Former Formula Ford champ reflects on Mallala success

Marcos Ambrose Motorsport will have an ace up its sleeve when it races at Mallala this weekend for the penultimate round of the Formula Ford Stars Series.

Not only did team founder Marcos Ambrose finish second at the South Australian track in 1997, but mentor Adam Macrow went one better the next year on his way to securing the Australian Formula Ford Championship.

Contesting his third year in the category, the stakes were high for Macrow in an effort supported by engineering ace Mike Borland and alongside that of his much lauded family.

“It was my third year and it was do or die for my career,” reflected Macrow.

“I had the genius who is Mike Borland in my corner, so I was very lucky and had good gear.

“We put it all together and had a mega year.”

Much like it is currently, Macrow’s family was heavily involved in his program as was Borland as he continues to be to this day.

Macrow offered some advice to the rising Formula Ford stars of how to tackle the tight, narrow layout.

“It’s a very tight Winton,” Macrow said.

“Most the time to be made at Mallala is under brakes. “There’s a lot of fairly decent stops and I think a lot of time can be made there

“It’s about hitting your marks as there’s not a lot of room and it’s narrow. You’ve need to make sure the car flows well, getting the it set-up to rotate well in the slow corners.

“Though, you really need it all there. Good braking, rotation and power down, but it’s just a balance of those three areas to ensure the set-up is maximised for this tiny little track, which is very, very tight.

“Plus, there’s that bump in the middle of Turn 1, which is always fun to contend with.”

Macrow warned the rural South Australian circuit’s tight layout will be a tough proposition to overtake.

“The racing at Mallala is going to be full on and I think there are going to be a few divebombs going into the hairpin,” he said.

“It’s not the easiest track to pass on, so when you make a move it’s going to be a half desperate one.

“There could be some wild action.”