Marold delivered a performance beyond his years, winning two of three races to secure the AU4 Gen2 2026 championship by just six points over Manson. It is his second consecutive AU4 title, following his dominant Gen1 triumph in 2025.
A Season of Consistency
Unlike last year's utter dominance, this year's Gen2 battle demanded relentless consistency against one of New Zealand's brightest prospects, Manson. The two engaged in a fierce duel that went down to the final race.
In the Gen1 class, Jackson Culver entered the finale with a one-point lead. His consistency, coupled with a heartbreaking Race 2 disqualification for title rival Koby Wilson, saw Culver claim the crown by five points.
Qualifying and Race 1
Marold began the weekend perfectly, taking pole for Race 1, 0.16s clear of Manson. However, William Beck surprised by snatching pole for Race 3, edging Marold by just 0.04s. Manson could only manage fifth for Race 3 after hitting traffic.
The reigning New Zealand Formula Ford champion showed he meant business in Saturday's opening race, sweeping past Marold at Turn 1 to take the lead. Behind, chaos erupted with several drivers going off-track. Marold kept his head down, caught the leader with 15 minutes remaining, and took victory by 1.9s over Manson. Joe Imbrogno completed the podium. In Gen1, Wilson won ahead of Lewis Gotch, while Culver settled for third after hounding the leaders.
Race 2: Red Flag and Disqualification Drama
The Race 2 grid was set by fastest laps from Race 1, putting Marold and Manson on the front row again. Manson got the jump once more, but the red flag waved when Angus Baills collided with Babbage-Hockey at Turn 3, burying himself in the gravel while the latter limped back to the pits with a right rear puncture. After an extended delay, only five minutes remained. Manson held on to win and reclaim the championship lead over Marold.
In Gen1, Wilson and Culver battled to the flag, with Wilson winning by a mere 0.06s. Unfortunately, Wilson's title charge ended when he was disqualified from Race 2 for a technical infringement, handing Culver the win and blowing the title fight wide open, with Gotch now in the mix.
Race 3: The Decider
Marold took the lead early in the final race and never relinquished it, leading home Beck by 3.6s. While Manson was promoted to third late on after a Brock Burton spin, it was not enough to overhaul Marold in the title fight. Behind, Culver needed to finish third in class to secure the Gen1 crown, and he drove a measured race to ensure he sealed the title.
With this result, Marold cements his status as one of the most exciting young talents in AU4, while Culver proved that consistency is key in Gen1. Next season promises to be even hotter with the emergence of names like Beck and Manson.
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