Fennymore wins as rivals fall

Graham Fennymore won the first Historic Formula Ford 2000 encounter at Donington, having withstood a brutal race of attrition.

This was far from a last-man-standing situation; Fennymore’s Reynard SF81 was by far the fastest in qualifying and was the only car in both race and qualification to go under the 1:13s mark. He led from start to finish and was unperturbed by a restart following a four-car pile-up at Redgate. The Reynard SF79s of Jeremy Main and Colin Wright were unable to continue, although Geoff O’nion (Reynard SF77) and Robert Pearson’s Royale RP30 were able to rejoin. Both finished the race.

Fennymore came close to being challenged by second-placed Ian Pearson, driving a Royale RP30. Pearson took advantage of Greg Robertson’s Reynard SF79 being slow at the restart and maintained a strong second place. Robertson eventually finished in sixth.

2019 champion Andrew Park was third and perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the race’s sizeable casualty list. A slip by Graham Ridgway (Reynard SF78) gifted him third and a challenge from Adrian Reynard’s 1979 Reynard came to an abrupt end with Reynard’s retirement. Benn Tilley, driving Simon Ayliff’s Delta T80, was too far behind in fourth to catch him, although Tilley was pleased with this result from his first time out in the car.

Qualification race winner Ben Glasswell (Reynard SF77) was fifth, from 13th on the grid. His fellow qualification race leaders fared less well. Polesitter Fraser Collins was hit from behind and had to retire his Lola T580 and second-placed Ian Foley (SF78) dropped out on lap 12. Molly Dodd had impressed in the heat but her Royale lost a rear wing early on.

A trio of Royales followed Glasswell and Robertson in the race itself, driven by Drew Cameron, Lee Bankhurst and Steve Collier. Championship leader Benn Simms was in among them in the early stages, but he had to retire his SF77 due to serious engine troubles.

The top ten was rounded out by Stephen Glasswell’s SF79, just under a second behind Collier.

Full results at TSL Timing

Historic race decided by last-lap mishap

Cam Jackson narrowly beat Tom McArthur to the first Historic Formula Ford race victory at Donington after a final-lap coming-together between the two.

Jackson, in the Winkelmann, and McArthur, who is driving Simon Hadfield’s Titan Mk4 this season, had been locked in a classic Formula Ford game of chase from the very start. Jackson went slightly wide on his first pass through Redgate and McArthur capitalised, which began a series of passes and counter-passes on all parts of the circuit. Jackson had the upper hand, albeit not by much, when a safety car period put their battle on hold. The last-lap dash that ensued should have ended in a thrilling photo finish, but Jackson hit a kerb between Mcleans and Coppice, knocking his car out of gear and slowing momentarily. The chasing car of McArthur mounted the Winkelmann and flew over it before landing on its wheels. McArthur was able to finish the race in fifth, despite damage to the Titan. Jackson’s carburettor was also squashed flat during the incident, which meant a lengthy debate with the Clerk before results were issued.

Callum Grant was second in his Merlyn Mk20, having held third for much of the race and made a couple of attempts for the lead from McArthur and Jackson. His principal rival was Classic Team Merlyn driver Horatio Fitz-Simon, who passed him on several occasions but was unable to make it stick for more than a few corners. He was third.

Samuel Harrison’s Elden had been part of their chasing group and had made some promising attacks on Fitz-Simon and once on Grant, but a broken upright on lap nine put him out of the race just before Hollywood. Harrison’s departure was quickly followed by the safety car period; Matthew Sturmer (Macon MR8) and Mark Carter (Merlyn Mk20) collided at Redgate and had to be lifted free of the gravel.

Matt Wrigley just got past the ailing McArthur in his Merlyn for fourth place.

The Over 50 class was won by Brian Morris in his Lola T202 and he was sixth overall, finishing on top of a scrapping three-car pack with Danny Stanzl’s Elden and Ross Drybrough’s Merlyn. Drybrough was passed by Kevin Stanzl’s Crossle 16F in the closing stages, finishing ninth. Stanzl junior was seventh and his father eighth. Chris Porritt was not far behind Drybrough in his Merlyn and was tenth.

The new Newcomer class was won by Zoe Newall, who was 18th in a Palliser WDF2, ahead of Nikki Cottrill’s Lotus 61M.

Full results at TSL Timing

Image courtesy of Richard Towler

Jackson leads a furious five home

Cam Jackson has won another HSCC Classic Formula Ford round to add to his collection, but the rest of the field was determined to put on a show.

Jackson’s black Winkelmann was briefly challenged by a charging Henry Chart, who had put his Van Diemen RF81 in third place and pushed past Jordan Harrison’s Lola on the opening lap. Harrison retook the place fairly quickly, although Chart did not make it easy for him. Although he never really had Jackson in his sights, Harrison was a secure second within a few laps.

Chart’s next rival was Samuel Harrison, driving a Catnic-liveried Elden. Yorkshire teenager Harrison had had a hesitant start and was passed by Rick Morris (Royale RP29), but he was soon up to speed and back in front of Morris. He briefly challenged Jordan Harrison until the Lola driver got away, then settled in to a race-long battle with Chart for third. The pair were never more than a car length apart and Harrison made a few attempts to get inside of Chart, but Chart was that bit surer in his lines and held third. The final gap between them was just over a tenth.

Morris was fifth, having dropped off the back of the chasing group but kept a decent gap to Stuart Kestenbaum’s Van Diemen. Kestenbaum had a lonely race in sixth, having lost out in a quick scuffle with Paul Britten’s PRS 81F.

Britten spent most of the race scrapping over seventh place with newcomer Joseph Ahrens, driving a 1980 Van Diemen. Britten mostly had the upper hand but slipped down the order late in the race and did well to fight back to ninth.

Mark Harrison pulled clear of a group including himself, Alan Fincham (Van Diemen RF80) and returning driver Simon Clews (Royale RP24), finishing eighth. Fincham was 10th and Clews 11th. Richard Yeomans was 12th in a Crossle, having won his own battle with Ben Hadfield’s Van Diemen and the sister Crossle of Phil Attwood.

Full results at TSL Timing

Image courtesy of Richard Towler

Qualifying roundup: all set for Donington drama

Qualifying for HSCC Formula Ford series has been a mix of familiarity and surprises, promising some dramatic races this afternoon and tomorrow.

The Trophy Trader/URS Classic Formula Ford championship was the first out and Cam Jackson wasted no time in putting his Winkelmann on pole. A shared session with Classic Formula 3 meant that opportunities for clear laps were limited, but most of the field managed to set a decent lap or two in the 1:16s.

Jordan Harrison has sorted out the suspension problems that scuppered his Cadwell chances and will line up second in his Lola T540E. Henry Chart’s Van Diemen RF81 has had a new engine after its Cadwell blow-up and he will start third, ahead of Samuel Harrison (Elden Mk8), who came very close to passing Jackson last time out. Rick Morris’s Royale RP29 was just a tenth slower in fifth and his Don Hardman Racing team-mate Stuart Kestenbaum was sixth, driving a Van Diemen RF79.

Historic qualifying was interrupted by a red flag; Cormac Flanagan crashed his newly rebuilt Alexis Mk14 into the wall after Roberts. Flanagan himself was uninjured by the car was not.

Jackson once again claimed pole but it was relatively tight at the top end of the grid, with late entry Tom McArthur less than half a second behind in Simon Hadfield’s Titan Mk8. Another late entry, the Merlyn Mk20 of Callum Grant, is about the same interval behind in third, ahead of the similar car of Horatio Fitz-Simon. Samuel Harrison pipped Matt Wrigley’s Merlyn to fifth place on the line, despite gearbox trouble. Wrigley was followed by Over 50 class leader Brian Morris’s Lola, with the Merlyn of Morris’s chief Over 50 rival Ross Drybrough snapping at his heels.

Graham Fennymore was the quickest out of two Formula Ford 2000 qualifying sessions. Group B was the faster of the two and Fennymore’s Reynard SF81 was the only car to get into the 1:12s. Ian Pearson’s Royale RP30 was second, followed by 2019 champion Andrew Park in his Reynard SF81 Newcomer Benn Tilley was fourth in Simon Ayliff’s Delta T80.

The big surprise in FF2000 was championship leader Benn Simms only managing sixth in Group A. Simms’s Reynard SF77 has had extensive work done to its engine and was down on power. Greg Robertson (Reynard RF79) was quickest in the group.

Full results at TSL Timing

Image courtesy of Richard Towler

Harrison to have another go at Jackson

Samuel Harrison will have four chances to overhaul Cam Jackson at Donington this weekend, as both drivers are set to contest both the Historic and Classic Formula Ford championships.

Jackson, driving his Winkelmann, was increasingly challenged by Harrison’s Elden at Cadwell and victory was only assured when Harrison had an off in the last race of the weekend.

Harrison’s cause in Historic will be helped by the continuing absence of Linton Stutely, whose Royale RP3 is still undergoing repairs after an accident at Silverstone. Tom McArthur, another frontrunner, is also sitting out the Donington races, as is 2018 championship challenger Ben Mitchell.

Slightly further down the grid, Scott Rawlinson’s Merlyn is still being rebuilt after a dramatic testing crash on a wet track at Cadwell.

On the Classic side, Jordan Harrison (Lola T540E) will be looking to make up for a recurring suspension problem at Cadwell. Henry Chart’s Van Diemen RF81 blew an engine last time out, but he is back on the entry list and will be in the mix with Jackson.

Benn Tilley tries Formula Ford 2000

Reigning HSCC Classic Formula 3 champion Benn Tilley is set to race in Formula Ford 2000 this weekend at Donington.

Tilley, who also won the Classic Formula Ford championship in 2019, will race a Delta T80 run by Simon Ayliff. He tested the car today (Thursday).

This will be Tilley’s first race in a FF2000 car and he will be lining up in the B qualifying group alongside 2019 champion Andrew Park and leading driver Graham Fennymore. Championship leader Benn Simms, who is Tilley’s namesake, is in the A group but is fully expecting to meet him in the race itself.

Tilley is only planning a guest spot in FF2000 this weekend, but the car should be on the grid again. Ayliff, who worked with Hall & Hall and Neil Fowler, is now running his own cars under the Ayliff Classics banner and is looking to rent the Delta out again.

Qualifying for Tilley will be at 12:15 on Saturday.

(Image copyright Ayliff Classics)

Jackson wins again as Harrison’s challenge falters

Cam Jackson has competed a clean sweep of Formula Ford 1600 wins at the HSCC Wolds Trophy after his chief challenger Samuel Harrison retired from the last race.

Harrison, 17, had been matching Jackson’s pace in his Elden Mk8 all weekend and had set the fastest lap of the race, but he retired from a strong second place on lap 4 and handed Winkelmann driver Jackson his fourth win of the weekend at his home track. Harrison was attempting a pass on Jackson but backed out as Jackson hadn’t seen him, sending his car on to the grass where the nose dug in.

If the win seemed a dead cert after Harrison’s demise, then the rest of the field was determined to provide some unpredictability. Classic Team Merlyn’s Horatio Fitz-Simon was second, having passed Matt Wrigley in his Merlyn Mk11A/20 in the opening laps. Fitz-Simon was gaining somewhat on Jackson towards the end as he was doing a good job of avoiding backmarkers, but Jackson was too quick.

Wrigley’s race started indifferently and he lost a couple of places from his third on the grid. He had a tussle with Ross Drybrough’s Merlyn Mk20 midway through the race and passed the English-based Scotsman in the closing laps for fourth. Drybrough had to make do with fifth and Over 50s winner; his chief class rival Brian Morris retired his Lola T202 on the opening lap. Paul Unsworth’s Lola had also been part of this group but he too retired on lap 7.

In front of Wrigley and Drybrough was Danny Stanzl’s Elden Mk8. He scored his debut podium of the season after a nightmare first race; a very near miss with a backmarker dropped him to the back of the chasing pack. This time, he kept ahead of Wrigley and Drybrough and kept out of trouble, and was not far off the pace of Fitz-Simon.

Tim Brise was sixth in another Mk20, ahead of Kevin Stanzl’s Crossle 16F, which had qualified in 12th place. Alex Meek’s Merlyn was next, having been right at the back at one point early on. Chris Porritt, in another Merlyn, was ninth on the line, only a few tenths behind Meek. George Ditchfield completed the top ten in his Elden.

Full results at TSL Timing

Simms back on top of the Mountain

Benn Simms was back to winning form at Cadwell Park for this afternoon’s HSCC Wolds Trophy Formula Ford 2000 race.

Simms’s yellow Reynard SF77 was once again in its familiar position right out in front of the field, with its driver buoyed by success in both Historic Formula 3 races. Race 1 winner and polesitter Andrew Park was disposed of very quickly on the first lap and it was his turn to run the gauntlet of backmarkers this time. Simms was hampered by slower cars on his final lap yesterday and Park had some obstacles with which to contend today.

Park, driving a Reynard SF81, was in a safe second by the end of the race but he was challenged at a couple of points by Graham Fennymore, who was third in his SF81. Fennymore in turn was pushed by the race’s sole Classic entrant, Murray Shepherd, who even got past him for a short time in the closing laps. Shepherd, driving a Van Diemen RF82, benefited from the early retirement of Paul Allen’s Delta T78 but he was more than capable of podium pace.

Ian Pearson (Royale RP30) held fifth place, but was only a couple of tenths ahead of Ben Glasswell’s Reynard SF77. He had been squabbling with Graham Ridgway’s SF78 and must have been relieved when it disappeared on the final lap. This promoted Adrian Reynard to seventh, having won the qualification heat in his SF79. Brian Morris had been runner-up in the heat but could not get past Stephen Glasswell in the final itself. Reynard, Glasswell and Morris were part of a five-car SF79 queue, along with tenth-placed Andrew Storer and Jennifer Ridgway in 11th. Adrian Langridge (Crossle 41F) had been part of this group but also retired late on.

Fraser Collins was the winner of Class B, finishing 17th in his Lola T580. It was a considerable struggle to even get on the grid, as his car decided to stop working in the first heat and he had to work his way from the back to even qualify for the main race.

Full results at TSL Timing

Harrison pushes Jackson all the way at Cadwell

Cam Jackson has won the second Classic Formula Ford race of the weekend at Cadwell Park, but only after surviving a late charge from Samuel Harrison.

Elden Mk8 driver Harrison was just 0.242s behind the reigning champion’s Winkelmann on the line, having fought back from a wobbly first lap and actually gone faster than Jackson towards the end. This follows a serious challenge to Jackson by Harrison in yesterday’s Historic race and sets up an intriguing new rivalry.

Jackson got an efficient start and had begun to pull away from Harrison, but he was challenged by backmarkers and not quite able to lose sight of him. Harrison was overtaken by Rick Morris in his Royale RP21 on the first lap, but retook his position to chase Jackson once more.

Class A winner Morris was a rather lonely third, over 40 seconds behind Harrison and considerably ahead of fourth-placed Stuart Kesternbaum, driving a Van Diemen RF79. Kestenbaum had pulled ahead of Paul Unsworth’s Lola T200 early on and withstood a challenge from Mark Harrison in another Royale, who had been scrapping with Unsworth and finished just ahead of him in fifth.

Harrison Junior, Jordan, made the start of the race after an emergency wishbone repair to his Lola T540E. From the back of the grid, he made his way into the top ten on his first lap, but it wasn’t to be and the car expired again before he had a chance to put in another one.

The grid was shared with a small number of Heritage FF1600 cars; the best of these was Simon Jackson’s Lanan 1604, which gave him a seventh place and a double Jackson family class win. His fellow Heritage competitor Tom Roark was eighth in a Van Diemen RF92.

Series regulars Colin Williams (PRS RH01) and Alan Fincham (Van Diemen RF80) rounded out the top ten.

Full results at TSL Timing

Image copyright Paul Lawrence

Harrison makes it tough at the top for Jackson

Cam Jackson won the first of this weekend’s two HSCC Historic Formula Ford races, but a new challenger kept him looking in his mirrors.

Samuel Harrison was right on the tailpipe of Jackson’s Winkelmann from the start and stubbornly refused to let Jackson dominate. His Elden Mk8 was almost as quick as the Winkelmann and the leading pair were more than 30s ahead of the rest of the field by the time the chequered flag came out. Harrison was rarely more than 0.6s away from his rival until the closing laps, when Jackson pulled out a lead of almost 2s over the Yorkshire teenager.

Matt Wrigley was third in his dark-green Merlyn Mk11A/20, having passed Horatio Fitz-Simon’s Merlyn Mk20 on the final lap. Wrigley had come out on top of a lengthy scrum just outside the podium positions, led at different times by Brian Morris (Lola T202), Danny Stanzl’s Elden and Fitz-Simon. The number 56 Merlyn of Fitz-Simon appeared to be having a few issues; he dropped to fifth on the second lap after starting third and only fighting back late on, to then be overtaken by Wrigley.

Stanzl was also unlucky, having worked his way to the front of the group and run as high as third, only to be passed by Morris and left behind. Over 50 class winner Morris was fifth and Stanzl sixth.

Ross Drybrough was seventh in his Merlyn Mk20. He ran well at Cadwell last year and ran his own race, just ahead of Tim Brise (Merlyn Mk20) in eighth. Alex Meek, in a Merlyn Mk20A, was ninth, having passed Kevin Stanzl’s Crossle and benefited from the retirement of Glenn Eagling’s distinctive green Lotus 61MX. Stanzl Senior was twelfth, behind Jeremy Caine in Neil Fowler’s Lola T200.

Full results at TSL Timing