CAMS’ 2014 awards night was a good one for Club Lotus Australia. Jake Hobbs received his award for claiming second overall in the Formula Ford State Championships, and Mike Basquil was honoured for his contributions to the motorsport community.
Jake Hobbs is a tidy steerer on the up and up, and you can read more about his story after the break.
By Graham Hobbs
At a young age Jake frequently attended track days run by the CSCA, watching his uncle Ross and cousin Peter do their thing in their Birkin. This is where his love of racing began.
When he was just 16 Jake talked his mum into letting him drive her Astra at CSCA sprint days. He was enjoying his first run at Eastern Creek when he beat my lap time by 2 seconds. I’ve not been able to catch him since.
After one year driving the Astra in the CSCA Super sprints he spotted a ’98 Van Diemen Formula Ford for sale. He cleaned out the garage to make room for the Formula Ford.
2012 he ran the Formula Ford Van Diemen in the CSCA Super Sprints and won his class.
2013 he decided to compete in the NSW State Championships.
Later that season he learned how dangerous racing is. Another competitor came across him in the wet, causing him to spin at turn one at Eastern Creek. In another incident another competitor hit the rear of his car and came over the top of him, just missing his head.
With 4 races without results due to damage or mechanical failure he managed to achieve second place in the pre-2000 class, seventh overall and the title of Rookie of the year.
2014 his first race at Wakefield Park Raceway in a newer car and now at the pointy end of the field the accelerator cable snapped. Not a great start to the season – he was forced to play catch up.
On a limited apprenticeship budget, without sponsors, he managed to complete every other race in the season and secure second place overall in the State Championship, only beaten by a professional racing team. He was the first-place privateer in the NSW State Championships.
One other highlight for Jake this year came at the recent CAMS presentation, meeting Colin Bond, having a photo with him and talking about his racing career.
Watch out for Jake in 2015, starting in February when he is set to compete at Bathurst in races supporting the 12-Hour. He also plans to compete in the Australian Formula Ford Championship.