Modified Ford Series Snetterton '300' 15th & 16th August 2026
DOMINANT DOUBLE FOR ALLEN AS FATHERHOOD FINDS FAVOUR WITH FOCUS PILOT
The Modified Ford Series returned to action on UK soil over the 15th and 16th of August weekend, having journeyed into continental Europe in late June for this year’s ‘away’ race weekend at Zolder in Belgium. The series was back racing at Snetterton for the second time in 2026, with the series competing on the support bill of the prestigious British GT Championship and on the full ‘300’ version of the Norfolk venue. The former military airfield became a racing circuit in 1951 and celebrates the 75th anniversary of its maiden meeting in October.
The Modified Ford Series returned to action on UK soil over the 15th and 16th of August weekend, having journeyed into continental Europe in late June for this year’s ‘away’ race weekend at Zolder in Belgium. The series was back racing at Snetterton for the second time in 2026, with the series competing on the support bill of the prestigious British GT Championship and on the full ‘300’ version of the Norfolk venue. The former military airfield became a racing circuit in 1951 and celebrates the 75th anniversary of its maiden meeting in October.
Zolder Round-Up: The Modified Ford Series ventured to Belgium for its annual ‘away’ meeting, which saw 14 participants heading to the former Belgian Grand Prix circuit at Zolder for a trio of contests from the 26th to the 28th of June. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie gave his sinister new Class A Sierra a great debut with pole position and the opening two race wins before retiring from the third with back trouble. Andrew Gallacher overcame two lowly starts with victory in Race Three aboard Lloyd Jamieson’s Escort Maxi Cosworth, having lost his qualifying time to track limits before the Class SA machine lapsed into limp mode during the first pair of races but the Scot still rescued second place in Race Two. Sean Brown reigned supreme in Class B all weekend and took second overall in Race One, with the similar 2.5-litre Mk1 Escort of German Lars Rick taking the Class B+ spoils in third. Series head Paul Nevill completed the podium in the later races and topped Class B+ in each, whilst James Allen fought back from skipping Race One with clutch woes aboard his Class A car to just miss out on a podium finish in Race Two before the Focus took second in the finale. Mat Brennan had Class SB to himself and the Mk2 Escort finished every time to clinch the three class trophies. Stephen Primett sped to a trio of Class C victories almost unopposed after the German Fiesta of Marcus Mertens retired from the opening encounter and didn’t reappear for the rest of the weekend. Series newcomer Lars Rick took home the Scalextric ‘Driver of the Day’ award after taking a Class B+ win and an overall podium on his debut.
Preview: Lloyd Jamieson’s Escort Maxi Cosworth from Class SA is starting to fulfil its potential now and the Scot took his first overall victory during the May meeting at the Norfolk venue before narrowly missing out to James Allen in the series’ closest ever finish of 0.045 seconds at Donington Park, whilst car builder Andrew Gallacher took over the four-wheel-drive machine in Belgium and triumphed in Race Three. Chris Harrison brought along his 2.3-litre Ecoboost-powered RSR nicknamed ’Eileen’ and the former bike racer is now a regular top-six contender. The combo recently contested another hillclimb at Harewood ahead of Snetterton and impressively set a new class record for the venue on each day. Piers Warwick’s Nissan-engined Mk1 Escort has enjoyed a boost in power output this season and Warwick is set to be joined on the grid in the future by daughter Shannon in the Fiesta XR2 driven by Lloyd Jamieson at Mallory Park in 2025. Malcolm Wise’ Escort Cosworth will be able to stretch its legs on Snetterton’s long straights so could well feature in the class awards. Jim Newins cured his semi-spaceframed Mk2 Escort’s Cosworth engine of its elusive misfire ahead of the Donington Park meeting in June and can now properly start work on the development of the smartly turned out machine. Steve Scott-Dunwoodie took two wins on his newly-finished Class A Sierra’s series debut at Zolder before its driver wilted with a back injury in the final outing, the menacing ‘GT500’ Cosworth features his previous white car’s engine and gearbox and the car should fly at Snetterton. James Allen celebrated the birth of baby daughter Gracie at the end of July and hoped to mark her arrival with a win or two, having already tasted glory in a photo finish at Donington Park in June and twice at the season opener. The Focus RS missed the first race of the Zolder weekend but came through to finish fourth and second in the remaining two encounters. The similar five-cylinder Focus of Todd Garner has made a habit of qualifying fourth overall whenever it’s entered and ought to be a top-six contender again in Norfolk, having already taken a trio of podium finishes this season. Piers Grange’s impressively quick 2600cc Mk2 Escort regularly holds its own against the turbocharged opposition and will no doubt be at the sharp end again at Snetterton, having won Race Two overall at the circuit back in May. Stefan Marsh has been struggling for reliability a little this season but the Focus is capable of grabbing a class award when it’s behaving properly The car had a boost ahead of the weekend with a new RS engine installed since Donington Park, giving a useful hike in power and its pilot celebrated his birthday on the Saturday of the event. The enthusiastic Mick Head’s Focus may not have the outright speed of some of its highly-developed class contemporaries but to finish first, first you have to finish and Head has taken home a trophy on more than one occasion. Wayne Crabtree made a second attempt to race alongside his stepson Oliver Clarke, after a troublesome first try on the ’200’ layout in May resulted in the smart Sierra Cosworth, built by his late friend over a two-year period, blowing its motor during qualifying. Mike Watson was a late entry to the meeting with his similar three-door Sierra Cosworth. Series head Paul Nevill’s is looking on course to repeat his overall series victory of 2025 with his Duratec-engined RS2000 'droop snoot' from Class B+ and should run well inside the top ten this weekend. Martin Reynolds had originally entered his thunderous 5700cc Chevrolet V8-powered Sierra ‘baby blue’ but switched to his Holbay-engined Zakspeed Mk2 Escort as he awaits parts for the hatchback’s clutch but the Norfolk man should go well regardless at his local venue. Robert Lewis made his first entry of 2026 at Snetterton and the turbocharged Focus has punched above its weight at the Norfolk circuit before. Oliver Clarke joined stepfather Wayne Crabtree on the entry list and hoped for a longer day than when the series last visited the circuit in May, the 300+ bhp Fiesta ST Turbo falling victim to some first corner contact shortly after the start of Race One. Sean Brown flew to an overall podium on the ’200’ layout back in May and has been the top dog in Class B ever since, the Mk1 Escort BDG having scored six possible class wins from seven since the run started and Brown will be aiming to add more success this weekend. Mike Thurley sponsored the Snetterton event and scored a victory in Race Two at Donington Park with the Zakspeed Mk1 Escort. The former National Hot Rod racer has bemoaned a lack of power up to now but he will certainly be a thorn in Brown’s side. Chris Baker’s Mk3 Escort is more than capable of setting the pace in the division but has had a torrid year with problems on each appearance, if the high-revving RS1600i runs faultlessly then a class win or two could well follow. Baker was another driver to celebrate his birthday over the weekend, his big day coming on Sunday. Local man Tyler England was a late entry with his quick Fiesta and it would be no surprise if he sets the pace in the class after getting 2026 off to a flyer with a double class win at Oulton Park. A second BDG-powered Mk1 Escort was out at Snetterton in the hands of occasional series visitor Laki Christoforou, who is more commonly seen with his Millington-engined Mk2 Escort and it will be a point of interest to see how the immaculate machine fares in Class B. The third Mk1 Escort in the entry belonged to Tony Paxman and the mint powder blue example was in the thick of the battle for a class placing at the season-opening event in April. Jason Stone suffered a major clutch drama at Donington Park aboard his Mk2 Escort but the former Rallycrosser has shown some promising speed and his mount had sprouted a new splitter for the weekend. RallyXtreme rally car hire firm supremo Grant Shand entered a smart Rothmans-esque liveried Mk2 Escort BDG. The full Group 4-spec rally car has been to New Zealand to compete in the Silver Fern Rally, finishing 14th overall, and Snetterton is Shand’s second meeting of circuit racing as he seeks tarmac driving experience ahead of an entry in the five-day Tour de Corse Historique marathon in early October. Mike MacKenzie is still building up his tarmac racing experience after spending 20 years competing on grass but the Fiesta will be in the thick of the battle. Justin Fuller made his first start of 2026 in Class C with the refreshed wide-bodied Puma and is always among the pacesetters in the split. The newly-painted coupe looks smart in its grey and black livery and had fellow Puma racers Shaun Hadfield and Marcus Williams on the tools for the weekend. Gary Littlewood twice prevailed in the class at the circuit back in May and it’ll be interesting to see how the yellow Fiesta fares against the rapid Puma. The Fiesta of Ashley Wilkinson made up a trio of entries in the smallest capacity class as he took his racing bow with the Puma-engined hatchback.
Qualifying: The Modified Fords were the first cars out on track to qualify on Saturday morning, with 28 cars taking part in the session after Mike Thurley pulled out of the first day’s action with a back problem that struck whilst loading his Mk1 Escort for the meeting. Chris Harrison headed the times after the first flying laps before James Allen went to the top next time around but the four-wheel-drive Escort Maxi of Lloyd Jamieson from Class SA, which featured a trimmed down rear wing for Snetterton, was the only car to lap in sub-two minutes as the Scot scorched to pole position by 1.462 seconds from the Class A-topping Focus RS of new father Allen, who set a personal best laptime on his way to a front row start. Harrison performed well in ’Eileen’ and the RSR was the second-fastest Class SA car in third, with Steve Scott-Dunwoodie grabbing a last-gasp fourth aboard the 'GT500' Sierra but his back was causing him a lot of discomfort. Piers Grange’s and Todd Garner’s Class A cars were set to form the third row of the grid, with Garner’s session not without issue after the nearside driveshaft gater gave up on the Focus. Norfolk native Martin Reynolds topped Class B+ aboard his Mk2 Escort in seventh overall from birthday boy Stefan Marsh in eighth, despite an ABS sensor playing up on the Focus. The two fastest Class B machines of Sean Brown and Chris Baker completed the top ten, split by 0.598 seconds. In fact, there was a clump of five cars from the division running from ninth to 13th as Tony Paxman’s Mk1 Escort headed the Mk2s of Jason Stone and Grant Shand. The trio all had issues during the morning as Paxman initially failed scrutineering for a broken extinguisher switch, whilst Stone had an alternator bracket break and Shand’s fuel filler cap went missing. Justin Fuller was fastest in Class C and lined up 15th on his return with the rebuilt Puma, whilst second-quickest Gary Littlewood was 1.830 seconds off Fuller in 19th. Regular Class B+ leading light Paul Nevill had work to do from 20th after his RS2000’s pace was restricted by an electrical misfire traced to a loose wire. The third Class C entry of Ashley Wilkinson never really got going after electrical issues beset his Fiesta. Neither Tyler England or Robert Lewis recorded a time after driveshaft problems affected both of their cars, also suffering with a driveshaft issue was the Fiesta of Mike MacKenzie from Class B. Jim Newins departed the session early after his YB engine developed a thirst for water despite no obvious leak, with Wayne Crabtree's similarly-powered Sierra Cosworth running hot and Mike Watson's Sierra had a misfire. Malcolm Wise also spent a long time in the pits with a boost control drama on his Escort Cosworth.
Qualifying results: Click here
Qualifying results: Click here
Race One: The intense heat in the weeks leading up to Snetterton had abated a little in time for the meeting and it was pleasantly warm, if overcast, for the opening race on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, his troublesome back forced Steve Scott-Dunwoodie to withdraw the ’GT500’ Sierra and there would be no Tyler England or Ashley Wilkinson either. The latter’s Fiesta had ground to a halt with its electronic issues persisting during his three laps to qualify following the Safety Car, whilst England suspected that his driveshafts were too long for his Fiesta’s new gearbox casing so decided to withdraw and the car isn’t likely to be seen again until next season. Lloyd Jamieson powered into the lead from pole position at the rolling start but a fired-up James Allen hit the front on the brakes for Wilson. The Maxi Cosworth also dropped behind Chris Harrison and Piers Grange through the twisting infield section but the 800+ bhp monster blitzed by both down the Bentley Straight to move back into second place. Another Class A contender in Todd Garner was also sticking with the trio and all passed Jamieson when the Maxi slowed out of Murrays to show no advantage had been gained after cutting the corner and Grange had also passed Harrison to end lap three in second but his bootlid was hanging off and attracting the attention of the stewards. Jamieson fell off at Murrays again on lap four as he struggled for grip before Grange was given a warning flag for the Mk2 Escort's loose bootlid, which elevated Garner to second when his classmate pitted and the Focus had got ahead of Harrison for third earlier in the lap. Out front, Allen put in a serene drive to win comfortably by 18.555 seconds from Garner’s similar car, whilst Jamieson's Escort Maxi got going again from its second excursion to blast past Harrison for Class SA honours during the last lap down the Bentley Straight and finished 3.433 seconds behind Garner in third. Grange rescued fifth despite his pit call at the end of lap five to remove the offending bootlid, the 2600cc Mk2 Escort rejoined in seventh and passed the Class B+ lead contest in short order during lap six on the Bentley Straight. Martin Reynolds led Class B+ in the opening stages but his chaser Paul Nevill had made it into tenth by the end of lap one and was soon among the Class B leaders, with Sean Brown going behind the RS2000 at Agostini on lap two and early pacesetter Chris Baker at the same place on lap three. Nevill moved straight on to the tail of the Class B+ leader Reynolds and passed the local man on lap four around the outside of Brundle for the class lead. Once Nevill got ahead, the RS2000 'droop snoot' couldn’t shake off the conventionally-fronted Mk2 Escort and Reynolds twice got his nose back in front. The Mk2 Escort edged ahead starting lap six after Nevill ran wide at Murrays but the RS2000 reclaimed the place into Riches before Reynolds prised an opening at the Wilson hairpin for the final time. However, Nevill got the upper hand again at the following Palmer left-hander and the pair crossed the line just 0.132 seconds apart in sixth and seventh after a great tussle. Chris Baker held the early lead in Class B before his good run ended on lap three when a cable came adrift on the fusebox and Mk3 Escort cut out. Baker's exit left Sean Brown’s Mk1 Escort home free to win the split in eighth overall, 9.389 seconds ahead of second-in-class Laki Christoforou’s similar car. An all BDG-motivated top three was completed by Grant Shand’s left-hand-drive Mk2 Escort in third and the rally car bookended the top ten. The Nissan Turbo-engined Mk1 Escort of Piers Warwick finished 13th overall and the Bromley man was third in Class SA, one place ahead of his Class B+ counterpart Robert Lewis. Gary Littlewood’s Fiesta won Class C in 15th overall after Justin Fuller’s polesitting Puma struggled with a slow start and rear brake problems, before being further delayed by a late spin at Palmer to finish 20th. Stefan Marsh didn't get the birthday present he wished for after he pitted from sixth place at the end of lap five with the smell of oil burning on the exhaust, which transpired to be coming out of the breather and the Focus crossed the line down in 19th. Mike MacKenzie was the last classified finisher in 21st after the Fiesta slowed with what its driver thought was a rear wheel bearing issue but turned out to be tyre pick-up causing the vibration. Those that failed to reach the end of the 15 minutes included Jim Newins, who pitted with a suspected blown head gasket on his Mk2 Escort after the water gauge reached 130 degrees and the engine had started misfiring. Wayne Crabtree continued to experience the apparent overheating issue suffered in qualifying but it was found that the ECU had a failsafe set at 110 degrees which put the car into safe mode so the oil cooler was moved after the race in a bid to get more air into the radiator, whilst the similar car of Mike Watson didn’t complete the opening lap and the Sierra was trailered afterwards.
Race One results: Click here
Race One results: Click here
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Race Two: The second outing followed the opening race for the British GT Championship at Sunday lunchtime and was held in much warmer temperatures than those experienced during the opener. Having made a great getaway from pole position, James Allen almost dropped the Focus at Agostini for the first time as cool rear tyres made the rear step out on turn-in but retained the early lead. Todd Garner came across to block the rapidly advancing Lloyd Jamieson’s run up to Riches from the rolling start and Chris Harrison went the long way round the Scot into an early third but the powerful Maxi Cosworth stormed into second position down the Bentley Straight for the first time. However, Jamieson spun to the back of the field at Murrays ending the opening lap after a brush with Garner. The Focus had driven around the outside of Coram before the pair clashed on the entry to Murrays. The top four remained static once Piers Grange reached second during lap two, the Mk2 Escort diving past Chris Harrison approaching Riches and Garner was dispensed with at the Brundle/Nelson sequence further into the lap. Garner's Focus fought back into Wilson for the third time but Grange held onto second around the outside. The Mk2 Escort went after Allen initially with the fastest lap to that point but Grange felt his tyres went past their best so settled for second and thought that the race-winning Focus had too much for the normally-aspirated Escort in a straightline regardless. Allen thus sealed his second victory of the weekend by 8.199 seconds, with little Gracie present to witness the success. Garner took third in an all-Class A podium from Harrison, who scored the RSR’s third Class SA victory of the year after bagging a pair at Oulton Park in April. Having lost the class lead with a grassy moment at Riches on lap one when squeezed out by Piers Grange, Paul Nevill’s oversteering RS2000 had no answer to Martin Reynolds for Class B+ honours this time in fifth and sixth. Class B winner Sean Brown had Laki Christoforou for company for much of the distance before edging away from the similarly-powered Mk1 Escort BDG in seventh and the latter fell into clutches of a determined Mike Thurley, who moved through into second with less than a minute left. Thurley’s back had recovered enough for him to start from the back row and the Mk1 Escort Duratec had reached 17th after lap one, before gaining four places during the second lap and another two to be 11th after lap three. Grant Shand gave up third in Class B and a spot inside the top ten on the fourth tour before a sequence of rapid laps, including a PB in the 2:07s, saw Thurley catch Christoforou for second in Class B on lap eight into Agostini. After his stirring drive, Thurley had closed to within nine seconds of class-winner Brown at the flag. The pair of Mk1s were running closely with the Class A Focus of Stefan Marsh in the closing moments, whose tyres had gone off after a charge from the back of the field and the turbocar also fell victim to the Castrol Mk1 by flagfall. The recovering Jamieson blasted past all of them into eighth along the Bentley Straight for the last time to finish as the runner-up in Class SA, with Thurley finishing ninth and Marsh in tenth. 14th finisher Robert Lewis’ Focus secured third in Class B+ for the second time over the weekend despite a painful lack of boost from his Ecoboost engine. Jason Stone finished sixth in Class B behind Tony Paxman with a very hot battery, which was swiftly removed afterwards. Malcolm Wise finished less than half-a-second behind Stone in 17th and the Escort Cosworth was third in Class SA. Justin Fuller got away steadily again but the Puma reeled in class leader Gary Littlewood as the race progressed and pair were together in the closing stages but the Fiesta clung on by just over a second for Class C glory. Littlewood missed a gear at one point to allow Fuller briefly into the lead but the Fiesta retaliated immediately at Wilson and a subsequent missed gear by the Puma on the Bentley Straight for the final time sealed it for Littlewood. Mike MacKenzie’s Class B Fiesta dropped into limp mode late on and fell out of the squabble with the duelling Class C pair to finish 21st. Wayne Crabtree had cured his cooling issue but the Sierra lost fourth gear and was forced out before half-distance. Stepson Oliver Clarke's Fiesta also wouldn't reach the end after the Ecoboost engine began reading hot and lapsed into limp mode. Chris Baker’s birthday ended in frustration on lap two when the clutch hydraulics expired, the Class B Mk3 Escort having passed eight cars on the opening lap and was chasing after Robert Lewis and Tony Paxman at the time.
Race Two results: Click here
Scalextric ‘Driver of the Day’ - A typically charging couple of races from Piers Grange saw the Mk2 Escort pilot take home the 'Driver of the Day award after finishing fifth after a pitstop in Race One and second overall in Race Two.
Race Two results: Click here
Scalextric ‘Driver of the Day’ - A typically charging couple of races from Piers Grange saw the Mk2 Escort pilot take home the 'Driver of the Day award after finishing fifth after a pitstop in Race One and second overall in Race Two.
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A large number of the Modified Ford Series cars were due to be displayed and demonstrated at Silverstone’s Ford Fair a week on from Snetterton before the competitors head to another circuit celebrating a big birthday this year, Brands Hatch. The famous Kent bowl reached 100 years of age this year and the series will once again be the competitive focus of the Ford Power Live pageant on the 13th of September.