The 2024 Giti Australian Formula Open was a multi-event open-wheel single seater motor racing championship. This was the second season of the championship, founded by two-time Australian Gold Star winner Tim Macrow in 2023 as a direct successor to the Australian Formula 3 championship.
Tim Macrow Racing driver Ryan MacMillan won the AFO1 class title at the penultimate round of the season. Matthew Roesler (State Fleet Services) claimed the AFO2 title at the beginning of the final round, while Chris Huang, also driving for Tim Macrow Racing, won the AFO3 title by virtue of being the only competitor in the class for the first six rounds. Isaac McNeill, driving for Volante Rosso, won the AFO4 Class title after he won every race he took part in throughout the first five rounds.
Teams and drivers The championship was structured in four classes. AFO1 encompassed all Formula 3 machinery, with several chassis and engine manufacturers represented. AFO2 catered to Toyota Racing Series, Formula Renault and older F3 cars. AFO3 served all other invitational entries, while AFO4 is reserved for Formula 4 cars. All cars ran on Giti tires, and all drivers and teams were Australian-registered. TeamNo.CarDriverRoundsAFO1 entriesTim Macrow Racing1Dallara F312Trent Grubel1, 49Dallara F308/11Miles Bromley1–5, 7Dallara F308/11Thomas Gallagher6–721Dallara F308/11Ryan MacMillanAll22Dallara F308/11Beau Russell1–5Ruff Racing3Mygale M11Gerrit Ruff1Gilmour RacingDallara F307Chris Gilmour517Dallara F308/11Kyle EvansAllTWS Motorsport14Mygale M11Trent Shirvington3GK Racing23Dallara F304George Kantzios1–4Nathan Beer and Associates24Dallara F307Nathan Beer6–799 Motorsport99Dallara F308/11Ryan Astley1AFO2 entriesState Fleet Services4Tatuus FT-50Matthew Roesler1–2, 4, 6–7Team Penrite/Baker Motorsport12Dallara F399Rodney Baker6Co Machining21Dallara F302Graeme Holmes6Sydney Photo Booth Racing23Dallara F304Lawrence Katsidis6GK RacingDallara F304George Kantzios7275–6DiBiase CarpentryTatuus FT-50Paul DiBiase4, 7Gerrit Ruff4Glass Benders50Dallara F302Rodney Brincat6ARB Bundaberg51Dallara F399Ron Bennet6TCM Race Services53Tatuus FT-50Matthew Woodland1, 4Jetforms.com.au93Tatuus FT-50Christopher Slusarski1, 4, 7SMJ Plastering95Dallara F301Shayne Morrow6AFO3 entriesTim Macrow Racing16Tatuus F3 T-318Chris Huang3–4, 7AFO4 entriesTim Macrow Racing3Tatuus F4-T014Hunter Salvatore725Mygale M14-F4Joanne Ciconte1Ryan Sorensen543Mygale M14-F4Jayden Hamilton1–3, 5–7Volante Rosso11Tatuus F4-T014Isaac McNeill1–3, 5, 7AGI Sport40Mygale M14-F4Tim Bodyle3BF Racing88Mygale M14-F4Lachlan Evennett4, 7Sources: Race calendar The 2024 calendar was first announced on 23 November 2023. It consisted of seven rounds across six circuits mainly situated in southeast Australia, one more than in 2023 as a second round at Sydney Motorsport Park was added. RoundCircuitDateSupport billMap of circuit locations1R1 Sandown RacewayMelbourne, Victoria10 FebruarySpeedSeriesTCR Australia Touring Car SeriesNational Trans Am SeriesAustralian Production CarsR211 FebruaryR32R1 Winton Motor RacewayWinton, Victoria27 AprilNSW State ChampionshipsNSW Formula Car ChampionshipAustralian Formula Ford SeriesRX8 Cup AustraliaR228 AprilR33R1 Sydney Motorsport ParkEastern Creek, New South Wales25 MayR226 MayR34R1 The Bend Motorsport ParkTailem Bend, South Australia8 JuneFormula 4 Australian ChampionshipLamborghini Super Trofeo AsiaRadical Cup AustraliaAustralian Prototype SeriesR29 JuneR35R1 Queensland RacewayWillowbank, Queensland3 AugustGT World Challenge AustraliaTCR Australia Touring Car SeriesGT4 Australia SeriesPorsche Sprint Challenge AustraliaR24 AugustR36R1 Sydney Motorsport ParkEastern Creek, New South Wales19 OctoberGT World Challenge AustraliaTCR Australia Touring Car SeriesGT4 Australia SeriesPorsche Sprint Challenge AustraliaR220 OctoberR37R1 Phillip Island Grand Prix CircuitVentnor, Victoria23 NovemberIsland MagicVictoria State ChampionshipsFormula Vee Australian SeriesPorsche 944 ChallengeR224 NovemberR3
Race results RoundCircuitPole positionFastest lapAFO1 winnerAFO2 winnerAFO3 winnerAFO4 winner1R1 Sandown RacewayMiles BromleyMiles BromleyMiles BromleyChristopher Slusarskino entriesIsaac McNeillR2Miles BromleyMiles BromleyMatthew RoeslerIsaac McNeillR3Ryan MacMillanKyle EvansChristopher SlusarskiIsaac McNeill2R1 Winton Motor RacewayRyan MacMillanMiles BromleyMiles BromleyMatthew RoeslerIsaac McNeillR2Ryan MacMillanMiles BromleyMatthew RoeslerIsaac McNeillR3Miles BromleyRyan MacMillanMatthew RoeslerIsaac McNeill3R1 Sydney Motorsport ParkBeau RussellMiles BromleyRyan MacMillanno entriesChris HuangIsaac McNeillR2Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanno classified finishersIsaac McNeillR3Ryan MacMillanMiles BromleyChris HuangIsaac McNeill4R1 The Bend Motorsport ParkRyan MacMillanMiles BromleyRyan MacMillanChristopher SlusarskiChris HuangLachlan EvennettR2Trent GrubelBeau RussellChristopher SlusarskiChris HuangLachlan EvennettR3Miles BromleyRyan MacMillanChristopher SlusarskiChris HuangLachlan Evennett5R1 Queensland RacewayMiles BromleyRyan MacMillanRyan MacMillanGeorge Kantziosno entriesIsaac McNeillR2Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanGeorge KantziosIsaac McNeillR3Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanno classified finishersIsaac McNeill6R1 Sydney Motorsport ParkRyan MacMillanRyan MacMillanRyan MacMillanRodney BakerJayden HamiltonR2Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanRodney BakerJayden HamiltonR3Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanGeorge KantziosJayden Hamilton7R1 Phillip Island Grand Prix CircuitRyan MacMillanrace cancelled following a medical emergency disrupting the eventR2Miles BromleyMiles BromleyGeorge KantziosChris HuangIsaac McNeillR3Ryan MacMillanRyan MacMillanGeorge Kantziosno classified finishersLachlan Evennett
Season report The second season of the Australian Formula Open began at Sandown Raceway, where Miles Bromley of TMR secured pole position. Bromley claimed his first single-seater victories by winning the initial two races, but an off-track excursion in the third race relegated him to seventh place. This allowed Kyle Evans of Gilmour Racing to secure the feature race victory and take a three-point lead in the AFO1 class standings. The AFO2 class featured only two entrants, with Matthew Roesler and Christopher Slusarski sharing wins in their privately run entries. Volante Rosso Racing's Isaac McNeill meanwhile dominated the AFO4 class, winning all three races of his debut circuit racing weekend.
Round two of the series at Winton Motor Raceway opened with Ryan MacMillan of TMR securing pole position before losing the lead and victory in the opening race to Bromley. In the second race, Bromley, now the championship leader, maintained his advantage, starting ahead of MacMillan and securing another win. However, the feature race saw MacMillan overtake Bromley to take victory, though Bromley retained the overall championship lead. In AFO2, Roesler was the sole entrant, allowing him to extend his points lead unopposed, while AFO3 once again did not attract any entries. Meanwhile, McNeill continued his dominant run in AFO4, further solidifying his lead in the standings.
Sydney hosted the next round, where TMR's Beau Russell secured pole position. He lost the lead to MacMillan at the start of race one and subsequently dropped two additional places due to a penalty for a start infringement. In race two, MacMillan dominated, leading from start to finish. The feature race saw Bromley reclaim the top spot, maintaining his points lead despite battling electrical issues throughout the weekend. While there were no entries in the AFO2 class, a significant milestone was achieved in AFO3 with the first-ever entry in series history, driven by Chris Huang in a TMR car. McNeill extended his winning streak in AFO4 to nine races to further solidify his points lead.
The Bend marked the midpoint of the season, where MacMillan became the first repeat pole sitter. He converted that pole into a faultless victory, followed by Bromley in second place. In the second race, MacMillan lost the lead to Russell, who took the win, while Bromley's retirement proved pivotal, allowing MacMillan to take the lead in the championship standings. The trend continued in the feature race, where MacMillan overtook Russell to secure another victory, while Bromley finished in fifth. In the other categories, all three classes featured triple winners: Slusarski prevailed in AFO2 against a four-car field, while Huang and BF Racing's Lachlan Evennett were the sole competitors in AFO3 and AFO4.
Round five of the championship took place at Queensland Raceway, and championship chaser Bromley took pole position. That would mark the only session he would finish in the lead, as MacMillan swiftly overcame Bromley's advantage in the first race, claiming victory and repeating the feat in race two to extend his points lead. In the feature race, Bromley initially took the lead, but after 15 laps of sustained pressure, MacMillan reclaimed the front position to secure another win. The competition in other classes was limited: George Kantzios of GK Racing was the only car entered in AFO2, while no cars were entered in AFO3. AFO4 saw the return of McNeill, and he took the class title after another triple win.
In round six at Sydney, points leader MacMillan capitalized on the absence of his closest rival Bromley, who missed the event due to a conflicting USF Pro 2000 test outing. MacMillan secured the title one round early with a dominant performance as he claimed pole position in qualifying, won all three races and set the fastest lap in each. Meanwhile, the AFO2 class title remained undecided, with Team Penrite's Rodney Baker winning the first two races and Kantzios securing victory in the feature race to close the gap to points leader Roesler, who endured a podium-less weekend. AFO3 had no entries, while in AFO4, TMR's Jayden Hamilton was the sole entrant, securing second place in the standings.
The season concluded with a round at Phillip Island. Championship leader MacMillan secured pole position in qualifying, but the opening day of the event was overshadowed by a medical emergency that resulted in the death of production car racing driver Andrew Rhodes-Anderson. As a result, the first race was cancelled. Returnee Bromley won race two, while MacMillan ended his title-winning season with a victory in the feature race. In the AFO2 category, Kantzios secured both race wins but was unable to prevent Roesler from clinching the class title. Huang, once again the sole AFO3 entry, only finished one race, while McNeill and Evennett emerged as the final AFO4 race winners of the year.
The second season of the championship experienced a decline in participation, with entries dropping from a minimum of 13 in the inaugural season to a maximum of 14 in 2024. The discontinuation of the S5000 Championship, previously the country's premier single-seater competition, eliminated a clear progression pathway for drivers. Simultaneously, the revival of Australia’s national Formula 4 series drew attention away from the AFO4 class by providing an FIA-sanctioned alternative. Further challenges are anticipated in 2025 with the introduction of the Formula Regional Australian Championship, which is expected to fragment driver interest even more, complicating the championship’s standing.
Standings Scoring system Cars classified as finished in race 1 and 2 were awarded points by the following structure: Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th FL R1 PP Points1298765432111 The third race of the weekend, the longer Feature Race, awarded more points: Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th FL Points201512108643211
Drivers' standings