May the g-force be with you!
“Racing Formula Ford is the closest I'll ever get to piloting an X-Wing.”
The words of Cork filmmaker and F1600 racing driver, Michael Fitzgerald, who is gearing up to race on one of the world’s most famous circuits in an effort promote East Cork as a region of excellence in filmmaking and tourism.
Fitzgerald is the multi-talented director behind the sci-fi short film series ‘Stormtrooper’ which was filmed in locations in East Cork, West Waterford, and Tipperary.
In his spare time, Fitzgerald races at Formula Ford level, also known as F1600 or Formula F, and on 6 April he will be racing at Silverstone in the UK in the United Formula Ford Championship.
“I have a mongrel of ambition to be measured in a Formula Ford race and a genesis of imagination that sits in the Star Wars engineering universe,” he told the Cork Independent.
“In a race, I’m competing for a result, and with our Star Wars short films, I’m competing for an audience, and in both I’m fighting with limited time and resources.”
Fitzgerald races with B-M Racing, a Lancashire-based racing team that competes in the United Formula Ford Championship in the UK and next month he plans to use his skills on the track to promote his beloved East Cork as a place full of talent, beauty, and untapped potential.
“I learned that casting a location is as important as casting the right actor,” said Fitzgerald.
“I discovered there is an incredible breath of filming locations that bring a depth of believability to any film setting. Regular film projects in Cork will drive the development of regular cast and crew employment and local business and tourism opportunities.”
Fitzgerald said he has been thrilled to see West Cork Film Studio doing so well recently with internationally important filming projects such as ‘Hokum’, directed by Damien McCarthy and starring Adam Scott, the star one of the world’s most popular TV shows currently, ‘Severance’.
“It would be awesome to see East Cork work with West Cork Film Studio and others to deliver the next and best Irish filming projects.
“Cork is a uniquely large county in Ireland with strong tribes of identity and diversity of interest and attractions in the north, south, city, and east.
“I'll be fighting hard to do the best I can in the United Formula Ford to promote a positive awareness of East Cork.
“Formula Ford and motorsport provides a platform to promote an identity and a message and my message in 2025 will be it's awesome to film in Cork,” he added.
Looking ahead, Fitzgerald has high hopes for the East Cork region, predicting regular marque production filming which in turn will bring more tourism.
In the meantime, he and his film crew are working on a pilot series called ‘The Struggle’ and have another ‘Stormtroopers’ episode ready to go.