AT THE beginning of 2020, Leeton's Noah Sands was looking forward to participating in his first Australian Formula Ford Championship season.
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However, as with so many other sports and events, those plans have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was set to be an exciting season for Noah, who was making the transition from go-karts to car racing with the Canberra-based CHE Racing outfit.
A return date for the season has not yet been set, but Noah is hopeful he will be able to return to the driver's seat sooner rather than later.
"The cancellation of round one was extremely disappointing, but not unexpected because of the situation," Noah said.
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"It was a major setback because of all the preparation that we had put into making sure we were ready for that specific round.
"(In the meantime), I have been keeping busy by driving on the simulator and riding my motorbike, as well as doing farm work."
Motor sport is something Noah has been interested in from a young age.
He has been racing go karts for many years and was regularly at the top of that field.
Typically, the national Formula Ford series is contested over seven rounds throughout NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.
It is not yet known what or how it will run in 2020, but with restrictions continuing to ease, there is optimism is will soon get going.
"The main ways I've been maintaining my skills have been practising on the simulator, reviewing on-track footage and analysing data from testing I've done in the car," Noah said.
"I'll also get to start testing the car again very soon, because restrictions on track days are starting to be lifted.
"When we finally find out when the first round of this year will be held, I will be extremely excited.
"I can't wait to go racing."
When racing does return, Noah and his team will be taking a strong approach to staying safe.
"I'll still have the same approach every time I go on track, but my team will be taking a very thorough approach to hygiene and social distancing at all our events," he said.
"There's also a chance spectators won't be allowed at our races to start with, so I'll be keeping my family, friends and fans up to date via social media."
