Is there a future for Formula Ford?

[rf84]

In one of the other threads there are posts about the future of Formula Ford. It is fairly obvious from the dwindling numbers of FFs racing that the class is in serious decline.
There have been some suggestions about a possible replacement class including using the Honda motor as used in the USA. I do not know what mods would be required to existing FF cars to fit the Honda engine or if it is even feasible. In the early 2000's when a lot of manufacturers no longer made chassis for the 1600 Kent there were attempts to fit the Kent engine to chassis designed and built for Zetec and Duratec engines. These failed as, in many cases, the modified Zetec/Duratec cars were slower than the older purpose built Kent cars. I don't know the feasability of installing Honda engines in existing FF chassis.
But one has to ask the fundamental question "should we even try"?
What is needed now more than ever in NZ motorsport is a PLAN. The obvious body to formulate and implement this plan is MSNZ as the administrators of the sport. Their failure or inability to do this has led to an ad hoc proliferation of classes providing no logical progression for aspiring racing drivers. In some cases these classes even compete with one another to attract competitors (I refer to Formula Suzuki and Formula Challenge single seaters). Europe for example has a logical progression from FF to F3 to GP2 and F1. Each class is not a quantam leap from the one preceding it to the one that follows in terms of speed. We have no such ladder at present and, if we did, one would have to consider if FF (in any guise) would fit into this ladder.
Here's the conundrum. A very successful young karter has just joined our local car club with aspirations to do well in car racing. He wants to know what class to get into to best achieve his goals. What do we tell him? Formula First (that is probably slower than his kart) then Formula Ford (where he might get to race against 6 other cars if the class is still in existence then) then Formula Toyota (a big jump in terms of speed and cost).
Or do we be brutally honest and tell him that car racing is in a state of disarray and that he would be better off sticking to karting?