Hunter Ford has his sights firmly set on winning an Australian Superbikes Championship this year as he campaigns to ride in the World 300ss Superbike Championship in 2020.
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The 20 year old from Anna Bay produced career best results in 2018 including third in the 300 Supersport championship and first Yamaha R3 Cup Championship – a feat three years in the making.
“It’s been three months since I’ve been on a bike so I’m definitely keen to get back into it,” Ford said.
“I came third last year. I crashed out in five races, which set me back.
“I think I’ll do well again this year but I definitely want to win it.”
Ford started riding motorbikes on dirt and sand tracks around the family’s Williamtown property when he was 2 years old. He started competition racing at 15.
In 2014 Ford joined the MRRDA Road Racing Junior Australian Championship where he finished second in his very first race.
The next year, in 2015, Ford became the Australian Junior 150cc four stroke champion
In 2016 and 2017 Ford placed second in the R3 Cup, but went one better in 2018 to claim the win. He won first two Cup races and a fifth in race three to give him the overall victory by just one point.
Ford, who rides a Yamaha YZF-R3, claimed six wins and created four new lap records in last year’s Australian Superbikes Supersport 300 championship for a third overall finish.
Ford’s younger brother Zane, 17, finished 12th overall in the R3 Cup and 17th overall in the Supersport 300. Together, the pair are Ford Brothers Racing.
In 2018 Ford also finished third overall in the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix’s Supersport 300 support class. Another 2018 highlight was winning all six races in the Australian FX Superbike 400 Supersport Series.
Ford’s ultimate goal, however, is to be a world champion road racer.
He was offered the opportunity to ride in championships in Germany, Italy and Spain in 2019 but the cost to compete, about $50,000, was “financially was out of our reach at this time” Ford’s mother, Joanne, said.
“We have decided to race in Australia and contest the 300ss and the Yamaha R3 Cup Championship in 2019 to give us the time to prepare and raise funding and sponsors for a successful step into world class racing,” Joanne said.
The first round of the 2019 Supersport 300 will be held at Phillip Island, Victoria on February 21 to 24. The seven round championship finishes in Sydney in November.
Anyone interested in sponsoring Ford’s quest to ride in the World championship next year can get in touch via email: atlantiskoi@bigpond.com.