Formula Ford Flat Out at Thruxton…

Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship GB arrived at Thruxton this weekend as part of the BTCC circus and with 3 races a weekend its a big season and competition is fierce….

On Saturday Sam Brabham shone in qualifying to lead a JTR 1-2-3 grid lock-out ahead of his team-mates Jayde Kruger and Max Marshall. Sam followed up his first pole with his maiden race win in a car, leading Round 7 from start to finish despite the ever-present threat of Harrison Scott’s Falcon Mygale in his mirrors. A collision at the Club chicane on lap two ended the races of both Chris Mealin and erstwhile championship leader Kruger; neither driver was hurt but Mealin’s Falcon Mygale was extensively damaged and Kruger’s rear suspension was broken. Brabham crossed the line half a second ahead of Scott, who regained the championship lead, with Ashley Sutton an impressive third on his debut with the Jamun team. Juan Rosso claimed the £500 improver’s award and Sutton the £500 cheque for winning the Scholarship class.

Juan Rosso started Round 8 from the pole and the Argentinian romped home to win his first race of the season for the Radical Motorsport team, and the £1000 victor’s cheque. JTR’s Marshall shadowed him throughout, settling for second place to preserve his tyres rather than trying to claim the win. Scott made up a place at the start and defended well against a challenge from Brabham to hold on to third to the end, extending his points lead. Brabham’s attack on Scott cost him a place as Sutton took advantage to pass him for fourth. Ashley was again the leading Scholarship class finisher.

On Sunday Sam Brabham wasted no time at all in racking up victory number two. In front of ITV4’s live cameras, the 19-year-old dominated the ninth round of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, leading from pole position to chequered flag. Sam was under pressure throughout from his JTR team-mate Jayde Kruger, but made no errors and even had the presence of mind mid-race to back off the pace to conserve fuel.

The luck which deserted Kruger on the Saturday, when he retired from round seven with car damage, returned for the South African – his second place, combined with a late spin for Harrison Scott, returns him to the championship lead.

Brabham, Kruger and Scott held the top three positions for the first 14 of the 17 laps – each making a good start and waiting for a mistake to open up a passing manoeuvre; none came. Brabham had pulled a second’s gap over Kruger by the 11th lap before throttling back a little. By this stage Ashley Sutton had caught the leading trio, the Jamun man taking a lap or two to deal with Max Marshall’s JTR Mygale and secure fourth.

Scott’s undoing came at the end of the 15th lap, as he and Sutton rounded the Club chicane to find the slower-moving SWB Sinter of Greg Holloway in their path. Harrison jinked his Falcon Mygale to avoid contact but half spun, with Sutton forced to stand on the anchors to avoid him. Said Ashley: “I was lining myself up to pass the backmarker, as was Scott, but he lost it and came right around in front of me – we were lucky not to touch. I had to stand on everything to avoid him.”

Scott was fortunate to avoid contact with the wall, and drove well to recover his composure and set off again, albeit well down the order. “I didn’t see any blue flags to warn me that we were coming up on a backmarker and maybe Greg didn’t see any either to warn him,” said Harrison. “I had to swerve the car suddenly to avoid hitting him, and that was it… I was lucky not to clip the wall.” Scott went on to finish seventh.

Brabham crossed the line seven-tenths ahead of Kruger and was just as delighted by his second win as he was by his first: “I got a good start and controlled the race. I knew that the fuel would be marginal and I had to try to save some, so I backed off when I could, and everything worked out perfectly. Lights to flag again – I can’t complain.”

Kruger, who regains the title race lead by three points, said: “Sam’s tyres were a bit fresher than mine, so I had the pace on him in most places but I was losing ground at one particular corner. It’s a good way to walk away from the weekend, with a podium and the championship lead.”

After slowing to avoid Scott, Sutton had a fight on his hands to keep Marshall behind him in the closing laps, although Max was struggling with handling issues: “I flat-spotted my rear tyres and wrecked them, but apart from the vibration it was a good race, a question of maintaining focus.”

Round eight winner Juan Rosso had to start from the back after his qualifying issues but quickly made it through to seventh behind his Radical team-mate James Abbott. Alas for James a last-lap fuel surge momentarily slowed him and Rosso was able to leapfrog him almost within sight of the chequered flag.

Another final-lap place-gainer was Falcon’s Ricky Collard, who enjoyed a race-long duel with the Meridian machine of Connor Mills. Hampshireman Collard played his trump card up Woodham Hill on the approach to the last corner of the race and pipped Mills to eighth place overall and second in the Scholarship class. “I got a good lunge on Connor up Woodham Hill,” said Ricky. “It was a good fight; the car’s handling can’t be faulted but we are struggling slightly on engine power. They are going to make some upgrades for Oulton Park and that should help.”

With Chris Mealin a spectator following his Saturday crash, the finishing order was completed by Meridian driver Bobby Thompson, Ovie Iroro’s Richardson Racing machine and Holloway’s Sinter.

Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship GB
Provisional results Thruxton 4 May 2014
17 laps / 40.05 miles

1 Sam BRABHAM/GBR (Banbury) JTR Mygale 20m 48.783s / 115.46mph
2 Jayde KRUGER/RSA JTR Mygale +0.709s
3 Ashley SUTTON/GBR (Bishops Stortford) Jamun Mygale +5.743s
4 Max MARSHALL/GBR (North Kilworth) JTR Mygale +6.183s
5 Juan ROSSO/ARG Radical Mygale +7.929s
6 James ABBOTT/GBR (Thurlby) Radical Mygale +10.382s
7 Harrison SCOTT/GBR (Althorne) Falcon Mygale +19.631s
8 Ricky COLLARD/GBR (Eversley) Falcon Mygale +24.371s
9 Connor MILLS/GBR (Upminster) Meridian Mygale +24.919s
10 Bobby THOMPSON/GBR (Hornchurch) Meridian Mygale +29.393s
11 Ovie IRORO/NGR Richardson Mygale 16 laps
12 Greg HOLLOWAY/AUS SWB Sinter 16 laps

Scholarship class 1 Sutton, 2 Collard, 3 Mills, 4 Thompson, 5 Iroro

Fastest lap Sutton 1m 12.430s / 117.10mph

Did not start
Chris MEALIN/GBR (Braddan, IOM) Falcon Mygale

Provisional Championship Standings:

1 Kruger 203 points

2 Scott 200

3 Rosso 195

4 Marshall 192

5 Abbott 178

6 Brabham 164

7 Mills 117

8 Sutton 107

9 Collard 102

10 Holloway 72

Scholarship Class:

1 Mills 144

2 Collard 134

3 Sutton 132

4 Mealin 91

5 James Webb 72

6 Iroro 58

Next round the teams head to Cheshire on the 7/8 June at Oulton Park.

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