In his Rookie season the Go Rentals machine of 19 year old Rowan Shepherd continues to impress with a string of four victories in a row that sees him closing in on the championship leader Matt Higham after the latest round of the Formula First Championship at Hampton Downs.
Over the last two rounds held back to back at Taupo and then Hampton Downs it has been Shepherd that has topped the points haul with 4 wins and 2 second place finishes. With still two rounds to go the championship battle is really starting to heat up with only 58 points (less than a race win) splitting the top 3 in the championship.
With Rowan all but wrapped up the rookie title it’s the young Hawkes Bay driver has his sights on the overall crown as he looks to finish the season on a high as his confidence continues to grow.
“I feel comfortable in the car now and have raced on all the circuits so I expect to be much quicker and smarter come the second half of the season” said Shepherd prior to the Taupo round in late January.
His results have backed up his expectations qualifying on pole for both the Taupo and Hampton Rounds and winning the last 4 races including all 3 at Hampton Downs!
Matt Higham continues to have his championship lead reduced as the young Auckland driver appears to have lost some of the straight-line speed and overall confidence in the second half of the championship. Meanwhile Ryan Hellier like Rowan has made inroads into the lead that Matt holds, winning the two opening races at the Taupo round.
The tension is growing and it’s not the rookie that seems to be cracking under the pressure. Rowans advantage is that no-one expects him to win the championship in his first year and a championship podium place is almost guaranteed now. The pressure is off him and he can focus on winning each race from now on. Our objective at the beginning of the season was to be top rookie, win a race and hopefully finish the season on the podium, so anything from here is a bonus”. Said Team manager John Shepherd.
With the championship returning to Rowans home track of Manfeild and then the technical Taupo circuit it would appear momentum is moving the youngster’s way!
“Noone in their rookie year has qualified on pole and won all 3 races at one meeting. For Rowan to be the first to achieve that is fantastic result, not just for him but for the entire team” – said current champion and older brother Michael.
Championship table after 6 of 8 rounds (Top 10)
1. Matt Higham 1,188
2. Ryan Hellier 1,141
3. Rowan Shepherd (Rookie) 1,130
4. Kyle George 909
5. Michael Scott 864
6. Oliver Gordon 806
7. David Ruthven 732
8. Malcolm Finch (Rookie) 713
9. Cory Holmes 556
10. Dave Scammell 523
