smith, who has given Freeman alot of guidence on set up and how to get the most out of his race car for the coming season.

The Ace Hire South Island Formula Ford Championship kicked off in October at Ruapuna near Christchurch, this was Freemans first run on the short track and the weekend didnt start the best with gearbox issues hindering any chance of qualifying, meaning he would have to start at the very rear of the 21 car field. Freeman showed patience throughout the day and kept a mature head to claim 12th in race one, and 8th in race two and three bringing together a good points haul after a bad start to the weekend. Freeman left Ruapuna 5th overall in the championship and 2nd overall in his class behind Michael Collins of Christchurch, who Freeman also sees as his biggest competition.

Round two of the series heads South to Levels Raceway in Timaru on November 15th, this also doubles as round 1 of the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship which Freeman would love to take full part in depending on funding. Freeman has worked extremely hard over the off season with a number of different fundraising ideas to get him on the grid this season, once again doing the hard work himself, putting his racing in his own hands, making future success taste all the more sweeter for this hard working racer.

Title Slips From Freeman's Grasp 6.2.2014

While it was always going to be a long shot after missing a round last year, 23 year old Blenheim driver Dyson Freeman has given his all but has seen the South Island Formula Ford Class 2 title move out of reach with just one round left to go.

Freeman was sitting third going into the 2014 rounds but had his sights firmly set on the title, which was achievable but a long shot, Freeman had to dominate and hope that a bit of luck went his way, or bad luck the way of his competitors.

The title chase started at Teretonga Park in Invercargill, local Stephen Heffernan had a handy lead in points heading into the round, followed by Derek Wilson in second and Freeman in third. 

Freeman's weekend didn't start the way he had hoped, mechanical issues hindered his qualifying efforts meaning he started well down the grid, and had a lot of work to do if he was going to chase down his nearest rivals, race one was a contrast of his qualifying, electrical issues with the car meant Freeman had to retire early and see his competitors extend there lead in the championship.

Race two at Teretonga was a change in fortune for Freeman, steady rain made the track difficult to drive on but Freeman's experience from years of karting seen him excel and make amends for his misfortunes in race one, Freeman took the win in his class, clawing make some much needed championship points despite there still being mechanical issues with the car. Race three started in the rain but the track dried towards the end of the race, the car continued to misfire but Freeman fought on to claim second place in his class and leave Invercargill a little dissapointed, but still third in the championship.

The championship moved north to Levels Raceway in Timaru the following weekend, Freeman was still in the hunt but knew he could only win the Championship should Heffenan and Wilson suffer from mechanical issues or race incidents and not finish, but its in Freeman's nature not to give up and delivered his best results of the season to date.

Freeman dominated his class, winning all three races by a comfortable margin, even mixing it up with some of the class one drivers who have faster, newer machinery under them, certainly turning a few heads in the process. It was the perfect result for Freeman but the championship slipped from his grasp, with Heffenan doing enough to wrap up the championship with one round to spare, it did however elevate Freeman up to second in the class 2 championship, 12 points ahead of Wilson, and also puts Freeman 7th overall in the full championship, a stellar effort in his debut year. Freeman and his teams professional attitude and approach to the sport has paid of in his first season in the category.

With one round remaining at Ruapuna in Christchurch Freeman's aim is to finish the season strongly and hold onto second place in the championship, then the focus will turn to entering the full New Zealand Formula Ford Championship next season, Freeman wishes to thank his loyal sponsors The Tyre General, GT Radial, B&W Fibrous Plasterers and all his supporters. 

Daryl Shuttleworth

Rookie makes most of season - 12.01.2014

Dyson Freeman, Otago-born but Marlborough-based, is making the most of his rookie season in the South Island Formula Ford motor racing series.

The 23-year-old, who works as a tyre and wheel alignment technician in Blenheim, was still coming to grips with the Formula Ford race car in round one at Timaru's Levels track in late November but managed a solid second overall in the Pre 93 class.

Round two at Ruapuna in early December saw him climb to first equal alongside Southland's Stephen Heffernan but Freeman's lead was short-lived, as he missed round three in Teretonga and dropped to third overall.

His sights are now firmly set on upcoming rounds at Teretonga (beginning tomorrow) Timaru (the following week) then Ruapuna, and securing enough points to regain the lead and take out the championship in his debut season in the Pre 93 class.

Should Freeman be successful, he will endeavour to take on the full national Formula Ford series next season.

His ride to the top began 17 years ago, when his father first got him into karting.

Freeman's karting career wasn't always plain sailing. A massive roll over at a meeting in Invercargill in 2006 was followed a year later by victory on the same track in the South Island senior light champs. Freeman then repeated the dose on his home track in Mosgiel in 2012, winning the open class.

Determined to make the step up to open wheelers, Freeman made plenty of sacrifices. He decided to go to the Canterbury racing school rather than have a party to celebrate turning 21, displaying the sort of commitment to motorsport that paid off last year when GT Radials and Tyre General Dunedin gave Freeman the opportunity to run at The Lady Wigram meeting in Christchurch in a Formula Ford. He only took a couple of races to find his rhythm and in thefinal he was the fastest non-winged Formula Ford on track.

Freeman's result was enough to attract a personal sponsor, who bought the car outright to compete in the South Island series.

His commitment to motorsport wouldn't have come to fruition without the support of sponsors GT Radial, General Tyres and B&W Fibrous Plasterers.