Modified Ford Series Knockhill 1st & 2nd June 2024
COCKELL'S COSWORTH FASTEST FORD IN FIFE
The Modified Ford Series ventured to Scotland’s only operational racing facility at Knockhill on the 1st and 2nd of June. The venue celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2024 and the 1.27-mile long circuit would be utilised both ways over the weekend as part of the festivities. Twenty two entries pitched up in Fife and the field was bolstered by several local participants taking on the series regulars.
Dave Cockell raced in the series for the first time since his double victory at the Silverstone season opener and would be the favourite for overall honours this weekend, once the Class SA Escort Cosworth pilot had hot-footed up to Scotland after attending his son’s wedding on Friday! Andy Robinson hoped for more reliability from his spectacular DJR Shell-liveried Falcon AU V8 Supercar after suffering a snapped camshaft during the series’ last visit in 2022 but the Australian machine is pedalled with verve when it’s on song, the Northumberland man also ran his sister 5-litre Craig Lowndes ‘green eyed monster’ liveried car in the NSSCC. Lloyd Jamieson had a troubled meeting last time out in Wiltshire, which included being given a replacement driveshaft by a charitable Escort Cosworth owner, and the Scot had his fingers crossed that the Escort Maxi Cosworth 4x4 would perform better on home soil. Another local entry was received from Ali McMillan in an Escort Cosworth and his knowledge of the circuit should stand him in good stead. The Mk1 Escort Turbo of Piers Warwick has already taken a class victory this year in less-than-ideal conditions and poor weather isn’t unheard of in the area. Competing on Sunday only would be series newcomer Mark Dawson, who would be giving his virgin white Mk1 Escort RSR YB Turbo its first airing and the Edinburgh man’s progress would be something to keep an eye on. Scot Paul Daly should be the leader of the pair of Class A competitors with his WRC03-style Focus RS Mk1, which was built from a damaged road car. The other entry in the class, also with World Rally Car styling, belonged to Mick Head and the Franco Cunico-inspired two-wheel-drive Martini Escort Cosworth won a trophy during the last race in the wet at Castle Combe. Tom Ovenden was the lone entrant in Class SB but the agile Mk1 Escort RSR was almost certainly a podium contender at the demanding venue. The Class B+ Mk2 Cortina of Josh Payton should be well capable of a place inside the top six and maybe sneak an overall podium after a charging performance during the last race at Castle Combe. Modified Ford Series head Paul Nevill usually goes well at Cadwell Park and the similarly busy nature of Knockhill should see the RS2000 placed well up in the results. The front-wheel-drive entries were headlined by a full complement of Boamerang Racing Fiestas in the hands of Alex Boam, David Guthrie and Sam Shimwell. Young Todd Garner continues to make a name for himself with some eye-catching performances in his Mk7 Fiesta and the final car in the class was a home entry from Scottish Modsports racer Iain Blackley in an unusual turbocharged Puma. Chris Baker should be the favourite for Class B glory in the sonorous Mk3 Escort after a difficult last event in Wiltshire. Gary Johnson’s very pretty Mk1 Escort and Tim Mizen‘s lurid green MK3 Fiesta could prove to be evenly matched as they chase the rapid RS1600i. Dave Barrett would be looking for more Class C silverware in Scotland, with the Fiesta taking the class win in each of the last four races. The father and son pair of Kevan and Shaun Hadfield made the trip to Fife with a couple of Pumas, Shaun having impressed in his first ever race at Oulton Park by setting the fastest lap for the class.
Saturday 1st June - Anti-clockwise
Qualifying: The National Motorsport Centre's compact track is licensed to operate in each direction and the less familiar anti-clockwise orientation was used on day one. The fifteen-minute session was red-flagged after five minutes when Mick Head put his RWD Escort Cosworth off at the top of Duffus Dip. Fortunately, the contact with the barrier was relatively light so the car could contest the remainder of the weekend after repairs. Tom Ovenden had recorded the fastest time before the break from Josh Payton’s Cortina and the Mk1 Escort RSR went faster still when the session got going again. However, Dave Cockell had learnt the anti-clockwise direction quickly and stuck the Class SA Escort Cosworth to the top of the times with less than five minutes remaining to snare pole position by 0.216 seconds from the lone Class SB car of Ovenden. Payton headed Class B+ in third, ahead of the Boamerang Racing pair of Fiestas handled by Alex Boam and David Guthrie. Lloyd Jamieson and Todd Garner would start from sixth and seventh but the Escort Maxi Cosworth 4x4’s speed came with a price as a whack of the Chicane sausage kerb sheared the front propshaft, in a supreme act of sportsmanship the polesitter Cockell loaned the Scot his spare to get the car onto the grid. The Scot's weekend had got off to a torrid start with a lamda sensor issue during Friday testing which prompted a hurried trip to Livingston to source a replacement. Garner's Fiesta started alongside the leading Class A contender Paul Daly in eighth. Andy Robinson flat-spotted a tyre on his mighty Falcon AU en route to ninth spot after setting an identical time to the Focus on the row ahead and series organiser Paul Nevill completed the top ten with his RS2000. Class B was topped by Chris Baker in eleventh and was joined on the sixth row by local entrant Iain Blackley’s Puma Turbo. Just over a second and a half split fourth-placed Boam from stablemate Sam Shimwell in thirteenth and promised a competitive race, with the seventh row completed by second Class B qualifier Gary Johnson. The Fiesta of Dave Barrett was quickest of the Class C trio by a hundredth of a second from Kevan Hadfield’s Puma in seventeenth and eighteenth, whilst the inexperienced Shaun Hadfield was only a second off his Class C competitors in nineteenth.
Qualifying results: Click here
The Modified Ford Series ventured to Scotland’s only operational racing facility at Knockhill on the 1st and 2nd of June. The venue celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2024 and the 1.27-mile long circuit would be utilised both ways over the weekend as part of the festivities. Twenty two entries pitched up in Fife and the field was bolstered by several local participants taking on the series regulars.
Dave Cockell raced in the series for the first time since his double victory at the Silverstone season opener and would be the favourite for overall honours this weekend, once the Class SA Escort Cosworth pilot had hot-footed up to Scotland after attending his son’s wedding on Friday! Andy Robinson hoped for more reliability from his spectacular DJR Shell-liveried Falcon AU V8 Supercar after suffering a snapped camshaft during the series’ last visit in 2022 but the Australian machine is pedalled with verve when it’s on song, the Northumberland man also ran his sister 5-litre Craig Lowndes ‘green eyed monster’ liveried car in the NSSCC. Lloyd Jamieson had a troubled meeting last time out in Wiltshire, which included being given a replacement driveshaft by a charitable Escort Cosworth owner, and the Scot had his fingers crossed that the Escort Maxi Cosworth 4x4 would perform better on home soil. Another local entry was received from Ali McMillan in an Escort Cosworth and his knowledge of the circuit should stand him in good stead. The Mk1 Escort Turbo of Piers Warwick has already taken a class victory this year in less-than-ideal conditions and poor weather isn’t unheard of in the area. Competing on Sunday only would be series newcomer Mark Dawson, who would be giving his virgin white Mk1 Escort RSR YB Turbo its first airing and the Edinburgh man’s progress would be something to keep an eye on. Scot Paul Daly should be the leader of the pair of Class A competitors with his WRC03-style Focus RS Mk1, which was built from a damaged road car. The other entry in the class, also with World Rally Car styling, belonged to Mick Head and the Franco Cunico-inspired two-wheel-drive Martini Escort Cosworth won a trophy during the last race in the wet at Castle Combe. Tom Ovenden was the lone entrant in Class SB but the agile Mk1 Escort RSR was almost certainly a podium contender at the demanding venue. The Class B+ Mk2 Cortina of Josh Payton should be well capable of a place inside the top six and maybe sneak an overall podium after a charging performance during the last race at Castle Combe. Modified Ford Series head Paul Nevill usually goes well at Cadwell Park and the similarly busy nature of Knockhill should see the RS2000 placed well up in the results. The front-wheel-drive entries were headlined by a full complement of Boamerang Racing Fiestas in the hands of Alex Boam, David Guthrie and Sam Shimwell. Young Todd Garner continues to make a name for himself with some eye-catching performances in his Mk7 Fiesta and the final car in the class was a home entry from Scottish Modsports racer Iain Blackley in an unusual turbocharged Puma. Chris Baker should be the favourite for Class B glory in the sonorous Mk3 Escort after a difficult last event in Wiltshire. Gary Johnson’s very pretty Mk1 Escort and Tim Mizen‘s lurid green MK3 Fiesta could prove to be evenly matched as they chase the rapid RS1600i. Dave Barrett would be looking for more Class C silverware in Scotland, with the Fiesta taking the class win in each of the last four races. The father and son pair of Kevan and Shaun Hadfield made the trip to Fife with a couple of Pumas, Shaun having impressed in his first ever race at Oulton Park by setting the fastest lap for the class.
Saturday 1st June - Anti-clockwise
Qualifying: The National Motorsport Centre's compact track is licensed to operate in each direction and the less familiar anti-clockwise orientation was used on day one. The fifteen-minute session was red-flagged after five minutes when Mick Head put his RWD Escort Cosworth off at the top of Duffus Dip. Fortunately, the contact with the barrier was relatively light so the car could contest the remainder of the weekend after repairs. Tom Ovenden had recorded the fastest time before the break from Josh Payton’s Cortina and the Mk1 Escort RSR went faster still when the session got going again. However, Dave Cockell had learnt the anti-clockwise direction quickly and stuck the Class SA Escort Cosworth to the top of the times with less than five minutes remaining to snare pole position by 0.216 seconds from the lone Class SB car of Ovenden. Payton headed Class B+ in third, ahead of the Boamerang Racing pair of Fiestas handled by Alex Boam and David Guthrie. Lloyd Jamieson and Todd Garner would start from sixth and seventh but the Escort Maxi Cosworth 4x4’s speed came with a price as a whack of the Chicane sausage kerb sheared the front propshaft, in a supreme act of sportsmanship the polesitter Cockell loaned the Scot his spare to get the car onto the grid. The Scot's weekend had got off to a torrid start with a lamda sensor issue during Friday testing which prompted a hurried trip to Livingston to source a replacement. Garner's Fiesta started alongside the leading Class A contender Paul Daly in eighth. Andy Robinson flat-spotted a tyre on his mighty Falcon AU en route to ninth spot after setting an identical time to the Focus on the row ahead and series organiser Paul Nevill completed the top ten with his RS2000. Class B was topped by Chris Baker in eleventh and was joined on the sixth row by local entrant Iain Blackley’s Puma Turbo. Just over a second and a half split fourth-placed Boam from stablemate Sam Shimwell in thirteenth and promised a competitive race, with the seventh row completed by second Class B qualifier Gary Johnson. The Fiesta of Dave Barrett was quickest of the Class C trio by a hundredth of a second from Kevan Hadfield’s Puma in seventeenth and eighteenth, whilst the inexperienced Shaun Hadfield was only a second off his Class C competitors in nineteenth.
Qualifying results: Click here
Race: Running in the opposite direction meant that the Taylor’s Hairpin could be a bottleneck at the rolling start and poleman Dave Cockell led the way down the hill, fellow front-row starter Tom Ovenden braked late on the outside but had to slot into second as the field funnelled into the tight corner for the first time without incident. The grid order was maintained among the top five but Andy Robinson had thundered up to sixth by the hairpin, after bursting between Todd Garner and Lloyd Jamieson as the field accelerated away. The Saleen-sourced 7-litre V8 saw the Falcon boom past the Boamerang Fiesta pair towards Clark’s to finish the opening lap in fourth, ahead of Alex Boam and David Guthrie. Lloyd Jamieson and Paul Daly had both made steady starts from sixth and eighth and were hung out to dry on the outside of the opening hairpin to finish the first lap in eleventh and tenth respectively. The trio comprising Paul Nevill, Todd Garner and Class B leader Chris Baker had each got ahead of the Scots at the opening corner. A cat-and-mouse contest ensued between Cockell and Ovenden as the nimble RSR made up ground on the Escort Cosworth through the twisting back section only for the leader's 700bhp to carry him clear on the straights. However, on lap three Ovenden had a much better run through the chicane and was close enough to be tempted to try a move at McIntyre's but the youngster chose not to take the risk. The lead pair's rapid pace had carried them clear of Payton's Cortina and Robinson's Falcon through the early laps, that pair were drawing away from the Boamerang Fiestas too - with Nevill reeling in the two Ecoboost-powered cars. At half-distance, Piers Warwick's turbocharged Mk1 was deposited in the gravel at Butchers after running over the grass at the chicane whilst being lapped by Ovenden and the car was spat into the gravel as he rejoined the circuit. The Safety Car came in with three minutes left and Cockell's Class SA car couldn’t rest as he took the flag by 1.268 seconds from the ever-present Ovenden's Class SB RSR after a fast race. Class B+ victor Payton had a lonely run to third and was saved from an attack by Class SA runner-up Robinson’s V8 power at the restart by the lapped Class C tussle sat between them in the queue. Boam came home just ahead of stablemate Guthrie in an internecine Boamerang Fiesta battle for second and third in Class B+ after getting away from Nevill’s RS2000 after the Safety Car. Indeed, the Escort fell into the clutches of the Class A-leading Focus of Daly after the resumption of racing, whilst Todd Garner had got between Daly and the third Class SA car of fellow Scot Jamieson. Garner dived inside Daly at McIntyre’s late on but the Focus fought back climbing Duffus Dip before Garner ultimately claimed the spot to leave Class A winner Daly fending off Jamieson’s Escort Maxi Cosworth 4x4 and Blackley's Puma Turbo to claim the bragging rights among the Scotsmen. Early Class B leader Baker went out on lap three with a busted CV Joint on his Mk3 Escort whilst in battle with Daly, which left Tim Mizen duking it out for the class win with Gary Johnson. Mizen's Fiesta had jumped ahead of the Mk1 Escort exiting the hairpin for the first time and held Johnson off to the Safety Car. However, starting the second lap after the restart, the locked-up Johnson went ahead into the hairpin to take up the running in the class but almost let Mizen back through after sliding wide at the hairpin for the last time to claim the class award. In Class C, long-time leader Dave Barrett was caught by Kevan Hadfield's Puma when the squabbling Class B duo put a lap on them starting the final tour and the Puma attempted to get alongside climbing Duffus Dip but the Fiesta held on to take the spoils. Shaun Hadfield's Puma failed to reach the finish after picking up a puncture. The third Boamerang Racing Fiesta of Sam Shimwell frustratingly went out during the formation laps, stopping before the hairpin with a cracked piston which ended his weekend.
Race result: Click here
Race result: Click here
Sunday 2nd June - Clockwise
Qualifying: The all-action circuit was running in its traditional clockwise direction for the second day of action. Dave Cockell had the bit between his teeth on Sunday morning and set a blistering 52.078-second lap for pole position. Saturday runner-up Tom Ovenden was 1.314 seconds down as he joined the Escort Cosworth on the front row but had lost the clutch on his Mk1 Escort RSR during the session, to add to a diff seal that was found to be leaking before the fifteen minutes began. Josh Payton headed Class B+ once more in third and Lloyd Jamieson did a great job to land up on row two alongside the Cortina Mk2, the Escort Maxi Cosworth pilot buoyed by victory in the Super Lap Scotland contest on Saturday. Andy Robinson’s rumbling Falcon V8 Supercar lined up fifth, whilst debutant Mark Dawson marked an impressive first appearance from the chirping turbocharged RSR with a slot on the third row. Paul Daly was the fastest Class A car in seventh and Paul Nevill's RS2000 from Class B+ joined the Focus on row four. A trio of Ecoboost Fiestas were to be found at the foot of the top ten as David Guthrie headed the group from Todd Garner and Alex Boam, who was just 0.002 slower than the Mk7 example in eleventh. Chris Baker topped Class B in twelfth and was a slender 0.016 seconds from Boam, whilst Saturday combatants Gary Johnson and Tim Mizen were split by a little over half a second in fifteenth and sixteenth - just behind the local entries of Iain Blackley and Ali McMillan on the seventh row. Kevan Hadfield got one over on Dave Barrett for the Class C pole by 0.348 seconds with his Puma, the MTS Motorsport Fiesta ended the session trailing smoke after burning off the oil residue from a leaking rocker cover during Saturday's race. During the session, Mick Head stopped on the infield of the hairpin after the Class A Escort Cosworth's gearbox gave up the ghost to signal the end of his meeting.
Qualifying result: Click here
Qualifying: The all-action circuit was running in its traditional clockwise direction for the second day of action. Dave Cockell had the bit between his teeth on Sunday morning and set a blistering 52.078-second lap for pole position. Saturday runner-up Tom Ovenden was 1.314 seconds down as he joined the Escort Cosworth on the front row but had lost the clutch on his Mk1 Escort RSR during the session, to add to a diff seal that was found to be leaking before the fifteen minutes began. Josh Payton headed Class B+ once more in third and Lloyd Jamieson did a great job to land up on row two alongside the Cortina Mk2, the Escort Maxi Cosworth pilot buoyed by victory in the Super Lap Scotland contest on Saturday. Andy Robinson’s rumbling Falcon V8 Supercar lined up fifth, whilst debutant Mark Dawson marked an impressive first appearance from the chirping turbocharged RSR with a slot on the third row. Paul Daly was the fastest Class A car in seventh and Paul Nevill's RS2000 from Class B+ joined the Focus on row four. A trio of Ecoboost Fiestas were to be found at the foot of the top ten as David Guthrie headed the group from Todd Garner and Alex Boam, who was just 0.002 slower than the Mk7 example in eleventh. Chris Baker topped Class B in twelfth and was a slender 0.016 seconds from Boam, whilst Saturday combatants Gary Johnson and Tim Mizen were split by a little over half a second in fifteenth and sixteenth - just behind the local entries of Iain Blackley and Ali McMillan on the seventh row. Kevan Hadfield got one over on Dave Barrett for the Class C pole by 0.348 seconds with his Puma, the MTS Motorsport Fiesta ended the session trailing smoke after burning off the oil residue from a leaking rocker cover during Saturday's race. During the session, Mick Head stopped on the infield of the hairpin after the Class A Escort Cosworth's gearbox gave up the ghost to signal the end of his meeting.
Qualifying result: Click here
Race: The Modified Fords were the star attraction of a highly popular lunchtime grid walk pre-race. The pole starter Dave Cockell headed the pack as it descended upon Duffus Dip for the first time from Tom Ovenden, Josh Payton, Lloyd Jamieson and Andy Robinson in the top five. However, the field quickly came under the control of the Safety Car after Paul Daly dropped the sole Class A car to start into the gravel at Duffus Dip but no major damage was done to the Focus. The action got underway again with around ten and a half minutes to go and Ovenden was putting the pressure on Cockell through the sinuous early part of the lap. The RSR was right on the tail of the leader exiting Clark's but the Cosworth opened the taps and blasted away to stave off any attack at the hairpin, with Cockell steadily opening a margin thereafter. Robinson moved his Falcon past Jamieson's fellow Class SA contending Escort Maxi 4x4 into fourth place on the second lap after the restart as fuel pressure worries caused the Scot to start short-shifting and eventually Paul Nevill also passed the bewinged Escort for fifth place down the inside into Duffus Dip. Soon after there would be another Safety Car with Shaun Hadfield stranded in the McIntyre’s gravel with a broken CV Joint. Just two minutes remained when the field was released but that was still enough time for a change in the top three running order as Robinson muscled the Falcon past Payton's Cortina for the final podium placing at the Taylor's Hairpin, the Cortina sustaining a damaged wheel as they clashed at the exit. Up front, Cockell powered clear of Ovenden in the remaining time to take the flag for a victory double by 1.895 seconds from the Class SB-winning RSR in second. Robinson took the third step on the podium and second in Class SA but the fired-up Class B+ victor Payton chased the V8 machine to the line in fourth. Nevill claimed second in Class B+ with fifth position from the third Class SA car of Jamieson in sixth, Mark Dawson had been running ahead of them before the second Safety Car but the YB-powered RSR lost ground after the restart to trail home in twelfth. Following Jamieson home came a tough fight at the foot of the top ten comprising David Guthrie, Todd Garner, Class B leader Chris Baker, Alex Boam, Ali McMillan and Iain Blackley, Nevill's RS2000 was involved too before moving clear of the battle after passing Garner soon after the first restart. Guthrie also got ahead of Garner's newer Fiesta on the second lap after the resumption by diving up the inside into Clark's but Garner fought back on the following tour into McIntyre's, the Fiestas stayed side-by-side through Butcher's before the Boamerang car made the place his own into the chicane. The second interruption soon followed and Guthrie, Garner and Baker jumped away from Blackley's Puma at the green flag, whilst McMillan and Boam went for the same piece of tarmac into Duffus Dip. The Escort Cosworth looped into a spin but rejoined and the Fiesta went out with a broken wheel at McIntyre's. Guthrie took third in Class B+ as he headed the group home in seventh place from Garner, Class B top man Baker and Blackley's Puma Turbo completed the top ten, with the pack not far from Jamieson's sixth place. Gary Johnson got away from his Saturday sparring partner Tim Mizen for second in Class B and eleventh overall with his Mk1 Escort, Mizen's Fiesta coming home in thirteenth to take third in the division. In the Class C contest, Dave Barrett thought about pouncing on long-time leader Kevan Hadfield for the class top spot into McIntyre's after McMillan's spin but couldn’t complete the move. Barrett tried again at Clark's on the next lap but was fended off once more and Hadfield held on to triumph despite Barrett being neck and neck with the Puma past the flag, luckily a missed gear for Hadfield came just after crossing the line as he beat the Fiesta by just 0.154 seconds. The Puma and Fiesta were the only finishers from Class C after Shaun Hadfield's earlier retirement. There were no finishers in Class A after Daly’s first corner off and Mick Head's non-start after his earlier gearbox woes.
Race result: Click here
Race result: Click here
Tom Ovenden took home the 'Driver of the Day’ for his strong performances in the lithe RSR that ensured double victor Dave Cockell couldn’t relax for either of his race wins, despite a large power deficit for the youngster.
The Modified Ford Series heads to the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park next on the 23rd of June, with the entry looking likely to be one of the largest seen this season.
The Modified Ford Series heads to the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park next on the 23rd of June, with the entry looking likely to be one of the largest seen this season.