Simms wins as Grant spins

Benn Simms won the first SDC Classic Formula Ford race of the day from Andy Gosling, after Callum Grant had a spin.

Simms, in his Jomo JR17, and Grant, driving his Merlyn Mk20, began the race by renewing the good-natured rivalry which ran all through last year’s Historic season and was renewed recently at Cadwell. Simms got a good start and Grant was soon with him, coming from fourth on the grid to a close second within a lap. The pair traded the lead until a small spin for Grant dropped him away from Simms and the lead pack, to fifth. He quickly made up some ground and took third at the end, after Matt Wrigley’s Merlyn was dropped from second to fourth by a five-second track limits penalty.

Wrigley had never been far from the lead and had also enjoyed some opposition from polesitter Andy Gosling’s Van Diemen RF79 and Rick Morris’s Royale RP29. All three took turns at the head of the chasing pack, with Gosling the strongest contender and the eventual runner-up. Wrigley launched an attack on the last lap, but did not know that he had been penalised and that his efforts were in vain.

Morris finished behind Grant and Wrigley, not far ahead of the green Royale RP24 driven by series newcomer Ben Powney. Powney, a race winner in the 750MC Ma7da series, was fifth for quite a lot of the race, despite his inexperience with Formula Ford.

Neil Hose, in a Class B Merlyn, had a safe and uneventful race, finishing seventh. Chris Porritt (Titan Mk6) was eighth, still trying to drive a car that wouldn’t really turn right after his incident in the Historic race. He managed to get away from Jonathan Speak’s Merlyn this time, having earlier got past Cal Bennett’s Van Diemen RF80 and Stuart Kestenbaum’s 1981 Van Diemen. Bennett was eleventh after also receiving a track limits penalty and Kestenbaum suffered what is euphemistically known as “fuel pressure issues” in the closing laps.

Richard Yeomans was tenth in his Crossle 25F, while his normal sparring partner, Van Diemen driver Ben Hadfield, had been locked in a furious battle for twelfth place with Alan Fincham in another Van Diemen. Fincham managed to out-brake Hadfield and took the place, behind Bennett.

Crossle driver Grace Parkington had been in another intense little rivalry with Pete Lavender’s Merlyn Mk11A/17, but she went off on the gravel going into Hollywood and shortly after had to retire. James Rigby was another casualty, his Van Diemen RF79 having an intermittent fuelling problem.

Full results at TSL Timing