Modified Ford Series Oulton Park 11th April 2026
Firstly, some terrible news came out over the winter as the Ovenden family and the Modified Ford Series as a whole suffered a devastating loss as popular spannerman Ollie Ovenden was taken for too soon at the early age of 33. The Kent man was always willing to muck in to help get a troubled competitor back on track and I join the rest of the Modified Ford community in sending our love and deepest sympathies to the Ovenden family at this tremendously difficult time. A collection among the series raised around £1200 for Ollie’s fiancé and daughter. Rest in peace, Ollie.
ALLEN A HAPPY BUNNY AT MODIFIED FORD SERIES SEASON OPENER
The 2026 Modified Ford Series season got underway at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Saturday the 11th of April, featuring a large and varied entry of 25 machines eager to compete at the parkland circuit.
Preview: Andy Robinson has a choice of two thunderous Class SA Ford Falcon AU V8 Supercars to drive and he would be at the wheel of the 5-litre ‘Green Eyed Monster’ in Cheshire, his Shell-liveried 7-litre machine having had a catastrophic gearbox failure at Donington Park a few weeks previously. The Northumbrian should be among the pacesetters, even if it rains. Ex-bike racer Chris Harrison showed a promising turn of speed during his first events with the Modified Fords in the second half of 2025 and he would be at the wheel of a 2.3-litre Ecoboost-engined RSR as he looked to build on those foundations. Callan Trump makes his series debut in the orange Escort Cosworth that saw plenty of action with Scott Tollan at Croft last year but is now owned by enthusiastic Scot Lloyd Jamieson, Trump has previous race experience with a bewinged Nissan 350Z. Talking of Nissan, Piers Warwick brought out his revised CA18-engined Mk1 Escort Turbo that now features a stiffer set up plus a nigh-on 100bhp power boost and the pairing scored a class win at Oulton Park in greasy conditions during 2024. Jim Newins struggled with a persistent misfire aboard his turbocharged Mk2 Escort during his first two meetings at the end of 2025 and was hoping to have cured the issue in the interim. A change of engine in his Class SB RSR ahead of the 2025 season paid dividends for Ben Purnell as the KGP-engined device took an overall podium in Cheshire and the Cornishman could repeat the result this time around. Darren Owen, who celebrated his birthday in the week before the meeting, put in his regular appearance at Oulton Park and his 2.4-litre RSR is fast but the Midlander had a difficult 2025 meeting with gearbox issues before his son James took over the car with great aplomb at Mallory Park and Mondello Park. Following in the footsteps of fellow West Country natives Josh Payton and Trig Bishop, Mk2 Escort pilot Chris White has been tempted to join the series this year with his Vauxhall-powered rally car and will be chasing after the spaceframe RSRs. Cheshire local Piers Grange wheeled out his 2.6-litre Mk2 Escort in Class A for the first time since the engine size revisions last year, the Smith and Jones-powered machine is properly quick and is a definite contender for overall honours. A trio of five-pot Focuses would likely be headed by the highly-developed RS model of James Allen but Oulton Park hasn’t historically been kind to the race winner, ending the 2024 meeting in the Cascades gravel trap after a touch sent him off and a Race One spin a year ago caused engine damage. Stefan Marsh hasn’t stood still over the winter, fitting his Focus ST with a Super 2000 touring car-style body kit to the front end and a spoiler to the rear. The car and driver combo has tasted success in the class previously and it will be interesting to see how much of a leap forward they take with the revisions. Todd Garner returned to the fold after his frightening accident at Mallory Park last season that destroyed his Class B+ Fiesta, he would be at the wheel of the Focus Mk2 Turbo with which he qualified a superb fourth on its debut at Snetterton last year before being sidelined with intercooler dramas. If the five-cylinder machine is running well then expect Garner to come to the fore. Scott Matthias will be one to watch at his local venue aboard his beloved Sapphire Cosworth, both overall and in the class. The last of the half-dozen entries in the split belonged to Mike Watson, who returned to the series at the 2025 finale after taking his Sierra Cosworth into Europe. It was a case of quality over quantity in Class B+ as just a pair of entries were received. Series principal Paul Nevill secured the overall season win in 2025 after a dramatic last meeting at Silverstone, with likely winner Stephen Primett succumbing to reliability issues that allowed the RS2000 pilot to sneak in the back door. The 2.3-litre Duratec-powered Escort is a regular inside the top ten and a fixture towards the sharp end of Class B+. The wild Focus Estate of AJ Howe was given a makeover during the winter months and is now resplendent in green. The Ecoboost-powered load lugger shouldn’t be underestimated after qualifying inside the top six when it made a one-off appearance at Cadwell Park last season. The entry for Class B looked very competitive and was headed by one of the star turns of 2025, Tyler England. The Fiesta driver picked up the 2025 ‘Driver of the Year’ award at the series’ prize giving in January, after taking an outright win at Mallory Park and a Ford Power Live Group B race win at Brands Hatch in addition to displaying searing speed along the way and the Norfolk resident hopes to carry that form into 2026. Chris Baker had a disjointed 2025 after his recently-rebuilt engine let him down at Mallory Park but the Mk3 Escort showed good speed at the Silverstone season closer before further reliability woes struck him. The front-wheel-drive RS1600i is among the quickest cars in the class and it would be no surprise to see Baker lead the way at Oulton Park. After dominating Class C during the 2025 season with a 1600cc BDA motor fitted to his Mk1 Escort, Stephen Primett moved up to Class B at Oulton Park after installing a 2-litre BDG into the engine bay, after finding metal fragments in the 1600cc unit's oil a few weeks earlier at Donington Park, and should prove to be a highly competitive proposition. Long-time racer Tony Paxman hasn’t been competing as much as he would like recently but his mint powder blue Mk1 Escort has the capability to threaten the sharp end of the class. The last of four Escorts in the division would be pedalled by Sean Brown as he made his series debut in an immaculately prepared Mk1 BDG and Brown would be something of a dark horse for honours. Lucas Dryden ventured down the M6 from his native Cumbria to give the Zetec-powered XR2 an airing and could be another dark horse if the weather turns inclement. The newly-rebuilt ST model Fiesta of Mike MacKenzie continues to gain speed as the former Autograsser’s experience grows and was another driver to be celebrating his birthday around the time of the event, whilst John Ward raced his increasingly rare Mk1 Focus and he has gone well on twisting layouts in the past. The 1600cc Fiesta of 2024 series winner Dave Barrett had Class C to himself at Oulton Park but the smallest capacity car in the field won’t be left behind.
The 2026 Modified Ford Series season got underway at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Saturday the 11th of April, featuring a large and varied entry of 25 machines eager to compete at the parkland circuit.
Preview: Andy Robinson has a choice of two thunderous Class SA Ford Falcon AU V8 Supercars to drive and he would be at the wheel of the 5-litre ‘Green Eyed Monster’ in Cheshire, his Shell-liveried 7-litre machine having had a catastrophic gearbox failure at Donington Park a few weeks previously. The Northumbrian should be among the pacesetters, even if it rains. Ex-bike racer Chris Harrison showed a promising turn of speed during his first events with the Modified Fords in the second half of 2025 and he would be at the wheel of a 2.3-litre Ecoboost-engined RSR as he looked to build on those foundations. Callan Trump makes his series debut in the orange Escort Cosworth that saw plenty of action with Scott Tollan at Croft last year but is now owned by enthusiastic Scot Lloyd Jamieson, Trump has previous race experience with a bewinged Nissan 350Z. Talking of Nissan, Piers Warwick brought out his revised CA18-engined Mk1 Escort Turbo that now features a stiffer set up plus a nigh-on 100bhp power boost and the pairing scored a class win at Oulton Park in greasy conditions during 2024. Jim Newins struggled with a persistent misfire aboard his turbocharged Mk2 Escort during his first two meetings at the end of 2025 and was hoping to have cured the issue in the interim. A change of engine in his Class SB RSR ahead of the 2025 season paid dividends for Ben Purnell as the KGP-engined device took an overall podium in Cheshire and the Cornishman could repeat the result this time around. Darren Owen, who celebrated his birthday in the week before the meeting, put in his regular appearance at Oulton Park and his 2.4-litre RSR is fast but the Midlander had a difficult 2025 meeting with gearbox issues before his son James took over the car with great aplomb at Mallory Park and Mondello Park. Following in the footsteps of fellow West Country natives Josh Payton and Trig Bishop, Mk2 Escort pilot Chris White has been tempted to join the series this year with his Vauxhall-powered rally car and will be chasing after the spaceframe RSRs. Cheshire local Piers Grange wheeled out his 2.6-litre Mk2 Escort in Class A for the first time since the engine size revisions last year, the Smith and Jones-powered machine is properly quick and is a definite contender for overall honours. A trio of five-pot Focuses would likely be headed by the highly-developed RS model of James Allen but Oulton Park hasn’t historically been kind to the race winner, ending the 2024 meeting in the Cascades gravel trap after a touch sent him off and a Race One spin a year ago caused engine damage. Stefan Marsh hasn’t stood still over the winter, fitting his Focus ST with a Super 2000 touring car-style body kit to the front end and a spoiler to the rear. The car and driver combo has tasted success in the class previously and it will be interesting to see how much of a leap forward they take with the revisions. Todd Garner returned to the fold after his frightening accident at Mallory Park last season that destroyed his Class B+ Fiesta, he would be at the wheel of the Focus Mk2 Turbo with which he qualified a superb fourth on its debut at Snetterton last year before being sidelined with intercooler dramas. If the five-cylinder machine is running well then expect Garner to come to the fore. Scott Matthias will be one to watch at his local venue aboard his beloved Sapphire Cosworth, both overall and in the class. The last of the half-dozen entries in the split belonged to Mike Watson, who returned to the series at the 2025 finale after taking his Sierra Cosworth into Europe. It was a case of quality over quantity in Class B+ as just a pair of entries were received. Series principal Paul Nevill secured the overall season win in 2025 after a dramatic last meeting at Silverstone, with likely winner Stephen Primett succumbing to reliability issues that allowed the RS2000 pilot to sneak in the back door. The 2.3-litre Duratec-powered Escort is a regular inside the top ten and a fixture towards the sharp end of Class B+. The wild Focus Estate of AJ Howe was given a makeover during the winter months and is now resplendent in green. The Ecoboost-powered load lugger shouldn’t be underestimated after qualifying inside the top six when it made a one-off appearance at Cadwell Park last season. The entry for Class B looked very competitive and was headed by one of the star turns of 2025, Tyler England. The Fiesta driver picked up the 2025 ‘Driver of the Year’ award at the series’ prize giving in January, after taking an outright win at Mallory Park and a Ford Power Live Group B race win at Brands Hatch in addition to displaying searing speed along the way and the Norfolk resident hopes to carry that form into 2026. Chris Baker had a disjointed 2025 after his recently-rebuilt engine let him down at Mallory Park but the Mk3 Escort showed good speed at the Silverstone season closer before further reliability woes struck him. The front-wheel-drive RS1600i is among the quickest cars in the class and it would be no surprise to see Baker lead the way at Oulton Park. After dominating Class C during the 2025 season with a 1600cc BDA motor fitted to his Mk1 Escort, Stephen Primett moved up to Class B at Oulton Park after installing a 2-litre BDG into the engine bay, after finding metal fragments in the 1600cc unit's oil a few weeks earlier at Donington Park, and should prove to be a highly competitive proposition. Long-time racer Tony Paxman hasn’t been competing as much as he would like recently but his mint powder blue Mk1 Escort has the capability to threaten the sharp end of the class. The last of four Escorts in the division would be pedalled by Sean Brown as he made his series debut in an immaculately prepared Mk1 BDG and Brown would be something of a dark horse for honours. Lucas Dryden ventured down the M6 from his native Cumbria to give the Zetec-powered XR2 an airing and could be another dark horse if the weather turns inclement. The newly-rebuilt ST model Fiesta of Mike MacKenzie continues to gain speed as the former Autograsser’s experience grows and was another driver to be celebrating his birthday around the time of the event, whilst John Ward raced his increasingly rare Mk1 Focus and he has gone well on twisting layouts in the past. The 1600cc Fiesta of 2024 series winner Dave Barrett had Class C to himself at Oulton Park but the smallest capacity car in the field won’t be left behind.
Qualifying: A miserable morning forecast proved accurate as overnight rain had left the track surface in a soggy state for qualifying but brighter conditions were edging nearer and the wet stuff had stopped falling by the time the cars ventured out for the session. Local man Piers Grange grabbed pole position with his Mk2 Escort from Class A, his pole-winning benchmark was set on just his second flying lap and the time lasted for the duration despite Grange finishing his session early after feeling he’d achieved all he could without risking the car in the slippy conditions. Andy Robinson topped Class SA on the outside of the front row, some 1.700 seconds off pole but just 0.039 seconds separated the big Falcon from James Allen in third. The Focus was second fastest in Class A and was resplendent in a new red wrap. Allen had couple of adventures to report from the 15 minutes, including spinning in avoidance of a rabbit and stopping early with a power steering fluid leak. A promising qualifying for the returning Todd Garner was rewarded with a second row start and third in Class A, less than a tenth from the similar five-cylinder Focus next to it in fourth. Chris Harrison’s Ecoboost RSR lined up fifth and was 0.656 seconds away from Garner as he set the second fastest time in Class SA. Trailing the RSR on the third row by 0.358 seconds in an impressive sixth fastest was the top Class B machine of Tyler England. Scott Matthias qualified his Class A Sapphire Cosworth within half a second of the Fiesta for his place on the inside of the fourth row, with classmate Stefan Marsh’s Focus 0.789 seconds adrift in eighth as half of the top ten qualifiers were at the wheel of Class A weaponry. 2025 overall season winner Paul Nevill was the fastest of the Class B+ pair in ninth, 1.104 seconds ahead of series committee member Chris Baker. The Mk3 Escort was second in Class B and completed the top ten. Sean Brown marked his maiden appearance in the series with third in Class B and 11th overall, with the Mk1 Escort 1.670-seconds down on the front-wheel-drive model on the row ahead. AJ Howe was second fastest in Class B+ in a quietly impressive 12th overall despite only setting one lap time after the Focus Estate snapped a rear shock absorber but the cause was a mystery. The top two in Class SB lined up together in 13th and 14th as Ben Purnell, whose RSR was beset with gearshift issues, bested Darren Owen’s similar car by 0.463 seconds. Driving Lloyd Jamieson’s recently acquired Escort Cosworth, Callan Trump was next as he set the third-best Class SA time in 15th. Dave Barrett placed his lone Class C Fiesta 17th, with debutant Chris White going third fastest in Class SB and the Mk2 Escort rally car would start 22nd. A trying session was had by Lucas Dryden and Piers Warwick, a rear wheel bearing collapsed on the former’s Fiesta and Warwick finished his qualifying in the Knickerbrook gravel after earlier sliding off at Lodge.
Qualifying result: Click here
Qualifying result: Click here
Race One: A dry line was emerging after the earlier rain ceased and much of the field had plumped for slick tyres. Having powered into the lead at the rolling start, Andy Robinson led lap one but was being put under pressure by poleman Piers Grange and James Allen. Robinson’s efforts to hold on up front were unfortunately short-lived as the Falcon pitted at the close of lap one when the front-left hub pin broke. Grange’s Mk2 Escort took up the lead from Allen’s Focus, who survived a brush with Todd Garner at the first corner. Grange had to defend from Allen at Old Hall for the second time and the Focus took to the outside again a lap later before a twitch under braking saw it follow the Escort through the corner and still got a run along the Avenue. Grange’s grasp of the lead wasn’t to last as the Mk2 Escort stuttered at Knickerbrook during lap four after losing fuel pressure so classmate Allen headed off in the lead alone from another Class A runner in Garner. Chris Harrison got ahead of the Focus for a lap before Garner reclaimed the place at Druids with a full send move on the brakes and the RSR fell into the clutches of the Ben Purnell, Paul Nevill, Tyler England and Scott Matthias squabble. Matthias initially ran in fifth ahead of England, Nevill and Purnell, who was going well from his mid-grid start. The RSR got ahead of Nevill’s Class B+ RS2000 early on lap two before getting around England’s Fiesta from Class B up Clay Hill and into Druids for sixth place. Matthias dropped to tenth during the course of the second lap, which promoted Purnell into the top five and the Class SB RSR moved onto the tail of the Class SA leader Harrison’s example after his squabble with Garner had subsided. The trio had got away from Class B leader England, Nevill and the Fiesta’s Class B rival Chris Baker. with Nevill keen to get ahead of England and chase down the podium paying positions. The Escort finally broke England’s resistance turning out of Cascades for the fourth time, before closing up to Harrison and Purnell into the last five minutes. The recovering Matthias also joined them by the close of lap five after slipping by England at the fast Island sweep. Garner had by now eased away from the battling RSRs behind him, which ultimately came to grief on lap six. Purnell had feinted to the inside of Harrison a few times before the two spaceframes collided at the Shell Oils hairpin after Purnell touched the grass and both spun. It took the pair a few moments to restart, by which time the red flags had flown with two minutes remaining but the countback to lap four saved them. Harrison was philosophical about the incident and Purnell held his hand up, which was just as well as they were parked next to each other in the paddock! The winding back of the lap chart to lap four meant that overall winner Allen’s official margin of victory was 18.622 seconds from Garner, the pair also finished first and second in Class A. The runner-up Focus headed the embattled RSRs home by 2.783 seconds, with Harrison winning Class SA in third from Class SB victor Purnell in fourth. The RS2000 of sole Class B+ starter Nevill was classified a slim 0.568 seconds behind Purnell in fifth to pick up the class award. Just 1.218 seconds behind the Escort came England aboard the lead Class B car in sixth. Losing out due to the countback to lap four, Scott Matthias was classified third in Class A as he officially finished within a second of England in seventh despite later passing the Fiesta and also slipping ahead of Nevill when the RSR squabble came to blows. However, Matthias did have the satisfaction of bettering his brother David’s personal best lap time at the Cheshire circuit. Darren Owen had a quiet run to second in Class SB in eighth. Three Class B Mk1 Escorts finished in a row as class runner-up Sean Brown claimed ninth on his series debut from Tony Paxman and Stephen Primett, who had given chase to Paxman for the duration after struggling with a chronic lack of grip during the earlier 15 minutes of qualifying. A fourth Mk1 Escort finished 12th overall as Piers Warwick’s Class SA example came through to second in its split and Warwick was pleased with the changes he made pre-race. Debutant Chris White came home 14th and picked up the third in Class SB trophy. Dave Barrett brought his Fiesta home for Class C honours in 15th. Jim Newins’ dreaded misfire returned but the Mk2 was still able to finish third in Class SA. After running with the leading group, Chris Baker pitted his Mk3 Escort out of second in Class B at the end of fourth lap with a broken gear lever bolt, having been on the coat tails of the train contesting the ultimate podium placings. Those who weren’t classified included eighth qualifier Stefan Marsh after his Class A Focus lost power with an electrical issue that put its engine into limp mode on lap one, whilst Lucas Dryden suffered a repeat of his qualifying wheel bearing collapse on his Class B Fiesta and Callan Trump’s nearside-rear shock failed around half-distance on his Escort Cosworth from Class SA.
Race One result: Click here
Race One result: Click here
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Race Two: April showers had peppered the preceding four-hour endurance race and the track surface was dampened once more shortly before the Modified Ford Series competitors left the paddock for their second outing of the day, leaving wet tyres as the order of the day for the majority of the 21 starters but the surface was drying fast in late-afternoon sunshine. Of the six Race One retirees, only Chris Baker, Lucas Dryden and Stefan Marsh came to the grid. James Allen led the opening lap from pole but Todd Garner was quickly on his case, the white and green Focus getting ahead at Shell Oils for the second time with a tap but Allen sliced back into the lead under braking into the Hislops chicane and the Focus got its elbows out to stave off Garner’s similar car up Clay Hill. Allen controlled the race thereafter to complete a victory double by 5.575 seconds. Garner fell away from Allen as his tyres began to wilt and fell into clutches of a charging Paul Nevill. The Class B+ RS2000 had been in the midst of a scrap with Chris Harrison and Scott Matthias before getting ahead of the RSR at Lodge just after half-distance as the Class SA car’s treaded tyres faded, Harrison and Nevill were close to contact at Knickerbrook for the third time but the RSR left just about a car’s width on the inside. Once clear, the series head soon reeled in the struggling Garner and the Class B+ machine brushed aside the Focus at the Island sweeper when the Class A car understeered through Cascades for the penultimate time. Nevill ultimately claimed the silver medal position and his second Class B+ victory by 2.838 seconds. Garner’s second podium finish of the day was a great way for the Focus driver to get back on the horse, with the meeting being his first competitive action since his terrifying accident at Mallory Park. Matthias’ Sapphire also got ahead of Harrison’s gripless RSR on the final lap running up to Island and took fourth overall, repeating his earlier third-placed Class A finish. The black Cosworth had also driven around the outside of Tyler England at Shell Oils on lap one before making the move stick at Brittens. Having made a steady start after plumping for dry weather tyres, Class SB winner Darren Owen reeled in Tyler England for sixth place when his slick tyres came alive on the Duratec-powered RSR. England crossed the line in seventh for another dominant Class B win for the Fiesta. The battle for second in Class B was an intense affair, Tony Paxman led the group from Sean Brown initially before falling back, Brown also fell to the back of the four-car tussle on lap two before Stephen Primett and Paxman engaged in a drag race out of Lodge to end the lap. Primett’s Mk1 Escort sped by Paxman’s similar car along the Lakeside section for the third time, with John Ward’s Focus also getting ahead of Paxman by the end of the circulation. The Primett and Ward tussle continued with a ballsy move from the Focus driver around the outside of Cascades carrying Ward up to second just before Primett’s Mk1 Escort slowed with five minutes remaining, having struck the discarded driveshaft of Chris Baker at Hill Top. Primett didn’t feel it was worth continuing without knowing what damage had been done after reporting a loud bang on impact and the piece left a gouge in a crossmember underneath the Escort. Ward secured a brilliant result in eighth overall for second in Class B whilst Sean Brown also passed Paxman for third in Class B with his superb-sounding Mk1 Escort BDG in ninth. Piers Warwick rounded out the top ten and helped celebrate his upcoming birthday with his second Class SA runner-up finish of the day. Paxman came home fourth in Class B with 11th, from a down-on-power Stefan Marsh similarly positioned in Class A with 12th. Chris White survived a spin into the gravel at Druids when challenging Paxman to take home another trophy for second in Class SB with 13th after the Red Top-engined Mk2 Escort pilot acquitted himself well on his circuit racing debut. The third contender in Class SB went out of fifth place on lap one when Ben Purnell lost control of his RSR at Hislops and struck the tyre wall. Having suffered with collapsing rear wheel bearings in both qualifying and Race One, Lucas Dryden was finally rewarded with a finish second time out in 14th overall and fifth in Class B with his Fiesta XR2. Sole Class C runner Dave Barrett brought his Fiesta home in 15th overall and added to his trophy haul once more. Mike Watson’s Class A Sierra Cosworth and Mike MacKenzie’s Class B Fiesta were locked in combat in the closing stages, with the turbocar prevailing by just over a second for 16th overall. Jim Newins’ frustration at his misfire returning was tempered by a second Class SA third-placed result and the feeling that the misfire has been traced to a faulty MAP sensor plug. An expected charge through the field from Piers Grange didn’t come to pass after the Class A Mk2 Escort driver didn’t want to risk his car in the changeable conditions, whilst fellow front row qualifier Andy Robinson also missed out after the 5-litre Falcon’s hub couldn’t be repaired at the circuit.
Race Two result: Click here
Scalextric 'Driver of the Day' - Class B driver Tony Paxman showed his skills hadn't diminished in his time away from the series as the Mk1 Escort put in a couple of battling performances, finishing third in class in the opener before being in the thick of the battle for second later on.
Race Two result: Click here
Scalextric 'Driver of the Day' - Class B driver Tony Paxman showed his skills hadn't diminished in his time away from the series as the Mk1 Escort put in a couple of battling performances, finishing third in class in the opener before being in the thick of the battle for second later on.
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The Modified Ford Series heads south-east from Cheshire to Snetterton in Norfolk for the next round of competition on Sunday the 10th of May.