Callum Crawley has swept the Sunday races at Round 6 of the 2017/18 Hi-Q Components NZ Formula First Championship. His nearest Championship rival, Kaleb Ngatoa, finished a close second which extends Crawley’s championship lead to just nine points.
From the outset the battle was on as Conrad Clark, Crawley and Ngatoa established themselves as the three contenders for the win, risking it all by going three-wide through splash on the opening lap.
I looked to be all over for Crawley after he spent some more time off the track at the hairpin on the second lap, falling off the lead pack to sixth. That left Clark and Ngatoa to duke it out for the lead while the four cars behind them went side by side, wheel to wheel to decide third.
Brody McConkey then gained the lead almost out of nowhere, compacting the field up again and allowing the tail end of the train an opportunity for a podium finish. Then after clawing back positions, Crawley took to the grass again on lap five, this time motivated by Clark, further compromising his chances of victory.
The final three laps would see Crawley yet again make up the time lost off the track and eventually take the win. Ngatoa limited the points loss with second place while Liam Foster picked up third ahead of Clark and McConkey. Reece Hendl-Cox took sixth ahead of Billy Frazer, Taylor Hurst, Chris Symon with Amy Smith rounding out the top ten.