YOUNG GUN – CODY DONALD
Young Gun – Cody Donald
One of the fastest Formula Ford drivers in the country could be attending to your plumbing drama and you’d be none the wiser, but this is an everyday occurrence for Cody Donald.
By HEATH McALPINE
The fourth-year apprentice from Victoria is one of the front running drivers in the highly competitive junior formula and has had to work all the way through.
From Donald’s monetary commitment in purchasing his Formula Ford to completing his plumbing apprenticeship in February to preparing his Formula Ford alongside his father for each meeting, the 19-year-old takes his career seriously.
“I help out wherever I can,” Donald told Auto Action. “Whether that be buying a set of tyres or contributing to repairs, if needed….
“At the start, I put a $5000 deposit down on the car when I was 17 to show I was eager to race and I’m keen to do it.
“I’ve got a painted helmet to make myself stand out on the track and I’ve even got my own little clothing line as well featuring jackets, tops, plus various other items with my logo. It’s just another way to show my dad that I’m serious and keep the ball rolling.”
Donald began his motorsport path in Queensland where his brother was playing a national basketball tournament. A game of mini-golf that didn’t go to plan was the catalyst to jumping into karts.
“I was playing mini-golf at the caravan park we were staying at until all the basketball boys started to hit my balls and generally annoy me so I ended up cracking the shits and walking away,” he explained.
“My dad ended up taking me out and we found a mini-golf course, but we missed the turn off. However, at the end of the street was a massive Go-Karts sign and it was Kingston Park Raceway in Queensland.
“I had a couple of sessions there and loved it.
“When we got back, my dad did work for a guy by the name of Simon Cousins and his son raced. He invited us down to the track and we bought a kart within the following few weeks.”
After going into the Rookie Class in karting, which only lasted a year due to Donald’s age, he was elevated into Junior National Lights, which was the beginning of a successful period.
“I enjoyed it, but as you do when you’re a little kid you have ups and downs,” said Donald. “If you don’t come first or a podium you get down in the dumps a little bit, but dad always told me to ‘stick it through, practice makes perfect and don’t ever give up’.
“I pushed for the next three to four years when I won numerous state titles, got close to a national championship in seniors and was victorious in a few notable events.
“My most clear memory is the City of Melbourne titles in 2015 when I came last to first and did a 360-degree spin over the line due to tangling with another competitor just prior to the finish.”
The choice was easy to make his circuit racing move into Formula Ford
“It’s got all the foundations to go forward,” emphasised Donald.
“In a Formula Ford you’re always thinking, you’re on your toes, the car’s sliding, you’re under pressure and its close competition, which is what made us eager to get into the category.
It has also provided father-son bonding time, while learning the intricacies of the open-wheeler.
“We do all we can in the background to make everything work. In Formula Ford, we do all the car prep including gearbox changes – I can nearly do one of those myself – we can put the car on the scales, do our own ride heights, basically everything,” Donald said.
“We’ve had a car in the shed stripped out from the motor backwards and put it back together.
“We’ve learnt so much, then through that experience my dad and I have a special bond developed out of the confidence we can nearly do everything.”
Donald’s biggest result came when he finished third supporting the Supercars at Winton in 2019, but for 2021 he joins a new team.
“It’s the first time I’ll have an engineer and a mechanic,” Donald said.
He has added further aggression to his driving style and hopes to progress into Supercars after a chat with his dad, but is open to the Porsche Pyramid pathway too.
“I’ve always been interested in Porsches and the pathway from Michelin Sprint Cup to Carrera Cup,” he said.
“I haven’t ruled out Supercars either after my dad told me ‘if I can prove myself, most likely I will jump the guys that are waiting to get into it’.”
This web edition of Young Guns aims to highlight some of the talents from within the junior ranks. If, like Cody, you fit the criteria please email [email protected] with a blurb about yourself, the categories you’ve competed in, some imagery to go with the story and contact details.
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