Modified Ford Series @ Ford Power Live Brands Hatch 14th & 15th September 2024
The Modified Ford Series once again formed the core racing action of the Ford Power Live festival at Brands Hatch on the 14th and 15th of September.
The series received some welcome news in the build-up to the weekend after a piece of legislation that would have severely hampered the operation of the Modified Ford Series as a non-championship contest in future seasons was dropped by MSUK after a consultation period, having received vigorous opposition from many parties.
The impressive turnout of 51 cars was split into two groups, with qualifying taking place on Saturday and a pair of races each on the main event day on Sunday. The larger capacity Class SA, A, SB and B+ machines formed Group A and Group B comprised classes B and C.
Group A - RSR FIRST PLACE LOCKOUT AT FORD POWER LIVE
Simon Light’s Capri V8 put in two storming drives on its comeback meeting at Silverstone in August, with the thundering coupe a favourite for Class SA and overall honours too at Brands Hatch. Malcolm Wise scored two top-ten finishes at Silverstone with his Escort Cosworth but some of the more agile machinery may get the upper hand here. Piers Warwick’s Mk1 Escort Turbo returned after missing Silverstone with the Nissan-powered car and has claimed a class win during 2024. Former short oval and Capri Modsaloon racer Graham Wait put in his first appearance of 2024 with his four-wheel-drive Sapphire Cosworth. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie has taken seven Class A wins on the spin with his well-sorted Sierra RS500 and could well take the overall victory this weekend. Paul Restall’s Sapphire Cosworth showed good pace at Silverstone to take home a class trophy before a misfire shortened his day. Stefan Marsh has built a collection of class awards this year and could well add to his haul this weekend with his Focus ST. Mick Head ran inside the top twenty overall at Silverstone with his immaculate Martini Escort Cosworth and another retro liveried car entered in the hands of Jeremy Sutton, who brought out his very smart replica of the 1988 Bathurst 1000km winning Sierra RS500. Tom Ovenden has been at the sharp end whenever the Duratec-driven RSR has raced and the lightweight machine from Class SB should be right on the money at Brands Hatch. Jim Hutchinson made his second appearance of the year with his Millington-motivated RSR and was sure to be competitive after his double victory at Oulton Park back in April, despite this meeting being his Brands Hatch debut. Malcolm Harding switched classes and gave his recently built Smith and Jones-powered RSR its maiden entry into the Modified Ford Series and the Castrol machine was sure to be on the pace. Mat Brennan fielded his tidy Mk2 Escort but would struggle to match the pace of the three RSRs, however, you need to be there at the end to claim a trophy. Dan Minton and his father Steve entered Class B+ with their Smith and Jones-powered Mk2 Escort and the famous machine could well get on the overall podium. The car had a troubled meeting last time out at Silverstone after suffering with a persistent misfire and fading brakes but recovered to take second in class from the pitlane in Race One and sealed the Race Two class win. Martin Reynolds brought out the fleet X-pack Mk2 Escort from his stable, whilst Paul Nevill and Wayne Crabtree were involved in a drag race to the line in 2023 and the trio were likely to be among the quickest in the class. Neil Argrave’s Warrior-engined Mk2 Escort took an eighth place overall and second in class at Snetterton and expect a similarly determined performance at Brands Hatch. Olly Allen’s rapid 2.5-litre Fiesta was sure to be a thorn in the side of the Escorts for class glory and Steve Goldsmith’s remarkable turbocharged Anglia should get among the class leaders too as its development continues. Rob Lewis impressed at Snetterton by qualifying inside the top ten but was struck by driveshaft trouble during Race Two. Nigel Craig put in one of his occasional entries with his 2300cc N/A Cosworth Mk2 Escort and would be in the thick of the action. The Ecoboost-driven Mk7 Fiestas of Cliff Pellin and Dominic Ryan were joined by novice Alfie Cowan’s Mk6 example to complete the class entry, with Cowan making his racing debut at the meeting.
The series received some welcome news in the build-up to the weekend after a piece of legislation that would have severely hampered the operation of the Modified Ford Series as a non-championship contest in future seasons was dropped by MSUK after a consultation period, having received vigorous opposition from many parties.
The impressive turnout of 51 cars was split into two groups, with qualifying taking place on Saturday and a pair of races each on the main event day on Sunday. The larger capacity Class SA, A, SB and B+ machines formed Group A and Group B comprised classes B and C.
Group A - RSR FIRST PLACE LOCKOUT AT FORD POWER LIVE
Simon Light’s Capri V8 put in two storming drives on its comeback meeting at Silverstone in August, with the thundering coupe a favourite for Class SA and overall honours too at Brands Hatch. Malcolm Wise scored two top-ten finishes at Silverstone with his Escort Cosworth but some of the more agile machinery may get the upper hand here. Piers Warwick’s Mk1 Escort Turbo returned after missing Silverstone with the Nissan-powered car and has claimed a class win during 2024. Former short oval and Capri Modsaloon racer Graham Wait put in his first appearance of 2024 with his four-wheel-drive Sapphire Cosworth. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie has taken seven Class A wins on the spin with his well-sorted Sierra RS500 and could well take the overall victory this weekend. Paul Restall’s Sapphire Cosworth showed good pace at Silverstone to take home a class trophy before a misfire shortened his day. Stefan Marsh has built a collection of class awards this year and could well add to his haul this weekend with his Focus ST. Mick Head ran inside the top twenty overall at Silverstone with his immaculate Martini Escort Cosworth and another retro liveried car entered in the hands of Jeremy Sutton, who brought out his very smart replica of the 1988 Bathurst 1000km winning Sierra RS500. Tom Ovenden has been at the sharp end whenever the Duratec-driven RSR has raced and the lightweight machine from Class SB should be right on the money at Brands Hatch. Jim Hutchinson made his second appearance of the year with his Millington-motivated RSR and was sure to be competitive after his double victory at Oulton Park back in April, despite this meeting being his Brands Hatch debut. Malcolm Harding switched classes and gave his recently built Smith and Jones-powered RSR its maiden entry into the Modified Ford Series and the Castrol machine was sure to be on the pace. Mat Brennan fielded his tidy Mk2 Escort but would struggle to match the pace of the three RSRs, however, you need to be there at the end to claim a trophy. Dan Minton and his father Steve entered Class B+ with their Smith and Jones-powered Mk2 Escort and the famous machine could well get on the overall podium. The car had a troubled meeting last time out at Silverstone after suffering with a persistent misfire and fading brakes but recovered to take second in class from the pitlane in Race One and sealed the Race Two class win. Martin Reynolds brought out the fleet X-pack Mk2 Escort from his stable, whilst Paul Nevill and Wayne Crabtree were involved in a drag race to the line in 2023 and the trio were likely to be among the quickest in the class. Neil Argrave’s Warrior-engined Mk2 Escort took an eighth place overall and second in class at Snetterton and expect a similarly determined performance at Brands Hatch. Olly Allen’s rapid 2.5-litre Fiesta was sure to be a thorn in the side of the Escorts for class glory and Steve Goldsmith’s remarkable turbocharged Anglia should get among the class leaders too as its development continues. Rob Lewis impressed at Snetterton by qualifying inside the top ten but was struck by driveshaft trouble during Race Two. Nigel Craig put in one of his occasional entries with his 2300cc N/A Cosworth Mk2 Escort and would be in the thick of the action. The Ecoboost-driven Mk7 Fiestas of Cliff Pellin and Dominic Ryan were joined by novice Alfie Cowan’s Mk6 example to complete the class entry, with Cowan making his racing debut at the meeting.
Qualifying: Malcolm Harding narrowly led an RSR 1-2-3 from Tom Ovenden and circuit novice Jim Hutchinson when the red flags flew after ten minutes for Dan Minton’s Mk2 Escort stuck in the Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap but Ovenden made good use of the final five-minute spell to steal away pole position in the Class SB car by 0.276 seconds. Harding couldn’t respond after pulling into the pitlane with an oil leak when the session was stopped but held on to a front-row starting spot in his recently-built Class SB RSR. Simon Light was another to improve in the mini-session after the red flag and got among the RSRs in third with the Class SA-topping Capri V8, with Hutchinson’s RSR relegated to the outside of the second row by just 0.056 seconds as he acclimatised himself to the circuit and the top four were covered by a mere 0.939 seconds to promise an interesting pair of races. Olly Allen beat the rear-wheel-drive Class B+ competition with his 2.5-litre Mk6 Fiesta in fifth to top the class by 0.273 seconds from classmate Steve Goldsmith’s turbocharged Anglia that joined him on the third row. Qualifying a slim 0.055 seconds behind Goldsmith was the Class A-leading Sierra RS500 of Steve Scott-Dunwoodie and was split from Dan Minton’s Class B+ Mk2 Escort by an even narrower 0.034 seconds as they formed the fourth row. Series head Paul Nevill placed his Class B+ Mk2 Escort RS2000 inside the top ten in ninth and the second-in-Class A car of Brian Lilley rounded out the top ten. Stefan Marsh qualified third in Class A some 0.277 seconds off the Escort Cosworth in eleventh and shared the sixth row with the next fastest Class A car of Paul Restall but the Sapphire Cosworth broke its gearbox during the session and was out for the weekend. Neil Argrave set the thirteenth quickest time with the Mk2 Escort from Class B+ but he too wouldn’t contest the races after the Warrior engine blew its head gasket so Rob Lewis’ Focus Turbo would line up twelfth. Malcolm Wise was second in Class SA with his Escort Cosworth in fifteenth overall, ahead of the third fastest Graham Wait in 21st but the Scot wouldn’t start the races on Sunday with accident damage so the fellow Class SA car of Piers Warwick took his place on the eleventh row. Mat Brennan headed home overnight to rebuild his Class SB Mk2 Escort’s engine after buzzing the unit mid-session changing ‘up’ to second gear instead of fourth.
Qualifying results: Click here
Qualifying results: Click here
Race One: The front row got away evenly when the fifteen minutes got underway and poleman Tom Ovenden held off Malcolm Harding's similar RSR into the first corner but contact behind them would split the pack. Simon Light had hugged the inside line into Paddock Hill Bend after being unable to get among the front row pair off the line and had Jim Hutchinson to his outside before the RSR came across looking to get inside Harding for second place. A touch with the Capri at the apex sent them both spinning and Hutchinson speared off into the infield but the RSR would rejoin at the rear of the field, whilst Light would go no further after the V8 coupe came to rest with its rear wheels stuck fast in the gravel. Harding passed Ovenden under yellow flags for the incident at the start of lap two but quickly realised his error and redressed the positions before the field spent two laps behind the Safety Car to remove the stranded Capri. Eleven minutes remained at the restart and Ovenden opened his lead out to a maximum of 2.180 seconds over the following five laps but Harding clawed his way back to within a second of the red RSR with four minutes left to run. However, Ovenden was wrong-footed by a crawling Malcolm Wise Escort Cosworth along the Cooper Straight on lap fourteen and the RSR was forced to swerve onto the grass in avoidance, falling 1.323 seconds behind Harding at the end of the lap. Ovenden tigered back onto the tail of Harding and got underneath the Castrol RSR into Paddock Hill Bend inside the final minute but Wise had stopped his smouldering car on the circuit at Paddock Hill Bend. The Escort Cosworth caught alight and led to a red flag after the burning car came to rest some distance from a fire point so Harding took the win on countback from Ovenden, whose team had welded his Duratec engine’s exhaust manifold overnight. After recovering from the first corner incident, Hutchinson charged his way back up to third overall from stone last until the Northern Irishman slowed in the dying moments with an engine issue that called an early halt to his day. Hutchinson initially kept his place on the podium when the results were taken back a lap but the RSR was ultimately excluded for overtaking under yellow flags. Olly Allen led Class B+ early on from Steve Goldsmith's Anglia, whilst Dan Minton didn't make a great start in the cleaned-up Mk2 Escort and slipped behind Paul Nevill. Minton drove around the outside of both the RS2000 and Steve Scott-Dunwoodie into Paddock Hill Bend but was confronted with Light's broadside Capri, which he just avoided clattering into. Scott-Dunwoodie snuck past Minton and Goldsmith as they regained speed and Minton was also repassed by Nevill, as well as Brian Lilley and Stefan Marsh, but the former Thundersaloon retook the Club Racing UK Focus and RS2000 in short order on the outside of Druids and down the slope towards Graham Hill Bend to be sat behind Lilley in the queue trailing the Safety Car. Minton gathered up the Escort Cosworth at Druids on the restart lap and was gifted another spot a lap later when Scott-Dunwoodie went out of the Class A lead with a blown turbo on the Sierra’s last weekend before being replaced with a lighter shell over the winter. Three more laps had passed when Minton got a great run on Goldsmith through Clark Curve and the Anglia was powerless to stop the Mk2 Escort sailing by into second place in Class B+ and fourth overall. The class-leading Fiesta of Allen lay a couple of seconds ahead in third overall and Minton caught the hatchback inside three laps before the recovering Hutchinson RSR went inside Minton into Clearways on lap twelve and swiftly went around outside of Allen approaching Paddock Hill Bend as they came across Jeremy Sutton to lap him. The Sierra inadvertently crossed paths with the Fiesta mid-corner and Minton sailed through into the Class B+ lead climbing to Druids as Allen hesitated. When Hutchinson slowed with his engine woes, Minton sped by into third overall up Hailwood Hill but the race was red-flagged shortly after so the Mk2 Escort was put back to fourth on countback behind the RSR until its disqualification. Allen claimed second in Class B+ with fourth from Goldsmith in fifth and Nevill's RS2000 made it four Class B+ cars inside the top six. Stefan Marsh headed home Brian Lilley for the Class A victory by 0.821 seconds in their Focus ST and rear-wheel-drive Escort Cosworth respectively for seventh and eighth overall. Martin Reynolds had started at the back after missing qualifying trying to race his V8-engined Sierra at Snetterton on Saturday but a head gasket went after three laps of qualifying, the Norfolk resident had moved up eight places to fifteenth on lap one and was eventually classified ninth. Rob Lewis rounded out the top ten with his Ecoboost Focus. Jeremy Sutton claimed third in Class A and thirteenth overall with his Sierra, whilst Mat Brennan won his race against time to make the start with his Escort Mk2 and finished third in Class SB after Hutchinson’s disqualification.
Race One results: Click here
Race One results: Click here
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Race Two: A very popular public grid walk preceded the second Group A race and the crowd would have a second all-RSR battle for the win to enjoy. Poleman Malcolm Harding claimed the lead at Paddock Hill Bend for the first time before fellow front-row starter Tom Ovenden grabbed the top spot on lap two after cutting inside out of Graham Hill Bend and hit the front into Surtees. However, Harding took back first place at Druids on the following tour and, try as he might, Ovenden couldn’t break Harding's stout defence before the Safety Car came out with six minutes to go after Jeremy Sutton's Sierra had stopped at Clearways with a sheared front-right lower arm and the race was soon red-flagged to recover the immovable RS500. The encounter would be restarted over four and a half minutes with a single-file start and the lead battle would end before the field was unleashed as leader Harding pulled off with a loose right-rear wheel. With many lapped cars between himself and his nearest opposition, Ovenden scorched clear after the resumption to triumph by a healthy 15.764 seconds. Olly Allen had entered Paddock Hill Bend battling for third overall on lap one of the original start but a broken driveshaft meant a very short race for the Fiesta driver as Class B+ top two Steve Goldsmith and Paul Nevill settled into an early third and fourth place, with Martin Reynolds and Stefan Marsh completing the initial top six. Starting from the back row, Simon Light had already broken into the top ten by the end of the opening lap, before passing Cliff Pellin's Ecoboost Fiesta by Surtees and Rob Lewis' similarly powered Focus through Clark Curve on lap two for eighth place. The marauding Capri had dispensed with Wayne Crabtree's Mk1 Escort for seventh place on lap three exiting Clearways and powered past Class A leader Marsh for sixth place crossing the start/finish line at the end of lap four. A struggling Reynolds was Light's next prey as he streaked into fifth place passing the pits two tours later, the Mk2 Escort soon succumbed to gear selector issues on lap seven. Nevill's RS2000 was bagged for fourth place on lap eight climbing up to Druids after the series promoter went a little wide at Paddock Hill Bend, Light briefly snatched third from Goldsmith on the tenth lap with the same move he had performed on Nevill but the Capri looped into a spin at the hairpin and was further delayed restarting the V8 engine so fell back behind Goldsmith and Nevill just before the race stoppage. After following the Anglia and RS2000 through the restart lap traffic, Light bellowed past Nevill through Clark Curve as the pair went either side of Nigel Craig’s Mk2 Escort for what was now third overall with Harding's exit. Light soon had Goldsmith in his sights and the Capri took a look at the outside line into Graham Hill Bend on the following lap and then dived inside Goldsmith for second place at Clearways when coming up to lap Steve Minton's Escort, booking his place on the podium along with the Class SA spoils after a fine drive. Nevill had followed the Capri onto the tail of the Anglia and also went by Goldsmith around the outside of Graham Hill Bend on the penultimate lap to take third overall and the Class B+ win. Goldsmith chased the RS2000 over the line for second in Class B+ and was just 0.679 seconds down in fourth overall. Stefan Marsh scored his second Class A win of the day and took a top-six finish with fifth overall, Race One battle partner Brian Lilley was an early retirement after his Escort Cosworth spat out its water. The Gulf-liveried Mk1 Escort of Wayne Crabtree was the third Class B+ car home, taking the flag in sixth overall. The rest of the top ten was made up by more Class B+ machinery as Rob Lewis was seventh in his Focus Turbo, Steve Minton came through from the rear of the grid for eighth place in the Mk2 Escort raced by son Dan in the earlier bout, Cliff Pellin came home ninth with his Mk7 Fiesta Turbo and the top ten was completed by Nigel Craig's Mk2 Escort a slim 0.569 seconds behind. Piers Warwick came home eleventh for the Class SA runner-up trophy with his Nissan-powered Mk1 Escort and finished just 0.488 seconds ahead of the second-placed Class A Escort Cosworth of Mick Head in twelfth. Mat Brennan’s trip back to the workshop was further rewarded with a second trophy of the meeting for runner-up in Class SB as he chased home Dominic Ryan's Fiesta.
Race Two results: Click here
Race Two results: Click here
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Group B - THURLEY TRIUMPHS TWICE IN BRILLIANT BAKER BATTLE
Chris Baker triumphed twice in Class B after a tricky qualifying session at Silverstone and aimed for more success in Kent. Tyler England is right on the pace in the class now and the nimble Fiesta should be taylor-made for the Indy circuit. Mike Thurley has taken victory at the event before and would like to keep up the habit with his Zakspeed Mk1 Escort. Tony Paxman was well in the mix on his welcome return to competition at Silverstone in August aboard his familiar pale blue Mk1 Escort and Brands Hatch should be no different. Further Mk1 Escorts to keep an eye on for a possible podium placing were to be handled by Andy Pipe and Gary Johnson, with Johnson taking home a third-in-class trophy at Silverstone. Oliver Bullion took a couple of great results at Silverstone and the four-time class winner in 2024 won the opening damp Group B race overall last year so expect the Fiesta ST to be in the thick of the action towards the front. Tom Burgess was spectacular on his way to the Race Two Class C victory at the 2023 edition of Ford Power Live aboard Phil Jose’ Datapost Fiesta and he could well put the cat among the pigeons with his 2-litre N/A Cosworth Mk2 Escort. Tom Abbott aired his well-presented 2.9-litre ’Labbotts’ Capri for the second time this season, having used the V6 coupe at Castle Combe in May. Jason Stone gave his newly-built Duratec-powered Mk2 Escort its maiden outing and the former rallycrosser was hopeful of a good showing. The only Mk1 Focus entered this weekend would be in the hands of John Ward after he took his series bow at Silverstone. A few more Mk1 Escorts were on the entry list and included the shared leaf-sprung example of former class winner Chris Smith and his rapid son Josh, Bob Bullen is usually a top-six contender in CTCRC Pre ‘83 races and the orange Mk1 Escort could spring a surprise and series debutant Lewis Judd made his first start with his example. A fleet of Fiesta STs completed the entry in the hands of Rob Taylor, Reeve Robinson and Ian Seale. Dave Barrett has scored the largest number of victories in Class C during 2024 with nine and he hoped to add to his tally at Brands Hatch. Gary Littlewood gave his all at Silverstone but was ultimately defeated twice by Barrett's Fiesta despite taking the class pole and was looking to get his own back at Brands Hatch after taking an overall podium in 2023 with his bright yellow Mk6 Fiesta. Justin Fuller’s wide-arched Puma has won the class multiple times in recent years and should be in the running for class gold in Kent, whilst Kevan Hadfield’s example has also taken victory this season. Darryl Taplin is another to have scored a pole position and class win during 2024 and the BTCC mechanic showed good speed on his racing debut at the meeting one year ago with his Fiesta, which has undergone a lot of development since then. Aaron Tucker’s smart 3-door Sierra dropped into the class with a new 1.8-litre Pinto installed and couldn't be written off for a top result. Mark Hadfield‘s Gulf-liveried Fiesta and the similar car of David Priestly completed the field.
Chris Baker triumphed twice in Class B after a tricky qualifying session at Silverstone and aimed for more success in Kent. Tyler England is right on the pace in the class now and the nimble Fiesta should be taylor-made for the Indy circuit. Mike Thurley has taken victory at the event before and would like to keep up the habit with his Zakspeed Mk1 Escort. Tony Paxman was well in the mix on his welcome return to competition at Silverstone in August aboard his familiar pale blue Mk1 Escort and Brands Hatch should be no different. Further Mk1 Escorts to keep an eye on for a possible podium placing were to be handled by Andy Pipe and Gary Johnson, with Johnson taking home a third-in-class trophy at Silverstone. Oliver Bullion took a couple of great results at Silverstone and the four-time class winner in 2024 won the opening damp Group B race overall last year so expect the Fiesta ST to be in the thick of the action towards the front. Tom Burgess was spectacular on his way to the Race Two Class C victory at the 2023 edition of Ford Power Live aboard Phil Jose’ Datapost Fiesta and he could well put the cat among the pigeons with his 2-litre N/A Cosworth Mk2 Escort. Tom Abbott aired his well-presented 2.9-litre ’Labbotts’ Capri for the second time this season, having used the V6 coupe at Castle Combe in May. Jason Stone gave his newly-built Duratec-powered Mk2 Escort its maiden outing and the former rallycrosser was hopeful of a good showing. The only Mk1 Focus entered this weekend would be in the hands of John Ward after he took his series bow at Silverstone. A few more Mk1 Escorts were on the entry list and included the shared leaf-sprung example of former class winner Chris Smith and his rapid son Josh, Bob Bullen is usually a top-six contender in CTCRC Pre ‘83 races and the orange Mk1 Escort could spring a surprise and series debutant Lewis Judd made his first start with his example. A fleet of Fiesta STs completed the entry in the hands of Rob Taylor, Reeve Robinson and Ian Seale. Dave Barrett has scored the largest number of victories in Class C during 2024 with nine and he hoped to add to his tally at Brands Hatch. Gary Littlewood gave his all at Silverstone but was ultimately defeated twice by Barrett's Fiesta despite taking the class pole and was looking to get his own back at Brands Hatch after taking an overall podium in 2023 with his bright yellow Mk6 Fiesta. Justin Fuller’s wide-arched Puma has won the class multiple times in recent years and should be in the running for class gold in Kent, whilst Kevan Hadfield’s example has also taken victory this season. Darryl Taplin is another to have scored a pole position and class win during 2024 and the BTCC mechanic showed good speed on his racing debut at the meeting one year ago with his Fiesta, which has undergone a lot of development since then. Aaron Tucker’s smart 3-door Sierra dropped into the class with a new 1.8-litre Pinto installed and couldn't be written off for a top result. Mark Hadfield‘s Gulf-liveried Fiesta and the similar car of David Priestly completed the field.
Qualifying: A ding-dong qualifying session was hotly contested, with the top positions bouncing between Mike Thurley, Chris Baker and Tyler England throughout the opening twelve minutes. The Mk1 Escort of Thurley was briefly fastest with his first timed lap before Baker went to the top of the times. The trick was repeated the next time around as Thurley went fastest again only for Baker to better his time but the Mk1 Escort moved to the head of the times once more with its third lap. England also knocked Baker back to third place before the Mk3 Escort reclaimed top spot around half a minute later. Thurley then went on a rampage and moved the goalposts on each of his next three laps to provisionally secure pole position. England had got the Fiesta back up to second behind Thurley a minute and a half after losing the spot and his time would hold for the next couple of minutes before Baker ultimately set two laps faster than England's best to claim his place on the front row. A red flag halted proceedings with less than four minutes remaining after Justin Fuller’s Puma spun into the Paddock Hill gravel trap. Thurley didn't contest the three-minute mini-session that followed and the spell was of little consequence among the front few rows after no improvements were forthcoming, with the Mk1 Escort driver claiming pole position despite a diff problem by 0.187 seconds from Baker. The MTS Motorsport Mk3 Escort had 0.365 seconds in hand from England in third and the Fiesta came in from qualifying on the end of a tow rope after its clutch arm broke. Tom Burgess got quicker throughout the session to place his Mk2 Escort on the second row alongside England and was within 0.176 seconds of the Fiesta. Oliver Bullion headed the third row with his Fiesta ST and was the first car outside of one second from Thurley's pole position time, whilst the session-stopping Puma of Fuller starred as the leading Class C car sat in a superb sixth on the grid. Tom Abbot impressed in his Capri to be seventh fastest and would line up alongside Bob Bullen's Mk1 Escort on the fourth row. BOSS regular Rob Taylor placed his Fiesta ST on the fifth row in ninth and Jason Stone's new Mk2 Escort made a promising debut to shore up the top ten. Dave Barrett qualified second fastest of the Class C cars and would start from the outside of the sixth row beside John Ward's Class B Focus, whilst the next fastest Class C car of Aaron Tucker could be found on the row behind with a lower-than-expected Gary Johnson Mk1 Escort from Class B for company. The final three minutes of qualifying may have had little bearing on the front of the field but, unfortunately, it would see a pair of Class C Fiestas eliminated at Druids after Mark Hadfield spun his example and rolled back into the path of Darryl Taplin, who had nowhere to go and collided heavily into the passenger side of Hadfield's car. Thankfully, neither were badly hurt in the hefty impact and both walked away. Gary Littlewood's Fiesta would start from the back of the field after the Class C front runner missing qualifying with a non-racing related issue and would be joined by the Class B Mk1 Escort of Tony Paxman that broke a stub axle on its first lap of the session.
Qualifying results: Click here
Qualifying results: Click here
Race One: From the outside of the front row, Chris Baker got his nose ahead of Mike Thurley at the start of the first Group B race and held on around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend to take the early lead but had to come across to stop Thurley's attempted retaliation at Druids. The pair soon started to open a gap to Tom Burgess in third, the Mk2 Escort having gone the long way around Tyler England's Fiesta at Paddock Hill Bend for the first time. Baker couldn’t escape from the polesitting Mk1 Escort in the opening stages and Thurley went to the outside of the Mk3 Escort at Druids for the third time but Baker held firm. The Mk1 Escort's better traction out of Clearways got Thurley up the inside accelerating through Clark Curve but the front-wheel-drive Mk3 Escort kept its nose ahead as they went on to lap four. Thurley kept his nose inside Baker turning into Paddock Hill Bend but the high-revving RS1600i held on to the lead despite being held out wide. Thurley took another look into Surtees before Baker took a defensive line into Clearways, which saw the challenger's Mk1 Escort turn back underneath through Clark Curve and the pair were neck and neck past pits but Baker bravely clung on to the lead on the outside of Paddock Hill Bend as they went on to the fifth tour. The leading Escort opened the narrowest of gaps during the course of lap five so had no need to defend at Clearways this time but Thurley was back with the leader by Druids for the sixth time. The Castrol Escort got a run along the Cooper Straight but couldn't get far enough alongside Baker to force him to concede the lead. The fierce battle continued into the seventh lap when Thurley carried more momentum up the hill to Druids but the leading Mk3 Escort covered the line again into the hairpin, the Mk1 Escort drew alongside again dropping down to Graham Hill Bend but was kept on the outside line and was forced to fall in line again by Surtees. Ending the lap, Thurley used the cutback effectively out of Clearways once more and the pair were abreast past the pits going onto lap eight but Baker still hung on around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend and up to Druids. However, the Mk3 Escort ran wide over the exit kerb at the hairpin and Thurley finally went through into the lead at half-distance. Once in the clear, Thurley got his head down and drove away to a 2.427-second winning margin from Baker after a terrific dice. Tyler England made a steady start from the inside of the second row to fall behind Tom Burgess at the first corner and Oliver Bullion followed the Mk2 Escort past the Fiesta up the inside of Druids. England took fourth back from the Fiesta ST at Paddock Hill Bend on lap three, despite Bullion’s attempt to hang on around the outside, before reeling in Burgess and claiming third on lap five at Druids, which the youngster would hold to the flag. Burgess wouldn't let England relax to the end and crossed the line still only 1.554 seconds down in fourth place, whilst Bullion's Fiesta had a lonely run to fifth once the third-placed car had passed him. The Tom Abbott Capri bolted up to sixth away from the rolling start and the V6-powered machine had a solitary race thereafter to creditably round out the top six. Justin Fuller slipped from starting sixth to ninth on the opening lap before engaging in an early battle with Bob Bullen's Mk1 Escort. The Puma got ahead on lap five and chased down Rob Taylor's Fiesta ST for seventh place and took a clear Class C victory. Tony Paxman made strong progress through the field from his eleventh row start to finish eighth ahead of Taylor's Fiesta and Gary Johnson also had a strong opening lap to move the bronze Mk1 Escort into the top ten but wouldn’t reach the flag after the alternator gave up, which ran the battery out of charge at two-thirds distance. Aaron Tucker's Pinto-engined Sierra was involved in a great dice with the Escorts of Jason Stone, Andy Pipe and Bob Bullen plus the Focus of John Ward for a place in the top ten, which the newly-finished Mk2 Escort of Stone claimed from Class C runner-up Tucker. Dave Barrett finished just off the back of the group for third in Class C and had Chris Jones’ Mk1 Escort in his wheeltracks for the duration. Pipe exited the battle on the same lap as Johnson's departure with a blown head gasket on his Mk1 Escort and Lewis Judd pitted after the exhaust came adrift on his similar car.
Race One results: Click here
Race One results: Click here
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Race Two: The second Group B encounter was a quieter affair at the front as Mike Thurley held off Chris Baker at Paddock Hill Bend for the first time before easing away to a textbook win, Baker gave valiant chase to the victorious Mk1 Escort throughout to cross the line 2.381 seconds in arrears with his Mk3 Escort. Tyler England battled hard with Tom Burgess through the early turns for third place, with Burgess' Mk2 Escort taking to the outside of Paddock Hill Bend and Druids before the Fiesta made third place its own at Graham Hill Bend. After opening more than a second's advantage to the Escort in the opening laps, England fell back into the clutches of Burgess and the Mk2 passed the Fiesta early on the seventh lap to take the final podium place. Having crossed the line in fourth, England was excluded post-race after being adjudged to have overtaken under yellow flag conditions. The chief beneficiary of the Fiesta being scrubbed from the results was Oliver Bullion, with the Fiesta ST reclassified fourth and Tom Abbott had another strong race in the Capri to hold off Tony Paxman's Mk1 Escort for a place in the top five. Josh Smith charged up from the back of the grid to seventh after taking over from his father Chris for the second race, the Mk1 Escort had reached eighth place as early as lap five and would hold the place to the flag until England's removal from the results promoted him a spot. Rob Taylor's Fiesta ST followed the Escort home ahead of a drama-filled race for Class C glory. Race One class victor Justin Fuller fell back on the first lap when Bob Bullen's Mk1 Escort came up the grass approaching Druids and forced the Puma wide and took Jason Stone's Mk2 Escort with him. The delay saw Fuller fall behind Aaron Tucker and Gary Littlewood but the Puma was back in front of the Fiesta by the end of lap one. Tucker put Bullen's Mk1 Escort between the Sierra and the Puma at Paddock Hill Bend on lap four and Fuller then had a wild spin at Surtees a lap after getting past Bullen in the same spot on lap five. Left with a seven-second gap to close after his grassy rotation, Fuller relentlessly went after Tucker but had another moment at Paddock Hill Bend for the twelfth time on oil from Jason Stone's blown Mk2 Escort motor just as he reached the tail of the Sierra. However, Tucker's front-right suspension came apart at Surtees on the following lap and the Sierra skated to a halt on the infield to gift Fuller the Class C win. Gary Littlewood ran ahead of Dave Barrett in third through the opening stages but the pair swapped places on lap seven before the Mk6 Fiesta got back ahead into Surtees on lap twelve. Frustration was to follow for Littlewood as he went out in the closing stages with a front-right puncture to hand third-in-class to Barrett's Fiesta. Gary Johnson had a scramble to make the start after his Mk1 Escort's engine refused to fire up and he was still repositioning the new battery as the field were called up, he would take the flag behind Barrett in thirteenth and one spot ahead of the Puma of Kevan Hadfield that placed third in Class C.
Race Two results: Click here
Race Two results: Click here
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Two drivers of the weekend were selected by Modified Ford Series event sponsor BlueBlue.uk, with Rob Lewis from Group A and Tom Burgess from Group B the competitors chosen.
The Modified Ford Series ventures into Europe next for its season finale at MSV’s Navarra circuit in northern Spain on the 4th and 5th of October, with the field scheduled to contest three twenty-minute races.
The Modified Ford Series ventures into Europe next for its season finale at MSV’s Navarra circuit in northern Spain on the 4th and 5th of October, with the field scheduled to contest three twenty-minute races.