Walter Hayes Trophy Silverstone 4th & 5th November 2023
MIDDLEHURST'S MOMENTOUS MAIDEN TROPHY TRIUMPH
The 23rd end-of-season Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford spectacular was held on the National layout at Silverstone over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of November. 87 cars entered the knockout races, with the Pre '82 and Pre '99 cars able to contest their own Carl Hamer Memorial Trophy and Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy finals in addition to the main competition.
The 23rd end-of-season Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford spectacular was held on the National layout at Silverstone over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of November. 87 cars entered the knockout races, with the Pre '82 and Pre '99 cars able to contest their own Carl Hamer Memorial Trophy and Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy finals in addition to the main competition.
Heats
Heat One: The top two from the Castle Combe championship were drawn in the same heat, as at the Festival a couple of weeks previously. Felix Fisher and Luke Cooper’s competition in the heat was most likely to come from twice Walter Hayes Trophy winner, and former Castle Combe championship front-runner, Michael Moyers’ Medina plus Samuel Harrison’s Firman. The Rays of Team Canada member Logan Pacza and American Hugh Esterson couldn’t be ruled out either, Esterson’s younger brother Max was a previous WHT winner in 2021 and took the flag first in 2022 before a penalty. Team Dolan’s Patrick McKenna was in the chassis previously used by Morgan Quinn, whilst former Team USA protege Jonathan Kotyk was a dark horse in the car normally driven by Niall Murray. Alex Ames’ Van Diemen RF90 could punch above its weight with the modern machinery too, as could Castle Combe Class B front-runner Sam Street’s 1992 Swift. The sodden twelve minutes of qualifying saw Luke Cooper set the pole position time for the opening heat from Castle Combe rival Felix Fisher right at the death. Along with Hugh Esterson, the pair dumped long-time polesitter Michael Moyers down to fourth with their last laps of the session.. However, post-session track limit best lap deletions jumbled up the top six order with Moyers going back onto pole position ahead of Cooper, Esterson, Samuel Harrison, Fisher and Logan Pacza. The session had been red-flagged very early on after Sam Mitchell spun his Merlyn into the gravel on the out lap. Sensibly, the opening heat began after two laps following the Safety Car in the poor visibility. Moyers led the field away when the field was released starting lap three from Cooper and Esterson, the Ray quickly came under threat from Samuel Harrison's Firman on the first racing lap but Harrison's attempts ended up costing him fourth place to Fisher at Copse as they started lap four. The top two had started to open a gap to the group chasing Esterson's third place when an erroneous Safety Car intervention came on lap five. After a single lap, the field was let off the leash once more and Moyers built a small cushion whilst Cooper fought off Esterson's attention. Setting the fastest lap from the restart meant that Moyers was safe from attack on the final tour and he duly took the win from the Cooper, Esterson, Fisher and Harrison contest for second to fifth places. An impressive Jonathan Kotyk stole the fastest lap from Moyers on the last tour in sixth ahead of Canadian junior Pacza and the 1992 Swift of Sam Street. John Svensson, Alex Ames, Spencer Shinners, Ed Thurston and Patrick McKenna were the remaining drivers to book their places in the Semi-Finals.
Heat Two: A strong field was picked out for heat two. Multiple Walter Hayes Trophy podium finisher Josh Fisher hoped start to his path to finally land the big prize in this heat but would face opposition from 2023 National champion Jordan Kelly competing in his first Walter Hayes Trophy. A trio of rapid Rays were in the hands of the second of the Team Canada pair Alex Berg, American Jeremy Fairbairn and the inexperienced Jason Smyth, the son of 2010 Festival victor Neville making his first race start at Silverstone in this heat. Three of the KMR Spectrums would be handled by youngster Jacob Tofts along with South Africans Andrew Rackstraw and Josh Le Roux - both former South African F1600 title holders. Former North West championship hotshoe Tom Bradshaw made a return to Formula Ford in a 2008 Van Diemen, whilst James Clarke and Callum Grant’s older RF90 and RF91 could be dark horses along with James Tucker’s Swift SC92F. Josh Fisher topped the times in qualifying despite causing an early red flag with a gravelly excursion at Luffield during a soaking wet session, the Van Diemen went fastest with thirty seconds to go and demoted Jeremy Fairbairn’s Ray to second spot. Irishman Jason Smyth and South African Andrew Rackstraw would line up on row two. After the session, second qualifier Fairbairn's times were scrubbed for a red flag offence and the American was left with a lot of work to do from the rear of the grid. This moved Smyth onto the front row and Rackstraw’s KMR stablemate Josh Le Roux moved up to row two. The first heat to use a standing start saw drama at the first corner as Jason Smyth knocked poleman Josh Fisher into a spin and Andrew Rackstraw's Spectrum went into the gravel in sympathy. Smyth belied his lack of experience and went on to dominate the race, taking the flag 2.085 seconds to the good from the closely matched KMR Spectrum pairing of Josh Le Roux and Jacob Tofts. Team Canada's Alex Berg sat in fourth place initially but had 2023 National champion Jordan Kelly and Callum Grant's older Van Diemen RF91 for company, Kelly got through ending the first lap and promptly set the fastest lap but skated through the Luffield gravel trap closing the third tour and dropped to eleventh. He'd also fallen behind the recovering Josh Fisher, who had got back into the top ten at half-distance before taking an eventual seventh. Berg retook fourth spot with Kelly's excursion and held the place to the end in front of the leading Pre '99 cars of Callum Grant and James Tucker, whilst Castle Combe regular Tom Hawkins led home Kelly in eighth and ninth. The two Rays of Chris Acton and Adam Fathers finished just ahead of Fairbairn's similar car, who had climbed from starting 23rd to make it through in twelfth. Jake Shortland bested Simon Hadfield in the battle for the thirteenth and final Semi spot.
Heat Three: The two Team USA scholars Jack Sullivan and Ayrton Houk both aimed for strong showings after being drawn in the same heat. Rapid Irish hope Brandon McCaughan had the tools for the job in his Oldfield Motorsport Van Diemen, whilst Josh Fisher’s Wayne Poole Racing stablemate Ben Mitchell hoped to avenge his Semi-Final exit of 2022 when contact threw him hard into the wall. KMR Sport fielded a Spectrum in the hands of Australian-based Michael Eastwell and a Mygale for South African Robert Wolk. Tom McArthur should be near the front with his B-M Medina, with James Littlejohn a potential dark horse in an RF03 Van Diemen. Team Dolan’s Isaac Canto da Silva became the youngest driver to compete at the Walter Hayes Trophy in another Van Diemen. An older car worth watching belonged to Benn Tilley in an RF86 Van Diemen. With the wet conditions not showing any signs of improving, Michael Eastwell splashed to pole position with an early lap to head Brandon McCaughan’s Van Diemen. The rare Mygale chassis of South African Robert Wolk headed the second row from Tom McArthur as the second half of the session was completed behind the Safety Car in the poor weather conditions. Both second-row qualifiers lost their best times after the session for not respecting yellow flags, which bumped McArthur back to sixth, behind Ben Mitchell, James Littlejohn and Jack Sullivan, with Wolk going back to tenth. Eastwell led McCaughan and Mitchell as the top three moved clear of the pack through the opening stages, leaving Littlejohn to fend off Team USA scholar Sullivan and a charging Wolk. The Mygale took fifth from Sullivan into Brooklands during the second lap. The order remained static through the following laps as the field tried to ensure they incurred as little damage as possible but one man was determined to make up ground, Tom McArthur. The Medina driver displaced Sullivan for sixth place at Brooklands on lap six before attacking for Wolk's fifth place at Becketts on the following tour, the pair going either side of Steve Roberts’ lapped Van Diemen. Eastwell took a clear win in his Spectrum after the eight laps were completed, McCaughan came home 2.575 seconds adrift but was another 1.454 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Mitchell. Littlejohn held onto his fourth place, whilst Wolk took fifth. McArthur lost ground at Copse on the final lap and trailed the Team USA pairing Sullivan and Ayrton Houk. Charlie Mann, Pascal Monbarron and youngster Isaac Canto da Silva filled the ninth to eleventh positions, whilst Rick Morris and Benn Tilley both got through to the Semis after a battle with Andrew Schofield's Reynard and Matt Wrigley's Merlyn.
Heat Four: A formidable lineup of potential winners came out of the hat for heat four. Defending Walter Hayes Trophy holder Joey Foster, 2023 Festival winner Rory Smith and podium finisher Chris Middlehurst came into the heat on good form. The Ammonite Ray of Nolan Allaer defeated Smith in their heat at the Festival, whilst the second KMR Sport Mygale of Julian van der Watt showed promise in 2022. The South African was on the comeback trail having suffered serious injuries in his homeland earlier this year. Two-time Castle Combe champion Adam Higgins was joined by his brother Richard, who recently won the Historic final at the Festival with his Van Diemen RF91. Another very capable older chassis to keep an eye on was the Reynard in the hands of Richard Tarling. B-M Racing's Rory Smith navigated his way to the top of the timesheet during a very wet session, which was red-flagged just after halfway with Richard Tarling’s Reynard off in the gravel at Copse. Chris Middlehurst had gone top just prior to the stoppage but had just lost pole position to Smith when he was part of the session-ending red flag incident with less than a minute remaining. The Ammonite Ray of Nolan Allaer was just 0.040 seconds off Smith’s time for third spot, with the Mygale of Julian van der Watt completing the second row. Reigning Walter Hayes Trophy holder Joey Foster ended up sixth on the grid behind Lewis Fox’s Ray. Smith converted his pole position as the rain continued to fall at the start, with Middlehurst coming under fire from Allaer and van der Watt at Becketts. Just behind them, last year's winner Foster ran very wide and slipped to seventh behind Lewis Fox and Adam Higgins. Foster moved up to sixth on lap two, he then set the fastest lap in his pursuit of fifth-placed Lewis Fox and the Cornishman made attempts at Copse and Becketts before taking fifth at Brooklands on lap four. The flying Firman then reeled van der Watt in fourth but the Mygale held on to the spot despite intense pressure during the last two laps. Smith was chased throughout by Middlehurst and Allaer but eventually took the victory as 1.444 seconds covered the trio. The toughest heat on paper was also the fastest so Smith would start the opening Semi-Final from pole position. Fox, Higgins and Ben Cox chased home the tussling van der Watt and Foster, whilst the Martin Short-owned Reynard of Richard Tarling was the highest placed Pre '99 car in ninth. Adam Quartermaine, Joseph Ahrens and Richard Higgins each made the Semis, whilst James Colborn sealed the last automatic place after a last-lap tangle between Tom Radburn and Nathan Tupper.
Heat One: The top two from the Castle Combe championship were drawn in the same heat, as at the Festival a couple of weeks previously. Felix Fisher and Luke Cooper’s competition in the heat was most likely to come from twice Walter Hayes Trophy winner, and former Castle Combe championship front-runner, Michael Moyers’ Medina plus Samuel Harrison’s Firman. The Rays of Team Canada member Logan Pacza and American Hugh Esterson couldn’t be ruled out either, Esterson’s younger brother Max was a previous WHT winner in 2021 and took the flag first in 2022 before a penalty. Team Dolan’s Patrick McKenna was in the chassis previously used by Morgan Quinn, whilst former Team USA protege Jonathan Kotyk was a dark horse in the car normally driven by Niall Murray. Alex Ames’ Van Diemen RF90 could punch above its weight with the modern machinery too, as could Castle Combe Class B front-runner Sam Street’s 1992 Swift. The sodden twelve minutes of qualifying saw Luke Cooper set the pole position time for the opening heat from Castle Combe rival Felix Fisher right at the death. Along with Hugh Esterson, the pair dumped long-time polesitter Michael Moyers down to fourth with their last laps of the session.. However, post-session track limit best lap deletions jumbled up the top six order with Moyers going back onto pole position ahead of Cooper, Esterson, Samuel Harrison, Fisher and Logan Pacza. The session had been red-flagged very early on after Sam Mitchell spun his Merlyn into the gravel on the out lap. Sensibly, the opening heat began after two laps following the Safety Car in the poor visibility. Moyers led the field away when the field was released starting lap three from Cooper and Esterson, the Ray quickly came under threat from Samuel Harrison's Firman on the first racing lap but Harrison's attempts ended up costing him fourth place to Fisher at Copse as they started lap four. The top two had started to open a gap to the group chasing Esterson's third place when an erroneous Safety Car intervention came on lap five. After a single lap, the field was let off the leash once more and Moyers built a small cushion whilst Cooper fought off Esterson's attention. Setting the fastest lap from the restart meant that Moyers was safe from attack on the final tour and he duly took the win from the Cooper, Esterson, Fisher and Harrison contest for second to fifth places. An impressive Jonathan Kotyk stole the fastest lap from Moyers on the last tour in sixth ahead of Canadian junior Pacza and the 1992 Swift of Sam Street. John Svensson, Alex Ames, Spencer Shinners, Ed Thurston and Patrick McKenna were the remaining drivers to book their places in the Semi-Finals.
Heat Two: A strong field was picked out for heat two. Multiple Walter Hayes Trophy podium finisher Josh Fisher hoped start to his path to finally land the big prize in this heat but would face opposition from 2023 National champion Jordan Kelly competing in his first Walter Hayes Trophy. A trio of rapid Rays were in the hands of the second of the Team Canada pair Alex Berg, American Jeremy Fairbairn and the inexperienced Jason Smyth, the son of 2010 Festival victor Neville making his first race start at Silverstone in this heat. Three of the KMR Spectrums would be handled by youngster Jacob Tofts along with South Africans Andrew Rackstraw and Josh Le Roux - both former South African F1600 title holders. Former North West championship hotshoe Tom Bradshaw made a return to Formula Ford in a 2008 Van Diemen, whilst James Clarke and Callum Grant’s older RF90 and RF91 could be dark horses along with James Tucker’s Swift SC92F. Josh Fisher topped the times in qualifying despite causing an early red flag with a gravelly excursion at Luffield during a soaking wet session, the Van Diemen went fastest with thirty seconds to go and demoted Jeremy Fairbairn’s Ray to second spot. Irishman Jason Smyth and South African Andrew Rackstraw would line up on row two. After the session, second qualifier Fairbairn's times were scrubbed for a red flag offence and the American was left with a lot of work to do from the rear of the grid. This moved Smyth onto the front row and Rackstraw’s KMR stablemate Josh Le Roux moved up to row two. The first heat to use a standing start saw drama at the first corner as Jason Smyth knocked poleman Josh Fisher into a spin and Andrew Rackstraw's Spectrum went into the gravel in sympathy. Smyth belied his lack of experience and went on to dominate the race, taking the flag 2.085 seconds to the good from the closely matched KMR Spectrum pairing of Josh Le Roux and Jacob Tofts. Team Canada's Alex Berg sat in fourth place initially but had 2023 National champion Jordan Kelly and Callum Grant's older Van Diemen RF91 for company, Kelly got through ending the first lap and promptly set the fastest lap but skated through the Luffield gravel trap closing the third tour and dropped to eleventh. He'd also fallen behind the recovering Josh Fisher, who had got back into the top ten at half-distance before taking an eventual seventh. Berg retook fourth spot with Kelly's excursion and held the place to the end in front of the leading Pre '99 cars of Callum Grant and James Tucker, whilst Castle Combe regular Tom Hawkins led home Kelly in eighth and ninth. The two Rays of Chris Acton and Adam Fathers finished just ahead of Fairbairn's similar car, who had climbed from starting 23rd to make it through in twelfth. Jake Shortland bested Simon Hadfield in the battle for the thirteenth and final Semi spot.
Heat Three: The two Team USA scholars Jack Sullivan and Ayrton Houk both aimed for strong showings after being drawn in the same heat. Rapid Irish hope Brandon McCaughan had the tools for the job in his Oldfield Motorsport Van Diemen, whilst Josh Fisher’s Wayne Poole Racing stablemate Ben Mitchell hoped to avenge his Semi-Final exit of 2022 when contact threw him hard into the wall. KMR Sport fielded a Spectrum in the hands of Australian-based Michael Eastwell and a Mygale for South African Robert Wolk. Tom McArthur should be near the front with his B-M Medina, with James Littlejohn a potential dark horse in an RF03 Van Diemen. Team Dolan’s Isaac Canto da Silva became the youngest driver to compete at the Walter Hayes Trophy in another Van Diemen. An older car worth watching belonged to Benn Tilley in an RF86 Van Diemen. With the wet conditions not showing any signs of improving, Michael Eastwell splashed to pole position with an early lap to head Brandon McCaughan’s Van Diemen. The rare Mygale chassis of South African Robert Wolk headed the second row from Tom McArthur as the second half of the session was completed behind the Safety Car in the poor weather conditions. Both second-row qualifiers lost their best times after the session for not respecting yellow flags, which bumped McArthur back to sixth, behind Ben Mitchell, James Littlejohn and Jack Sullivan, with Wolk going back to tenth. Eastwell led McCaughan and Mitchell as the top three moved clear of the pack through the opening stages, leaving Littlejohn to fend off Team USA scholar Sullivan and a charging Wolk. The Mygale took fifth from Sullivan into Brooklands during the second lap. The order remained static through the following laps as the field tried to ensure they incurred as little damage as possible but one man was determined to make up ground, Tom McArthur. The Medina driver displaced Sullivan for sixth place at Brooklands on lap six before attacking for Wolk's fifth place at Becketts on the following tour, the pair going either side of Steve Roberts’ lapped Van Diemen. Eastwell took a clear win in his Spectrum after the eight laps were completed, McCaughan came home 2.575 seconds adrift but was another 1.454 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Mitchell. Littlejohn held onto his fourth place, whilst Wolk took fifth. McArthur lost ground at Copse on the final lap and trailed the Team USA pairing Sullivan and Ayrton Houk. Charlie Mann, Pascal Monbarron and youngster Isaac Canto da Silva filled the ninth to eleventh positions, whilst Rick Morris and Benn Tilley both got through to the Semis after a battle with Andrew Schofield's Reynard and Matt Wrigley's Merlyn.
Heat Four: A formidable lineup of potential winners came out of the hat for heat four. Defending Walter Hayes Trophy holder Joey Foster, 2023 Festival winner Rory Smith and podium finisher Chris Middlehurst came into the heat on good form. The Ammonite Ray of Nolan Allaer defeated Smith in their heat at the Festival, whilst the second KMR Sport Mygale of Julian van der Watt showed promise in 2022. The South African was on the comeback trail having suffered serious injuries in his homeland earlier this year. Two-time Castle Combe champion Adam Higgins was joined by his brother Richard, who recently won the Historic final at the Festival with his Van Diemen RF91. Another very capable older chassis to keep an eye on was the Reynard in the hands of Richard Tarling. B-M Racing's Rory Smith navigated his way to the top of the timesheet during a very wet session, which was red-flagged just after halfway with Richard Tarling’s Reynard off in the gravel at Copse. Chris Middlehurst had gone top just prior to the stoppage but had just lost pole position to Smith when he was part of the session-ending red flag incident with less than a minute remaining. The Ammonite Ray of Nolan Allaer was just 0.040 seconds off Smith’s time for third spot, with the Mygale of Julian van der Watt completing the second row. Reigning Walter Hayes Trophy holder Joey Foster ended up sixth on the grid behind Lewis Fox’s Ray. Smith converted his pole position as the rain continued to fall at the start, with Middlehurst coming under fire from Allaer and van der Watt at Becketts. Just behind them, last year's winner Foster ran very wide and slipped to seventh behind Lewis Fox and Adam Higgins. Foster moved up to sixth on lap two, he then set the fastest lap in his pursuit of fifth-placed Lewis Fox and the Cornishman made attempts at Copse and Becketts before taking fifth at Brooklands on lap four. The flying Firman then reeled van der Watt in fourth but the Mygale held on to the spot despite intense pressure during the last two laps. Smith was chased throughout by Middlehurst and Allaer but eventually took the victory as 1.444 seconds covered the trio. The toughest heat on paper was also the fastest so Smith would start the opening Semi-Final from pole position. Fox, Higgins and Ben Cox chased home the tussling van der Watt and Foster, whilst the Martin Short-owned Reynard of Richard Tarling was the highest placed Pre '99 car in ninth. Adam Quartermaine, Joseph Ahrens and Richard Higgins each made the Semis, whilst James Colborn sealed the last automatic place after a last-lap tangle between Tom Radburn and Nathan Tupper.
Progression Race and Last Chance Race
Progression Race: The 10-lapper was the first chance for those who had issues on day one to make progress back towards the Semi-Finals. The field was formed by those who had finished lower than eighteenth in the heats and Dominic Mooney’s Jamun T2 started from pole position, David Porter’s RF92 shared the front row with the early car. Peter Hannam and Andrew Pryke formed row two with their contrasting 1960s Nike and 2000s Van Diemen. Alan Slater’s Nike was joined on the third row by the rapid Spectrum of Andrew Rackstraw, who ought to progress towards the front from sixth spot, The Van Diemens of James Clarke and Tom Bradshaw had a bit more work to do from gridding thirteenth and sixteenth respectively. Porter led the field into Copse for the first time and Rackstraw was away well to slot in front of Alan Slater’s Nike for second. Second became first for the Spectrum driver by Becketts and the South African ended lap one with a huge lead, helped by a spin for front-row starter Porter which split the pack. Slater - who had become entangled with Porter’s Van Diemen, Andrew Pryke, Peter Hannam and Jack Butterworth were all badly delayed as they scattered but each was able to continue. A meteoric first lap from Tom Bradshaw saw him finish it in second but he had the rapid RF90 off James Clarke closing in after the RF90 drove around polesitter Mooney at Luffield. The pair swapped places through Woodcote ending lap two. There was no catching Rackstraw though as he ran away to a near ten-second victory from Clarke and Bradshaw. Drew Cameron came home in a lonely fourth, with almost the entire field guaranteed a place in the Progression Race. Sole non-finisher Oliver Playle’s Hawke was the only entry to miss out.
Last Chance Race: The ten-lap encounter featured those who finished between fourteenth and eighteenth in their heat plus the sixteen cars that came up from the Progression Race at the back of the field, with the top three finishers Andrew Rackstraw, James Clarke and Tom Bradshaw going from 21st, 22nd and 23rd. An all-Reynard front row of Ryan Campbell and Andrew Schofield headed the earlier cars of Simon Hadfield and Mike Gardner which were due to line up on row two but neither took the start, Gardner failed to appear from the assembly area and Hadfield was pushed off the grid but was able to start from the pitlane. Matt Wrigley would have an eye on progressing after his great pace in the slippery Carl Hamer Pre-Final from sixth, Nathan Tupper’s Swift started alongside. Reserve Oliver Playle was able to get a run in the absence of Gardner’s Crossle. Schofield’s Reynard got off the line best to head the field around the opening lap, Campbell’s similar car slotted into second through Copse from Murray Shepherd and Matt Wrigley’s early car, which fell behind Tupper’s Swift on the run to Maggots. Rackstraw flew through to seventh on lap one behind Mark McKenna’s Crossle, whilst Bradshaw and Clarke were on the fringes of the top ten in ninth and eleventh. Rackstraw's rapid rise continued on the second lap as he moved past McKenna towards Copse, going ahead of the squabbling Wrigley and Tupper between Copse and Maggots, before taking Shepherd at Luffield to end lap two in third. Schofield and Campbell still formed the top two but only temporarily as Rackstraw reached second down the Wellington Straight for the third time and the Spectrum was with Schofield on lap four. Rackstraw took the lead from his fellow South African through Woodcote heading onto lap five and the Australian chassis then cleared off to win by 8.787 seconds. Schofield, architect of the South African invasion, held onto second from the closing Clarke and Bradshaw, the RF90 having passed the later car during the second tour and, like Rackstraw, advanced to Semis after being forced to participate in the Progression Race. Campbell came home fifth after Bradshaw took the Reynard on the last time around. Former Locost champion Shepherd suffered a multiple spin at Copse on lap seven that dropped him out of fifth place and also delayed Wrigley and Tupper but all still advanced into the Semis, whilst Simon Hadfield also made it through in sixteenth after his pitlane start aboard the RF81 Van Diemen carrying the period sponsorship livery of musician Gary Numan.
Progression Race: The 10-lapper was the first chance for those who had issues on day one to make progress back towards the Semi-Finals. The field was formed by those who had finished lower than eighteenth in the heats and Dominic Mooney’s Jamun T2 started from pole position, David Porter’s RF92 shared the front row with the early car. Peter Hannam and Andrew Pryke formed row two with their contrasting 1960s Nike and 2000s Van Diemen. Alan Slater’s Nike was joined on the third row by the rapid Spectrum of Andrew Rackstraw, who ought to progress towards the front from sixth spot, The Van Diemens of James Clarke and Tom Bradshaw had a bit more work to do from gridding thirteenth and sixteenth respectively. Porter led the field into Copse for the first time and Rackstraw was away well to slot in front of Alan Slater’s Nike for second. Second became first for the Spectrum driver by Becketts and the South African ended lap one with a huge lead, helped by a spin for front-row starter Porter which split the pack. Slater - who had become entangled with Porter’s Van Diemen, Andrew Pryke, Peter Hannam and Jack Butterworth were all badly delayed as they scattered but each was able to continue. A meteoric first lap from Tom Bradshaw saw him finish it in second but he had the rapid RF90 off James Clarke closing in after the RF90 drove around polesitter Mooney at Luffield. The pair swapped places through Woodcote ending lap two. There was no catching Rackstraw though as he ran away to a near ten-second victory from Clarke and Bradshaw. Drew Cameron came home in a lonely fourth, with almost the entire field guaranteed a place in the Progression Race. Sole non-finisher Oliver Playle’s Hawke was the only entry to miss out.
Last Chance Race: The ten-lap encounter featured those who finished between fourteenth and eighteenth in their heat plus the sixteen cars that came up from the Progression Race at the back of the field, with the top three finishers Andrew Rackstraw, James Clarke and Tom Bradshaw going from 21st, 22nd and 23rd. An all-Reynard front row of Ryan Campbell and Andrew Schofield headed the earlier cars of Simon Hadfield and Mike Gardner which were due to line up on row two but neither took the start, Gardner failed to appear from the assembly area and Hadfield was pushed off the grid but was able to start from the pitlane. Matt Wrigley would have an eye on progressing after his great pace in the slippery Carl Hamer Pre-Final from sixth, Nathan Tupper’s Swift started alongside. Reserve Oliver Playle was able to get a run in the absence of Gardner’s Crossle. Schofield’s Reynard got off the line best to head the field around the opening lap, Campbell’s similar car slotted into second through Copse from Murray Shepherd and Matt Wrigley’s early car, which fell behind Tupper’s Swift on the run to Maggots. Rackstraw flew through to seventh on lap one behind Mark McKenna’s Crossle, whilst Bradshaw and Clarke were on the fringes of the top ten in ninth and eleventh. Rackstraw's rapid rise continued on the second lap as he moved past McKenna towards Copse, going ahead of the squabbling Wrigley and Tupper between Copse and Maggots, before taking Shepherd at Luffield to end lap two in third. Schofield and Campbell still formed the top two but only temporarily as Rackstraw reached second down the Wellington Straight for the third time and the Spectrum was with Schofield on lap four. Rackstraw took the lead from his fellow South African through Woodcote heading onto lap five and the Australian chassis then cleared off to win by 8.787 seconds. Schofield, architect of the South African invasion, held onto second from the closing Clarke and Bradshaw, the RF90 having passed the later car during the second tour and, like Rackstraw, advanced to Semis after being forced to participate in the Progression Race. Campbell came home fifth after Bradshaw took the Reynard on the last time around. Former Locost champion Shepherd suffered a multiple spin at Copse on lap seven that dropped him out of fifth place and also delayed Wrigley and Tupper but all still advanced into the Semis, whilst Simon Hadfield also made it through in sixteenth after his pitlane start aboard the RF81 Van Diemen carrying the period sponsorship livery of musician Gary Numan.
Semi-Final 1
The B-M Racing Medina of Heat Four winner Rory Smith headed the front row of the first twelve-lap Semi-Final, with Heat Two victor Jason Smyth's Ray alongside. Chris Middlehurst's Van Diemen and Josh Le Roux's KMR Spectrum made up row two, with American Nolan Allaer and the second KMR Spectrum of Jacob Tofts on the third row. The first South African Mygale of Julian van der Watt went from the fourth row and had Canadian Alex Berg for company. Defending WHT holder Joey Foster's Firman and the venerable Van Diemen RF91 of Callum Grant made up the top ten, although the Van Diemen was missing when the Semi lined up after an ignition problem on the way to the grid. Josh Fisher, Jordan Kelly and Jeremy Fairbairn were back in the field, starting from 14th, 18th and 24th, and all were looking for as strong a grid spot as possible for the Grand Final. South African Andrew Rackstraw and the Van Diemen of James Clarke were the first two on the grid that had progressed from the Last Chance race and started in 27th and 28th positions, with the top eighteen finishers going into the final. Smith leapt into the lead off the line on a track that remained very greasy from the previous day's rain, Middlehurst used his outside starting spot well to move up to second around the outside of Smyth at Copse. The top three were together arriving at Becketts but a spin for Le Roux as he attempted to fend off his fellow countryman van der Watt put a gap in the field, which was soon closed by the appearance of the Safety Car for Adam Fathers’ stranded Ray in the Becketts gravel. Josh Fisher had made a great fist of the opening lap and had reached fifth place behind Allaer's Ray by the time of the Safety Car interruption, with van der Watt, Tofts and Foster next in line behind the Van Diemen. The Safety Car came in at the start of lap four and Smith bought himself a car length or two at the resumption of racing, with Middlehurst and Allaer having their hands full with Smyth and Fisher respectively and the Wayne Poole Racing Van Diemen draughted by the American's Ray to move into fourth by Brooklands. The Firman of Foster had grabbed seventh from Tofts at Copse at the restart as Canadian junior Berg joined the group chasing van der Watt in sixth. Foster was in the tow of the Mygale down the Wellington Straight but Tofts breezed past the pair of them arriving at Brooklands. However, the South African fought back around the outside and Foster went by both on the inside! The powerful slipstream brought the top three back together heading on to lap five and the leading Medina started to become very wide, the trio becoming a quintet by the end of the lap as Fisher and Allaer latched onto their tails. The battle quickly came to a head as Middlehurst got up the inside of the 2023 Festival winner at Copse starting the sixth tour, with Smyth lined up behind his Team Dolan stablemate and in turn had Fisher in his wheeltracks. The three cars were as one trying to pass Smith when a touch from Fisher at Maggots sent Smyth's Ray spinning into the side of the polesitting Medina, with both careering off out of the competition. The Safety Car quickly followed as damaged suspension rendered the two cars immovable. The field was released once more with three laps to go. Middlehurst went early but couldn’t stop Fisher from coming through into the lead around the outside of Brooklands on the restart lap. The three-time Castle Combe title holder seemingly took a superb win as he soaked up the pressure from the 2021 National champion in the closing stages. An initial five-second penalty was awarded to Fisher after the race for causing the collision at Maggots, the punishment was then doubled after an appeal to ten seconds and would push him all the way back down to twelfth in the results. Middlehurst thus took the win and front-row starting position for the final. Defending trophy holder Foster rose admirably from starting ninth to claim second from van der Watt's Mygale. A phenomenal fourth was the Spectrum of Rackstraw, who was helped in his climb from 27th on the grid by a tenth-lap spin for Allaer at Brooklands whilst battling with Foster and a last-lap tangle between Tofts and Kelly at the same spot. A brilliant fifth was twice Castle Combe champion Adam Higgins, ahead of a quintet of Rays driven by Berg, Lewis Fox, Fairbairn, Ben Cox and Chris Acton at the foot of the top ten. Allaer still made it into the final in fourteenth but Kelly came home nineteenth and Tofts didn’t take the flag so both missed out. Joseph Ahrens' classic Royale RP26 impressively made the final amongst the modern machinery and took the last automatic spot in eighteenth.
The B-M Racing Medina of Heat Four winner Rory Smith headed the front row of the first twelve-lap Semi-Final, with Heat Two victor Jason Smyth's Ray alongside. Chris Middlehurst's Van Diemen and Josh Le Roux's KMR Spectrum made up row two, with American Nolan Allaer and the second KMR Spectrum of Jacob Tofts on the third row. The first South African Mygale of Julian van der Watt went from the fourth row and had Canadian Alex Berg for company. Defending WHT holder Joey Foster's Firman and the venerable Van Diemen RF91 of Callum Grant made up the top ten, although the Van Diemen was missing when the Semi lined up after an ignition problem on the way to the grid. Josh Fisher, Jordan Kelly and Jeremy Fairbairn were back in the field, starting from 14th, 18th and 24th, and all were looking for as strong a grid spot as possible for the Grand Final. South African Andrew Rackstraw and the Van Diemen of James Clarke were the first two on the grid that had progressed from the Last Chance race and started in 27th and 28th positions, with the top eighteen finishers going into the final. Smith leapt into the lead off the line on a track that remained very greasy from the previous day's rain, Middlehurst used his outside starting spot well to move up to second around the outside of Smyth at Copse. The top three were together arriving at Becketts but a spin for Le Roux as he attempted to fend off his fellow countryman van der Watt put a gap in the field, which was soon closed by the appearance of the Safety Car for Adam Fathers’ stranded Ray in the Becketts gravel. Josh Fisher had made a great fist of the opening lap and had reached fifth place behind Allaer's Ray by the time of the Safety Car interruption, with van der Watt, Tofts and Foster next in line behind the Van Diemen. The Safety Car came in at the start of lap four and Smith bought himself a car length or two at the resumption of racing, with Middlehurst and Allaer having their hands full with Smyth and Fisher respectively and the Wayne Poole Racing Van Diemen draughted by the American's Ray to move into fourth by Brooklands. The Firman of Foster had grabbed seventh from Tofts at Copse at the restart as Canadian junior Berg joined the group chasing van der Watt in sixth. Foster was in the tow of the Mygale down the Wellington Straight but Tofts breezed past the pair of them arriving at Brooklands. However, the South African fought back around the outside and Foster went by both on the inside! The powerful slipstream brought the top three back together heading on to lap five and the leading Medina started to become very wide, the trio becoming a quintet by the end of the lap as Fisher and Allaer latched onto their tails. The battle quickly came to a head as Middlehurst got up the inside of the 2023 Festival winner at Copse starting the sixth tour, with Smyth lined up behind his Team Dolan stablemate and in turn had Fisher in his wheeltracks. The three cars were as one trying to pass Smith when a touch from Fisher at Maggots sent Smyth's Ray spinning into the side of the polesitting Medina, with both careering off out of the competition. The Safety Car quickly followed as damaged suspension rendered the two cars immovable. The field was released once more with three laps to go. Middlehurst went early but couldn’t stop Fisher from coming through into the lead around the outside of Brooklands on the restart lap. The three-time Castle Combe title holder seemingly took a superb win as he soaked up the pressure from the 2021 National champion in the closing stages. An initial five-second penalty was awarded to Fisher after the race for causing the collision at Maggots, the punishment was then doubled after an appeal to ten seconds and would push him all the way back down to twelfth in the results. Middlehurst thus took the win and front-row starting position for the final. Defending trophy holder Foster rose admirably from starting ninth to claim second from van der Watt's Mygale. A phenomenal fourth was the Spectrum of Rackstraw, who was helped in his climb from 27th on the grid by a tenth-lap spin for Allaer at Brooklands whilst battling with Foster and a last-lap tangle between Tofts and Kelly at the same spot. A brilliant fifth was twice Castle Combe champion Adam Higgins, ahead of a quintet of Rays driven by Berg, Lewis Fox, Fairbairn, Ben Cox and Chris Acton at the foot of the top ten. Allaer still made it into the final in fourteenth but Kelly came home nineteenth and Tofts didn’t take the flag so both missed out. Joseph Ahrens' classic Royale RP26 impressively made the final amongst the modern machinery and took the last automatic spot in eighteenth.
Semi-Final 2
Michael Eastwell, the winner from Heat Three, sat on pole position for the second twelve-lapper, with opening heat victor Michael Moyers' revised Medina joining the Spectrum on the front row. Oldfield Motorsport's Brandon McCaughan and Castle Combe championship runner-up Luke Cooper formed the second row, whilst fellow Castle Combe front-runner Ben Mitchell headed the third row from Hugh Esterson’s Ammonite Ray. James Littlejohn's Van Diemen RF03 and current Castle Combe champion Felix Fisher comprised row four, with Team USA junior Jack Sullivan and HSCC 1000cc F3 champion Samuel Harrison completing the top ten. Andrew Schofield and Tom Bradshaw were the top Last Chancers on the grid and started from 27th and 28th positions. Eastwell led away from the favourable outside grid spot when the lights went out, having fended off Moyers at Copse after the pair arrived wheel to wheel. McCaughan had a run on the Medina towards Maggots and the pair briefly interlocked wheels as Moyers came across but the double-winner held onto second place, whilst Cooper threatened Mitchell for fourth on the outside of Becketts. McCaughan and Mitchell went either side of Moyers down towards Brooklands for second but the Van Diemens tangled when McCaughan clipped Mitchell's rear wheel and both spun. This left Eastwell and Moyers clear out front, with the Medina closing in on the Spectrum. Behind them, Esterson's Ray was holding off a huge train of cars that stretched back to sixteenth place, with Sullivan, Tom McArthur, Fisher and Cooper his nearest challengers - the Swift man having been delayed by the Brooklands scuffle. Having started from twelfth on the grid, the flying Jonathan Kotyk briefly passed McArthur for fourth towards Copse on lap three but followed Esterson wide and allowed McArthur's Medina to take both of them for third. Down towards Brooklands for the third time, McArthur snatched his rear wheels and skated well wide just as Kotyk completed a pass on Esterson, which immediately gave the American third place. Esterson now had Cooper, Ayrton Houk, Harrison, Fisher and the recovering McArthur ranging up behind him in the ever-changing queue behind the Ray. Houk got up the inside of Cooper for fifth into Becketts at the fourth time of asking, with Harrison attempting to do the same at Brooklands but the Swift staved him off. Just behind, McArthur displaced Fisher from eighth at Luffield and next in line came the first of the older cars in the hands of Alex Ames. The Safety Car came out on the fifth lap to eradicate the lead pair's four-second plus advantage, with the Team USA Ray of Sullivan stranded on the tarmac run-off at Copse. Racing resumed at the start of lap nine, with Eastwell, Moyers and Kotyk getting away together. In the squabble behind, Houk ousted Esterson from fourth at Brooklands as Cooper ran wide and fell behind Harrison to seventh. Esterson was then hung out to dry at Luffield as Harrison dived underneath and Cooper followed suit to dump the Ray out of the top six heading onto lap ten. Perhaps motivated by Kotyk's pressure from behind, who came out of Becketts right in the Medina's slipstream, Moyers made a move to the inside of Eastwell at Brooklands but the leading Spectrum held firm despite the pair coming close to colliding. In the all-action pack behind, Houk was three abreast with Harrison and Cooper disputing fourth place down the Wellington Straight but the American skated wide at Brooklands after a brush with the Firman so Harrison emerged in fourth. Almost immediately, the Firman started to slide back down the order so Cooper took up fourth from McArthur, Fisher and Ames' Van Diemen RF90 heading into the last knockings. In front of them, Eastwell defended superbly during the final couple of tours to win and take pole position for the final from Moyers and Kotyk in an impressive third. The top two from the Castle Combe championship took the flag in fourth and fifth places, with Cooper's Swift heading Fisher's Ray. McArthur came in sixth after being passed by the Castle Combe champion on the last lap and Canadian Logan Pacza was seventh, having been back in twelfth during lap ten. Ames' Van Diemen finished eighth after being passed by the Team Canada Ray on the run to the line, whilst Charlie Mann and Littlejohn rounded out the top ten. After their lap one coming together, McCaughan and Mitchell both recovered to book their final spots in thirteenth and fourteenth places. As well as Team USA member Sullivan, the other major player to miss out on the final was the Firman of Harrison, engine dramas ending his day after an impressive showing.
Michael Eastwell, the winner from Heat Three, sat on pole position for the second twelve-lapper, with opening heat victor Michael Moyers' revised Medina joining the Spectrum on the front row. Oldfield Motorsport's Brandon McCaughan and Castle Combe championship runner-up Luke Cooper formed the second row, whilst fellow Castle Combe front-runner Ben Mitchell headed the third row from Hugh Esterson’s Ammonite Ray. James Littlejohn's Van Diemen RF03 and current Castle Combe champion Felix Fisher comprised row four, with Team USA junior Jack Sullivan and HSCC 1000cc F3 champion Samuel Harrison completing the top ten. Andrew Schofield and Tom Bradshaw were the top Last Chancers on the grid and started from 27th and 28th positions. Eastwell led away from the favourable outside grid spot when the lights went out, having fended off Moyers at Copse after the pair arrived wheel to wheel. McCaughan had a run on the Medina towards Maggots and the pair briefly interlocked wheels as Moyers came across but the double-winner held onto second place, whilst Cooper threatened Mitchell for fourth on the outside of Becketts. McCaughan and Mitchell went either side of Moyers down towards Brooklands for second but the Van Diemens tangled when McCaughan clipped Mitchell's rear wheel and both spun. This left Eastwell and Moyers clear out front, with the Medina closing in on the Spectrum. Behind them, Esterson's Ray was holding off a huge train of cars that stretched back to sixteenth place, with Sullivan, Tom McArthur, Fisher and Cooper his nearest challengers - the Swift man having been delayed by the Brooklands scuffle. Having started from twelfth on the grid, the flying Jonathan Kotyk briefly passed McArthur for fourth towards Copse on lap three but followed Esterson wide and allowed McArthur's Medina to take both of them for third. Down towards Brooklands for the third time, McArthur snatched his rear wheels and skated well wide just as Kotyk completed a pass on Esterson, which immediately gave the American third place. Esterson now had Cooper, Ayrton Houk, Harrison, Fisher and the recovering McArthur ranging up behind him in the ever-changing queue behind the Ray. Houk got up the inside of Cooper for fifth into Becketts at the fourth time of asking, with Harrison attempting to do the same at Brooklands but the Swift staved him off. Just behind, McArthur displaced Fisher from eighth at Luffield and next in line came the first of the older cars in the hands of Alex Ames. The Safety Car came out on the fifth lap to eradicate the lead pair's four-second plus advantage, with the Team USA Ray of Sullivan stranded on the tarmac run-off at Copse. Racing resumed at the start of lap nine, with Eastwell, Moyers and Kotyk getting away together. In the squabble behind, Houk ousted Esterson from fourth at Brooklands as Cooper ran wide and fell behind Harrison to seventh. Esterson was then hung out to dry at Luffield as Harrison dived underneath and Cooper followed suit to dump the Ray out of the top six heading onto lap ten. Perhaps motivated by Kotyk's pressure from behind, who came out of Becketts right in the Medina's slipstream, Moyers made a move to the inside of Eastwell at Brooklands but the leading Spectrum held firm despite the pair coming close to colliding. In the all-action pack behind, Houk was three abreast with Harrison and Cooper disputing fourth place down the Wellington Straight but the American skated wide at Brooklands after a brush with the Firman so Harrison emerged in fourth. Almost immediately, the Firman started to slide back down the order so Cooper took up fourth from McArthur, Fisher and Ames' Van Diemen RF90 heading into the last knockings. In front of them, Eastwell defended superbly during the final couple of tours to win and take pole position for the final from Moyers and Kotyk in an impressive third. The top two from the Castle Combe championship took the flag in fourth and fifth places, with Cooper's Swift heading Fisher's Ray. McArthur came in sixth after being passed by the Castle Combe champion on the last lap and Canadian Logan Pacza was seventh, having been back in twelfth during lap ten. Ames' Van Diemen finished eighth after being passed by the Team Canada Ray on the run to the line, whilst Charlie Mann and Littlejohn rounded out the top ten. After their lap one coming together, McCaughan and Mitchell both recovered to book their final spots in thirteenth and fourteenth places. As well as Team USA member Sullivan, the other major player to miss out on the final was the Firman of Harrison, engine dramas ending his day after an impressive showing.
Grand Final
The track surface had been left very greasy by the shower of rain during the preceding Carl Hamer Trophy race and added an extra set-up complication for the field, which had Michael Eastwell at its head on pole position. Chris Middlehurst profited from Josh Fisher’s penalty to join the Australian-based KMR Sport driver on the front row for the scheduled fifteen laps of the final. A glut of Walter Hayes Trophy victories sat on row two, with twice winner Micheal Moyers joined by four-time trophy holder Joey Foster. A multi-national third row comprised American Jonathan Kotyk and South African Julian van der Watt. 2023 Castle Combe championship runner-up Luke Cooper started from seventh and one of the stories of the day would start next to the Swift, the Spectrum of Andrew Rackstraw having come through from the Progression Race first thing in the morning to start the final inside the top ten. The fifth row was made up by reigning Castle Combe champion Felix Fisher and one of his predecessors Adam Higgins as they completed the first ten cars on the grid. A red flag after six laps rendered the early stages largely redundant, bar setting the grid for the nine-lap new race. However, it did have the effect of removing Kotyk and van der Watt from contention after the Van Diemen had a spin at Copse on lap three attempting an overtake on Rackstraw's Spectrum whilst the Mygale ran straight on into the run-off at Luffield for the second time and fell to the back of the field. For the record, polesitter Eastwell got the best start from the drier outside line to lead Middlehurst and Moyers through Copse. Moyers' Medina drove around the outside of Middlehurst's Van Diemen at Brooklands to take second at the end of lap two and Foster further demoted the 2021 National champion at Luffield after making the inside line work and came off the corner alongside Moyers. The trio were abreast across the start/finish line before the order settled on the Medina leading the Firman and Van Diemen. There was little more change in the top five order despite running in a slipstreaming train when the Safety Car and ultimately the red flag came out with multiple cars littering the final section of the lap. As the race leader at the time of the stoppage, Eastwell would take the new start from pole position with Moyers starting beside the Spectrum. Foster and Middlehurst formed the second row, with Rackstraw well placed in fifth alongside Cooper's Swift. Alex Berg and Felix Fisher's Rays shared the fourth row but the Team Canada junior was pushed off of the grid after an impressive opening stint, having tagged onto the back of the lead train in seventh from a sixth-row start. Berg took the restart from the pitlane but was eventually disqualified for the car being worked on whilst under the parc ferme conditions of the stoppage. Eastwell benefitted again from the drier outside grid spot and headed the field once more into Copse as the nine laps got underway from Moyers and Foster, with Middlehurst falling behind Rackstraw and Cooper after bogging down. The orange Medina slithered up the inside of the Spectrum for the lead at Brooklands for the first time but Eastwell fought back at Luffield and had an overlap through Woodcote. The pair were abreast past the pits with Eastwell to the inside but contact at Copse sent Moyers over the Spectrum's front wheel and rotating into retirement. The incident also badly delayed Foster as he ran wide so Middlehurst and Eastwell were now side by side for the lead towards Becketts but the polesitter skated wide and took Middlehurst with him, which put the remarkable Josh Fisher into the lead! The Van Diemen man had driven a mighty opening lap to reach eighth from the sixth row before the Copse incident slowed the pack and the Wayne Poole Racing car pounced. Middlehurst claimed second exiting the corner, with Eastwell fighting for third with KMR stablemate Rackstraw down to Brooklands. The Safety Car was then scrambled due to the cars of Moyers and Sam Street stranded at Copse, with the order being Fisher from Middlehurst, Rackstraw, Eastwell and Cooper in the queue. The field was released at the start of lap six, so four laps remained to decide the trophy's destiny. Fisher held the lead when racing resumed but Middlehurst steamed up the outside into Brooklands as the leading Van Diemen covered the inside. However, the 2021 National champion outbraked himself and ran wide, allowing the three-time Castle Combe champion to regain control of the race. The following lap Middlehurst made another bid for the lead around the outside of Brooklands and was able to make it stick this time with two laps remaining, Eastwell had also charged up the inside of the pair of them and momentarily got his nose in front before the Team Dolan car's extra grip on the outside paid dividends. Fisher didn't take the moves lying down and got inside Eastwell and Middlehurst at Luffield, the Manchester man retained the lead but Fisher got back into second after interlocking wheels with the Spectrum running towards Woodcote. Middlehurst got his head down and broke clear during the penultimate lap as Fisher scrapped with Eastwell for second, the Spectrum getting ahead past the pits after passing Rackstraw exiting Copse when the South African ran wide at the restart. Eastwell came back at the leading Van Diemen during the last lap but Middlehurst held on by 0.366 seconds to have his name engraved on the Walter Hayes Trophy for the first time. Rackstraw took a remarkable podium having started the day effectively in 78th, grabbing third from Fisher starting the last time around and was within a second of the triumphant Middlehurst. The Spectrum had fallen to fifth behind Cooper at the end of the restart lap but quickly regained fourth place at Copse and left Cooper to fend off another of the KMR Spectrums in the hands of Josh Le Roux, who had started 34th on the original final grid. Unfortunately for the South African, he would spin out of the race at Luffield on the penultimate lap. Foster picked up fifth into Becketts last time through as he fought back from twelfth behind the Safety Car, displacing double Castle Combe champion 'Badass' Adam Higgins. Canadian junior Logan Pacza’s Ray completed the top six after also passing Higgins on the final lap, who came home just ahead of this year’s Castle Combe runner-up Cooper. The Swift had sailed wide out of fifth place at Copse starting the final tour when the Wiltshireman was threatening Fisher's fourth place. Charlie Mann's Ray and Brandon McCaughan's Van Diemen rounded out the top ten. Reserve driver Jordan Kelly rose from the very back of the initial grid to take the flag in twelfth behind Robert Wolk's Mygale. A last-lap tangle at Luffield between Tom McArthur and Felix Fisher cost them probable top-ten finishes, McArthur went out with broken suspension and Fisher crossed the line last but one in 23rd. Nolan Allaer took home the Ron Collins pint pot for the last classified finisher, the rapid American had aimed to be far higher in the final but a deflating left-rear tyre consigned the Ray to the back of the field.
The track surface had been left very greasy by the shower of rain during the preceding Carl Hamer Trophy race and added an extra set-up complication for the field, which had Michael Eastwell at its head on pole position. Chris Middlehurst profited from Josh Fisher’s penalty to join the Australian-based KMR Sport driver on the front row for the scheduled fifteen laps of the final. A glut of Walter Hayes Trophy victories sat on row two, with twice winner Micheal Moyers joined by four-time trophy holder Joey Foster. A multi-national third row comprised American Jonathan Kotyk and South African Julian van der Watt. 2023 Castle Combe championship runner-up Luke Cooper started from seventh and one of the stories of the day would start next to the Swift, the Spectrum of Andrew Rackstraw having come through from the Progression Race first thing in the morning to start the final inside the top ten. The fifth row was made up by reigning Castle Combe champion Felix Fisher and one of his predecessors Adam Higgins as they completed the first ten cars on the grid. A red flag after six laps rendered the early stages largely redundant, bar setting the grid for the nine-lap new race. However, it did have the effect of removing Kotyk and van der Watt from contention after the Van Diemen had a spin at Copse on lap three attempting an overtake on Rackstraw's Spectrum whilst the Mygale ran straight on into the run-off at Luffield for the second time and fell to the back of the field. For the record, polesitter Eastwell got the best start from the drier outside line to lead Middlehurst and Moyers through Copse. Moyers' Medina drove around the outside of Middlehurst's Van Diemen at Brooklands to take second at the end of lap two and Foster further demoted the 2021 National champion at Luffield after making the inside line work and came off the corner alongside Moyers. The trio were abreast across the start/finish line before the order settled on the Medina leading the Firman and Van Diemen. There was little more change in the top five order despite running in a slipstreaming train when the Safety Car and ultimately the red flag came out with multiple cars littering the final section of the lap. As the race leader at the time of the stoppage, Eastwell would take the new start from pole position with Moyers starting beside the Spectrum. Foster and Middlehurst formed the second row, with Rackstraw well placed in fifth alongside Cooper's Swift. Alex Berg and Felix Fisher's Rays shared the fourth row but the Team Canada junior was pushed off of the grid after an impressive opening stint, having tagged onto the back of the lead train in seventh from a sixth-row start. Berg took the restart from the pitlane but was eventually disqualified for the car being worked on whilst under the parc ferme conditions of the stoppage. Eastwell benefitted again from the drier outside grid spot and headed the field once more into Copse as the nine laps got underway from Moyers and Foster, with Middlehurst falling behind Rackstraw and Cooper after bogging down. The orange Medina slithered up the inside of the Spectrum for the lead at Brooklands for the first time but Eastwell fought back at Luffield and had an overlap through Woodcote. The pair were abreast past the pits with Eastwell to the inside but contact at Copse sent Moyers over the Spectrum's front wheel and rotating into retirement. The incident also badly delayed Foster as he ran wide so Middlehurst and Eastwell were now side by side for the lead towards Becketts but the polesitter skated wide and took Middlehurst with him, which put the remarkable Josh Fisher into the lead! The Van Diemen man had driven a mighty opening lap to reach eighth from the sixth row before the Copse incident slowed the pack and the Wayne Poole Racing car pounced. Middlehurst claimed second exiting the corner, with Eastwell fighting for third with KMR stablemate Rackstraw down to Brooklands. The Safety Car was then scrambled due to the cars of Moyers and Sam Street stranded at Copse, with the order being Fisher from Middlehurst, Rackstraw, Eastwell and Cooper in the queue. The field was released at the start of lap six, so four laps remained to decide the trophy's destiny. Fisher held the lead when racing resumed but Middlehurst steamed up the outside into Brooklands as the leading Van Diemen covered the inside. However, the 2021 National champion outbraked himself and ran wide, allowing the three-time Castle Combe champion to regain control of the race. The following lap Middlehurst made another bid for the lead around the outside of Brooklands and was able to make it stick this time with two laps remaining, Eastwell had also charged up the inside of the pair of them and momentarily got his nose in front before the Team Dolan car's extra grip on the outside paid dividends. Fisher didn't take the moves lying down and got inside Eastwell and Middlehurst at Luffield, the Manchester man retained the lead but Fisher got back into second after interlocking wheels with the Spectrum running towards Woodcote. Middlehurst got his head down and broke clear during the penultimate lap as Fisher scrapped with Eastwell for second, the Spectrum getting ahead past the pits after passing Rackstraw exiting Copse when the South African ran wide at the restart. Eastwell came back at the leading Van Diemen during the last lap but Middlehurst held on by 0.366 seconds to have his name engraved on the Walter Hayes Trophy for the first time. Rackstraw took a remarkable podium having started the day effectively in 78th, grabbing third from Fisher starting the last time around and was within a second of the triumphant Middlehurst. The Spectrum had fallen to fifth behind Cooper at the end of the restart lap but quickly regained fourth place at Copse and left Cooper to fend off another of the KMR Spectrums in the hands of Josh Le Roux, who had started 34th on the original final grid. Unfortunately for the South African, he would spin out of the race at Luffield on the penultimate lap. Foster picked up fifth into Becketts last time through as he fought back from twelfth behind the Safety Car, displacing double Castle Combe champion 'Badass' Adam Higgins. Canadian junior Logan Pacza’s Ray completed the top six after also passing Higgins on the final lap, who came home just ahead of this year’s Castle Combe runner-up Cooper. The Swift had sailed wide out of fifth place at Copse starting the final tour when the Wiltshireman was threatening Fisher's fourth place. Charlie Mann's Ray and Brandon McCaughan's Van Diemen rounded out the top ten. Reserve driver Jordan Kelly rose from the very back of the initial grid to take the flag in twelfth behind Robert Wolk's Mygale. A last-lap tangle at Luffield between Tom McArthur and Felix Fisher cost them probable top-ten finishes, McArthur went out with broken suspension and Fisher crossed the line last but one in 23rd. Nolan Allaer took home the Ron Collins pint pot for the last classified finisher, the rapid American had aimed to be far higher in the final but a deflating left-rear tyre consigned the Ray to the back of the field.
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Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy Final
Callum Grant won an action-packed Pre-Final for the Pre '99 cars to take pole position for the Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy Final from the man he passed on the last lap to win, Alex Ames. James Clarke was also part of the three-way dice for the lead and lined up third. James Tucker was the fastest man on track but could only finish fourth as he recovered well from an early spin, he would still pose a threat from the second row. Richard Tarling's 1989 Reynard and Ed Thurston's 1992 Van Diemen formed the third row. Pre-Final polesitter Sam Street had a disaster on Saturday, a poor start was followed by a second lap spin before going off for good at Luffield, which condemned him to an eleventh-row start. Grant had resurrected his Van Diemen RF91 from its Semi-Final non-start to take the lead from pole position when the race got underway and headed Ames' RF90 into Copse for the first of twelve times. Clarke and Tucker had run through Copse abreast before Tarling joined in as they squabbled over third towards Becketts, with the Reynard getting ahead of the second-row pair to take third from Tucker's Swift. Grant fended off Ames into Brooklands for the first whilst Tucker had to leave space for Richard Higgins' forceful dive up the inside. The Historic Festival winner promptly ran wide and fell back behind Tucker, plus Thurston's RF92 as well. The top five cars had made a small break going onto lap two and Tarling dived ahead of Ames for second at Brooklands, whilst Tucker moved into fourth through Luffield at the expense of Clarke. Ames quickly took back second on the run to Maggots early on lap three and the Reynard also fell behind Tucker as they completed the lap. The top three spread themselves across the Wellington Straight for the fourth time as Grant held on to his lead but Tucker rounded Ames into second, whilst Tarling fended off Clarke just behind them for fourth place too. Starting the fifth tour, Tucker draughted alongside the leading RF91 before hitting the front exiting Copse. Grant then fell to third at Becketts courtesy of Ames but the RF91 sailed back into the lead after bagging Tucker and Ames in one go down to Brooklands. Tucker seemed to have got the lead back as they approached Brooklands for the sixth time but Grant swept around the outside to keep the advantage. At the same time, Tarling got by Ames and Clarke threatened to further demote the RF90 at Luffield but Ames was able to hang on around the outside. For the second lap in a row, the lead pair crossed the line side by side but this time Tucker was able to complete a pass into Becketts for the seventh time, whilst Ames regained third from Tarling in their wake. Grant towed back ahead on the following straight but looped into a spin at Brooklands, allowing Tucker to hit the front again from Ames. All the while, Sam Street was making a stunning charge from a row eleven start in his Swift. Having climbed halfway up the field to end the opening lap in twelfth, he would reach eighth on lap three, then went up to sixth after passing Higgins on the fifth tour and the Swift was almost with the lead quartet by lap eight. The Castle Combe regular moved past Tarling for fourth at Becketts on the ninth lap, Clarke's Van Diemen having passed the Reynard a lap previously around the outside of Brooklands. When Street moved to the outside of Clarke approaching Brooklands, Tarling dived for the inside and brushed wheels with Clarke. The incident delayed Street whilst Tarling gathered up his sliding Reynard and the top two now had a useful margin over Clarke in third. The strong slipstream effect enabled Street to have a try for Clarke's third place into Brooklands for the tenth time before making a move stick towards Copse with two laps to go. The fastest lap went to Tucker heading onto the penultimate lap, with Ames appearing to be his only threat but Street and Clarke were edging back into the equation as the leading Swift became ever wider. Ames drew up along the outside of Tucker down the Wellington Straight for the final time and got his nose in front but Tucker was brave on the brakes into Brooklands to cling onto his lead. The Swift held on to claim the trophy named in honour of the former Silverstone Racing Club secretary and win one of the best races of the day by 0.058 seconds from Ames, with the top four finishing as one. Tucker had thought his day might be over after feeling that his engine was down on power in his Semi-Final but luckily only had to replace the Swift's throttle cable. Street could be well chuffed with his drive to third and Clarke took a combative fourth, as 0.924 seconds covered the four of them. Tarling just fended off Benn Tilley's Van Diemen RF86 for fifth place by 0.176 seconds after falling away from the lead scrap in the later stages. Grant recovered from his spin to come home in seventh ahead of Higgins' similar RF91. The Reynards of Ryan Campbell and Richard Freye completed the top ten.
Callum Grant won an action-packed Pre-Final for the Pre '99 cars to take pole position for the Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy Final from the man he passed on the last lap to win, Alex Ames. James Clarke was also part of the three-way dice for the lead and lined up third. James Tucker was the fastest man on track but could only finish fourth as he recovered well from an early spin, he would still pose a threat from the second row. Richard Tarling's 1989 Reynard and Ed Thurston's 1992 Van Diemen formed the third row. Pre-Final polesitter Sam Street had a disaster on Saturday, a poor start was followed by a second lap spin before going off for good at Luffield, which condemned him to an eleventh-row start. Grant had resurrected his Van Diemen RF91 from its Semi-Final non-start to take the lead from pole position when the race got underway and headed Ames' RF90 into Copse for the first of twelve times. Clarke and Tucker had run through Copse abreast before Tarling joined in as they squabbled over third towards Becketts, with the Reynard getting ahead of the second-row pair to take third from Tucker's Swift. Grant fended off Ames into Brooklands for the first whilst Tucker had to leave space for Richard Higgins' forceful dive up the inside. The Historic Festival winner promptly ran wide and fell back behind Tucker, plus Thurston's RF92 as well. The top five cars had made a small break going onto lap two and Tarling dived ahead of Ames for second at Brooklands, whilst Tucker moved into fourth through Luffield at the expense of Clarke. Ames quickly took back second on the run to Maggots early on lap three and the Reynard also fell behind Tucker as they completed the lap. The top three spread themselves across the Wellington Straight for the fourth time as Grant held on to his lead but Tucker rounded Ames into second, whilst Tarling fended off Clarke just behind them for fourth place too. Starting the fifth tour, Tucker draughted alongside the leading RF91 before hitting the front exiting Copse. Grant then fell to third at Becketts courtesy of Ames but the RF91 sailed back into the lead after bagging Tucker and Ames in one go down to Brooklands. Tucker seemed to have got the lead back as they approached Brooklands for the sixth time but Grant swept around the outside to keep the advantage. At the same time, Tarling got by Ames and Clarke threatened to further demote the RF90 at Luffield but Ames was able to hang on around the outside. For the second lap in a row, the lead pair crossed the line side by side but this time Tucker was able to complete a pass into Becketts for the seventh time, whilst Ames regained third from Tarling in their wake. Grant towed back ahead on the following straight but looped into a spin at Brooklands, allowing Tucker to hit the front again from Ames. All the while, Sam Street was making a stunning charge from a row eleven start in his Swift. Having climbed halfway up the field to end the opening lap in twelfth, he would reach eighth on lap three, then went up to sixth after passing Higgins on the fifth tour and the Swift was almost with the lead quartet by lap eight. The Castle Combe regular moved past Tarling for fourth at Becketts on the ninth lap, Clarke's Van Diemen having passed the Reynard a lap previously around the outside of Brooklands. When Street moved to the outside of Clarke approaching Brooklands, Tarling dived for the inside and brushed wheels with Clarke. The incident delayed Street whilst Tarling gathered up his sliding Reynard and the top two now had a useful margin over Clarke in third. The strong slipstream effect enabled Street to have a try for Clarke's third place into Brooklands for the tenth time before making a move stick towards Copse with two laps to go. The fastest lap went to Tucker heading onto the penultimate lap, with Ames appearing to be his only threat but Street and Clarke were edging back into the equation as the leading Swift became ever wider. Ames drew up along the outside of Tucker down the Wellington Straight for the final time and got his nose in front but Tucker was brave on the brakes into Brooklands to cling onto his lead. The Swift held on to claim the trophy named in honour of the former Silverstone Racing Club secretary and win one of the best races of the day by 0.058 seconds from Ames, with the top four finishing as one. Tucker had thought his day might be over after feeling that his engine was down on power in his Semi-Final but luckily only had to replace the Swift's throttle cable. Street could be well chuffed with his drive to third and Clarke took a combative fourth, as 0.924 seconds covered the four of them. Tarling just fended off Benn Tilley's Van Diemen RF86 for fifth place by 0.176 seconds after falling away from the lead scrap in the later stages. Grant recovered from his spin to come home in seventh ahead of Higgins' similar RF91. The Reynards of Ryan Campbell and Richard Freye completed the top ten.
Carl Hamer Memorial Trophy Final
Joseph Ahrens just held off a charging Matt Wrigley to triumph in the Pre Final and secure pole position for the Carl Hamer Memorial Trophy Final for chassis built before 1982. Ahrens led from the start as Wrigley came through from eighth to pass Ahrens into Copse starting the final lap but a better exit allowed Ahrens' Royale to cut back inside towards Maggotts and take the win. Mark McKenna took third spot on lap seven from the similar car of Mike Gardner, who promptly spun and fell back to fifth behind Sam Mitchell and started from the third row. Jake Shortland completed the third row as he recovered from a first-lap spin after veteran Rick Morris and historic preparation expert Simon Hadfield collided ahead of the Lola. The two combatants would form the fourth row for the final. Second row starter Sam Mitchell was removed from contention before the final even began when the Merlyn pulled into the pits on the formation lap. It took until the field reached Maggots for the first time for Ahrens to establish himself in the lead as Wrigley went with him off the line. As the field headed down towards Brooklands, Gardner's Crossle slithered into the lead after arriving in the braking area three-wide with the front row men. Wrigley's Merlyn also bested Ahrens to grab second. Just behind them, Rick Morris was squeezed towards the grass as he ran abreast with Shortland and Hadfield but was able to take the Lola for sixth spot. Sixth became fifth when he took Hadfield crossing the line to start lap two. In front of them Wrigley had a run on Gardner heading towards Copse for the second time but Ahrens was gaining on the pair of them and as Wrigley aimed for the outside, Ahrens arrowed inside them both. Ahrens and Gardner came out of the corner still side by side but Ahrens took the initiative by Maggots. An inspired Morris took both McKenna and Wrigley exiting Copse and dived inside Gardner for second at Becketts before remarkably taking the lead into Brooklands for the second time. Hadfield's Van Diemen also charged up the inside of Gardner at Becketts, with the Crossle then losing out to Wrigley and Shortland into Brooklands and forced McKenna's similar to take to the run off after running wide. Ahrens reclaimed the lead at Copse starting the third lap but the Royale slipstreamed back into the lead by Brooklands. Ahrens repeated his Copse move going onto lap four to hit the front once more, with Hadfield and Wrigley running wheel to wheel through Maggots for third just behind. In an action replay of the previous lap, Morris again draughted into the lead down to Brooklands. Hadfield also went up the inside of Ahrens' Royale but couldn't complete the pass and was mugged by Wrigley at Luffield. The spots of rain that had been in the air up to now became much heavier on the fifth tour and Ahrens was able to skate around the outside of Morris at Luffield to lead again. Now clear of the defensive Royale, Ahrens was able to pull away for a short while but the mid-race shower changed the complexion of the race. As in the wet Pre Final, the softer suspended Merlyn of Historic F2 ace Wrigley was better suited to the Brooklands and Luffield section in the slippery conditions and soon reeled in the leading Royale after passing Morris at Luffield on lap seven. Wrigley made his first attempt for the lead at Becketts for the tenth time and the Merlyn had an overlap through Woodcote heading onto the last lap but Ahrens held on to take the win by 0.473 seconds, despite having a large bout of understeer and oversteer through Luffield for the twelfth and last time. Shortland's unusual Lola T440 got the better of Hadfield at Brooklands on lap nine and Morris in the same place on lap eleven for the final podium spot after winning an early contest with Gardner's Crossle for fifth, which ended with a second spin of the weekend for the Crossle at Copse on lap eight. Hadfield also passed Morris for fourth when the third-placed Lola got through on the penultimate lap. Mark McKenna took sixth with his Crossle 35F, the Northern Irishman a Zetec Formula Ford contemporary of 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button.
Joseph Ahrens just held off a charging Matt Wrigley to triumph in the Pre Final and secure pole position for the Carl Hamer Memorial Trophy Final for chassis built before 1982. Ahrens led from the start as Wrigley came through from eighth to pass Ahrens into Copse starting the final lap but a better exit allowed Ahrens' Royale to cut back inside towards Maggotts and take the win. Mark McKenna took third spot on lap seven from the similar car of Mike Gardner, who promptly spun and fell back to fifth behind Sam Mitchell and started from the third row. Jake Shortland completed the third row as he recovered from a first-lap spin after veteran Rick Morris and historic preparation expert Simon Hadfield collided ahead of the Lola. The two combatants would form the fourth row for the final. Second row starter Sam Mitchell was removed from contention before the final even began when the Merlyn pulled into the pits on the formation lap. It took until the field reached Maggots for the first time for Ahrens to establish himself in the lead as Wrigley went with him off the line. As the field headed down towards Brooklands, Gardner's Crossle slithered into the lead after arriving in the braking area three-wide with the front row men. Wrigley's Merlyn also bested Ahrens to grab second. Just behind them, Rick Morris was squeezed towards the grass as he ran abreast with Shortland and Hadfield but was able to take the Lola for sixth spot. Sixth became fifth when he took Hadfield crossing the line to start lap two. In front of them Wrigley had a run on Gardner heading towards Copse for the second time but Ahrens was gaining on the pair of them and as Wrigley aimed for the outside, Ahrens arrowed inside them both. Ahrens and Gardner came out of the corner still side by side but Ahrens took the initiative by Maggots. An inspired Morris took both McKenna and Wrigley exiting Copse and dived inside Gardner for second at Becketts before remarkably taking the lead into Brooklands for the second time. Hadfield's Van Diemen also charged up the inside of Gardner at Becketts, with the Crossle then losing out to Wrigley and Shortland into Brooklands and forced McKenna's similar to take to the run off after running wide. Ahrens reclaimed the lead at Copse starting the third lap but the Royale slipstreamed back into the lead by Brooklands. Ahrens repeated his Copse move going onto lap four to hit the front once more, with Hadfield and Wrigley running wheel to wheel through Maggots for third just behind. In an action replay of the previous lap, Morris again draughted into the lead down to Brooklands. Hadfield also went up the inside of Ahrens' Royale but couldn't complete the pass and was mugged by Wrigley at Luffield. The spots of rain that had been in the air up to now became much heavier on the fifth tour and Ahrens was able to skate around the outside of Morris at Luffield to lead again. Now clear of the defensive Royale, Ahrens was able to pull away for a short while but the mid-race shower changed the complexion of the race. As in the wet Pre Final, the softer suspended Merlyn of Historic F2 ace Wrigley was better suited to the Brooklands and Luffield section in the slippery conditions and soon reeled in the leading Royale after passing Morris at Luffield on lap seven. Wrigley made his first attempt for the lead at Becketts for the tenth time and the Merlyn had an overlap through Woodcote heading onto the last lap but Ahrens held on to take the win by 0.473 seconds, despite having a large bout of understeer and oversteer through Luffield for the twelfth and last time. Shortland's unusual Lola T440 got the better of Hadfield at Brooklands on lap nine and Morris in the same place on lap eleven for the final podium spot after winning an early contest with Gardner's Crossle for fifth, which ended with a second spin of the weekend for the Crossle at Copse on lap eight. Hadfield also passed Morris for fourth when the third-placed Lola got through on the penultimate lap. Mark McKenna took sixth with his Crossle 35F, the Northern Irishman a Zetec Formula Ford contemporary of 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button.
