Formula Ford Festival & Modified Ford Series Brands Hatch 23rd October 2022

The 2022 Formula Ford Festival
The ever-popular Formula Ford Festival had a cosmopolitan entry for the 51st running of the event, with entries fielded from around Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and the USA via a number of scholarship schemes - adding to the regular National FF1600 runners and former Festival victors' Roberto Moreno (1980) and Marc Goossens (1991). 2022 National FF1600 champion Jordan Dempsey was in attendance too, along with 2021 Walter Hayes Trophy winner and Festival runner-up Max Esterson, who returned to the category after a season in GB3. 2021 Festival title holder Jamie Sharp was also back to defend his crown whilst Joey Foster and Niall Murray were looking for their third Festival title.
Progression Race One (Drivers from Heats 1&2): There were two races on Sunday morning for competitors who finished 13th and below in their heats, the top six from each advancing to the Semi-Finals. Castle Combe regular Bob Hawkins started the first Progression Race from pole position, with Norway's Dane Rene Larsen starting alongside. Defending Formula Ford Festival champion Jamie Sharp sat on the back row of the grid after failing to finish Heat Two when he came off worst in a tangle with Niall Murray. The Duckhams-liveried Van Dieman RF80 of 1991 Festival winner Marc Goossens was also in the field. Second-row starter Cameron Jackson leapt into an early lead, the ex-Thomas Winkelhock Van Diemen RF90 completing lap one a healthy 3.5 seconds clear but the real man on the move was Sharp, driving around the outside of everyone to reach fourth by Graham Hill Bend before finishing the opening lap in second. Sharp progressively caught Jackson, moving to the front on lap seven and going on to take the win, the lead two comfortably clear of Larsen in third. Goossens made it through to the first Semi-Final in sixth after a last-lap squabble with Australian visitor Jonathan Miles.
Progression Race Two (Drivers from Heats 3&4): BRSCC Chairman Peter Daly sat on pole position and shared the front row with partner Lorna Vickers in their Van Diemens but a number of fancied drivers were in the field looking to book their places in the second Semi-Final. Team USA scholar William Ferguson started ninth in his Ray but made short work of reaching the sharp end, reaching third by Graham Hill Bend and ending lap one in second place. The American relieved Daly of the lead on lap two and raced clear to a dominant win. Tom McArthur's ageing Van Diemen RF85 made great early progress from starting thirteenth to claw his way up to third on lap four, after a sterling effort had been made by his Simon Hadfield Motorsport team to get the car out after a nasty incident in his heat on Saturday. Matt Rivett launched his Van Diemen RF91 into a violent series of rolls after riding over McArthur’s wheels at Paddock Hill Bend whilst fighting for position, Rivett thankfully emerged shaken but largely ok from the wrecked Van Diemen. McArthur eventually slipped back to fifth when he was overcome by the more modern machinery of Team Canada scholar James Cowden, New Zealander James Penrose and Canadian Megan Gilkes, who came from the back of the grid after her heat three disqualification, taking the flag in fourth. Oliver Chapman's historic Lola held onto sixth despite a track limits penalty as chief challenger Daly slid off into the gravel at Clearways on the last lap.
Semi-Final 1: The competition started to get serious over two 14-lap races, the top 12 finishers moving into the all-important Grand Final. Formula Ford veteran Joey Foster sat on pole in his Firman, 2021 Festival runner-up Max Esterson lined up alongside. Lucas Romanek sat in third spot with 2022 National champion Jordan Dempsey fourth. Esterson and Dempsey both jumped ahead of Foster off the line, the Firman slow away. Having fought off the Dempsey attack around the first lap, Esterson established a small margin over the squabbling trio for second. Poleman Foster firstly worked his way past Team USA scholar Thomas Schrage into Paddock Hill Bend on lap seven before usurping Dempsey for second on lap nine and then closing right up to Esterson starting the last lap but the American held on. Romanek headed a train of cars in fifth from Irishman Niall Murray in 6th after both had fought past 2020 Festival winner Rory Smith, a struggling Smith slid down the order to twelfth but still made the Grand Final. Progression race winner Jamie Sharp fought his way up to ninth and also qualified for the Final despite a gravelly excursion at Paddock Hill Bend on lap one avoiding the spinning Ray of the third Team USA member Elliott Budzinski.
Semi-Final 2: Northern Irish champion Dave McCullough occupied pole position for the second Semi-Final, the Ammonite Ray of Shawn Rashid started alongside. 2021 National FF1600 champion Chris Middlehurst and Irishman Jordan Kelly comprised row two. Rashid easily outdragged McCullough to Paddock Hill Bend but chucked the race away at Clearways for the first time, spinning into the tyres after touching a white line. This elevated McCullough into the race lead from Abdul Ahmed's Firman, who had initially got ahead of the white Van Diemen after a mega start from sixth on the grid before being repassed at Graham Hill Bend. Just behind, Irish talent Jordan Kelly and Chris Middlehurst were side by side through Druids and Graham Hill Bend with Team Dolan's Middlehurst making the move stick towards Surtees, Michael Eastwell following the Van Diemen LA10 through. Their squabbling was allowing leader McCullough to make his escape and was around a second to the good. Showing great pace, Middlehurst was soon crawling all over Ahmed's Firman, with KMR Spectrum pairing Eastwell and Jeremy Fairbairn for company, and on lap five Eastwell made a successful bid for third at Druids. Retirement beckoned for Kelly on the fifth lap, bowing out at the exit of Druids, whilst at the same time the Ray of Adam Fathers shed a wheel and pirouetted into the Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap. The Safety Car was called into action to clear the stranded cars and the field was released starting the ninth lap. McCullough couldn't shake off Ahmed and Eastwell at the restart and the trio were tied together into Paddock Hill Bend, a great run up the hill to Druids saw Eastwell get up the inside of Ahmed. The green Firman spun to the rear of the field at Druids after running wide trying to fend off the advancing Spectrum. Eastwell then set about catching McCullough and dived up the inside at Clearways on lap ten, with Middlehurst following him by as the Van Diemen RF00 was forced wide.  Further down the order, Jake Cowden and Sam Street clashed at Clearways, leaving Street's SC92 Swift stranded in the gravel whilst the Canadian rejoined. Northern Irishman Brandon McCaughan had caught Fairbairn and made his move for fourth on the inside into Druids for the eleventh time. Up at the front, Middlehurst was now pushing Eastwell for the Final front row spot as the race headed into the closing laps but then the Oliver Chapman historic Lola spun into the Druids gravel on lap twelve. With stranded cars littering the circuit, the chequered flag was waved lap early at the end of lap thirteen.  Eastwell held on to win after a great drive from eighth on the grid, with Middlehurst, McCullough, McCaughan, Fairbairn and the 1989 Mondiale of Alan Davidson completing the top six. The Team Brazil Swift SC20 of Wallace Martins finished eighth, just behind Rob Parks, after making impressive progress from starting 15th.
Last Chance Race: Castle Combe championship front-runner Tom Hawkins lined up on pole with Tom McArthur alongside. Attempting to redeem himself from his Semi-Final disappointment, Shawn Rashid started at the back with a mountain to climb as the American needed to make up twenty four places in eight laps to reach the top six and qualify for the Final. McArthur drove around the outside of Hawkins to lead into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, Christer Otterstrom followed behind in third. Further back, a first corner incident saw New Zealander James Penrose bouncing through the gravel trap, Abdul Ahmed spinning across the track and Drew Stewart beached. An immediate safety car intervention was called for and a chain reaction incident occurred on the Cooper Straight as the field reacted to the yellow flags, the unfortunate Rashid becoming tangled up in the melee - bent rear suspension ending his weekend. The red flag was waved to clear up the mess. A five-lap restart was decided upon from the original grid order. In a replay of the first start, McArthur beat Hawkins on the run to Paddock Hill Bend and Otterstrom again slotted into third. Starting lap three, the young Norwegian passed Hawkins and McArthur in one go into Paddock Hill Bend for the lead, unfortunately, this counted for nought because, later in the lap, Hawkins lost a wheel and clattered into the barriers at Clearways. The red flags flew again and a result was called as the dazed Hawkins slowly extricated himself from the damaged Ray. McArthur took the win on countback from Otterstrom, Cameron Jackson, Pascal Monbaron, James Penrose and Megan Gilkes with each earning their place on the Grand Final grid.
Historic Final: Front row starter Alan Davidson led the Historic Final charge, for cars built prior to the end of 1998, into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time but slid wide at Druids with poleman Cameron Jackson and Tom McArthur slipping through. McArthur bravely squeezed his way past a surprised Jackson at Druids on lap two with barely a car’s width to his inside on the apex kerb. Davidson then stole second from the Karcher RF90 out of Graham Hill Bend as the startled Jackson regained his composure, whilst McArthur tried to make his escape up front. McArthur would spin his lead away at Druids on lap five as lubricant from Peter Barrable’s expiring Royale created havoc. Oliver Chapman and Lorna Vickers both spun into the Paddock Hill Bend gravel and the red flags flew to dress the spilt oil. The grid was reset on countback to lap four which meant McArthur got away with his spin and sat on pole for the restart, to be held over eleven laps. The field would be missing British GT regular Matt Cowley, who had stormed up the field to sixth in the opening portion of the race before being hobbled by a misfire and pitting his Van Diemen RF92. McArthur broke away on the opening lap as Davidson shrugged off Jackson’s advances up to Druids and would hold off the Van Diemen until Clearways on lap three, when the Mondiale skated wide and released Jackson. Jackson then set about reeling in McArthur and dived ahead at Clearways for the seventh time, a lap after being caught out by the leading RF85's defence at Graham Hill Bend. As he tried to hang to Jackson's coat tails, McArthur was forced wide by lapped traffic into Paddock Hill starting lap ten, which brought Davidson back onto his gearbox but he fended off the Mondiale's attention to follow Brian Jones Memorial Trophy winner Jackson home.
Grand Final: As storm clouds gathered overhead and the late afternoon light faded, Max Esterson sat on pole for the blue-riband 20-lapper as the first Semi-Final winning time was faster. Michael Eastwell, Joey Foster, Chris Middlehurst, Jordan Dempsey and Dave McCullough made up the top six on the grid. Esterson led the field away as Foster leapt up to second. The top two broke clear after Eastwell and 2021 National FF1600 champion Middlehurst both ran wide at Graham Hill Bend, promoting Dempsey up to third. The threatened rain arrived with a vengeance on lap two as Dempsey lopped nearly a second out of the lead pair’s advantage. Dempsey's Kevin Mills Racing team-mate Eastwell and Team USA's Thomas Schrage tangled at Druids in the rapidly worsening conditions, the Eastwell Spectrum spinning into the Druids gravel. Unsurprisingly the Safety car was deployed. As the pack came onto the pit straight, the unsighted Schrage clouted the back of McCullough as the field slowed, which turned the Northern Irishman's Van Diemen into the pit wall. The red flag quickly followed as lightning flashed nearby. With sunset approaching and little sign of the rain abating, it was getting very dark and it came as little surprise that there would be no restart. The result was declared after two racing laps, meaning that Esterson took the Formula Ford Festival crown for 2022 from Joey Foster and Jordan Dempsey in somewhat anti-climactic fashion.

Modified Ford Series

The large Modified Ford entry was divided into three groups, with each getting two races. The Group A&B race held on Saturday was taken by James Allen in his Focus RS, Neil Jessop had led the field in the early stages until a safety car period brought poleman Allen onto his tail. Allen pounced immediately at the restart to take the lead on the climb up to Druids. The Focus RS steadily drew away up front to take the win by 2.5 seconds, surviving a lurid moment in traffic heading up to Druids along the way. Jessop's wide-arched Mk2 Escort followed him home but a leaking head gasket would end his weekend. Rod Birley took the flag in third, the Escort WRC having challenged Jessop for the lead early on. The Group A&C encounter began with the 2.6-litre Steve Goldsmith Anglia sat on pole alone as the Neil Jessop Zakspeed Mk2 Escort didn’t appear due to his head gasket issues. Rod Birley blasted through from the second row into the lead at the rolling start, 4WD helping him to sweep clear in the wet conditions. Wayne Crabtree made a good start from seventh in his Gulf-coloured Mk1 Escort to harass Goldsmith for second. The Safety Car was soon called into action with the Tom Murphy Puma off in the gravel at Clearways. Birley again disappeared at the restart, the serial winner running away to yet another victory. Behind the flying Escort WRC was a great 5-way bunfight for second, Crabtree and the powerful Focus ST of Rory Jose both demoted Goldsmith past the pits ending the restart lap. The blue and orange Mk1 Escort staved off Jose into Paddock Hill Bend next time round as the bewinged Fiesta ST of David Guthrie and Harry Hardy's 2-litre Puma both got ahead of Goldsmith. Despite a heavily fogged windscreen, Jose powered past Crabtree into second on the run to Surtees for the tenth time but almost immediately threw the position away at Clearways with a sideways moment that saw him flirting with the gravel trap, the rest of the group passing by as the pink Focus slipped to sixth. Guthrie's impressive progress continued as he passed Crabtree for second along the pit straight starting the last lap. The Hardy Puma also stole third from Crabtree when the Escort ran wide exiting Graham Hill Bend, the giant-killing Fiesta and Puma filling the podium places ahead of Crabtree, Goldsmith and Jose.
The Group B&C split would see James Allen and Steve Goldsmith sharing the front row. Allen held the lead from Goldsmith into Paddock Hill Bend, with Jack Gadd's RSR Mk1 Escort third ahead of Kester Cook's Fiesta Ecoboost in fourth. Up at Druids for the first time, Gadd held on to a sideways moment but fell behind Cook, Paul Nevill's Mk2 RS2000 and Colin Tester, who was revelling in the greasy conditions and making strong progress in his Fiesta ST. Gadd used the grunt of his Millington engine to surge past Tester out of Graham Hill Bend but fell behind again when he slid wide at Clearways. The pair swapped places again on lap two when a grassy moment for the Fiesta at Surtees put him back to sixth, Tester lost further ground later on in the race as the track dried. Further back, series co-ordinator Nevill ground to a halt on the edge of the track approaching Surtees, which forced the appearance of the Safety Car to recover the errant RS2000. After the restart, Allen fought a rear guard action as Goldsmith's slick-shod Anglebox crawled all over the rear of his Focus on the drier sections but the extra grip he had from his wet tyres through a still-damp Clearways kept him ahead. Goldsmith made a late bid for the lead around the outside of Graham Hill Bend as the pair negotiated a large group of lapped traffic but got up on the exit kerb, so Allen clung on for the win by 0.677 seconds. Cook's Fiesta came home in third whilst one of the drives of the race saw Rory Jose claw his way back up to fourth after starting at the back of the field. The pink Focus ST had suffered a gearbox problem in qualifying on Saturday, which saw him miss the Group A&B race, but he was able to switch groups and get his two races in. However, a clerical error saw him start in eighth for the Group A&C race, which he hadn't qualified for, rather than at the tail of the grid so was relegated to the rear for this outing. Wayne Crabtree held off Gadd for fifth, after the RSR had another wayward moment at Druids on the restart. The scrap between the Escort trio of Andy Pipe (Mk1), Mike Thurley (Mk1 Zakspeed) and Chris Baker (Mk3 RS1600i) was resolved when Pipe spun at Clark Curve for the last time, Thurley beating Baker to the line for seventh whilst Pipe scrambled home in tenth.


​Other Highlights

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​The CMMCS Intermarque Series for National Hot Rod-type silhouettes produced victories for Daniel Smith and Malcolm Blackman.
The BRSCC Ford Fiesta championship went down to the wire with 2021 Fiesta Junior champion Jenson Brickley making it a title double ahead of Alistair Kellett.