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2024... I realised at the end of 2023 that I didn't enjoy racing as much as I had in the past. I won the State Championship and achieved the goal I aimed for. But the struggle along the way wasn't fun. I couldn't race for wins; I raced to maximise the position I was in. I either didn't attempt that last corner lunge or I lacked straight line speed to be in a position to go for that lunge to try and get the win. And that sucked. In saying that, that's no disrespect to Jason and the car he gave me; it was as it was. Together we improved the car and made it better in every other way. But this led me to the decision, I'm going to do a year with no competition - hire go karts excepted!
So at the start of the year, I went to Melbourne for the F1 and to celebrate Grant, one of my best mates' birthday. I then road tripped from Melbourne to Sydney with close friend Caz in her awesome GTR. Fun fact; at this location 20 years ago I copped my biggest speeding fine ever in another of Caz's cars!
Next on the calendar was a Euro trip that included a track day at the Nurburgring with another one of my best mates, Andrew.
...Then onto the Red Bull Ring for a session in the driving centre and laps in a KTM X-Bow. The next morning I had the entire Driving Centre to myself in a Porsche Cayman S.
After Austria, it was onto the Goodwood Festival of Speed for four days of automotive heaven.
Back home in Australia, I helped another good mate Beau secure his Radical SR3 from Arise Racing. Before being shipped to Tasmania, it of course, had to be road tested!
November had me tick another bucket list track to drive. With thanks to FunCup Australia, I got to experience Mt Panorama, Bathurst at the Challenge Bathurst event sharing the car with another one of my best mates, Danny. Awesome experience holding it flat across the top of the mountain!
All in all, a great year. The plan for 2025 is that Danny will jump into my Ribuck 1200 Formula Vee and I'll jump into his Sabre 02 1600 Formula Vee...
So at the start of the year, I went to Melbourne for the F1 and to celebrate Grant, one of my best mates' birthday. I then road tripped from Melbourne to Sydney with close friend Caz in her awesome GTR. Fun fact; at this location 20 years ago I copped my biggest speeding fine ever in another of Caz's cars!
Next on the calendar was a Euro trip that included a track day at the Nurburgring with another one of my best mates, Andrew.
...Then onto the Red Bull Ring for a session in the driving centre and laps in a KTM X-Bow. The next morning I had the entire Driving Centre to myself in a Porsche Cayman S.
After Austria, it was onto the Goodwood Festival of Speed for four days of automotive heaven.
Back home in Australia, I helped another good mate Beau secure his Radical SR3 from Arise Racing. Before being shipped to Tasmania, it of course, had to be road tested!
November had me tick another bucket list track to drive. With thanks to FunCup Australia, I got to experience Mt Panorama, Bathurst at the Challenge Bathurst event sharing the car with another one of my best mates, Danny. Awesome experience holding it flat across the top of the mountain!
All in all, a great year. The plan for 2025 is that Danny will jump into my Ribuck 1200 Formula Vee and I'll jump into his Sabre 02 1600 Formula Vee...
The 2023 season was trying and character building, but a successful one. Breaking 4 head studs had me running with low compression and less power all year but through consistency and resilience still netted me the 2023 Motorsport Australia WA State Championship - my first in the 1600cc class!
I also travelled to Baskerville in Tasmania where unfortunately an incident damaged the car and put me out of the event. We patched it enough and headed straight to Philip Island in Victoria for Island Magic and got the Formula Vee National Series Round win, enough to secure 3rd place in the National Formula Vee Series.
Thanks to Jason and Giant Mandurah for the use of his Jacer Formula Vee. Thanks also to the Scareys and Lissons for lending me much needed shocks to keep me going at Philip Island and to David Caisley, Simon Bate and Anthony Lees for the on the fly mechanical assistance.
I also travelled to Baskerville in Tasmania where unfortunately an incident damaged the car and put me out of the event. We patched it enough and headed straight to Philip Island in Victoria for Island Magic and got the Formula Vee National Series Round win, enough to secure 3rd place in the National Formula Vee Series.
Thanks to Jason and Giant Mandurah for the use of his Jacer Formula Vee. Thanks also to the Scareys and Lissons for lending me much needed shocks to keep me going at Philip Island and to David Caisley, Simon Bate and Anthony Lees for the on the fly mechanical assistance.
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2023 WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee 1600 Club Champion1st
2023 Motorsport Australia WA State Championship WA Formula Vee 1600
The 2022 season started with the Jacer 99 Formula Vee 1600 before a newer Jacer F2K5 Formula Vee 1600 was acquired. Continual improvements were made over the year with a rewarding win in the WA Sporting Car Club Club Championship and only narrowly missing the Motorsport Australia WA State Championship. Along the way 22 podiums from 29 races were collected.
I managed to keep the 100% win ratio of the Renault Megane RS Trophy going winning the Fiat Lancia Car Club/French and Fantastic Car Club Motorkhana a second year in a row.
I managed to keep the 100% win ratio of the Renault Megane RS Trophy going winning the Fiat Lancia Car Club/French and Fantastic Car Club Motorkhana a second year in a row.
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2022 WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee 1600 Club Champion2nd
2022 Motorsport Australia WA State Championship WA Formula Vee 1600
2021 - a year where Covid still played a part. Despite this I still managed to get into racecars and onto bikes - I even got back to Derby, Tasmania for some awesome mountain biking.
On the race track, I competed in Formula Vee in both classes which meant I was never in the running for a State Championship result. With a newly obtained Mako 1600 thanks to Giant Mandurah, the plan was to improve the car throughout the year with the plan to get it running at the front of the field. Early on we found that the gearbox and engine were not the happiest so both came out for a rebuild. Upon return we showed improvement with a Pole Position at Wanneroo Raceway and a podium at the Collie Motorplex. In the last round we managed to finish 3rd for the round and 3rd in Prestigious Morton Plate Memorial Race.
In the Ribuck 1200, despite our best efforts, we never got to run at Sydney Motorsport Park with the car going on a 5700km trip in the back of the truck. I did compete in eight races winning four and finishing second in four. I secured Pole Position at The Bend Motorsport Park (South Australia) by 8.47sec over my nearest competitor and I secured the lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park for a Formula Vee 1200. With this I also won the Formula Vee Australia National Series.
Let's hope I get the chance to defend my National Championship in 2022 by getting to race interstate. Time will tell.
On the race track, I competed in Formula Vee in both classes which meant I was never in the running for a State Championship result. With a newly obtained Mako 1600 thanks to Giant Mandurah, the plan was to improve the car throughout the year with the plan to get it running at the front of the field. Early on we found that the gearbox and engine were not the happiest so both came out for a rebuild. Upon return we showed improvement with a Pole Position at Wanneroo Raceway and a podium at the Collie Motorplex. In the last round we managed to finish 3rd for the round and 3rd in Prestigious Morton Plate Memorial Race.
In the Ribuck 1200, despite our best efforts, we never got to run at Sydney Motorsport Park with the car going on a 5700km trip in the back of the truck. I did compete in eight races winning four and finishing second in four. I secured Pole Position at The Bend Motorsport Park (South Australia) by 8.47sec over my nearest competitor and I secured the lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park for a Formula Vee 1200. With this I also won the Formula Vee Australia National Series.
Let's hope I get the chance to defend my National Championship in 2022 by getting to race interstate. Time will tell.
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2021 Formula Vee Australia National Series Champion - Formula Vee 1200
2020 - A successful year in Formula Vee despite very trying times and not competing in the whole championship. Although championship points weren't important;
indidvidual race results were. 2 Pole Positions from 4 Qualifying Sessions and 5 wins, 3x seconds, a third and 4x fastest laps from 10 race starts shows a pretty competitive year.
I also took the opportunity to swap cars with David Caisley in the last round mid-way through the final Race Meeting of the year, I qualified the 1200 Ribuck on Pole position and won Race 1.
Then jumped into Dave's 1600 Jacer for Race 2, starting from the back of the grid, came through to take the win! Dave also started rear of field and won Race 2 in the 1200 Ribuck. Race 3 started from Pole and was leading for most of the race before an incident on the last corner of the last lap of the year caused a run through the gravel trap to finish 6th. Dave won Race 3 in the Ribuck. Despite the last race result, a great highlight to the year and proving I can be competitive in both classes.
I also took the opportunity to swap cars with David Caisley in the last round mid-way through the final Race Meeting of the year, I qualified the 1200 Ribuck on Pole position and won Race 1.
Then jumped into Dave's 1600 Jacer for Race 2, starting from the back of the grid, came through to take the win! Dave also started rear of field and won Race 2 in the 1200 Ribuck. Race 3 started from Pole and was leading for most of the race before an incident on the last corner of the last lap of the year caused a run through the gravel trap to finish 6th. Dave won Race 3 in the Ribuck. Despite the last race result, a great highlight to the year and proving I can be competitive in both classes.
2019 was a successful year for Franz with a commitment to the WA Formula Vee State Championship as well as competing in a round of the National Formula Vee Series at the new and awesome Tailem Bend circuit in
South Australia.
In the 34 race starts driving the Cycles Mandurah sponsored Ribuck 1200cc Formula Vee,
Franz managed 16 wins, nine 2nd place finishes, five 3rd place finishes, set the fastest lap in 14 races and was on Pole Position 7 out of 10 times.
South Australia.
In the 34 race starts driving the Cycles Mandurah sponsored Ribuck 1200cc Formula Vee,
Franz managed 16 wins, nine 2nd place finishes, five 3rd place finishes, set the fastest lap in 14 races and was on Pole Position 7 out of 10 times.
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2019 CAMS State Championship WA Formula Vee 12001st
2019 WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee 12001st
2019 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship 12002nd
2019 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship Collie Cup 1200
In 2018, Franz took a back seat to competitive motorsport and decided to do track days at
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
He did however step back into the Cycles Mandurah sponsored Ribuck 1200cc Formula Vee which he won the State Championship in his rookie year competing in three rounds resulting in one Pole Position, eight fastest laps, two 2nd places and nine race wins (currently on an eight win streak) while along way picking up the BMGraphics plate for a second time in the three times it's been contested and winning the WA Round of the National Formula Vee Series.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
He did however step back into the Cycles Mandurah sponsored Ribuck 1200cc Formula Vee which he won the State Championship in his rookie year competing in three rounds resulting in one Pole Position, eight fastest laps, two 2nd places and nine race wins (currently on an eight win streak) while along way picking up the BMGraphics plate for a second time in the three times it's been contested and winning the WA Round of the National Formula Vee Series.
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2018 BMGraphics Plate Perpetual Race1st
2018 Formula Vee Australian Series - Rnd 4
2017 played host to Franz's 3rd season in Formula Vee. However the first in the bigger engined 1600cc class,
driving Jason Fowler's, Geutebruck supported Jacer 99. The year was plauged with power, brake and handling
issues however we still managed to run with the state's best securing 9 podiums and setting 5 fastest laps.
driving Jason Fowler's, Geutebruck supported Jacer 99. The year was plauged with power, brake and handling
issues however we still managed to run with the state's best securing 9 podiums and setting 5 fastest laps.
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2017 WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee 16003rd
2017 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship 16004th
2017 CAMS State Championship WA Formula Vee 16004th
2017 State Motor Racing Championships Formula Vee 16006th
2017 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship Collie Cup
In 2016, Franz raced his second season in Formula Vee, this time in Jason Fowler's Mako.
Competing in 7 of the 8 rounds including 22 races, Franz recorded 3 Pole Positions, 10 race wins,
5 2nd place finishes, 2 3rd place finishes, 1 4th place finish, 1 5th place finish, 1 6th place finish
and 1 8th place finish.
Competing in 7 of the 8 rounds including 22 races, Franz recorded 3 Pole Positions, 10 race wins,
5 2nd place finishes, 2 3rd place finishes, 1 4th place finish, 1 5th place finish, 1 6th place finish
and 1 8th place finish.
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2016 CAMS State Championship WA Formula Vee 12001st
2016 State Motor Racing Championships Formula Vee 12001st
2016 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship Collie Cup 12001st
2016 BMGraphics Plate Perpetual Race2nd
2016 WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee 12002nd
2016 National Formula Vee Challenge 12003rd
2016 Formula Vee Association of WA Club Championship 1200
In 2015, Franz raced his first season in a Formula Vee and his first full season of circuit racing.
From 10 rounds including 32 races, Franz recorded 5 Pole Positions, 16 race wins, 12 2nd place finishes,
1 3rd place finish, 1 7th place finish, 1 Declared Race and 1 DNS.
From 10 rounds including 32 races, Franz recorded 5 Pole Positions, 16 race wins, 12 2nd place finishes,
1 3rd place finish, 1 7th place finish, 1 Declared Race and 1 DNS.