Benn Simms was the winner of the last race of the day at Donington, taking another SDC Classic Formula Ford victory from Callum Grant.
Simms, in his Jomo, and Grant in a Merlyn Mk20 were once more the drivers to beat at the front, swapping the lead frequently in an intense, but clean and poised battle. It did look as if Grant had the upper hand towards the end, but a last-lap pounce by Simms meant that he took it by just over a tenth of a second.
They had been followed by a chasing group, not too far back to challenge, for much of the race. Andy Gosling had been on pole in his Van Diemen RF79, followed by Matt Wrigley’s Merlyn and Rick Morris in his Royale RP29. They swapped places regularly, although Gosling was probably the quickest of the three and the one who challenged the leaders most strongly. This all came to an end, however, on the penultimate lap, when Morris spun while passing Wrigley, sending Wrigley into a spin and then into the gravel at Redgate. A helpless Gosling was caught and also ended up in the trap with a damaged car. Morris carried on, having lost some places, but a hefty 15-second penalty for violating track limits dropped him to 18th.
This promoted Neil Hose to third, a welcome development after the Scottish Merlyn driver had spun out of Race 1. Chris Porritt’s Titan was next across the line, with Porritt also having a less eventful race and having dealt with the steering problems he was experiencing earlier.
Stuart Kestenbaum was fifth in his Van Diemen RF81, having made terrific progress from the back of the grid after running out of fuel in Race 1. He gained 17 places during the race, the same number as James Rigby, who he kept at bay on the final lap. Rigby’s 1979 Van Diemen was running much better after fuel pickup issues put him out of Race 1, causing him to start at the back too.
Class B Merlyn driver Jonathan Speak was on the heels of Rigby as he crossed the line in seventh, and therefore within range of Kestenbaum as well, but he did not find an opportunity to attack. There was a gap between him and eight-placed Cal Bennett (Van Diemen RF80), but then a close midfield group followed. Ben Powney was ninth in Mark Bates’s Royale RP24, closely followed by Richard Yeomans’s Crossle and Alan Fincham in another RF80. Ben Hadfield brought up the rear of the group in his RF79, having enjoyed some close competition. Their fun was interrupted by a short safety car period for the removal of Phil Attwood’s stopped Crossle late on.
Oliver Chapman’s Lola had been part of their group, but a spin avoiding an incident dropped him to 14th, behind Andy Warburton in the Caldwell. Chapman had spent all day helping to install a new engine in his car after it blew up in qualifying. He missed Race 1 but ran as high as ninth in Race 2, pushing Bennett and Powney for position.
Full results at TSL Timing
Vintage Formula Ford 