Tabitha Ambrose ready for full circle moment in Sydney

Sydney Sundown will mark a full circle moment for Tabitha Ambrose as she returns to the scene of her first Formula Ford race.

Following a tough opening round at Winton where progress was hampered by two hung throttles, Ambrose is excited to return to Sydney Motorsport Park and benchmark her development compared to her maiden appearance at the circuit.

“I’m really looking forward to Sydney,” said Ambrose.

“I had my first Formula Ford race in Sydney, so it will be a full circle moment for me. It’ll be really fun to get back out there, though I know it’s a really high degradation track, so there will be a lot of focus on the tyres especially towards the end of the weekend.

“It’ll be interesting to see how everyone manages their tyres, how to minimise the wear and drive with no grip at the end.

Ambrose is clocking up the miles in 2025 having competed in a variety of Formula Ford events already this season and scored a class podium at the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour during Easter.

Adapting to open-wheel racing has been a key area of focus for Ambrose, who made the step up from Hyundai Excels towards the end of last year.

“Passing open-wheelers is hard because you’ve got to have faith in the other driver to not bang wheels,” she explained.

“Knowing they are going to give you space and room is a big thing for me.

“Coming from the Excel where you rub doors and stick your nose in where it might not belong, you can get away with it, but in the Formula Ford you just can’t.”

The Formula Ford Stars & Renegades format featuring longer races and twin qualifying sessions is an aspect Ambrose is enjoying although it can take not only a physical toll, but a mental one as well.

“I’m feel pretty comfortable jumping out of the and I know the mental side is a big challenge too, just being able to hold on for the 25-minutes,” said Ambrose.

“I really like this format due to the ability to qualify on each day. A hung throttle on Saturday ruined my day, but not the weekend because I re-qualified and raced on Sunday to gain some good points.

“It was good to reset.”

Ambrose will be aiming to climb the standings at Round 2 for the Formula Ford Stars & Renegades Series at the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series event Sydney Sundown on May 30-31.