Idos Formula Challenge debut provides strong results

Photo Credits - Thomas Hinss

Round 1 of the 2018 GPVWC Formula Challenge season was mixed with both highs and lows for multiple teams across the grid. The setting for such a mixed bag event? The Albert Park Circuit in sunny Melbourne, Australia.

Prior to the team's debut, issues already arose with main driver Ed Williams being unable to attend due to last minute work commitments meaning the search was on for an emergency replacement for the first two races of the year. Eventually, the team signed Cameron Rodger of whom, being a Formula Simracing Pro division driver and team boss of Superleague team Flag-to-Flag, knows how to race meaning team boss Elise Skinner felt confident in her signing.

Qualifying got underway and the team qualified at the back of the order with Rodger qualifying P27 with Galka just slightly further up the grid in P23 meaning both drivers would have some serious work to do to climb up the order and gain some points.

Race 1 got underway and with a short run down to the first corner both Cameron and Michal got off to great starts climbing up the order whilst also avoiding the multiple accidents that went on throughout the race. Sadly, Michal got unlucky and was caught up in an accident meaning he dropped down the order. However, by the end of the race the Pole worked his way back up to P16 missing out on a sole point by under a tenth. Cameron managed to hold his own and end up P11 at the end of the first race after an incredible few fights with the midfield runners.

Race 2 was the polar opposite. With Rodger just missing out on reverse grid pole he would start 11th whilst Galka would start P16.

With the race underway both drivers sought about trying to avoid the first lap chaos. Both managed to with Michal jumping inside the top 10 after turn 3 and Cameron dropping to P12 after the same corner. However, a few corners later disaster struck for the Scotsman as he was involved in a lag incident with two other cars of which caused large amounts of damage meaning his race was effectively over even though he managed to recover to P16 at the end.

For Galka, however, things were much sweeter. With an amazing on track overtake out of Turn 13 giving him P5 he showed he's got the capabilities to fight it out up the top of the order. After the overtake it was a case of bringing the car home safely. Exactly what Galka succeeded in doing right up until the final lap... Losing his front wing towards the end of the final sector it was a case of racing P6 to the flag with no front downforce. With it being a drag race to the line, Galka held on and brought home a P5 finish of which team boss Elise Skinner had never predicted at all.

After the race we caught up with both drivers and Elise to get their opinions on the races.

Elise (Team Boss):

"Never have i been as speechless as i was during the races that occurred during Formula Challenge today. Our debut races in the series with drivers who had little time to practice and little setup work after a busy week of testing and other commitments. P11 was originally somewhere i thought we'd struggle to finish with the driver quality this year but to then get P5 in race 2 just shut me up fully because of how amazing a pair of drivers we had on track in Melbourne... I honestly cannot thank Cameron {Rodger} enough for his last minute work to step in with Ed's absence. To then go and put in two performances such as those is amazing and i am in his debt. Michal has seriously impressed me with his performances at the races as well. From what seemed to be a hopeless race 1 to nearly gaining points and then climbing 11 places to finish inside the Top 5 was just outstanding and just had me sat there in absolute awe at what had been achieved. I am seriously looking forward to the rest of the year and after offering Cameron a permanent reserve spot with us for the remainder of the season with the potential of a promotion dependant on circumstances we never know what we could achieve. Hopefully Ed can return for Shanghai and prove he's got the pace to fight it out with the big boys as well." Cameron Rodger (#80 - SCO - Idos Motorsport Reserve):

"My first race in Formula Challenge and GPVWC went better than expected. With little practice I was nowhere in Qualifying, P27. But in the race I managed to avoid incidents well and had some decent pace to get to P11 after some nice battles! Race 2 didnt go so well. lap1 saw me be victim of a number of contacts that gave me damage. Then Lap3 i was involved in another incident before finally ending up in P16 after a couple of spins. I would like to say a big thank you to Elise and IDOS for the opportunity to step into these cars and maybe we will meet again on track soon"

Michal Galka (#90 - POL - Idos Motorsport Main Driver):

"My Qualifying didn't go to well. I couldn't get the car to go any faster and I made a lot of mistakes. In race one I was starting from P20, start went well until turn 2. When I had a contact with a car behind me, it caused me to spin which degraded me to second-last position. During the rest of the race I made many mistakes I couldn't find enough pace to match the top 15. But as the race was finishing people began to make mistakes, which boosted me from P19 to P16 in the final two laps. I was very close to get the points, but I was off by half a second to P15.

In race two things went a lot better. Started from P16, and got a good start. I managed to avoid cars in the second DRS straight and at the braking for turn 3, I moved another 3 positions up as I narrowly avoided contact. This gave me P8. But as the race went by I started to find more and more pace out of the car. I continued to pass other drivers which put me in P6, just behind Patrick Wannemuller. In the final 3 laps Patrick made a mistake and gave me P5. At the very last lap, on turn 12-13 I made a mistake and touched the grass at braking. This caused me to spin and I hit a wall which got my front wing destroyed. However I had enough lead over Patrick Wannemuller, that even without front wing I managed to get P5 just under a tenth before Patrick. Overall I was happy with my position, I think I reached my potential but of course I hope for more in the following rounds."

Missed out on the action?

Relive the action from the first round of the championship and we'll see you in two weeks for round 2 from the Shanghai International Circuit in China.