Source link : https://pksportsnews.com/2025/02/20/ambrose-brings-team-back-to-formula-ford/
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 20 February 2025
Supercars and NASCAR legend Marcos Ambrose has brought his team back to Formula Ford through the new AASA series.
Marcos Ambrose Motorsport will field two Australian-produced Spectrums in the 2025 Formula Ford Stars and Renegades Series, which will run within the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.
Excel racer Brad James has been confirmed as the team’s first driver with a teammate yet to be revealed ahead of the opening round at Winton on February 28-March 2.
Ambrose is no stranger to Formula Ford and has a long history in the category that can be traced back to his father Ross, who co-founded Van Diemen International alongside Ralph Firman Sr.
The category also played a pivotal role in his own career, making the step up from karts to the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 1996.
Marcos Ambrose in MAM colours recently. Image: Supplied
After finishing fourth on debut, Ambrose then battled with Garth Tander and fell second best in 1997 before going to England and winning the EuroCup two years later.
Ambrose is excited to return to a car he has a passion for.
“We decided to bring Marcos Ambrose Motorsport back to life and we’ve pulled a few extra people in to really make it a success,” said Ambrose.
“We’ve put a deal together with Mike Borland from Spectrum to run his cars and we’ve got great support from the manufacturer as well to set-up a nice Formula Ford program around this two-car attack.
“In addition to Mike, we’ve got Adam Macrow running the program for us day-to-day as lead engineer and mechanics. Adam is a previous Formula Ford champion, so we’ve got a lot of knowledge in the team.
“We’ve chosen to enter Formula Ford due to it being the most cost effective category, which is a real race car that teaches you about set-up as the suspension is pretty much open, it’s beautifully balanced at 450kg and it’s a traditional, purpose built unit that teaches you great discipline in addition to technique.
“For me, Formula Ford is still the best training tool to teach a driver how to go about the business, which means to provide good feedback, have good discipline behind the wheel and great technique.
“There is nowhere to hide in open-wheel cars, if you’re not driving it properly, if you can’t feel the car underneath you or set-up it up the way you want to, it shows.
Brad James with Tabitha Ambrose at Phillip Island. Image: Marcos Ambrose Motorsport
“I believe in the category and in the cars provided by Mike Borland at Spectrum, which is a home grown manufacturer and a great product. It just felt like Formula Ford is the best way to teach young drivers and understand where they are at.”
James is excited to drive for an Australian motorsport legend.
“Marcos is a big believer in Formula Ford,” said James.
“Once you’ve done Excels for a bit, the next step is either GR Cup or Formula Ford. Marcos is a supporter of Formula Ford, so he’s decided to bring us along for the ride and I’m pretty excited about that.
“Marcos is a pretty smart guy and he really knows what he’s doing. You can learn a lot from Marcos, so whenever he says Formula Ford is the way to go you follow.
“I started go karts at 10-years-old and did that for four years, then moved into Excels with Adam Macrow. I raced in Excels for six years and Marcos joined the team, so through this association the opportunity came up to do Formula Ford.
“I completed two test days last year before racing at Island Magic where I finished second, which was a big surprise. I didn’t expect to be near the front, but it just came together and I was pretty happy with the result.”
The opening round of the Formula Ford Stars and Renegades Series will be at Winton Motor Raceway within the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series on February 28-March 2 to be broadcast live via SBS, Fox Sports and Kayo.
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 23:33:00
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