Modified Ford Series Snetterton '200' 10th May 2026
JUBILANT JAMIESON’S MAIDEN MAXI TRIUMPH BEFORE GRANGE GRABS GOLD TOO
The Modified Ford Series paid its first visit of the year to Snetterton on the 10th of May. The competitors would be driving on the ’200’ layout on the day, the version which most resembles the track map of old before its remodelling ahead of the 2011 season and the venue celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
Preview: Lloyd Jamieson’s hopes were high after a strong performance from the Class SA Escort Maxi Cosworth at Silverstone last October and the revised turbocar should be tailor-made for the ’200’ layout. Malcolm Wise scored a fifth and fourth in class on his last appearance with his Escort Cosworth and the powerful machine should be right at home on the long straights of Snetterton. Piers Warwick’s winter revisions worked well in Cheshire and the Nissan-powered Mk1 Escort should go well again in Norfolk, whilst Jim Newins’ Mk2 Escort was still plagued by a frustrating misfire at Oulton Park but Newins was confident the cause has finally been traced so the turbocharged YB motor should hopefully be firing on all four in Norfolk. James Allen got 2026 off to a fantastic start with a double overall victory at Oulton Park with his Focus RS from Class A. Allen recently celebrated his milestone 40th birthday and aimed to give himself a present or two at Snetterton. Piers Grange set the pole position time in a slippery session at Oulton Park aboard his stunningly quick Mk2 Escort, the flat-out blasts of the '200' layout shouldn’t suit the nimble machine as much as the sinuous Oulton Park on paper but Grange will certainly be near or at the front. Todd Garner impressed on his return to the Modified Fords at Oulton Park and was a top-four qualifier at the Norfolk circuit one year ago so ought to be in the mix up front. Stefan Marsh suffered electrical issues with his Focus in Cheshire and should go much better at Snetterton with full power restored. Wayne Crabtree’s Sierra Cosworth made its first appearance since its debut at the Norfolk venue twelve months ago and he would be competing alongside stepson Oliver Clarke for the first time since the Ford Power Live meeting at Brands Hatch in 2021. Leroy Brown had a trying day at last season’s Silverstone finale but the turbocharged Fiesta has been a place award winner in the division before. A slightly more representative entry of Class B+ cars was received for this meeting after a quiet start at Oulton Park, with series coordinator Paul Nevill taking home both class trophies but the RS2000 had a great second race to finish as the overall runner-up. Local man Martin Reynolds could well give Nevill something to think about with the 2.5-litre Zakspeed Mk2 Escort from his eclectic collection of the marque’s wares, ranging from a V8-engined Sierra, through a glorious Cologne Capri recreation to a Millington-powered Anglia. AJ Howe was the only other Class B+ entry at Oulton Park and the Lincolnshire resident hoped to have a better day this time, with a shock absorber breaking in qualifying after one flying lap and ending the incongruous Focus Estate’s day but the eye-opening turbocar is quicker than you might imagine. Oliver Clarke made his first series appearance in recent times with a Fiesta ST180 that he won the CSCC’s first ever Turbo Tin Tops race aboard. The one they all have to beat in Class B is local favourite Tyler England with his well-sorted Fiesta, who qualified inside the top six at Oulton Park and stormed to both class wins. Six Escorts formed the bulk of the class B entry, with four Mk1s, a single Mk2 and a lone Mk3 hoping to take the fight to England. After a difficult Oulton Park, Chris Baker would be hoping for better reliability this time and the high-revving Mk3 Escort has the capability to threaten England when it’s on-song. Mike Thurley started his season at Snetterton after engine trouble kept the Mk1 Escort away from Oulton Park and the Zakspeed replica will likely be one of England’s closest rivals for the class honours. The great looking Mk1 Escort of Sean Brown has a soundtrack to match from its BDG powerplant, with Brown picking up a third-placed trophy first time out in Cheshire a few weeks ago. The immaculate Mk1s of Gary West-Johnson and Andy Pipe made their seasonal debut in Norfolk, with both dark horses for a trophy. Engine failures made Jason Stone‘s first couple of meetings with his freshly-built Mk2 Escort massively disappointing but the oil system issues have now been licked and the X-Pack machine is developing well. John Ward drove superbly to take second in class and eighth overall with his Mk1 Focus in the later race at Oulton Park but he may be something of an underdog at Snetterton against his more powerful class opponents. Mike MacKenzie spent the opening meeting getting acquainted with his rebuilt Fiesta and he was joined by the borrowed similar car of versatile racer Wil Arif, who would be at the wheel of Ian Seale’s regular mount and has been racing for a whopping 56 years! After having Class C to himself at Oulton Park, Dave Barrett had another Fiesta to play with at Snetterton in the form of Gary Littlewood’s bright yellow example and the pair have had some great battles in the past. Littlewood’s was a late entry, having only returned home from New Zealand a week before Snetterton with his engine still sat on a pallet.
The Modified Ford Series paid its first visit of the year to Snetterton on the 10th of May. The competitors would be driving on the ’200’ layout on the day, the version which most resembles the track map of old before its remodelling ahead of the 2011 season and the venue celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
Preview: Lloyd Jamieson’s hopes were high after a strong performance from the Class SA Escort Maxi Cosworth at Silverstone last October and the revised turbocar should be tailor-made for the ’200’ layout. Malcolm Wise scored a fifth and fourth in class on his last appearance with his Escort Cosworth and the powerful machine should be right at home on the long straights of Snetterton. Piers Warwick’s winter revisions worked well in Cheshire and the Nissan-powered Mk1 Escort should go well again in Norfolk, whilst Jim Newins’ Mk2 Escort was still plagued by a frustrating misfire at Oulton Park but Newins was confident the cause has finally been traced so the turbocharged YB motor should hopefully be firing on all four in Norfolk. James Allen got 2026 off to a fantastic start with a double overall victory at Oulton Park with his Focus RS from Class A. Allen recently celebrated his milestone 40th birthday and aimed to give himself a present or two at Snetterton. Piers Grange set the pole position time in a slippery session at Oulton Park aboard his stunningly quick Mk2 Escort, the flat-out blasts of the '200' layout shouldn’t suit the nimble machine as much as the sinuous Oulton Park on paper but Grange will certainly be near or at the front. Todd Garner impressed on his return to the Modified Fords at Oulton Park and was a top-four qualifier at the Norfolk circuit one year ago so ought to be in the mix up front. Stefan Marsh suffered electrical issues with his Focus in Cheshire and should go much better at Snetterton with full power restored. Wayne Crabtree’s Sierra Cosworth made its first appearance since its debut at the Norfolk venue twelve months ago and he would be competing alongside stepson Oliver Clarke for the first time since the Ford Power Live meeting at Brands Hatch in 2021. Leroy Brown had a trying day at last season’s Silverstone finale but the turbocharged Fiesta has been a place award winner in the division before. A slightly more representative entry of Class B+ cars was received for this meeting after a quiet start at Oulton Park, with series coordinator Paul Nevill taking home both class trophies but the RS2000 had a great second race to finish as the overall runner-up. Local man Martin Reynolds could well give Nevill something to think about with the 2.5-litre Zakspeed Mk2 Escort from his eclectic collection of the marque’s wares, ranging from a V8-engined Sierra, through a glorious Cologne Capri recreation to a Millington-powered Anglia. AJ Howe was the only other Class B+ entry at Oulton Park and the Lincolnshire resident hoped to have a better day this time, with a shock absorber breaking in qualifying after one flying lap and ending the incongruous Focus Estate’s day but the eye-opening turbocar is quicker than you might imagine. Oliver Clarke made his first series appearance in recent times with a Fiesta ST180 that he won the CSCC’s first ever Turbo Tin Tops race aboard. The one they all have to beat in Class B is local favourite Tyler England with his well-sorted Fiesta, who qualified inside the top six at Oulton Park and stormed to both class wins. Six Escorts formed the bulk of the class B entry, with four Mk1s, a single Mk2 and a lone Mk3 hoping to take the fight to England. After a difficult Oulton Park, Chris Baker would be hoping for better reliability this time and the high-revving Mk3 Escort has the capability to threaten England when it’s on-song. Mike Thurley started his season at Snetterton after engine trouble kept the Mk1 Escort away from Oulton Park and the Zakspeed replica will likely be one of England’s closest rivals for the class honours. The great looking Mk1 Escort of Sean Brown has a soundtrack to match from its BDG powerplant, with Brown picking up a third-placed trophy first time out in Cheshire a few weeks ago. The immaculate Mk1s of Gary West-Johnson and Andy Pipe made their seasonal debut in Norfolk, with both dark horses for a trophy. Engine failures made Jason Stone‘s first couple of meetings with his freshly-built Mk2 Escort massively disappointing but the oil system issues have now been licked and the X-Pack machine is developing well. John Ward drove superbly to take second in class and eighth overall with his Mk1 Focus in the later race at Oulton Park but he may be something of an underdog at Snetterton against his more powerful class opponents. Mike MacKenzie spent the opening meeting getting acquainted with his rebuilt Fiesta and he was joined by the borrowed similar car of versatile racer Wil Arif, who would be at the wheel of Ian Seale’s regular mount and has been racing for a whopping 56 years! After having Class C to himself at Oulton Park, Dave Barrett had another Fiesta to play with at Snetterton in the form of Gary Littlewood’s bright yellow example and the pair have had some great battles in the past. Littlewood’s was a late entry, having only returned home from New Zealand a week before Snetterton with his engine still sat on a pallet.
Qualifying: A less-than-ideal forecast improved markedly in the lead up to the meeting and the 15 minutes of qualifying began in overcast but dry conditions. Tyler England, Todd Garner and AJ Howe all took turns at the top of the times before Piers Grange bumped them with his third flying lap and the Mk2 Escort then improved on its benchmark next time around. However, Lloyd Jamieson pipped Grange by just 0.030 seconds five minutes later to secure pole position for the virgin white Escort Maxi Cosworth from Class SA. Grange held onto his front row starting slot as he topped Class A, with classmate James Allen lining up third and the trio were covered by less than half a second. Todd Garner seems to like qualifying fourth as it was the third time in three entries that the Focus has lined up in the second row position and would start third of the Class A cars. Early session fast man AJ Howe impressed as the Focus Estate topped Class B+ in fifth after making good use of the clear laps afforded by being the first car out on track. A mighty effort from Sean Brown saw the leading Class B car line up sixth, the BDG-powered Mk1 Escort having taken a big step forward since making its series debut at Oulton Park. Stefan Marsh followed the 2-litre car in seventh and the Class A Focus was joined on the fourth row by the RS2000 ‘droop snoot’ of Paul Nevill that went second-fastest in Class B+. The second and third-fastest Class B cars were to be found in ninth and tenth on the timesheet as Tyler England headed Mike Thurley, who wasn’t happy with his engine’s performance. However, England’s Fiesta was trailered after the session with a recurrence of the gearbox problem that reared its head on Saturday and kept the crew up until the early hours of Sunday attempting to fix. Another Class B machine followed as Chris Baker put his Mk3 Escort 11th despite having to pit with the bonnet threatening to fly open. Stepson beat stepdad as Oliver Clarke's Fiesta qualified 12th and Wayne Crabtree was one place lower in 13th, with 1.021 seconds separating the third-quickest Class B+ car and the Class A Sierra Cosworth but engine trouble ruled out the latter from the races. Gary West-Johnson headed a group of three Mk1 Escorts that qualified within a tenth of a second in 15th. with the similar car of classmate Andy Pipe just 0.061 seconds behind in 16th. An even closer 0.032 seconds behind Pipe sat Piers Warwick, who was second quickest of the Class SA machines in 17th overall and the Nissan-powered turbocar sat two places further up the grid than third-in-class Malcolm Wise’ Escort Cosworth. Gary Littlewood was surprised to head Class C in 23rd overall after feeling a severe vibration under braking but the Fiesta had less than a second in hand from Dave Barrett’s similar car, who found that water had got on his plugs after the session was over. Martin Reynolds’ day finished early after an ECU issue struck his Class B+ Escort, John Ward’s Class B Focus had a coil pack go down and Leroy Brown struggled throughout with an engine that was running very lean on his Fiesta from Class A.
Qualifying results: Click here
Qualifying results: Click here
Race One: With qualifying reducing the field by three, claiming Tyler England, Wayne Crabtree and Martin Reynolds, the 24-car race that followed was also one of attrition. Lloyd Jamieson powered into the lead from pole position at the rolling start, ahead of Piers Grange and James Allen, but there was drama behind them in the opening metres as Todd Garner’s engine stopped on the downshift for Riches. The following cars scattered as a result, with Oliver Clarke a first corner casualty when the Fiesta encountered the slowing Focus and bounced into the gravel on the outside. For the lead, Grange got ahead of the polesitter under braking for the Wilson hairpin as the top three arrived as one but the Escort Maxi Cosworth breezed past again on the Bentley Straight, with Allen's Focus looking on in third. Jamieson continued to lead the first few laps but couldn’t drop the chasing Class A cars of Grange and Allen, who were all generating their laptimes in different ways. Allen had just set the fastest lap of the three before the Class A car pitted at the end of the third tour with a shredded auxiliary belt. The second-placed Mk2 Escort was still pressing Jamieson's all-wheel-drive Escort for the number one spot but the Scot’s lead suddenly ballooned to nine seconds when Grange’s Smith and Jones engine cut out at Murrays on lap five, the cause was initially thought to stem from a fuel pressure issue but was actually an oil pressure warning that puts the Escort into limp mode when the unit’s revs drop to a certain level. After bleeding a few seconds to perform a system reset, Grange was able to continue but the chance of victory without trouble for Jamieson had gone. Jamieson went on to win with an official margin of 16.444 seconds from the Class A-winning Mk2 Escort after the result was wound back a lap for a red-flag inducing incident at Murrays. As has become traditional since 2022, the opening race winner on Sunday would receive the BRSCC East Anglian Centre's 'Barn Ruche Trophy' and the Scot was the fifth driver from the series to have his name engraved on the silverware as there has yet to be a repeat winner. Jamieson also had nice words to say about the late Ollie Ovenden in his post-race interview, words which are echoed by all in the paddock. Sean Brown initially ran in fourth after the first corner melee but the Class B+ leader AJ Howe caught and passed the screaming Group 2 Escort on lap two into the Wilson hairpin. However, the Focus Estate retired from a podium placing after Allen's exit at the Brundle/Nelson complex for the eighth time with a broken nearside-rear wheel bearing, having eaten into the gap to Grange as he fought with his engine management system and was within two seconds of the Mk2 Escort when the issue hit home. The Class B winner Brown ultimately scooped third overall from the chasing Paul Nevill, who prevailed in Class B+ and the 2025 series winner was the only finisher in the split. The second Class B finisher Chris Baker bested third-in-class Mike Thurley's Zakspeed Mk1 Escort as they completed the top six, with the latter ahead on lap one before Baker's Mk3 Escort sped by on the Senna Straight. Gary West-Johnson took fourth in Class B with seventh, he was caught by Malcolm Wise mid-race but the Mk1 Escort repassed the Escort Cosworth later on as the Class SA car fished for gears. Wise was still able take second of the Class SA cars in eighth. Colin Claxton's often troublesome turbocharged Mk1 Escort took a welcome second-in-class with ninth and was the only other Class A finisher after overall winner Grange. The mint Mk1 Escort of Andy Pipe from Class B bookended the top ten, whilst classmate Jason Stone made it home in 11th despite smashing the offside-front top suspension mount in a trip down the grass avoiding the turn one incident. The hobbled Mk2 finished one spot ahead of Piers Warwick's Class SA bronze medal-winning Mk1 Escort-Nissan. Mike MacKenzie and John Ward enjoyed their squabble for 13th and 14th overall, with the former's Fiesta beating the Focus to the line by just 0.288 seconds. Finishing fourth in Class SA and 15th overall, Jim Newins’ Mk2 Escort celebrated eradicating its misfire by the turbo coming loose and cooking the brake lines! After his mechanic had ventured to a motor factors in Norwich to source a replacement ball joint for his Fiesta, early Class C leader Gary Littlewood only lasted one lap before a power steering hose came adrift. Dave Barrett was in line to take the win instead but dramatically rolled his Fiesta at Murrays for the last time after clipping the apex sausage kerb, which brought the race to an early conclusion and the trophy went unclaimed. Barrett was fine afterwards but the MTS Motorsport machine is in need of a healthy dose of TLC. Wil Arif's Class B Fiesta completed the 16 finishers. Todd Garner pitted his Focus at the end of the opening lap before completing some exploratory tours in search of his issue, whilst Stefan Marsh retired his similar car from sixth position on lap three when the boost pipe came off.
Race One results: Click here
Race One results: Click here
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Race Two: The opening race winner Lloyd Jamieson non-started after a wheel bearing was found to have let go on the Escort Maxi Cosworth, with Andy Pipe's Mk1 Escort also non-starting after head gasket issues and Jason Stone missed out too with no spare top mount for his Mk2 Escort. The Fiestas of Oliver Clarke, Leroy Brown and Dave Barrett would also be absent from Race Two but the field was bolstered by the four Focuses that failed to finish Race One. The first nine cars on the grid were various iterations of the Escort model after the withdrawals of Jamieson, Pipe and Stone, the number would have been 12 had they started! Three five-pot Focuses and one Estate version started at the back of the 18-car field after their opening race dramas. Piers Grange led the pack away from the front row and disappeared into the distance, the Mk2 Escort taking a crushing win by 21.724 seconds. Sean Brown's Class B Escort led Paul Nevill's later Class B+ RS2000 in second and third overall during the early going. Nevill had got the drop on the Mk1 Escort at the start but the pair swapped places heading onto the Bentley Straight when the RS2000 slewed sideways. A phalanx of flying Focuses were slicing through the field led by James Allen, who was already fourth by the end of lap one after passing between the squabbling Class B pair Mike Thurley and Chris Baker past the pits. The Class A machine plunged down the inside of Nevill into third at Riches on lap three and moved up to second overall entering the Brundle/Nelson complex for the fourth time. Todd Garner's similar Mk2 Focus had also made rapid progress up the order and the Class A car was ninth by the end of the opening lap before climbing to seventh ending lap two. The Baker and Thurley Class B pairing fell victim next on lap three to put the Focus fifth and Garner moved up to fourth place at Nevill's expense through the Chapman left-hander onto the Bentley Straight for the fifth time. Fourth became third when Garner whistled past Brown heading onto lap seven and the Focus closed on Allen as a misfire took hold on the Oulton Park double-winning machine that made it vulnerable in a straightline. Garner sped past the red Focus onto the final tour but Allen steamed back up the inside on the brakes at Riches to reclaim second. Allen would hold off his classmate to the flag and the flame-spitting Focus secured the runner-up spot by an eventual 2.084 seconds. Garner had spent the race narrowing down his earlier issues to a possible brake cylinder problem, the brake pedal got longer before the system eventually applied the brakes itself and locked up when changing down the gears if it wasn't pumped. The top three finishers all came from Class A, whilst the Focus Estate of AJ Howe also came through from the back of the grid to fourth overall. The Class B+ winner was tenth at the end lap one before passing Baker's Class B car for sixth during lap five in the same manner as Garner did with Nevill. Howe had to work hard to take the Class B+ lead off Nevill's RS2000, the Focus going ahead through Coram after the pair had a drag race down the Bentley Straight for the eighth time. Nevill then whizzed ahead again across the start/finish line but the wild Estate claimed the spot for good when the RS2000 ran wide at Riches. The Class B leader Brown also had to bow to the Class B+ winner early on the last lap but the spotless Mk1 Escort wrapped up a class-winning double in fifth from Nevill, who followed his earlier Class B+ success with a runner-up finish in the split. Stefan Marsh got to seventh overall from his lowly start and overcame a delaminated front-right tyre to be fourth in Class A. Like in Race One, Mike Thurley led Chris Baker initially before the pair swapped places along the start/finish straight ending lap one but the Castrol Mk1 Escort passed the MTS Motorsport RS1600i on the run to the line for second in Class B and eighth overall after the Mk3 Escort started to run out of electricity, the legacy of an alternator wire breaking. Gary West-Johnson was fourth in Class B for the second time on the day as he shored up the top ten. The Mk1 Escort Turbos of Colin Claxton and Piers Warwick played all race long until a mistake at Riches from Claxton saw Warwick through on the final lap. Warwick had been driving around a fuel cut problem with his Nissan engine but survived to win Class SA in 11th. John Ward was able to escape from Mike MacKenzie on this occasion as the Class B duo finished in 13th and 14th. Jim Newins picked up some silverware for second of the two Class SA finishers in 14th overall, the Cosworth-powered Mk2 Escort was followed past the flag by Wil Arif's Fiesta from Class B. Completing the classified runners, Gary Littlewood brought his Fiesta home to win Class C and was unsurprisingly the only car to start in the split after Dave Barrett’s unfortunate end to Race One. Malcolm Wise was the sole retirement during the race after a lap one moment at Wilson saw the Escort Cosworth narrowly avoid rear-ending Chris Baker before its engine cut out, with sterling work from the marshals avoiding the need for a Safety Car.
Race Two results: Click here
Scalextric 'Driver of the Day' - AJ Howe celebrated his birthday on Saturday with a top performance in qualifying before suffering a first race disappointment when on for an overall podium. However, the Focus Estate fought back for an impressive Class B+ victory and fourth overall from the rear of the grid later in the afternoon to be named the ‘Driver of the Day’.
Race Two results: Click here
Scalextric 'Driver of the Day' - AJ Howe celebrated his birthday on Saturday with a top performance in qualifying before suffering a first race disappointment when on for an overall podium. However, the Focus Estate fought back for an impressive Class B+ victory and fourth overall from the rear of the grid later in the afternoon to be named the ‘Driver of the Day’.
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The popular Donington Park circuit hosts the Modified Ford Series field next on Sunday the 7th of June, with the biggest entry of the year so far looking likely.