Modified Ford Series Season Review 2024
The Modified Ford Series’ successful blend of friendly competition, light-hearted paddock banter and a great spread of venues saw bulging grids continue to be a feature during 2024. 23 races were scheduled to be contested during the season, including the split grid races held at the Ford Power Live festival in September, with the entry gathering at Silverstone for the opening meeting in March.
Silverstone International 16th & 17th March 2024 - Meeting sponsored by Drywall Surveying Services Ltd
The 2024 calendar got underway in mixed conditions on the International version of the Northamptonshire circuit. James Allen upstaged Dave Cockell and Tommy Field to secure pole position for the dry first race of the season as less than half a second covered the first three on the grid. Poleman Allen was swamped at the start by Cockell, Field and top B+ qualifier Malcolm Harding as he struggled with his new paddle shift system but the race was quickly brought under the control of the Safety Car after an incident between Oliver Bullion and Alan Breck before the encounter had even started. Six minutes remained when the field was released and Cockell was chased relentlessly by Field to the line but the Escort Cosworth held on to defeat the BDT-powered Mk1 Escort RSR by just 0.636 seconds. Allen fought back to third overall to claim the Class A spoils after a robust battle with the Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange, while Ralph Higson took second in Class A with eighth overall and Tom Abbott’s Sapphire Cosworth came home third. Grange took the Class B+ win in fourth after early leader Harding pitted behind the Safety Car with a recurrence of the electrical problem that had plagued his Mk2 Escort since late 2023, Josh Payton was the class runner-up in sixth and Laki Christoforou finished not far behind the Cortina for third in class. Reigning Mini Challenge Trophy champion Tom Ovenden secured Class SB honours on his debut in the family RSR just a quarter of a second behind Grange in fifth. Chris Baker finished fourteenth as he raced to Class B glory from Gary Johnson and Tyler England. Gary Littlewood triumphed over Dave Barrett in Class C, with Darryl Taplin securing third. Sunday dawned miserably for Race Two and Dave Cockell’s all-wheel-drive Escort Cosworth dominated as he splashed to victory by 7.989 seconds from Class A victor James Allen. Tommy Field’s turbocharged RSR steamed up terribly but the noted engine tuner still salvaged a place on the rostrum with third, after Allen’s Focus passed him on lap four. Tom Ovenden struggled on unsuitable tyres in the wet conditions before ultimately retiring so the Class SB trophy went unclaimed. Piers Grange led Class B+ from Josh Payton early on before the Cortina slithered into a spin at Vale and took the Mk2 Escort with it into the gravel, both continued but Malcolm Harding had charged up from the tenth row to sit second in class behind Grange. The pair had Lloyd Jamieson’s Escort Maxi Cosworth in between them and the three cars had caught each other when Grange got tangled up with lapped traffic at Vale. Harding took the opportunity to nip through to seal the win in fifth overall behind Jamieson’s third Class SA car in fourth as Grange and Payton filled the top three Class B+ placings. Mike Thurley also marched through the order after a troubled outing on Saturday to take the Class B spoils from Chris Baker and Tyler England. Gary Littlewood doubled up in Class C as Darryl Taplin held off Dave Barrett by less than a second to be runner-up.
Full results: Qualifying - Click here, Race One result - Click here, Race Two result - Click here
The 2024 calendar got underway in mixed conditions on the International version of the Northamptonshire circuit. James Allen upstaged Dave Cockell and Tommy Field to secure pole position for the dry first race of the season as less than half a second covered the first three on the grid. Poleman Allen was swamped at the start by Cockell, Field and top B+ qualifier Malcolm Harding as he struggled with his new paddle shift system but the race was quickly brought under the control of the Safety Car after an incident between Oliver Bullion and Alan Breck before the encounter had even started. Six minutes remained when the field was released and Cockell was chased relentlessly by Field to the line but the Escort Cosworth held on to defeat the BDT-powered Mk1 Escort RSR by just 0.636 seconds. Allen fought back to third overall to claim the Class A spoils after a robust battle with the Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange, while Ralph Higson took second in Class A with eighth overall and Tom Abbott’s Sapphire Cosworth came home third. Grange took the Class B+ win in fourth after early leader Harding pitted behind the Safety Car with a recurrence of the electrical problem that had plagued his Mk2 Escort since late 2023, Josh Payton was the class runner-up in sixth and Laki Christoforou finished not far behind the Cortina for third in class. Reigning Mini Challenge Trophy champion Tom Ovenden secured Class SB honours on his debut in the family RSR just a quarter of a second behind Grange in fifth. Chris Baker finished fourteenth as he raced to Class B glory from Gary Johnson and Tyler England. Gary Littlewood triumphed over Dave Barrett in Class C, with Darryl Taplin securing third. Sunday dawned miserably for Race Two and Dave Cockell’s all-wheel-drive Escort Cosworth dominated as he splashed to victory by 7.989 seconds from Class A victor James Allen. Tommy Field’s turbocharged RSR steamed up terribly but the noted engine tuner still salvaged a place on the rostrum with third, after Allen’s Focus passed him on lap four. Tom Ovenden struggled on unsuitable tyres in the wet conditions before ultimately retiring so the Class SB trophy went unclaimed. Piers Grange led Class B+ from Josh Payton early on before the Cortina slithered into a spin at Vale and took the Mk2 Escort with it into the gravel, both continued but Malcolm Harding had charged up from the tenth row to sit second in class behind Grange. The pair had Lloyd Jamieson’s Escort Maxi Cosworth in between them and the three cars had caught each other when Grange got tangled up with lapped traffic at Vale. Harding took the opportunity to nip through to seal the win in fifth overall behind Jamieson’s third Class SA car in fourth as Grange and Payton filled the top three Class B+ placings. Mike Thurley also marched through the order after a troubled outing on Saturday to take the Class B spoils from Chris Baker and Tyler England. Gary Littlewood doubled up in Class C as Darryl Taplin held off Dave Barrett by less than a second to be runner-up.
Full results: Qualifying - Click here, Race One result - Click here, Race Two result - Click here
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Oulton Park 13th April 2024 - Meeting sponsored by MotorV8 Media
Ill-timed rain showers characterised the Modified Fords’ second meeting of 2024. Piers Grange topped the pile in qualifying from series debutant Jim Hutchinson’s Millington-engined RSR amid spitting rain, which made the circuit particularly greasy. Todd Garner was momentarily fastest of all at the end of qualifying but a rash of improvements as the chequered flag fell dropped the Fiesta to seventh behind Grange, Hutchinson, Josh Payton, Tom Ovenden, David Matthias and Paul Nevill. An electrical issue pushed expected front-runner James Allen down to the seventh row in thirteenth. Conditions looked to be dry in the build-up to the opening race but a short, sharp shower arrived as the field formed up. The tricky state of the surface caught out series head Paul Nevill as his RS2000 flicked around on him at the start cresting Deer Leap and poleman Piers Grange lost control of his Mk2 Escort in the same spot at the end of lap one before coming to rest in the Old Hall gravel, which brought out the Safety Car. Jim Hutchinson had passed Grange for the lead into Cascades for the first time and made no mistake in the two remaining laps after the restart to be victorious by 8.337 seconds from the fellow Class SB RSR of Tom Ovenden, Daz Owen had crossed the line in fifth to be the third Class SB machine home but was excluded for a yellow flag offence. James Allen fought through from a tough qualifying to claim the Class A spoils and a podium finish to boot after powering past Oliver Bullion and Josh Payton just ahead of the interruption, the Jäegermeister Capri V8 of Alan Breck shot to second in Class A in twelfth and Mike Manning’s glorious Texaco-liveried Sierra RS500 claimed third in the class after surviving a gravelly moment at Cascades. A superb performance from Oliver Bullion saw him convert the Class B pole into victory and the Fiesta finished in a mighty fourth overall. A great effort from Jay Hinton in second ended with a loss of drive for the Focus on the final lap and Chris Baker suffered a broken engine mount soon after passing Mike Thurley, meaning the Zakspeed Mk1 Escort was the eventual runner-up ahead of a highly creditable third from Mac McCarthy’s Fiesta. Todd Garner pipped Josh Payton on the run to the flag by just 0.101 seconds for the Class B+ victory, with Robert Lewis’ Focus one further place back in third as they came home in fifth, sixth and seventh overall. Piers Warwick’s Nissan Turbo-powered Mk1 Escort took advantage of the greasy circuit to defeat Luke Bennett’s V8 Eurocar and Malcolm Wise’ Escort Cosworth for Class SA glory. In Class C. Dave Barrett guided his Fiesta to victory from Kevan Hadfield as the runner-up’s son Shaun sped to the fastest lap in the class on his racing debut. The track had dried out for Race Two and the pair of RSRs scampered clear once more as Jim Hutchinson took his second victory of the day by 6.304 seconds from Tom Ovenden. James Allen and Josh Payton collided at Cascades on lap one after the Cortina‘s attempt to get down the inside went awry, which brought out the Safety Car. The Allen/Payton incident removed the Focus from Class A and the Cortina from Class B+ contention so a storming drive from Piers Grange saw him rewarded with the Class B+ honours in third overall from 22nd on the grid after a number of strong entries had struck trouble during the opening race and started their repaired mounts from the rear of the grid. The Escort had already made a lot of ground before the Safety Car appeared for the Cascades incident and a storming restart lap saw Grange pass four cars to grab third from Alex Boam into Lodge. Boam's Ecoboost Fiesta took a lonely fourth and was second in Class B+, ahead of the first race class victor Todd Garner in fifth overall. Garner only just held off the flying Class A-winning David Matthias in sixth overall by 0.155 seconds after the Sapphire Cosworth had started from the thirteenth row of the grid. Paul Nevill had risen through the order in company with the Class A car to be seventh in his RS2000, whilst Scott Matthias made it a family 1-2 in Class A after passing third finisher Alan Breck on the penultimate lap. Oliver Bullion claimed Class B again after a brilliant day for the Fiesta driver in eighth overall and Chris Baker’s patched-up Mk3 Escort came through to second from Mike Thurley. Jay Hinton started down with Baker on the twelfth row and had just passed the eventual class runner-up after the restart when the Focus let him down again. The drier conditions suited Luke Bennett's V8 Eurocar better and the Jäegermeister-liveried machine rumbled to Class SA honours, ahead of Malcolm Wise and Piers Warwick. Class C narrowly went to Dave Barrett by 0.773 seconds from the Puma of Kevan Hadfield, with Shaun Hadfield taking the second podium of his maiden race day.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
Ill-timed rain showers characterised the Modified Fords’ second meeting of 2024. Piers Grange topped the pile in qualifying from series debutant Jim Hutchinson’s Millington-engined RSR amid spitting rain, which made the circuit particularly greasy. Todd Garner was momentarily fastest of all at the end of qualifying but a rash of improvements as the chequered flag fell dropped the Fiesta to seventh behind Grange, Hutchinson, Josh Payton, Tom Ovenden, David Matthias and Paul Nevill. An electrical issue pushed expected front-runner James Allen down to the seventh row in thirteenth. Conditions looked to be dry in the build-up to the opening race but a short, sharp shower arrived as the field formed up. The tricky state of the surface caught out series head Paul Nevill as his RS2000 flicked around on him at the start cresting Deer Leap and poleman Piers Grange lost control of his Mk2 Escort in the same spot at the end of lap one before coming to rest in the Old Hall gravel, which brought out the Safety Car. Jim Hutchinson had passed Grange for the lead into Cascades for the first time and made no mistake in the two remaining laps after the restart to be victorious by 8.337 seconds from the fellow Class SB RSR of Tom Ovenden, Daz Owen had crossed the line in fifth to be the third Class SB machine home but was excluded for a yellow flag offence. James Allen fought through from a tough qualifying to claim the Class A spoils and a podium finish to boot after powering past Oliver Bullion and Josh Payton just ahead of the interruption, the Jäegermeister Capri V8 of Alan Breck shot to second in Class A in twelfth and Mike Manning’s glorious Texaco-liveried Sierra RS500 claimed third in the class after surviving a gravelly moment at Cascades. A superb performance from Oliver Bullion saw him convert the Class B pole into victory and the Fiesta finished in a mighty fourth overall. A great effort from Jay Hinton in second ended with a loss of drive for the Focus on the final lap and Chris Baker suffered a broken engine mount soon after passing Mike Thurley, meaning the Zakspeed Mk1 Escort was the eventual runner-up ahead of a highly creditable third from Mac McCarthy’s Fiesta. Todd Garner pipped Josh Payton on the run to the flag by just 0.101 seconds for the Class B+ victory, with Robert Lewis’ Focus one further place back in third as they came home in fifth, sixth and seventh overall. Piers Warwick’s Nissan Turbo-powered Mk1 Escort took advantage of the greasy circuit to defeat Luke Bennett’s V8 Eurocar and Malcolm Wise’ Escort Cosworth for Class SA glory. In Class C. Dave Barrett guided his Fiesta to victory from Kevan Hadfield as the runner-up’s son Shaun sped to the fastest lap in the class on his racing debut. The track had dried out for Race Two and the pair of RSRs scampered clear once more as Jim Hutchinson took his second victory of the day by 6.304 seconds from Tom Ovenden. James Allen and Josh Payton collided at Cascades on lap one after the Cortina‘s attempt to get down the inside went awry, which brought out the Safety Car. The Allen/Payton incident removed the Focus from Class A and the Cortina from Class B+ contention so a storming drive from Piers Grange saw him rewarded with the Class B+ honours in third overall from 22nd on the grid after a number of strong entries had struck trouble during the opening race and started their repaired mounts from the rear of the grid. The Escort had already made a lot of ground before the Safety Car appeared for the Cascades incident and a storming restart lap saw Grange pass four cars to grab third from Alex Boam into Lodge. Boam's Ecoboost Fiesta took a lonely fourth and was second in Class B+, ahead of the first race class victor Todd Garner in fifth overall. Garner only just held off the flying Class A-winning David Matthias in sixth overall by 0.155 seconds after the Sapphire Cosworth had started from the thirteenth row of the grid. Paul Nevill had risen through the order in company with the Class A car to be seventh in his RS2000, whilst Scott Matthias made it a family 1-2 in Class A after passing third finisher Alan Breck on the penultimate lap. Oliver Bullion claimed Class B again after a brilliant day for the Fiesta driver in eighth overall and Chris Baker’s patched-up Mk3 Escort came through to second from Mike Thurley. Jay Hinton started down with Baker on the twelfth row and had just passed the eventual class runner-up after the restart when the Focus let him down again. The drier conditions suited Luke Bennett's V8 Eurocar better and the Jäegermeister-liveried machine rumbled to Class SA honours, ahead of Malcolm Wise and Piers Warwick. Class C narrowly went to Dave Barrett by 0.773 seconds from the Puma of Kevan Hadfield, with Shaun Hadfield taking the second podium of his maiden race day.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
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Castle Combe 6th May 2024 - Meeting sponsored by RJ Matthews Haulage
The series visited the fast Wiltshire track for the first time on May Day Monday. Piers Grange qualified on pole position for the second time in 2024 and was joined on the front row by the Mk1 Escort RSR of ex-BTCC racer Lea Wood. The forecast wet weather had held off long enough for Race One to begin in the dry but Mike Manning and Malcolm Harding tangled through the high-speed Folly kink just after the start, the pair both clattered into the airbags protecting the barriers and the Sierra almost rolled in the impact. The race was immediately stopped and the rerun was pushed back to the timetabled start time of Race Two to enable barrier repairs to be carried out. A pre-race shower had wetted the circuit but the tarmac was drying fast as the race began. Poleman Piers Grange led the early stages from Josh Payton's Mk2 Cortina, with the pair rapidly caught by James Allen but his engine expired as soon as the Focus grabbed the lead up Avon Rise on lap five to put the Mk2 Escort of Grange back to the head of the field. Simon Light was on a charge after a difficult qualifying session put him back on the sixth row and the Capri V8 had climbed to second overall after storming past Payton up Avon Rise just before the Safety Car was required with seven minutes left. Time ran out for a restart so Grange was declared the winner from Light as they secured the Class B+ and Class SA victories respectively. The caution period was the undoing of Payton's race after a chipped tooth inside the Cortina's sequential gearbox cost the local man a podium finish and gifted third place to Lea Wood in the Class SB-winning RSR, just ahead of class counterpart Tom Ovenden. David Matthias took Class A honours in fifth overall, four spots ahead of Stefan Marsh in second and debutant Leroy Brown took third in his Fiesta Turbo. Class B+ second and third-place finishers Paul Nevill and Todd Garner finished line astern in sixth and seventh, whilst Malcolm Wise was the runner-up in Class SA from a troubled Lloyd Jamieson. Oliver Bullion made it a hat-trick of Class B victories with his Fiesta, finishing just ahead of Mike Thurley's Escort as Tyler England took third. Early Class C leader Gary Littlewood was caught by Dave Barrett on lap three and Darryl Taplin the next time around before the yellow machine retired at Quarry to give Barrett the victory from Taplin, with the Puma of Kevan Hadfield finishing third. The circuit was sodden for the second outing and Simon Light thundered away to an impressive victory in the five-litre Capri from Class SA by 3.274 seconds from Tom Ovenden’s RSR, the Class SB winner had removed his front splitter with a grassy moment through Hammerdown in his pursuit of Light and headed home the similar car of Lea Wood in third. Wood had passed Class B+ winner Piers Grange on lap five and the Mk2 Escort crossed the line in fourth, as Todd Garner and Alex Boam sealed second and third in the class with fifth and sixth overall finishes. After some hasty engineering work from his team, Josh Payton was able to mount a noteworthy charge from the rear of the grid to seventh overall and the Cortina almost caught Boam's Fiesta for sixth place over the line. Stefan Marsh took Class A aboard his Focus ST after David Matthias non-started, Leroy Brown improved on his earlier result in second and Mick Head was third. Oliver Bullion claimed his fourth Class B triumph on the trot, just 0.280 seconds clear of Mike Thurley and Tyler England was again third to mirror the Race One class result. Dave Barrett prevailed in Class C after withstanding close scrutiny from Darryl Taplin, who ultimately retired after clouting a tyre stack on the last lap to hand second place to Kevan Hadfield. Race Three had been rescheduled to run at the end of the day but the earlier delays and a pressing curfew saw the encounter canned.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - Cancelled
The series visited the fast Wiltshire track for the first time on May Day Monday. Piers Grange qualified on pole position for the second time in 2024 and was joined on the front row by the Mk1 Escort RSR of ex-BTCC racer Lea Wood. The forecast wet weather had held off long enough for Race One to begin in the dry but Mike Manning and Malcolm Harding tangled through the high-speed Folly kink just after the start, the pair both clattered into the airbags protecting the barriers and the Sierra almost rolled in the impact. The race was immediately stopped and the rerun was pushed back to the timetabled start time of Race Two to enable barrier repairs to be carried out. A pre-race shower had wetted the circuit but the tarmac was drying fast as the race began. Poleman Piers Grange led the early stages from Josh Payton's Mk2 Cortina, with the pair rapidly caught by James Allen but his engine expired as soon as the Focus grabbed the lead up Avon Rise on lap five to put the Mk2 Escort of Grange back to the head of the field. Simon Light was on a charge after a difficult qualifying session put him back on the sixth row and the Capri V8 had climbed to second overall after storming past Payton up Avon Rise just before the Safety Car was required with seven minutes left. Time ran out for a restart so Grange was declared the winner from Light as they secured the Class B+ and Class SA victories respectively. The caution period was the undoing of Payton's race after a chipped tooth inside the Cortina's sequential gearbox cost the local man a podium finish and gifted third place to Lea Wood in the Class SB-winning RSR, just ahead of class counterpart Tom Ovenden. David Matthias took Class A honours in fifth overall, four spots ahead of Stefan Marsh in second and debutant Leroy Brown took third in his Fiesta Turbo. Class B+ second and third-place finishers Paul Nevill and Todd Garner finished line astern in sixth and seventh, whilst Malcolm Wise was the runner-up in Class SA from a troubled Lloyd Jamieson. Oliver Bullion made it a hat-trick of Class B victories with his Fiesta, finishing just ahead of Mike Thurley's Escort as Tyler England took third. Early Class C leader Gary Littlewood was caught by Dave Barrett on lap three and Darryl Taplin the next time around before the yellow machine retired at Quarry to give Barrett the victory from Taplin, with the Puma of Kevan Hadfield finishing third. The circuit was sodden for the second outing and Simon Light thundered away to an impressive victory in the five-litre Capri from Class SA by 3.274 seconds from Tom Ovenden’s RSR, the Class SB winner had removed his front splitter with a grassy moment through Hammerdown in his pursuit of Light and headed home the similar car of Lea Wood in third. Wood had passed Class B+ winner Piers Grange on lap five and the Mk2 Escort crossed the line in fourth, as Todd Garner and Alex Boam sealed second and third in the class with fifth and sixth overall finishes. After some hasty engineering work from his team, Josh Payton was able to mount a noteworthy charge from the rear of the grid to seventh overall and the Cortina almost caught Boam's Fiesta for sixth place over the line. Stefan Marsh took Class A aboard his Focus ST after David Matthias non-started, Leroy Brown improved on his earlier result in second and Mick Head was third. Oliver Bullion claimed his fourth Class B triumph on the trot, just 0.280 seconds clear of Mike Thurley and Tyler England was again third to mirror the Race One class result. Dave Barrett prevailed in Class C after withstanding close scrutiny from Darryl Taplin, who ultimately retired after clouting a tyre stack on the last lap to hand second place to Kevan Hadfield. Race Three had been rescheduled to run at the end of the day but the earlier delays and a pressing curfew saw the encounter canned.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - Cancelled
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Knockhill 1st & 2nd June 2024 - Meeting sponsored by Rental Scooters Scotland/AG Motorsport
The Scottish circuit celebrated its 50th anniversary during the year and the Modified Fords were invited to participate in the celebrations. The track would be used in each direction over the weekend and the meeting was held in superb conditions throughout. Dave Cockell withstood a stern test from Tom Ovenden's nimble RSR to claim the opening anti-clockwise race spoils from pole position, the power of the victorious Escort Cosworth allowing the Class SA car to open a gap on the faster sections before the spaceframe Class SB machine clawed back the deficit through the twisty bits. Josh Payton couldn't quite keep pace with the top two but scored a comfortable third place to win Class B+, with the Boamerang Racing Fiesta pairing Alex Boam and David Guthrie claiming second and third in the class. Andy Robinson's Shell-liveried Ford Falcon was second in Class SA in fourth overall and the third-placed Escort Maxi Cosworth of Lloyd Jamieson completed the top ten. Paul Daly wasn't threatened for the Class A win with his Focus RS in ninth as runner-up Mick Head crossed the line in sixteenth. Gary Johnson took the Class B win from Tim Mizen with a barely-in-control pass into the hairpin that saw the Mk1 Escort fully locked up. The Fiesta of Dave Barrett won Class C a short distance ahead of Kevan Hadfield’s Puma. Race Two ran in the conventional clockwise orientation on Sunday after a popular gridwalk and was punctuated twice by Safety Car interruptions. Poleman Dave Cockell led the way again from Tom Ovenden and Josh Payton up until the second restart when a bad exit from Clark for the Mk2 Cortina tempted Andy Robinson to try a move down the inside at the hairpin. The pair banged bodywork at the exit but the AU Falcon V8 Supercar went through to claim the third spot on the podium behind the Escort Cosworth and Mk1 Escort RSR. Payton still took fourth despite a buckled wheel and took his second Class B+ triumph of the weekend, with Paul Nevill's RS2000 second and David Guthrie was third to repeat his Saturday class result. Lloyd Jamieson took another third in Class SA behind Robinson's Falcon, whilst Paul Daly spun away the Class A win on lap one and there were no other contenders to profit after Mick Head’s Escort Cosworth broke its gearbox during qualifying. Chris Baker had repaired his Mk3 Escort overnight after a broken CV joint put him out on Saturday and took the Class B honours in ninth overall from Gary Johnson and his Saturday battle partner Tim Mizen. A missed gear almost cost Kevan Hadfield the Class C victory as he fended off Dave Barrett's Fiesta by 0.154 seconds over the line in his Puma.
Full results: Anti-Clockwise Qualifying - click here, Anti-Clockwise Race - click here, Clockwise Qualifying - click here, Clockwise Race - click here
The Scottish circuit celebrated its 50th anniversary during the year and the Modified Fords were invited to participate in the celebrations. The track would be used in each direction over the weekend and the meeting was held in superb conditions throughout. Dave Cockell withstood a stern test from Tom Ovenden's nimble RSR to claim the opening anti-clockwise race spoils from pole position, the power of the victorious Escort Cosworth allowing the Class SA car to open a gap on the faster sections before the spaceframe Class SB machine clawed back the deficit through the twisty bits. Josh Payton couldn't quite keep pace with the top two but scored a comfortable third place to win Class B+, with the Boamerang Racing Fiesta pairing Alex Boam and David Guthrie claiming second and third in the class. Andy Robinson's Shell-liveried Ford Falcon was second in Class SA in fourth overall and the third-placed Escort Maxi Cosworth of Lloyd Jamieson completed the top ten. Paul Daly wasn't threatened for the Class A win with his Focus RS in ninth as runner-up Mick Head crossed the line in sixteenth. Gary Johnson took the Class B win from Tim Mizen with a barely-in-control pass into the hairpin that saw the Mk1 Escort fully locked up. The Fiesta of Dave Barrett won Class C a short distance ahead of Kevan Hadfield’s Puma. Race Two ran in the conventional clockwise orientation on Sunday after a popular gridwalk and was punctuated twice by Safety Car interruptions. Poleman Dave Cockell led the way again from Tom Ovenden and Josh Payton up until the second restart when a bad exit from Clark for the Mk2 Cortina tempted Andy Robinson to try a move down the inside at the hairpin. The pair banged bodywork at the exit but the AU Falcon V8 Supercar went through to claim the third spot on the podium behind the Escort Cosworth and Mk1 Escort RSR. Payton still took fourth despite a buckled wheel and took his second Class B+ triumph of the weekend, with Paul Nevill's RS2000 second and David Guthrie was third to repeat his Saturday class result. Lloyd Jamieson took another third in Class SA behind Robinson's Falcon, whilst Paul Daly spun away the Class A win on lap one and there were no other contenders to profit after Mick Head’s Escort Cosworth broke its gearbox during qualifying. Chris Baker had repaired his Mk3 Escort overnight after a broken CV joint put him out on Saturday and took the Class B honours in ninth overall from Gary Johnson and his Saturday battle partner Tim Mizen. A missed gear almost cost Kevan Hadfield the Class C victory as he fended off Dave Barrett's Fiesta by 0.154 seconds over the line in his Puma.
Full results: Anti-Clockwise Qualifying - click here, Anti-Clockwise Race - click here, Clockwise Qualifying - click here, Clockwise Race - click here
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Donington Park GP 23rd June 2024 - Meeting sponsored by James Allen Interiors
Three weeks after their Scottish trip, another hot meeting beckoned for the Modified Ford Series on the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park. Dave Cockell topped the times after qualifying from Jason Davies to make Race One a mouth-watering contest as two of the fastest Cosworths in the country fought for glory. Cockell led from the start of a Safety Car interrupted race and was shadowed by Davies for much of the distance until the Welshman dived into the lead at Redgate on the final lap. However, the Sapphire Cosworth's time in front would be short-lived after its gearbox gave up at the Old Hairpin to hand victory to a grateful Cockell. Davies' demise gave the Class A honours to Steve Scott-Dunwoodie’s Sierra in second overall as event sponsor James Allen succumbed to the same fate as the Welshman behind the Safety Car on lap three, the RS500 having got ahead of Allen at the start before the Focus reclaimed third place on the Melbourne loop. Piers Grange finished less than half a second behind Scott-Dunwoodie in third to pick up the Class B+ spoils from the closely following classmate Olly Allen, who had recently beaten Grange in a thrilling drive from the back of the grid at Mallory Park a couple of weeks previously. Lea Wood took his first Class SB victory of the day in sixth overall after overcoming the seventh-placed Steve Goldsmith Anglia Turbo from Class B+, with series boss Paul Nevill next up in eighth. Neil Jessop's Group 5 replica Mk2 Escort defeated Chris Baker's Mk3 RS1600i to wrap up Class B, with the pair finishing ninth and tenth. Mike Thurley's Mk1 Escort survived a coming together with Ben Purnell's RSR at the first corner to take third in the class as he headed a trio of Class B machinery from Oliver Bullion and Tyler England. An engine problem put out the Puma of Justin Fuller to clear the way for Dave Barrett to claim another Class C win ahead of Darryl Taplin and Kevan Hadfield, the Puma’s 50th race in succession without a mechanical retirement. With Davies and Allen sidelined for the day, Cockell dominated Race Two once he'd got ahead of the fast-starting Steve Scott-Dunwoodie to win by almost twelve seconds. Scott-Dunwoodie's RS500 headed the Escort Cosworth for close to two laps before being passed, the Sierra then started to lose boost pressure and was dragged into the dogfight going on for third. Piers Grange and Olly Allen both demoted Scott-Dunwoodie during lap four, with the Sierra also losing out to Lloyd Jamieson and Lea Wood a lap later. Jamieson had made waves from fifth on the grid to reach the podium in second, having run three-abreast down the start/finish straight with Allen's Class B+ Fiesta and the Mk1 Escort RSR of Wood to take third and then stole away second place from Grange exiting Redgate on the following lap. The Mk2 Escort of Grange crossed the line a second and a half behind the Scotsman to take third place and the Class B+ victory, with his Class SB counterpart Wood in fourth. Scott-Dunwoodie held onto the Class A victory despite his turbo woes in fifth overall, one place ahead of the Sapphire Cosworth that class runner-up David Matthias had torn through the pack with from the seventeenth row. The Fiesta of Allen had suffered from fading brakes during the race and fell behind the pair of Class A cars but still claimed second in Class B+ in seventh overall, Allen was almost caught by Steve Goldsmith's Ecoboost-powered Anglia that took third in Class B+ and was just six-tenths of a second from the 2.5-litre hatchback. Chris Baker fought ahead of opening race victor Neil Jessop to claim the Class B spoils in tenth overall from the Zakspeed Escort, which lost speed later in the contest with various issues that would rule the Mk2 out of Race Three. Scott Matthias missed the start of Race One after the Sapphire's boost pipe fell off on the formation lap but the black machine fought through to twelfth overall and third in Class A. Tyler England came home fifteenth overall to be third in Class B. Dave Barrett secured his second Class C triumph of the day in 23rd overall, three places ahead of runner-up Darryl Taplin and six ahead of the third-placed Kevan Hadfield. Dave Cockell paced himself to a hat-trick of wins in a shortened Race Three, whilst a jubilant Lloyd Jamieson scored his second podium finish of the day and even had a cheeky look at taking the lead on the Melbourne loop in the late stages as he finished within a second of the triumphant Escort Cosworth. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie set the fastest lap of the race as he came through the group behind Jamieson to take third overall and Class A win number three of the day. Lea Wood again won Class SB to complete a clean sweep of his own in fourth. Piers Grange was another to complete a three-peat of class wins in Class B+ as he came home fifth, one place and not much distance ahead of Class A runner-up David Matthias as a little over four seconds covered the first six cars past the flag. Martin Reynolds claimed second in Class B+ with seventh overall from a charging Paul Nevill, who had started on the back row after a suspension problem on the opening lap of Race Two forced the RS2000 out. Having been on the Class B pace all season with his Fiesta, Tyler England grabbed his maiden victory in Race Three after the Mk3 Escort of early leader Chris Baker popped a driveshaft. The Fiesta ST of Oliver Bullion just held off Gary Johnson's Mk1 Escort for second place. An opening lap oil leak for Dave Barrett saw the door opened for Darryl Taplin’s similar car to take the Class C spoils for the first time from the Pumas of Kevan and Shaun Hadfield.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - click here
Three weeks after their Scottish trip, another hot meeting beckoned for the Modified Ford Series on the Grand Prix circuit at Donington Park. Dave Cockell topped the times after qualifying from Jason Davies to make Race One a mouth-watering contest as two of the fastest Cosworths in the country fought for glory. Cockell led from the start of a Safety Car interrupted race and was shadowed by Davies for much of the distance until the Welshman dived into the lead at Redgate on the final lap. However, the Sapphire Cosworth's time in front would be short-lived after its gearbox gave up at the Old Hairpin to hand victory to a grateful Cockell. Davies' demise gave the Class A honours to Steve Scott-Dunwoodie’s Sierra in second overall as event sponsor James Allen succumbed to the same fate as the Welshman behind the Safety Car on lap three, the RS500 having got ahead of Allen at the start before the Focus reclaimed third place on the Melbourne loop. Piers Grange finished less than half a second behind Scott-Dunwoodie in third to pick up the Class B+ spoils from the closely following classmate Olly Allen, who had recently beaten Grange in a thrilling drive from the back of the grid at Mallory Park a couple of weeks previously. Lea Wood took his first Class SB victory of the day in sixth overall after overcoming the seventh-placed Steve Goldsmith Anglia Turbo from Class B+, with series boss Paul Nevill next up in eighth. Neil Jessop's Group 5 replica Mk2 Escort defeated Chris Baker's Mk3 RS1600i to wrap up Class B, with the pair finishing ninth and tenth. Mike Thurley's Mk1 Escort survived a coming together with Ben Purnell's RSR at the first corner to take third in the class as he headed a trio of Class B machinery from Oliver Bullion and Tyler England. An engine problem put out the Puma of Justin Fuller to clear the way for Dave Barrett to claim another Class C win ahead of Darryl Taplin and Kevan Hadfield, the Puma’s 50th race in succession without a mechanical retirement. With Davies and Allen sidelined for the day, Cockell dominated Race Two once he'd got ahead of the fast-starting Steve Scott-Dunwoodie to win by almost twelve seconds. Scott-Dunwoodie's RS500 headed the Escort Cosworth for close to two laps before being passed, the Sierra then started to lose boost pressure and was dragged into the dogfight going on for third. Piers Grange and Olly Allen both demoted Scott-Dunwoodie during lap four, with the Sierra also losing out to Lloyd Jamieson and Lea Wood a lap later. Jamieson had made waves from fifth on the grid to reach the podium in second, having run three-abreast down the start/finish straight with Allen's Class B+ Fiesta and the Mk1 Escort RSR of Wood to take third and then stole away second place from Grange exiting Redgate on the following lap. The Mk2 Escort of Grange crossed the line a second and a half behind the Scotsman to take third place and the Class B+ victory, with his Class SB counterpart Wood in fourth. Scott-Dunwoodie held onto the Class A victory despite his turbo woes in fifth overall, one place ahead of the Sapphire Cosworth that class runner-up David Matthias had torn through the pack with from the seventeenth row. The Fiesta of Allen had suffered from fading brakes during the race and fell behind the pair of Class A cars but still claimed second in Class B+ in seventh overall, Allen was almost caught by Steve Goldsmith's Ecoboost-powered Anglia that took third in Class B+ and was just six-tenths of a second from the 2.5-litre hatchback. Chris Baker fought ahead of opening race victor Neil Jessop to claim the Class B spoils in tenth overall from the Zakspeed Escort, which lost speed later in the contest with various issues that would rule the Mk2 out of Race Three. Scott Matthias missed the start of Race One after the Sapphire's boost pipe fell off on the formation lap but the black machine fought through to twelfth overall and third in Class A. Tyler England came home fifteenth overall to be third in Class B. Dave Barrett secured his second Class C triumph of the day in 23rd overall, three places ahead of runner-up Darryl Taplin and six ahead of the third-placed Kevan Hadfield. Dave Cockell paced himself to a hat-trick of wins in a shortened Race Three, whilst a jubilant Lloyd Jamieson scored his second podium finish of the day and even had a cheeky look at taking the lead on the Melbourne loop in the late stages as he finished within a second of the triumphant Escort Cosworth. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie set the fastest lap of the race as he came through the group behind Jamieson to take third overall and Class A win number three of the day. Lea Wood again won Class SB to complete a clean sweep of his own in fourth. Piers Grange was another to complete a three-peat of class wins in Class B+ as he came home fifth, one place and not much distance ahead of Class A runner-up David Matthias as a little over four seconds covered the first six cars past the flag. Martin Reynolds claimed second in Class B+ with seventh overall from a charging Paul Nevill, who had started on the back row after a suspension problem on the opening lap of Race Two forced the RS2000 out. Having been on the Class B pace all season with his Fiesta, Tyler England grabbed his maiden victory in Race Three after the Mk3 Escort of early leader Chris Baker popped a driveshaft. The Fiesta ST of Oliver Bullion just held off Gary Johnson's Mk1 Escort for second place. An opening lap oil leak for Dave Barrett saw the door opened for Darryl Taplin’s similar car to take the Class C spoils for the first time from the Pumas of Kevan and Shaun Hadfield.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - click here
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Snetterton 300 20th & 21st July 2024 - Meeting sponsored by Crossways Garage (Bromley) Ltd
A very warm weekend greeted the entry in Norfolk and the pace at the front of the field was just as hot. An all-Class SA 1-2-3 was headed by poleman Tommy Field from Jack Gadd and Dave Cockell. Starting from the second row, Gadd was edged towards the grass away from the start but was still able to take second from Steve Scott-Dunwoodie into the Wilson hairpin for the first time. Gadd reeled in the similar RSR Turbo ahead with the fastest lap of the race but catching a slowing car in a yellow flag zone cost Gadd time and then his boost pipe came off to force him to settle for second, a little over thirteen seconds down. After an intercooler issue held back his Escort Cosworth in qualifying, Cockell had picked his way through from seventh to fourth by the end of lap one before taking third away from Scott-Dunwoodie on lap two, which he held to the end. Scott-Dunwoodie qualified his Sierra on the front row but had to give best to the Class SA powerhouses of Gadd and Cockell to come home in fourth but took the Class A spoils, with runner-up Brian Lilley in tenth and third-placed Stefan Marsh in seventeenth. Piers Grange prevailed in Class B+ and had pursued Scott-Dunwoodie all the way in fifth overall from Paul Nevill, who had set a personal best lap time for the Norfolk circuit during qualifying in his RS2000. Dan Minton gave the famous Thundersaloon Mk2 Escort its Class B+ bow with Smith & Jones power but a qualifying misfire forced him to start from the back of the grid and he flew through to tenth overall and third in Class B+. Another to have started well down the order, Neil Jessop also mounted a charge and claimed the Class B spoils from Chris Baker and top qualifier Tyler England, who lined up in an impressive twelfth overall. With regular contender Tom Ovenden absent, Mat Brennan was the sole Class SB entry and the Mk2 Escort successfully crossed the line to take the class award. Gary Littlewood just held off Justin Fuller for the Class C win as Dave Barrett took third, whilst Darryl Taplin's Fiesta brought the race to an early conclusion after a suspension failure left the car stranded. Race Two followed a similar pattern as the two turbocharged RSRs raced away at the head of the pack before rising water temperatures forced Jack Gadd to halt his chase of Tommy Field, the pair split by 6.958 seconds at the end. Dave Cockell couldn't hold a candle to the rampant RSRs but still finished well clear of the rest for a second podium finish. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie scored his second Class A victory of the weekend in fourth, a bit over a second clear of Class B+ winner Piers Grange in fifth. Further Class SA machinery filled sixth and seventh places as Lloyd Jamieson's Escort Maxi Cosworth headed Martin Reynolds' Chevrolet V8-engined Sierra. The Mk2 Escorts of Neil Argrave came home eighth and Paul Nevill's droop-snoot example ninth to fill the Class B+ podium. For Race Two, Dan Minton's father Steve took over the Mk2 Escort so he had to start from the back of the field and he wouldn't see the finish after the car's qualifying misfire reared its head again. Neil Jessop led Class B early on and was involved in an entertaining scrap with Reynolds' Sierra until the Mk2 Escort's engine went bang on the Bentley Straight to hand the spoils to Chris Baker, with Tyler England and Mike Thurley following the Mk3 Escort home. Mat Brennan's Mk2 Escort made it to the end again to claim its second Class SB victory. Class C was a Hadfield family benefit on the podium as victorious father Kevan beat his boys Shaun and Mark into second and third, the result came after heartbreak for Darryl Taplin when the Fiesta's throttle cable snapped whilst leading on the last lap.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
A very warm weekend greeted the entry in Norfolk and the pace at the front of the field was just as hot. An all-Class SA 1-2-3 was headed by poleman Tommy Field from Jack Gadd and Dave Cockell. Starting from the second row, Gadd was edged towards the grass away from the start but was still able to take second from Steve Scott-Dunwoodie into the Wilson hairpin for the first time. Gadd reeled in the similar RSR Turbo ahead with the fastest lap of the race but catching a slowing car in a yellow flag zone cost Gadd time and then his boost pipe came off to force him to settle for second, a little over thirteen seconds down. After an intercooler issue held back his Escort Cosworth in qualifying, Cockell had picked his way through from seventh to fourth by the end of lap one before taking third away from Scott-Dunwoodie on lap two, which he held to the end. Scott-Dunwoodie qualified his Sierra on the front row but had to give best to the Class SA powerhouses of Gadd and Cockell to come home in fourth but took the Class A spoils, with runner-up Brian Lilley in tenth and third-placed Stefan Marsh in seventeenth. Piers Grange prevailed in Class B+ and had pursued Scott-Dunwoodie all the way in fifth overall from Paul Nevill, who had set a personal best lap time for the Norfolk circuit during qualifying in his RS2000. Dan Minton gave the famous Thundersaloon Mk2 Escort its Class B+ bow with Smith & Jones power but a qualifying misfire forced him to start from the back of the grid and he flew through to tenth overall and third in Class B+. Another to have started well down the order, Neil Jessop also mounted a charge and claimed the Class B spoils from Chris Baker and top qualifier Tyler England, who lined up in an impressive twelfth overall. With regular contender Tom Ovenden absent, Mat Brennan was the sole Class SB entry and the Mk2 Escort successfully crossed the line to take the class award. Gary Littlewood just held off Justin Fuller for the Class C win as Dave Barrett took third, whilst Darryl Taplin's Fiesta brought the race to an early conclusion after a suspension failure left the car stranded. Race Two followed a similar pattern as the two turbocharged RSRs raced away at the head of the pack before rising water temperatures forced Jack Gadd to halt his chase of Tommy Field, the pair split by 6.958 seconds at the end. Dave Cockell couldn't hold a candle to the rampant RSRs but still finished well clear of the rest for a second podium finish. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie scored his second Class A victory of the weekend in fourth, a bit over a second clear of Class B+ winner Piers Grange in fifth. Further Class SA machinery filled sixth and seventh places as Lloyd Jamieson's Escort Maxi Cosworth headed Martin Reynolds' Chevrolet V8-engined Sierra. The Mk2 Escorts of Neil Argrave came home eighth and Paul Nevill's droop-snoot example ninth to fill the Class B+ podium. For Race Two, Dan Minton's father Steve took over the Mk2 Escort so he had to start from the back of the field and he wouldn't see the finish after the car's qualifying misfire reared its head again. Neil Jessop led Class B early on and was involved in an entertaining scrap with Reynolds' Sierra until the Mk2 Escort's engine went bang on the Bentley Straight to hand the spoils to Chris Baker, with Tyler England and Mike Thurley following the Mk3 Escort home. Mat Brennan's Mk2 Escort made it to the end again to claim its second Class SB victory. Class C was a Hadfield family benefit on the podium as victorious father Kevan beat his boys Shaun and Mark into second and third, the result came after heartbreak for Darryl Taplin when the Fiesta's throttle cable snapped whilst leading on the last lap.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
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Silverstone National 17th August 2024 - Meeting sponsored by HT Racing/Vulcan Engineering
The Modified Fords paid their second visit of 2024 to the British GP venue, on the National layout this time around. The pace was set to be fierce as the pair of turbocharged RSRs that had dominated at Snetterton in the hands of Tommy Field and Jack Gadd were in attendance again. Gadd was the fast man in qualifying but lost out to Field on lap one and Gadd gave chase to Field until the end as the BDT-powered device defeated the YB version by a smidge over two seconds. Dave Cockell was an opening lap retirement when the car wouldn’t fire up again after a wild spin at Brooklands so Simon Light flew up to third from eleventh at the start to complete a podium full of Class SA machinery, his qualifying efforts being hampered by bedding in a new set of brake pads. The Capri was elevated to ninth on the opening lap after Cockell's exit and Dan Minton had started from the pitlane. Both Matthias brothers were dispensed with on consecutive laps to place the coupe seventh after three tours. Light soon reached the top six when he passed Malcolm Harding and grabbed fifth from Steve Scott-Dunwoodie a lap later. Fifth became third on the eighth lap when he powered past the battling Lloyd Jamieson Escort Maxi Cosworth and Tom Ovenden Mk1 Escort RSR, having gained four places inside two laps. Jamieson crossed the line fourth but the result came at a price as he nursed the car home with a collapsed propshaft bearing. Class A was won by Scott-Dunwoodie in fifth, with the Class SB winner Ovenden chasing the RS500 home in sixth. The Mk2 Escort of Harding took the Class B+ honours in seventh despite engine worries that would make him decide to sit out Race Two. The Sapphire Cosworths of David Matthias and Paul Restall were the second and third Class A cars home in eighth and ninth, after birthday boy Scott Matthias didn't get the present he wanted when a cracked engine block ruled out his Escort Cosworth, whilst Malcolm Wise rounded out the top ten. Dan Minton claimed second in Class B+ with eleventh overall and pipped Paul Nevill in third by just 0.135 seconds despite starting with a lap's disadvantage, an attempted cure for an electrical misfire had made the stutter worse and forced the Mk2 Escort to join from the pitlane. Nevill had made his own charge up the order after suspension trouble in qualifying saw the RS2000 starting 33rd. Chris Baker came back from a difficult qualifying to capitalise on Mike Thurley's throttle cable snapping at the end of lap one to triumph in Class B from Tyler England, whom Baker had passed into Copse on lap three and Gary Johnson took third by just one-tenth of a second from Oliver Bullion. Dave Barrett overcame Gary Littlewood for the Class C victory after the pair swapped places when being lapped by the leading cars, with Kevan Hadfield's Puma third. After turning up the wick on himself and the Escort Cosworth, Dave Cockell stunned in Race Two to come from starting stone last and nicked the race win by a slim 0.213 seconds from Tommy Field as they raced to the flag through Woodcote. Already eleventh after lap one, Cockell reached third as early as lap five before taking second from Jack Gadd at Becketts for the tenth time. The fired-up Cockell soon reeled in the gripless Field before a misfire threatened to derail his charge but the Escort Cosworth got a run on the turbocharged RSR out of the last corner to grab a famous victory. Relive one of the drives of the year from onboard: Click here. Field had led the way from Gadd for much of the race before Gadd's YB-powered machine got hot and Field fried the tyres on his mount to allow the flying Cockell to close in. Simon Light was fourth from the top Class A machine of Steve Scott-Dunwoodie and Tom Ovenden was sixth to claim a Class SB double. Dan Minton had a near-miss with the Class A-winning Sierra when fading brakes combined with a sticking throttle sent him straight on at Becketts. Wisely, he eased his pace to reach the finish a lap down in eighth behind the second Class A car of David Matthias but still took the Class B+ spoils. Paul Nevill, the runner-up in Class B+, was pipped at the line by the Class SA Escort Cosworth of Malcolm Wise by 0.057 seconds in ninth and tenth. Chris Baker secured his second Class B win of the day in eleventh overall from Tyler England, who was on the tail of a quartet headed by Baker and was covered by 1.717 seconds. The meat in the sandwich was the second in Class SB RSR of Tim Foxlow and the third Class B+ machine of Wayne Crabtree. Mike Thurley took third in Class B after starting down the grid with overall victor Cockell. Dave Barrett held Gary Littlewood at arm’s length for the Class C spoils, with Kevan Hadfield again third.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
The Modified Fords paid their second visit of 2024 to the British GP venue, on the National layout this time around. The pace was set to be fierce as the pair of turbocharged RSRs that had dominated at Snetterton in the hands of Tommy Field and Jack Gadd were in attendance again. Gadd was the fast man in qualifying but lost out to Field on lap one and Gadd gave chase to Field until the end as the BDT-powered device defeated the YB version by a smidge over two seconds. Dave Cockell was an opening lap retirement when the car wouldn’t fire up again after a wild spin at Brooklands so Simon Light flew up to third from eleventh at the start to complete a podium full of Class SA machinery, his qualifying efforts being hampered by bedding in a new set of brake pads. The Capri was elevated to ninth on the opening lap after Cockell's exit and Dan Minton had started from the pitlane. Both Matthias brothers were dispensed with on consecutive laps to place the coupe seventh after three tours. Light soon reached the top six when he passed Malcolm Harding and grabbed fifth from Steve Scott-Dunwoodie a lap later. Fifth became third on the eighth lap when he powered past the battling Lloyd Jamieson Escort Maxi Cosworth and Tom Ovenden Mk1 Escort RSR, having gained four places inside two laps. Jamieson crossed the line fourth but the result came at a price as he nursed the car home with a collapsed propshaft bearing. Class A was won by Scott-Dunwoodie in fifth, with the Class SB winner Ovenden chasing the RS500 home in sixth. The Mk2 Escort of Harding took the Class B+ honours in seventh despite engine worries that would make him decide to sit out Race Two. The Sapphire Cosworths of David Matthias and Paul Restall were the second and third Class A cars home in eighth and ninth, after birthday boy Scott Matthias didn't get the present he wanted when a cracked engine block ruled out his Escort Cosworth, whilst Malcolm Wise rounded out the top ten. Dan Minton claimed second in Class B+ with eleventh overall and pipped Paul Nevill in third by just 0.135 seconds despite starting with a lap's disadvantage, an attempted cure for an electrical misfire had made the stutter worse and forced the Mk2 Escort to join from the pitlane. Nevill had made his own charge up the order after suspension trouble in qualifying saw the RS2000 starting 33rd. Chris Baker came back from a difficult qualifying to capitalise on Mike Thurley's throttle cable snapping at the end of lap one to triumph in Class B from Tyler England, whom Baker had passed into Copse on lap three and Gary Johnson took third by just one-tenth of a second from Oliver Bullion. Dave Barrett overcame Gary Littlewood for the Class C victory after the pair swapped places when being lapped by the leading cars, with Kevan Hadfield's Puma third. After turning up the wick on himself and the Escort Cosworth, Dave Cockell stunned in Race Two to come from starting stone last and nicked the race win by a slim 0.213 seconds from Tommy Field as they raced to the flag through Woodcote. Already eleventh after lap one, Cockell reached third as early as lap five before taking second from Jack Gadd at Becketts for the tenth time. The fired-up Cockell soon reeled in the gripless Field before a misfire threatened to derail his charge but the Escort Cosworth got a run on the turbocharged RSR out of the last corner to grab a famous victory. Relive one of the drives of the year from onboard: Click here. Field had led the way from Gadd for much of the race before Gadd's YB-powered machine got hot and Field fried the tyres on his mount to allow the flying Cockell to close in. Simon Light was fourth from the top Class A machine of Steve Scott-Dunwoodie and Tom Ovenden was sixth to claim a Class SB double. Dan Minton had a near-miss with the Class A-winning Sierra when fading brakes combined with a sticking throttle sent him straight on at Becketts. Wisely, he eased his pace to reach the finish a lap down in eighth behind the second Class A car of David Matthias but still took the Class B+ spoils. Paul Nevill, the runner-up in Class B+, was pipped at the line by the Class SA Escort Cosworth of Malcolm Wise by 0.057 seconds in ninth and tenth. Chris Baker secured his second Class B win of the day in eleventh overall from Tyler England, who was on the tail of a quartet headed by Baker and was covered by 1.717 seconds. The meat in the sandwich was the second in Class SB RSR of Tim Foxlow and the third Class B+ machine of Wayne Crabtree. Mike Thurley took third in Class B after starting down the grid with overall victor Cockell. Dave Barrett held Gary Littlewood at arm’s length for the Class C spoils, with Kevan Hadfield again third.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
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Ford Power Live Brands Hatch Indy 14th & 15th September 2024 - Meeting sponsored by BlueBlue.uk
The Modified Ford Series was once again the focus of the racing element at the Ford Power Live showpiece and a tremendous entry of 51 cars made the pilgrimage to Kent, with the series providing two grids. Group A was composed of the most powerful cars from classes SA, A, SB and B+ and the remaining classes B and C went into Group B.
Group A
The Mk1 Escort RSRs of top qualifier Tom Ovenden and the newly-built similar car of Malcolm Harding sat at the head of the grid for Race One. The pair of spaceframed machines led the way throughout, with Ovenden leading initially until the leader was caught out by a slow-moving Malcolm Wise on lap fourteen and jinked onto the grass in avoidance to put Harding ahead. Ovenden quickly brought down his near one-and-a-half-second deficit and was poised to make his move when the Wise Escort Cosworth burned dramatically at Paddock Hill Bend to bring the race to an early conclusion. Ovenden managed to get back past Harding but the red flag saw Harding get the win on countback. Simon Light had a short Race One after clashing with the RSR of circuit debutant Jim Hutchinson at Paddock Hill Bend for the first time and spun into the gravel, with Dan Minton just missing the broadside Capri. Oulton Park double race winner Hutchinson recovered from a spin onto the infield after the contact with Light to race back up to third overall, which became fourth on countback, but his efforts went unrewarded after being disqualified for a yellow flag infringement and his day was over anyway after encountering engine problems just as the race was stopped. Minton had slipped to fourth in Class B+ behind early leader Olly Allen, Steve Goldsmith and Paul Nevill after escaping the first corner melee unscathed, along with the Class A cars of Steve Scott-Dunwoodie, Brian Lilley and Stefan Marsh. Nevill and Marsh were quickly seen off at Druids before Lilley followed suit at the Safety Car restart on lap four and the Scott-Dunwoodie Sierra's turbo expired in a cloud of smoke a lap later to hand another place to the Mk2 Escort. Minton's charge continued when he blew by Goldsmith's Anglia three laps later and soon reeled in Allen's Fiesta in third overall. Before he could make his move, the flying Hutchinson wasted little time passing them both within a few hundred metres at Clearways and Paddock Hill Bend to reach the podium. Minton got around Allen up to Druids after the Fiesta was held up through Paddock Hill Bend to take the class lead and the Mk2 Escort also caught the third-placed RSR when it slowed with engine worries but his move came too late for the red flag so was knocked back to fourth on countback. However, Hutchinson's ultimate disqualification elevated Minton onto the podium to go with the Class B+ victory. Allen was classified in fourth overall and Goldsmith in fifth as they formed the Class B+ top three. Scott-Dunwoodie's exit gifted the Class A win to Stefan Marsh's Focus ST from Brian Lilley's Escort Cosworth in eighth and ninth overall, with Jeremy Sutton's smart Sierra taking third. Piers Warwick was the last Class SA entry standing after the demise of Light and Wise so claimed the trophy. Mat Brennan's Mk2 Escort was third in Class SB after the removal of Hutchinson from the results. The rambunctious Harding and Ovenden RSRs went at each other again in Race Two but Harding was forced to pull off from the lead behind the Safety Car with a loose wheel to hand Ovenden the win. Simon Light was in a determined mood after his earlier incident and fired the Capri V8 into second position after starting 19th. The coupe had thundered into the top ten on lap one and made his first move on Steve Goldsmith on lap ten but spun at Druids and fell back behind the Anglia and Paul Nevill. The race was stopped soon after for Jeremy Sutton's stranded Sierra and Light rumbled past Nevill at the end of the restart lap, with Goldsmith then falling victim at Clearways next time around to seal an excellent second for the Class SA-winning Light. Nevill followed the Capri past Goldsmith's Anglia at Graham Hill Bend to take the third step on the podium and the Class B+ victory from runner-up Goldsmith. Wayne Crabtree's Gulf-liveried Mk1 Escort took third in Class B+ in sixth overall behind Stefan Marsh's triumphant Class A Focus. Mick Head's Escort Cosworth took second in Class A after the similar car of Brian Lilley was a first-lap retirement. Piers Warwick was the runner-up in Class SA and Mat Brennan took home trophy number two for second in Class SB to reward his hard work after performing an overnight engine rebuild. Olly Allen's challenge for Class B+ honours was short-lived after his Fiesta suffered driveshaft failure at the first corner.
Full results: Group A Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
The Modified Ford Series was once again the focus of the racing element at the Ford Power Live showpiece and a tremendous entry of 51 cars made the pilgrimage to Kent, with the series providing two grids. Group A was composed of the most powerful cars from classes SA, A, SB and B+ and the remaining classes B and C went into Group B.
Group A
The Mk1 Escort RSRs of top qualifier Tom Ovenden and the newly-built similar car of Malcolm Harding sat at the head of the grid for Race One. The pair of spaceframed machines led the way throughout, with Ovenden leading initially until the leader was caught out by a slow-moving Malcolm Wise on lap fourteen and jinked onto the grass in avoidance to put Harding ahead. Ovenden quickly brought down his near one-and-a-half-second deficit and was poised to make his move when the Wise Escort Cosworth burned dramatically at Paddock Hill Bend to bring the race to an early conclusion. Ovenden managed to get back past Harding but the red flag saw Harding get the win on countback. Simon Light had a short Race One after clashing with the RSR of circuit debutant Jim Hutchinson at Paddock Hill Bend for the first time and spun into the gravel, with Dan Minton just missing the broadside Capri. Oulton Park double race winner Hutchinson recovered from a spin onto the infield after the contact with Light to race back up to third overall, which became fourth on countback, but his efforts went unrewarded after being disqualified for a yellow flag infringement and his day was over anyway after encountering engine problems just as the race was stopped. Minton had slipped to fourth in Class B+ behind early leader Olly Allen, Steve Goldsmith and Paul Nevill after escaping the first corner melee unscathed, along with the Class A cars of Steve Scott-Dunwoodie, Brian Lilley and Stefan Marsh. Nevill and Marsh were quickly seen off at Druids before Lilley followed suit at the Safety Car restart on lap four and the Scott-Dunwoodie Sierra's turbo expired in a cloud of smoke a lap later to hand another place to the Mk2 Escort. Minton's charge continued when he blew by Goldsmith's Anglia three laps later and soon reeled in Allen's Fiesta in third overall. Before he could make his move, the flying Hutchinson wasted little time passing them both within a few hundred metres at Clearways and Paddock Hill Bend to reach the podium. Minton got around Allen up to Druids after the Fiesta was held up through Paddock Hill Bend to take the class lead and the Mk2 Escort also caught the third-placed RSR when it slowed with engine worries but his move came too late for the red flag so was knocked back to fourth on countback. However, Hutchinson's ultimate disqualification elevated Minton onto the podium to go with the Class B+ victory. Allen was classified in fourth overall and Goldsmith in fifth as they formed the Class B+ top three. Scott-Dunwoodie's exit gifted the Class A win to Stefan Marsh's Focus ST from Brian Lilley's Escort Cosworth in eighth and ninth overall, with Jeremy Sutton's smart Sierra taking third. Piers Warwick was the last Class SA entry standing after the demise of Light and Wise so claimed the trophy. Mat Brennan's Mk2 Escort was third in Class SB after the removal of Hutchinson from the results. The rambunctious Harding and Ovenden RSRs went at each other again in Race Two but Harding was forced to pull off from the lead behind the Safety Car with a loose wheel to hand Ovenden the win. Simon Light was in a determined mood after his earlier incident and fired the Capri V8 into second position after starting 19th. The coupe had thundered into the top ten on lap one and made his first move on Steve Goldsmith on lap ten but spun at Druids and fell back behind the Anglia and Paul Nevill. The race was stopped soon after for Jeremy Sutton's stranded Sierra and Light rumbled past Nevill at the end of the restart lap, with Goldsmith then falling victim at Clearways next time around to seal an excellent second for the Class SA-winning Light. Nevill followed the Capri past Goldsmith's Anglia at Graham Hill Bend to take the third step on the podium and the Class B+ victory from runner-up Goldsmith. Wayne Crabtree's Gulf-liveried Mk1 Escort took third in Class B+ in sixth overall behind Stefan Marsh's triumphant Class A Focus. Mick Head's Escort Cosworth took second in Class A after the similar car of Brian Lilley was a first-lap retirement. Piers Warwick was the runner-up in Class SA and Mat Brennan took home trophy number two for second in Class SB to reward his hard work after performing an overnight engine rebuild. Olly Allen's challenge for Class B+ honours was short-lived after his Fiesta suffered driveshaft failure at the first corner.
Full results: Group A Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
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Group B
Mike Thurley took both of the Group B bouts after qualifying on pole position but had to overcome Chris Baker for the Race One victory after the Mk3 Escort went around the outside of the Mk1 example at Paddock Hill Bend on lap one and the pair fought out a superb dice for half the race before Thurley finally got ahead at Druids on lap eight. The Zakspeed Mk1 Escort then edged away to win by close to two and a half seconds. Tyler England grabbed the third spot on the rostrum after fighting back ahead of Tom Burgess and Oliver Bullion at Druids and Paddock Hill Bend respectively. Justin Fuller’s speed from qualifying carried into the race as he took the Class C spoils in seventh overall behind Tom Abbott’s Capri in sixth. Aaron Tucker’s Sierra was second in Class C from Dave Barrett’s Fiesta after the pair were part of a large squabble that formed behind Jason Stone's recently-finished Mk2 Escort. Mike Thurley wasn't to be headed in Race Two despite Chris Baker's spectacular efforts to keep up and the Mk1 Escort wrapped up its second triumph by over two seconds once more. Tom Burgess returned to the event with a Class B Mk2 Escort after his superb performance in 2023 with a Group 1-spec Class C Fiesta and took the final spot on the podium both in the class and overall. Burgess had to claw his way past Tyler England's Fiesta in the opening stages to get there but ultimately the youngster's Fiesta would be excluded for a yellow flag offence so Oliver Bullion's Fiesta was fourth from Tom Abbott's Capri and Tony Paxman's Mk1 Escort. Josh Smith took over the leaf-sprung Mk1 Escort from his father Chris for the second outing and fought through to seventh from the rear of the grid, whilst Jason Stone's debut weekend for his Mk2 Escort ended badly with a blown motor. Class C had an action-packed race for honours after opening race winner Justin Fuller was forced wide at Druids on lap one to place Aaron Tucker's Pinto-powered Sierra in the lead. Fuller's Puma had a big spin at Surtees on lap five but continued to chase down the Sierra before having another moment on Stone's dropped oil at Paddock Hill Bend on lap twelve. Tucker looked on course for the class win after that but his front-right suspension had other ideas and sent the Sierra into retirement at Surtees as Fuller picked up the pieces. The Fiestas of Dave Barrett and Gary Littlewood were involved in a great scrap for much of the race before a puncture put out Littlewood and Barrett went on to take second in the class, with Kevan Hadfield coming home third.
Full results: Group B Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
Mike Thurley took both of the Group B bouts after qualifying on pole position but had to overcome Chris Baker for the Race One victory after the Mk3 Escort went around the outside of the Mk1 example at Paddock Hill Bend on lap one and the pair fought out a superb dice for half the race before Thurley finally got ahead at Druids on lap eight. The Zakspeed Mk1 Escort then edged away to win by close to two and a half seconds. Tyler England grabbed the third spot on the rostrum after fighting back ahead of Tom Burgess and Oliver Bullion at Druids and Paddock Hill Bend respectively. Justin Fuller’s speed from qualifying carried into the race as he took the Class C spoils in seventh overall behind Tom Abbott’s Capri in sixth. Aaron Tucker’s Sierra was second in Class C from Dave Barrett’s Fiesta after the pair were part of a large squabble that formed behind Jason Stone's recently-finished Mk2 Escort. Mike Thurley wasn't to be headed in Race Two despite Chris Baker's spectacular efforts to keep up and the Mk1 Escort wrapped up its second triumph by over two seconds once more. Tom Burgess returned to the event with a Class B Mk2 Escort after his superb performance in 2023 with a Group 1-spec Class C Fiesta and took the final spot on the podium both in the class and overall. Burgess had to claw his way past Tyler England's Fiesta in the opening stages to get there but ultimately the youngster's Fiesta would be excluded for a yellow flag offence so Oliver Bullion's Fiesta was fourth from Tom Abbott's Capri and Tony Paxman's Mk1 Escort. Josh Smith took over the leaf-sprung Mk1 Escort from his father Chris for the second outing and fought through to seventh from the rear of the grid, whilst Jason Stone's debut weekend for his Mk2 Escort ended badly with a blown motor. Class C had an action-packed race for honours after opening race winner Justin Fuller was forced wide at Druids on lap one to place Aaron Tucker's Pinto-powered Sierra in the lead. Fuller's Puma had a big spin at Surtees on lap five but continued to chase down the Sierra before having another moment on Stone's dropped oil at Paddock Hill Bend on lap twelve. Tucker looked on course for the class win after that but his front-right suspension had other ideas and sent the Sierra into retirement at Surtees as Fuller picked up the pieces. The Fiestas of Dave Barrett and Gary Littlewood were involved in a great scrap for much of the race before a puncture put out Littlewood and Barrett went on to take second in the class, with Kevan Hadfield coming home third.
Full results: Group B Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here
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Circuito de Navarra 5th & 6th October 2024 - Meeting sponsored by Cockell Electrical Ltd/Chase Metal Recycling Ltd
The Modified Ford Series’ 2024 season finale was also this year’s ‘away’ weekend and was held at MSV’s newest piece of real estate, the Circuito de Navarra in northern Spain. Fourteen competitors made the journey to the venue that first opened in 2010 before being purchased by MSV in 2022 and a project to speed up the layout was completed in the weeks leading up to the meeting. Dave Cockell topped the qualifying times by a healthy 3.537 seconds from Josh Payton’s Cortina for the opening race of three to be held over the weekend.
Race One: Poleman Dave Cockell blasted into the lead at the start of the first twenty-minute bout on Saturday afternoon, whilst fellow front row starter Josh Payton made a steady start and was passed immediately by Simon Light before coming under threat from the Fiesta of Alex Boam into the first corner. The Cortina attacked Light in the left-handers behind the paddock but had to fend off the Fiesta’s attention again around the back of the circuit when the move didn’t come off, with Piers Grange joining them down the long back straight. Light had used his V8 grunt to thunder into second at the rolling start but went out with a faulty coil pack before completing a lap. The spluttering Capri’s exit into the pitlane at the end of lap one released Payton to start his chase of Cockell. The Millington-powered Cortina gamely went after the Escort Cosworth and was almost within reach at the end of the third tour, with Payton setting the fastest lap of the race before Cockell stretched his lead again. Payton had kept him well in sight when the Safety Car was deployed with five minutes to go and the officials’ vehicle pulled off on the final lap but no overtaking could happen before the finish line so Cockell was victorious from Payton. The Cortina won Class B+ from the Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange that completed the podium. Grange’s Mk2 Escort had charged up from a sixth-row start to be seventh behind Chris Baker into turn one and was up to third by the completion of the opening lap, which the Cheshireman held to the end. Once the early Light, Payton and Boam skirmish had calmed down, the Fiesta settled into fourth until grinding to a halt on the pit straight with a popped CV boot. David Guthrie wriggled free from the early Class B lead fight to clinch third in Class B+ and fourth overall when the sister Boamerang car exited proceedings. Fifth qualifier Paul Nevill started from the pitlane before climbing back up to fifth overall and fourth in Class B+. Class A winner Mick Head went into combat with Sam Daffin’s RWD Fiesta from Class B+ and powered past heading onto lap five to take sixth overall. Lone Class C entry Dave Barrett lasted the distance to claim the win. There were no finishers in Class B after long-time front-runner Chris Baker followed Colin Claxton and lap-one leader Wayne Crabtree into retirement when a driveshaft broke.
Race Two: The second twenty minutes of action took place in the golden sun on Sunday morning. Piers Grange burst through from the second row at the rolling start to take second place behind polesitter Dave Cockell as Josh Payton’s Cortina also came under fire from Alex Boam’s Fiesta Turbo. The top three were almost as one at the end of lap one from Boam running alone in fourth. The Fiesta had made a superb start from the fifth row to go between Paul Nevill and stablemate David Guthrie into fourth by the first corner. Boam was a short distance ahead of another trio as Nevill headed Guthrie and the recovering Simon Light, who had got the Capri V8 going again overnight and had climbed up from the sixth row. The Capri thumped past Guthrie along the pit straight to move into sixth but had fallen back behind the nimbler Fiesta in the early technical section of the lap. Light stormed past Guthrie again onto lap three and held the hatchback off to harass Nevill, streaking ahead of the Escort down the back straight to end the lap in a clear fifth but the Capri exited on lap four after its misfire returned. Cockell continued to pull clear throughout the first half of the twenty minutes from the closely matched Class B+ lead pair as Payton wouldn’t let Grange rest. The Escort got away a little from the Cortina into the latter half of the encounter and started to reel in Cockell after the leader’s pace began to ebb away dramatically heading onto the final lap when his fuel pump started to expire. The silver Escorts crossed the line virtually abreast as the faltering Cosworth held off the chasing Mk2 by a nose in a grandstand finish for victory number two of the weekend. Payton came home not far adrift of the top two in third, just two-and-a-half seconds from the failing Escort Cosworth. Alex Boam crossed the line in a pleasing fourth overall to complete the Class B+ top three ahead of Paul Nevill and the sister Ecoboost Fiesta of David Guthrie in sixth, who had shadowed the series coordinator for much of the race. Class A winner Mick Head fended off the Class B+ Fiesta of Sam Daffin in a close battle for seventh overall, the Escort Cosworth having borrowed some parts from race winner Cockell to make the race after a defective wheel bearing was discovered. Tony Paxman took over his Mk1 Escort from Wayne Crabtree and claimed the Class B spoils in the ninth after rivals Chris Baker non-started his Mk3 Escort and Colin Claxton’s Mk1 Escort was a first-lap retirement. Dave Barrett made it to the end for another triumph in Class C with his Fiesta.
Race Three: The third encounter marked the end of the 2024 season for the Modified Ford Series and Dave Cockell couldn’t complete a hat-trick of victories to take his tally of wins to eleven for the year after being forced to miss the last outing due to his earlier fuel pump issue. Piers Grange scorched away from pole position as fellow front-row starter Josh Payton fell into the clutches of Alex Boam’s Escoboost Fiesta, who briefly got ahead in the early corners before the Cortina took back second at the everlasting left-hander behind the paddock. From the back of the ten-car grid, Simon Light had weaved his way through to fourth into the first corner and was third after one lap, the Capri having passed Boam on the back straight. Light blasted past Payton’s Cortina along the pit straight and began giving chase to leader Grange but the gremlins intervened once more on lap four after the V8 machine had set the race’s fastest lap. Payton was unable to keep pace with the silver Mk2 Escort this time but secured his third podium finish of the weekend in second. Boam had Paul Nevill in pursuit throughout as the Fiesta pilot took a maiden podium finish for the turbocharged car, with Class B+ hardware filling the first four positions. Wayne Crabtree had his second race in Tony Paxman’s Mk1 Escort and took the car’s second Class B victory of the weekend in a fine fifth overall. David Guthrie’s Fiesta came home in sixth after falling away from an early tussle with stablemate Boam and Nevill, also losing out to Crabtree’s Class B Escort early on lap five. Mick Head became embroiled in another dice with Sam Daffin, the two-wheel-drive Cossie slipped behind the RWD Fiesta early on lap two but would be back with Daffin on lap four. Head tried a move towards the hairpin at the end of the back straight before whistling past onto the fifth lap. Daffin passed the Martini Escort once more out the back of the circuit during the penultimate lap but Head used his Escort’s power to reclaim the place heading onto the last lap. However, Daffin moved back ahead in the twisty bits and the Escort Cosworth fell just 0.110 seconds short at the line as Head took his third Class A win of the weekend. With his Mk3 Escort out of action, Chris Baker had an outing in Dave Barrett's Class C Fiesta but wouldn’t see the chequered flag as he pulled out after three laps.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - click here
The Modified Ford Series’ 2024 season finale was also this year’s ‘away’ weekend and was held at MSV’s newest piece of real estate, the Circuito de Navarra in northern Spain. Fourteen competitors made the journey to the venue that first opened in 2010 before being purchased by MSV in 2022 and a project to speed up the layout was completed in the weeks leading up to the meeting. Dave Cockell topped the qualifying times by a healthy 3.537 seconds from Josh Payton’s Cortina for the opening race of three to be held over the weekend.
Race One: Poleman Dave Cockell blasted into the lead at the start of the first twenty-minute bout on Saturday afternoon, whilst fellow front row starter Josh Payton made a steady start and was passed immediately by Simon Light before coming under threat from the Fiesta of Alex Boam into the first corner. The Cortina attacked Light in the left-handers behind the paddock but had to fend off the Fiesta’s attention again around the back of the circuit when the move didn’t come off, with Piers Grange joining them down the long back straight. Light had used his V8 grunt to thunder into second at the rolling start but went out with a faulty coil pack before completing a lap. The spluttering Capri’s exit into the pitlane at the end of lap one released Payton to start his chase of Cockell. The Millington-powered Cortina gamely went after the Escort Cosworth and was almost within reach at the end of the third tour, with Payton setting the fastest lap of the race before Cockell stretched his lead again. Payton had kept him well in sight when the Safety Car was deployed with five minutes to go and the officials’ vehicle pulled off on the final lap but no overtaking could happen before the finish line so Cockell was victorious from Payton. The Cortina won Class B+ from the Mk2 Escort of Piers Grange that completed the podium. Grange’s Mk2 Escort had charged up from a sixth-row start to be seventh behind Chris Baker into turn one and was up to third by the completion of the opening lap, which the Cheshireman held to the end. Once the early Light, Payton and Boam skirmish had calmed down, the Fiesta settled into fourth until grinding to a halt on the pit straight with a popped CV boot. David Guthrie wriggled free from the early Class B lead fight to clinch third in Class B+ and fourth overall when the sister Boamerang car exited proceedings. Fifth qualifier Paul Nevill started from the pitlane before climbing back up to fifth overall and fourth in Class B+. Class A winner Mick Head went into combat with Sam Daffin’s RWD Fiesta from Class B+ and powered past heading onto lap five to take sixth overall. Lone Class C entry Dave Barrett lasted the distance to claim the win. There were no finishers in Class B after long-time front-runner Chris Baker followed Colin Claxton and lap-one leader Wayne Crabtree into retirement when a driveshaft broke.
Race Two: The second twenty minutes of action took place in the golden sun on Sunday morning. Piers Grange burst through from the second row at the rolling start to take second place behind polesitter Dave Cockell as Josh Payton’s Cortina also came under fire from Alex Boam’s Fiesta Turbo. The top three were almost as one at the end of lap one from Boam running alone in fourth. The Fiesta had made a superb start from the fifth row to go between Paul Nevill and stablemate David Guthrie into fourth by the first corner. Boam was a short distance ahead of another trio as Nevill headed Guthrie and the recovering Simon Light, who had got the Capri V8 going again overnight and had climbed up from the sixth row. The Capri thumped past Guthrie along the pit straight to move into sixth but had fallen back behind the nimbler Fiesta in the early technical section of the lap. Light stormed past Guthrie again onto lap three and held the hatchback off to harass Nevill, streaking ahead of the Escort down the back straight to end the lap in a clear fifth but the Capri exited on lap four after its misfire returned. Cockell continued to pull clear throughout the first half of the twenty minutes from the closely matched Class B+ lead pair as Payton wouldn’t let Grange rest. The Escort got away a little from the Cortina into the latter half of the encounter and started to reel in Cockell after the leader’s pace began to ebb away dramatically heading onto the final lap when his fuel pump started to expire. The silver Escorts crossed the line virtually abreast as the faltering Cosworth held off the chasing Mk2 by a nose in a grandstand finish for victory number two of the weekend. Payton came home not far adrift of the top two in third, just two-and-a-half seconds from the failing Escort Cosworth. Alex Boam crossed the line in a pleasing fourth overall to complete the Class B+ top three ahead of Paul Nevill and the sister Ecoboost Fiesta of David Guthrie in sixth, who had shadowed the series coordinator for much of the race. Class A winner Mick Head fended off the Class B+ Fiesta of Sam Daffin in a close battle for seventh overall, the Escort Cosworth having borrowed some parts from race winner Cockell to make the race after a defective wheel bearing was discovered. Tony Paxman took over his Mk1 Escort from Wayne Crabtree and claimed the Class B spoils in the ninth after rivals Chris Baker non-started his Mk3 Escort and Colin Claxton’s Mk1 Escort was a first-lap retirement. Dave Barrett made it to the end for another triumph in Class C with his Fiesta.
Race Three: The third encounter marked the end of the 2024 season for the Modified Ford Series and Dave Cockell couldn’t complete a hat-trick of victories to take his tally of wins to eleven for the year after being forced to miss the last outing due to his earlier fuel pump issue. Piers Grange scorched away from pole position as fellow front-row starter Josh Payton fell into the clutches of Alex Boam’s Escoboost Fiesta, who briefly got ahead in the early corners before the Cortina took back second at the everlasting left-hander behind the paddock. From the back of the ten-car grid, Simon Light had weaved his way through to fourth into the first corner and was third after one lap, the Capri having passed Boam on the back straight. Light blasted past Payton’s Cortina along the pit straight and began giving chase to leader Grange but the gremlins intervened once more on lap four after the V8 machine had set the race’s fastest lap. Payton was unable to keep pace with the silver Mk2 Escort this time but secured his third podium finish of the weekend in second. Boam had Paul Nevill in pursuit throughout as the Fiesta pilot took a maiden podium finish for the turbocharged car, with Class B+ hardware filling the first four positions. Wayne Crabtree had his second race in Tony Paxman’s Mk1 Escort and took the car’s second Class B victory of the weekend in a fine fifth overall. David Guthrie’s Fiesta came home in sixth after falling away from an early tussle with stablemate Boam and Nevill, also losing out to Crabtree’s Class B Escort early on lap five. Mick Head became embroiled in another dice with Sam Daffin, the two-wheel-drive Cossie slipped behind the RWD Fiesta early on lap two but would be back with Daffin on lap four. Head tried a move towards the hairpin at the end of the back straight before whistling past onto the fifth lap. Daffin passed the Martini Escort once more out the back of the circuit during the penultimate lap but Head used his Escort’s power to reclaim the place heading onto the last lap. However, Daffin moved back ahead in the twisty bits and the Escort Cosworth fell just 0.110 seconds short at the line as Head took his third Class A win of the weekend. With his Mk3 Escort out of action, Chris Baker had an outing in Dave Barrett's Class C Fiesta but wouldn’t see the chequered flag as he pulled out after three laps.
Full results: Qualifying - click here, Race One - click here, Race Two - click here, Race Three - click here
*Pic from Knockhill in June 2024.
As in 2023, the overall series winner came from Class C after Dave Barrett scored eleven class victories with his Fiesta throughout the season to clinch the award. Barrett is a long-term supporter of the Modified Ford Series and has barely missed a meeting since 2020.
As in 2023, the overall series winner came from Class C after Dave Barrett scored eleven class victories with his Fiesta throughout the season to clinch the award. Barrett is a long-term supporter of the Modified Ford Series and has barely missed a meeting since 2020.
2024 Season Statistics
Qualifying
11 qualifying sessions in total including Group A & B split grids at Brands Hatch Ford Power Live
Overall Pole: Dave Cockell 4 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Piers Grange 2 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International), Tommy Field 1 (Snetterton), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National), Tom Ovenden 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Mike Thurley 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB)
Class SA Pole: Dave Cockell 5 (Silverstone International, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park), Tommy Field 1 (Snetterton), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National)
Class A Pole: Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 3 (Snetterton, Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), David Matthias 2 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe), Paul Daly 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park), Mick Head 1 (Navarra)
Class SB Pole: Tom Ovenden 5 (Silverstone International, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Lea Wood 2 (Castle Combe, Donington Park), Jim Hutchinson 1 (Oulton Park), Mat Brennan 1 (Snetterton) (1 No Entries Navarra)
Class B+ Pole: Piers Grange 4 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe, Donington Park, Snetterton), Josh Payton 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra), Malcolm Harding 2 (Silverstone International, Silverstone National), Olly Allen 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA)
Class B Pole: Chris Baker 5 (Silverstone International, Castle Combe, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra), Mike Thurley 2 (Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpB), Oliver Bullion 1 (Oulton Park), Neil Jessop 1 (Donington Park), Tyler England 1 (Snetterton)
Class C Pole: Dave Barrett 5 (Silverstone International, Oulton Park, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Gary Littlewood 2 (Snetterton, Silverstone National), Darryl Taplin 1 (Castle Combe), Kevan Hadfield 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Justin Fuller 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB)
Qualifying
11 qualifying sessions in total including Group A & B split grids at Brands Hatch Ford Power Live
Overall Pole: Dave Cockell 4 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Piers Grange 2 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International), Tommy Field 1 (Snetterton), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National), Tom Ovenden 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Mike Thurley 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB)
Class SA Pole: Dave Cockell 5 (Silverstone International, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park), Tommy Field 1 (Snetterton), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National)
Class A Pole: Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 3 (Snetterton, Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), David Matthias 2 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe), Paul Daly 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park), Mick Head 1 (Navarra)
Class SB Pole: Tom Ovenden 5 (Silverstone International, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpA), Lea Wood 2 (Castle Combe, Donington Park), Jim Hutchinson 1 (Oulton Park), Mat Brennan 1 (Snetterton) (1 No Entries Navarra)
Class B+ Pole: Piers Grange 4 (Oulton Park, Castle Combe, Donington Park, Snetterton), Josh Payton 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra), Malcolm Harding 2 (Silverstone International, Silverstone National), Olly Allen 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA)
Class B Pole: Chris Baker 5 (Silverstone International, Castle Combe, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra), Mike Thurley 2 (Silverstone National, Brands Hatch FPL GpB), Oliver Bullion 1 (Oulton Park), Neil Jessop 1 (Donington Park), Tyler England 1 (Snetterton)
Class C Pole: Dave Barrett 5 (Silverstone International, Oulton Park, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park, Navarra), Gary Littlewood 2 (Snetterton, Silverstone National), Darryl Taplin 1 (Castle Combe), Kevan Hadfield 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Justin Fuller 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB)
Race Results
22 Races in total including Group A & B split grids at Brands Hatch Ford Power Live (1 race didn't take place at Castle Combe)
Overall 1st: Dave Cockell 10 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Tommy Field 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Piers Grange 2 (Castle Combe R1, Navarra R3), Mike Thurley 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Simon Light 1 (Castle Combe R2), Malcolm Harding 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Tom Ovenden 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2). 8 different race winners.
Overall 2nd: Tom Ovenden 6 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Jack Gadd 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Lloyd Jamieson 2 (Donington Park R2 & R3), Tommy Field 2 (Silverstone International R1, Silverstone National R2), Josh Payton 2 (Navarra R1 & R3), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Chris Baker 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International R2), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R1), Piers Grange 1 (Navarra R2)
Overall 3rd: Piers Grange 4 (Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1 & R2, Navarra R1), James Allen 2 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1), Lea Wood 2 (Castle Combe R1 & R2), Josh Payton 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Navarra R2), Dave Cockell 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2), Andy Robinson 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R3), Simon Light 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National R2), Dan Minton 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Paul Nevill 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Tyler England 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Tom Burgess 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Alex Boam 1 (Navarra R3)
22 Races in total including Group A & B split grids at Brands Hatch Ford Power Live (1 race didn't take place at Castle Combe)
Overall 1st: Dave Cockell 10 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Tommy Field 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Piers Grange 2 (Castle Combe R1, Navarra R3), Mike Thurley 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Simon Light 1 (Castle Combe R2), Malcolm Harding 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Tom Ovenden 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2). 8 different race winners.
Overall 2nd: Tom Ovenden 6 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Jack Gadd 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Lloyd Jamieson 2 (Donington Park R2 & R3), Tommy Field 2 (Silverstone International R1, Silverstone National R2), Josh Payton 2 (Navarra R1 & R3), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Chris Baker 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), James Allen 1 (Silverstone International R2), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R1), Piers Grange 1 (Navarra R2)
Overall 3rd: Piers Grange 4 (Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1 & R2, Navarra R1), James Allen 2 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1), Lea Wood 2 (Castle Combe R1 & R2), Josh Payton 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Navarra R2), Dave Cockell 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2), Andy Robinson 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R3), Simon Light 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National R2), Dan Minton 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Paul Nevill 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Tyler England 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Tom Burgess 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Alex Boam 1 (Navarra R3)
Class SA 1st: Dave Cockell 10 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Tommy Field 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Simon Light 3 (Castle Combe R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Piers Warwick 2 (Oulton Park R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park R2) (1 No Finisher Navarra R3)
Class SA 2nd: Lloyd Jamieson 4 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Tommy Field 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Silverstone National R2), Jack Gadd 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Malcolm Wise 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1), Andy Robinson 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park R1), Piers Warwick 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2) (1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1, 2 No Finishers Navarra R1 & R2, 1 No Starter Navarra R3)
Class SA 3rd: Lloyd Jamieson 5 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), Malcolm Wise 4 (Oulton Park R1, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Piers Warwick 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R2), Dave Cockell 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2), Simon Light 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National R2) (1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1, 1 No Starter Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class SA 2nd: Lloyd Jamieson 4 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Tommy Field 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Silverstone National R2), Jack Gadd 3 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), Malcolm Wise 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1), Andy Robinson 2 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park R1), Piers Warwick 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2) (1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1, 2 No Finishers Navarra R1 & R2, 1 No Starter Navarra R3)
Class SA 3rd: Lloyd Jamieson 5 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise), Malcolm Wise 4 (Oulton Park R1, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Piers Warwick 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R2), Dave Cockell 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2), Simon Light 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jack Gadd 1 (Silverstone National R2) (1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1, 1 No Starter Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
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Class A 1st: Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 7 (Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2), James Allen 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Oulton Park R1), Stefan Marsh 3 (Castle Combe R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1 & R2), Mick Head 3 (Navarra R1, R2 & R3), David Matthias 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1), Paul Daly 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise) (1 No Finisher Knockhill Clockwise)
Class A 2nd: Mick Head 4 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R1, Snetterton R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), David Matthias 4 (Donington Park R2 & R3, Silverstone National R1 & R2), Ralph Higson 2 (Silverstone International R1 & R2), Brian Lilley 2 (Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Alan Breck 1 (Oulton Park R1), Scott Matthias 1 (Oulton Park R2), Stefan Marsh 1 (Castle Combe R1), Leroy Brown 1 (Castle Combe R2) (1 No Starter Knockhill Clockwise, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class A 3rd: Stefan Marsh 2 (Silverstone International R1 & R2), Leroy Brown 2 (Castle Combe R1, Silverstone National R2), Alan Breck 1 (Oulton Park R2), Mike Manning 1 (Oulton Park R1), Mick Head 1 (Castle Combe R2), Scott Matthias 1 (Donington Park R2), Stefan Marsh 1 (Snetterton R1), Paul Restall 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jeremy Sutton 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1) (2 No Entries Knockhill, 2 N0 Finishers Donington Park R1 & R3, 1 No Finisher Snetterton R2, 1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class A 2nd: Mick Head 4 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R1, Snetterton R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), David Matthias 4 (Donington Park R2 & R3, Silverstone National R1 & R2), Ralph Higson 2 (Silverstone International R1 & R2), Brian Lilley 2 (Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Alan Breck 1 (Oulton Park R1), Scott Matthias 1 (Oulton Park R2), Stefan Marsh 1 (Castle Combe R1), Leroy Brown 1 (Castle Combe R2) (1 No Starter Knockhill Clockwise, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class A 3rd: Stefan Marsh 2 (Silverstone International R1 & R2), Leroy Brown 2 (Castle Combe R1, Silverstone National R2), Alan Breck 1 (Oulton Park R2), Mike Manning 1 (Oulton Park R1), Mick Head 1 (Castle Combe R2), Scott Matthias 1 (Donington Park R2), Stefan Marsh 1 (Snetterton R1), Paul Restall 1 (Silverstone National R1), Jeremy Sutton 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1) (2 No Entries Knockhill, 2 N0 Finishers Donington Park R1 & R3, 1 No Finisher Snetterton R2, 1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
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Class SB 1st: Tom Ovenden 7 (Silverstone International R1, Castle Combe R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Lea Wood 4 (Castle Combe R1, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Mat Brennan 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2), Malcolm Harding 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1) (1 No Finisher Silverstone International R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class SB 2nd: Tom Ovenden 4 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Ben Purnell 2 (Donington Park R1 & R3), Tim Foxlow 2 (Silverstone National R1 & R2), Mat Brennan 2 (Donington Park R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Lea Wood 1 (Castle Combe R2) (2 No Starter Silverstone International, 2 No Entries Knockhill, 2 No Entries Snetterton, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class SB 3rd: Mat Brennan 3 (Donington Park R1 & R3, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Ben Purnell 2 (Castle Combe R1 & R2), Daz Owen 1 (Oulton Park R2) (2 No Entries Silverstone International, 1 Disqualified Oulton Park, 2 No Entries Knockhill, 1 No Finisher Donington Park R2, 2 No Entries Snetterton, 1 N0 Finisher Silverstone National R1, 1 No Starter Silverstone National R2, 1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class SB 2nd: Tom Ovenden 4 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Ben Purnell 2 (Donington Park R1 & R3), Tim Foxlow 2 (Silverstone National R1 & R2), Mat Brennan 2 (Donington Park R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Lea Wood 1 (Castle Combe R2) (2 No Starter Silverstone International, 2 No Entries Knockhill, 2 No Entries Snetterton, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class SB 3rd: Mat Brennan 3 (Donington Park R1 & R3, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Ben Purnell 2 (Castle Combe R1 & R2), Daz Owen 1 (Oulton Park R2) (2 No Entries Silverstone International, 1 Disqualified Oulton Park, 2 No Entries Knockhill, 1 No Finisher Donington Park R2, 2 No Entries Snetterton, 1 N0 Finisher Silverstone National R1, 1 No Starter Silverstone National R2, 1 No Finisher Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, 3 No Entries Navarra)
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Class B+ 1st: Piers Grange 11 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Snetterton R1 & R2, Navarra R2 & R3), Josh Payton 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra R1), Malcolm Harding 2 (Silverstone International R2, Silverstone National R1), Dan Minton 2 (Silverstone National R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Todd Garner 1 (Oulton Park R1), Paul Nevill 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2)
Class B+ 2nd: Josh Payton 4 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1, Navarra R2 & R3), Paul Nevill 4 (Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Clockwise, Snetterton R1, Silverstone National R2), Olly Allen 3 (Donington Park R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Piers Grange 2 (Silverstone International R2, Navarra R1), Alex Boam 2 (Oulton Park R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Todd Garner 1 (Castle Combe R2), Martin Reynolds 1 (Donington Park R3), Neil Argrave 1 (Snetterton R2), Dan Minton 1 (Silverstone National R2), Steve Goldsmith 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2)
Class B+ 3rd: Alex Boam 3 (Castle Combe R2, Navarra R2 & R3), David Guthrie 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra R1), Paul Nevill 3 (Donington Park R3, Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Steve Goldsmith 3 (Donington Park R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Todd Garner 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1), Wayne Crabtree 2 (Silverstone National R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Laki Christoforou 1 (Silverstone International R1), Josh Payton 1 (Silverstone International R2), Robert Lewis 1 (Oulton Park R1), Dan Minton 1 (Snetterton R1)
Class B+ 2nd: Josh Payton 4 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1, Navarra R2 & R3), Paul Nevill 4 (Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Clockwise, Snetterton R1, Silverstone National R2), Olly Allen 3 (Donington Park R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Piers Grange 2 (Silverstone International R2, Navarra R1), Alex Boam 2 (Oulton Park R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Todd Garner 1 (Castle Combe R2), Martin Reynolds 1 (Donington Park R3), Neil Argrave 1 (Snetterton R2), Dan Minton 1 (Silverstone National R2), Steve Goldsmith 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2)
Class B+ 3rd: Alex Boam 3 (Castle Combe R2, Navarra R2 & R3), David Guthrie 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra R1), Paul Nevill 3 (Donington Park R3, Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Steve Goldsmith 3 (Donington Park R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Todd Garner 2 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1), Wayne Crabtree 2 (Silverstone National R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Laki Christoforou 1 (Silverstone International R1), Josh Payton 1 (Silverstone International R2), Robert Lewis 1 (Oulton Park R1), Dan Minton 1 (Snetterton R1)
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Class B 1st: Chris Baker 6 (Silverstone International R1, Knockhill Clockwise, Donington Park R2, Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2), Oliver Bullion 4 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2), Mike Thurley 3 (Silverstone International R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Neil Jessop 2 (Donington Park R1, Snetterton R1), Gary Johnson 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise), Tyler England 1 (Donington Park R3), Tony Paxman 1 (Navarra R2), Wayne Crabtree 1 (Navarra R3) (1 No Finisher Navarra R1)
Class B 2nd: Chris Baker 5 (Silverstone International R2, Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Tyler England 4 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2), Mike Thurley 3 (Oulton Park R1, Castle Combe R1 & R2), Gary Johnson 2 (Silverstone International R1, Knockhill Clockwise), Tim Mizen 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise), Neil Jessop 1 (Donington Park R2), Oliver Bullion 1 (Donington Park R3) ( (3 No Finishers Navarra)
Class B 3rd: Tyler England 6 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Donington Park R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Mike Thurley 4 (Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1, 1 Snetterton R2, 1 Silverstone National R2), Gary Johnson 2 (Donington Park R3, Silverstone National R1), Mac McCarthy 1 (Oulton Park R1), Tim Mizen 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Chris Baker 1 (Snetterton R1), Tom Burgess 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2) (1 No Finisher Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, 2 N0 Finishers Navarra R1 & R2, 1 No Starter Navarra R3)
Class B 2nd: Chris Baker 5 (Silverstone International R2, Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Tyler England 4 (Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2), Mike Thurley 3 (Oulton Park R1, Castle Combe R1 & R2), Gary Johnson 2 (Silverstone International R1, Knockhill Clockwise), Tim Mizen 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise), Neil Jessop 1 (Donington Park R2), Oliver Bullion 1 (Donington Park R3) ( (3 No Finishers Navarra)
Class B 3rd: Tyler England 6 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Donington Park R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Mike Thurley 4 (Oulton Park R2, Donington Park R1, 1 Snetterton R2, 1 Silverstone National R2), Gary Johnson 2 (Donington Park R3, Silverstone National R1), Mac McCarthy 1 (Oulton Park R1), Tim Mizen 1 (Knockhill Clockwise), Chris Baker 1 (Snetterton R1), Tom Burgess 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2) (1 No Finisher Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, 2 N0 Finishers Navarra R1 & R2, 1 No Starter Navarra R3)
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Class C 1st: Dave Barrett 11 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Gary Littlewood 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Snetterton R1), Kevan Hadfield 2 (Knockhill Clockwise, Snetterton R2), Justin Fuller 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Darryl Taplin 1 (Donington Park R3) (1 No Finisher Navarra R3)
Class C 2nd: Kevan Hadfield 5 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R3), Darryl Taplin 4 (Silverstone International R2, Castle Combe R1, Donington Park R1 & R2), Dave Barrett 3 (Silverstone International R1, Knockhill Clockwise, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Gary Littlewood 2 (Silverstone National R1 & R2), Justin Fuller 1 (Snetterton R1), Shaun Hadfield 1 (Snetterton R2), Aaron Tucker 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1) (3 No Entries Navarra)
Class C 3rd: Kevan Hadfield 6 (Castle Combe R1, 2 Donington Park R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Shaun Hadfield 3 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Donington Park R3), Dave Barrett 3 (Silverstone International R2, Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Darryl Taplin 1 (Silverstone International R1), Mark Hadfield 1 (Snetterton R2) (1 No Finisher Castle Combe R2, 2 No Finishers Knockhill, 3 No Entries Navarra)
Class C 2nd: Kevan Hadfield 5 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R3), Darryl Taplin 4 (Silverstone International R2, Castle Combe R1, Donington Park R1 & R2), Dave Barrett 3 (Silverstone International R1, Knockhill Clockwise, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Gary Littlewood 2 (Silverstone National R1 & R2), Justin Fuller 1 (Snetterton R1), Shaun Hadfield 1 (Snetterton R2), Aaron Tucker 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1) (3 No Entries Navarra)
Class C 3rd: Kevan Hadfield 6 (Castle Combe R1, 2 Donington Park R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R2), Shaun Hadfield 3 (Oulton Park R1 & R2, Donington Park R3), Dave Barrett 3 (Silverstone International R2, Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1), Darryl Taplin 1 (Silverstone International R1), Mark Hadfield 1 (Snetterton R2) (1 No Finisher Castle Combe R2, 2 No Finishers Knockhill, 3 No Entries Navarra)
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Fastest Laps
Overall Fastest Race Lap: Dave Cockell 7 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R2, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R2), Tom Ovenden 3 (Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1 & R2), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe R2, Navarra R3), Tommy Field 2 (Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Mike Thurley 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park R1), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R3), Jack Gadd 1 (Snetterton R1), Josh Payton 1 (Navarra R1)
Class SA Fastest Lap: Dave Cockell 10 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Simon Light 4 (Castle Combe R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, Navarra R3), Tommy Field 2 (Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Piers Warwick 1 (Oulton Park R1), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park R2), Jack Gadd 1 (Snetterton R1), Malcolm Wise 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1)
Class A Fastest Lap: Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 4 (Donington Park R3, Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), James Allen 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Oulton Park R1), David Matthias 3 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1, Donington Park R2), Mick Head 3 (Navarra R1, R2 & R3), Stefan Marsh 2 (Castle Combe R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Paul Daly 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park R1), Brian Lilley 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1) (1 Non-Starter & 1 Lap One Retirement Knockhill Clockwise)
Class SB Fastest Lap: Tom Ovenden 9 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1 & R2), Lea Wood 4 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Mat Brennan 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2) (3 No Entries Navarra)
Class B+ Fastest Lap: Piers Grange 11 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Snetterton R2, Navarra R2 & R3), Dan Minton 4 (Snetterton R1, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Josh Payton 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra R1), Malcolm Harding 1 (Silverstone International R2), Steve Goldsmith 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2)
Class B Fastest Lap: Chris Baker 8 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Navarra R1), Mike Thurley 4 (Silverstone International R2, Castle Combe R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Neil Jessop 3 (Donington Park R1, Snetterton R1 & R2), Oliver Bullion 2 (Oulton Park R1, Castle Combe R1), Tyler England 1 (Donington Park R3), Tony Paxman 1 (Navarra R2), Wayne Crabtree 1 (Navarra R3)
Class C Fastest Lap: Dave Barrett 9 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R1 & R2, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Justin Fuller 3 (Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Gary Littlewood 2 (Silverstone International R2, Silverstone National R1), Darryl Taplin 2 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R3), Kevan Hadfield 2 (Knockhill Clockwise, Snetterton R2), Shaun Hadfield 1 (Oulton Park R1), Chris Baker 1 (Navarra R3)
Overall Fastest Race Lap: Dave Cockell 7 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R2, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R2), Tom Ovenden 3 (Castle Combe R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1 & R2), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Simon Light 2 (Castle Combe R2, Navarra R3), Tommy Field 2 (Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Mike Thurley 2 (Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park R1), Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 1 (Donington Park R3), Jack Gadd 1 (Snetterton R1), Josh Payton 1 (Navarra R1)
Class SA Fastest Lap: Dave Cockell 10 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Simon Light 4 (Castle Combe R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2, Navarra R3), Tommy Field 2 (Snetterton R2, Silverstone National R1), Piers Warwick 1 (Oulton Park R1), Luke Bennett 1 (Oulton Park R2), Jack Gadd 1 (Snetterton R1), Malcolm Wise 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1)
Class A Fastest Lap: Steve Scott-Dunwoodie 4 (Donington Park R3, Snetterton R1 & R2, Silverstone National R1), James Allen 3 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Oulton Park R1), David Matthias 3 (Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1, Donington Park R2), Mick Head 3 (Navarra R1, R2 & R3), Stefan Marsh 2 (Castle Combe R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2), Paul Daly 1 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise), Jason Davies 1 (Donington Park R1), Brian Lilley 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1) (1 Non-Starter & 1 Lap One Retirement Knockhill Clockwise)
Class SB Fastest Lap: Tom Ovenden 9 (Silverstone International R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1 & R2), Lea Wood 4 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3), Jim Hutchinson 2 (Oulton Park R1 & R2), Mat Brennan 2 (Snetterton R1 & R2) (3 No Entries Navarra)
Class B+ Fastest Lap: Piers Grange 11 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R1 & R2, Castle Combe R1 & R2, Donington Park R1, R2 & R3, Snetterton R2, Navarra R2 & R3), Dan Minton 4 (Snetterton R1, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpA R1), Josh Payton 3 (Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Navarra R1), Malcolm Harding 1 (Silverstone International R2), Steve Goldsmith 1 (Brands Hatch FPL GpA R2)
Class B Fastest Lap: Chris Baker 8 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R2, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise & Clockwise, Donington Park R2, Silverstone National R1 & R2, Navarra R1), Mike Thurley 4 (Silverstone International R2, Castle Combe R2, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Neil Jessop 3 (Donington Park R1, Snetterton R1 & R2), Oliver Bullion 2 (Oulton Park R1, Castle Combe R1), Tyler England 1 (Donington Park R3), Tony Paxman 1 (Navarra R2), Wayne Crabtree 1 (Navarra R3)
Class C Fastest Lap: Dave Barrett 9 (Silverstone International R1, Oulton Park R2, Castle Combe R1, Knockhill Anti-Clockwise, Donington Park R1 & R2, Silverstone National R2, Navarra R1 & R2), Justin Fuller 3 (Snetterton R1, Brands Hatch FPL GpB R1 & R2), Gary Littlewood 2 (Silverstone International R2, Silverstone National R1), Darryl Taplin 2 (Castle Combe R2, Donington Park R3), Kevan Hadfield 2 (Knockhill Clockwise, Snetterton R2), Shaun Hadfield 1 (Oulton Park R1), Chris Baker 1 (Navarra R3)
The continued format of the series faced a significant threat in the second half of 2024 as the governing body drafted a proposal that would severely restrict any non-championship racing series to a maximum of six races, with no ‘away’ meeting on the continent permitted. Any form of award would also be forbidden but the backlash that the MSUK committee received not just from the Modified Ford Series but from other groups too saw the motion quashed.
A shake-up of the class system is incoming for the 2025 season. The largest capacity, multi-valve engined cars from Class B+ move into Class A and Class B cars that have multi-valve engines larger than 2150cc shift up to Class B+, the relevant capacities are now over 1750cc up to 2150cc for Class B and 2150cc up to 2550cc for Class B+. A similar revision to the Super classes was eventually dropped.
A shake-up of the class system is incoming for the 2025 season. The largest capacity, multi-valve engined cars from Class B+ move into Class A and Class B cars that have multi-valve engines larger than 2150cc shift up to Class B+, the relevant capacities are now over 1750cc up to 2150cc for Class B and 2150cc up to 2550cc for Class B+. A similar revision to the Super classes was eventually dropped.
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The 2025 season gets underway at Snetterton in early April before a single day meeting at Oulton Park later in the month. The series then makes its first sortie to Mallory Park since 2021 three weeks later and the 2025 ‘away’ round follows that, a trip to Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland over the second weekend of June. The Modified Ford Series pays its maiden visit to Croft upon its return from the Emerald Isle in the middle of July and the following meeting takes place during the summer holidays at the undulating Cadwell Park, where the series makes its first appearance in two years. The series again plays a starring role at the Ford Power Live extravaganza on the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch in mid-September and the season finale takes place at the ‘Home of British Motor Racing’ during early autumn on the International version of the Silverstone complex.
For more information, please visit the Modified Ford Series website: www.modifiedfords.co.uk |
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