After a successful one-two finish in Cape Town at the penultimate round, Team Ford Racing and Formato had a slim one point cushion going into the final round at Kyalami on the weekend. With a bit of motorsport luck, they turned this into a championship title.

“It has been a momentous title fight this year,” explained Formato. “We were one point adrift going to Cape Town, and one point ahead when we went to Kyalami this weekend. We knew we had no room for error, and fortunately we stayed out of trouble to win the title.”

The balance of power tipped in favour of arch rival Graeme Nathan after a dry Race One when the powerful GTi took the top step of the podium. But Nathan got tangled at the start of the wet second heat, putting him out of the running on lap one. Formato capitalised to the fullest extent and took the title for Nando’s Ford Focus ST.

“Any championship is a team effort and this most rewarding one could not have been possible without the mammoth dedication of Team Ford Racing, the mechanics, Shaun Duminy, Ford management and, of course, Nando’s and Sasol,” said an elated Formato.

Teammate Duminy played a supportive role throughout the season, recording excellent results in the process for the team’s Nando-sponsored Ford Focus STs.

“Our home track treated us well this weekend and the results are a good reward for the dedication displayed by the team the whole year,” said Formato. “We made good progress throughout the year on the Ford Focus STs, gaining consistent results. We knew there was no room for complacency despite our strong finish to the season and the title is a very exciting and honourable reward.”