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Formula Ford Festival

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Formula Ford Festival
Brands Hatch: the current host of the Festival
CategorySingle-seaters
(Formula Ford)
Country United Kingdom
Inaugural season1972
ClassesKent
Engine suppliersFord Kent 1600
Drivers' championUnited States Max Esterson
Constructors' championUnited Kingdom Ammonite Motorsport / Ray Race Cars
Official websiteFormula Ford Festival

The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are held over the course of a weekend and although various classes of past and present Formula Fords are present, the high point for many is the championship in which young but skilled drivers from Ford competitions in Europe and beyond race against one another. Often it is a rare chance to compare the skills of drivers who take part in different Ford competitions around the world. Many winners of the festival have gone on to enjoy professional careers in various branches of motorsport - including fourteen who have raced in Formula One.

The event is administered by the British Racing and Sports Car Club.

History

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Inception

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The inaugural season in 1972 took place at Snetterton, where the festival was held until 1975. It then moved to Brands Hatch where it has stayed to date.

The Kent years

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The Kent engine was the lead engine in early Formula Ford, and so from the first festival in 1972 until the Zetec was introduced in 1993.

The Zetec years

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The 1800 cc Zetec engine was the leading engine from 1993 until the Duratec took over in 2006. Zetec remained an engine sub-class until 2014.

The Duratec engine

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The 1600 cc Duratec engine is currently used in the leading races although the Zetec and Kent engines are still used in junior and classic classes of racing. Duratec remained the Festival champion class until 2014.

Loss of prominence

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For many years the festival was the highlight of the Formula Ford season. Entries of several hundred cars from all over the Formula Ford world were common into the 1990s, with racers competing in knockout heats to decide the grid for a grand final. Entries have been declining and recent Festivals have struggled to attract more than 40-50 cars, enough for two heats and a final. Support races from other classes e.g. Caterham, Club F3, and Historic Sports 2000 have also been included in the program. This is because although the event still has the atmosphere of past years its position as a rite of passage for young drivers has largely been usurped by other junior formulae, mostly by the FIA backed Formula 4 and karting.

More "historic" FF1600 cars have been turning up for the supporting races than contemporary Zetecs, however, in 2006, the Festival saw the Duratec engine for the first time thereby having a final for all 3 marques at one meeting for the first time. The Walter Hayes Trophy now recognises the continuing interest in 1600cc 'Kent' Formula Ford and attracted over 150 entries in 2006, including several drivers more commonly seen in much more senior formulae, including current two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, who won the 2008 Kent class, the most recent prominent champion to have raced in this festival.

From 2015 the Festival became exclusively for Kent engined cars, restoring the Festival to its pre-1993 format.

Winners

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Below is a list of overall festival winners.[1] Since 1993, a secondary festival was run alongside for older specification cars running the Ford Kent engine. Since 2009, a third event has also been held for cars using the Ford Zetec engine.

* denotes later raced in Formula One

Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner Kent Festival Zetec Festival
Driver Chassis Engine Driver Chassis Driver Chassis
1972 Snetterton United Kingdom Ian Taylor Dulon LD9 Ford Kent engine Not Held Not Held
1973 United Kingdom Donald Macleod Van Diemen FA73
1974 United Kingdom Richard Morgan Crossle 25F
1975 United Kingdom Geoff Lees * Royale RP21
1976 Brands Hatch Republic of Ireland Derek Daly * Hawke DL17
1977 Brazil Chico Serra * Van Diemen RF77
1978 Republic of Ireland Michael Roe Van Diemen RF78
1979 United Kingdom Donald Macleod Sark 1
1980 Brazil Roberto Moreno * Van Diemen RF80
1981 Republic of Ireland Tommy Byrne * Van Diemen RF81
1982 United Kingdom Julian Bailey * Lola T640E
1983 United Kingdom Andrew Gilbert-Scott Reynard 83F
1984 Netherlands Gerrit van Kouwen Lola T644E
1985 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert * Quest FF85
1986 Austria Roland Ratzenberger * Van Diemen RF86
1987 United Kingdom Eddie Irvine * Van Diemen RF87
1988 Italy Vincenzo Sospiri * Van Diemen RF88
1989 Brazil Niko Palhares Van Diemen RF89
1990 United Kingdom Dave Coyne Swift FB90
1991 Belgium Marc Goossens Van Diemen RF91
1992 Denmark Jan Magnussen * Van Diemen RF92
1993 Australia Russell Ingall Van Diemen RF93 Ford Zetec engine United Kingdom Andrew MacAuley Reynard 92FF
1994 Denmark Jason Watt Vector TF94 United Kingdom Gavin Wills Swift SC92F
1995 United Kingdom Kevin McGarrity Van Diemen RF95 Finland Topi Serjala Swift SC95F
1996 Australia Mark Webber * Van Diemen RF96 United Kingdom Mark Marchant Jamun M96
1997 Netherlands Jacky van der Ende Van Diemen RF97 Not Held
1998 United Kingdom Jenson Button * Mygale SJ98
1999 Netherlands Ricardo van der Ende Van Diemen RF99
2000 United Kingdom Anthony Davidson * Mygale SJ00
2001 South Africa Alan van der Merwe Mygale SJ01
2002 Belgium Jan Heylen Van Diemen RF02 United Kingdom Dave Fricker Reynard 89FF
2003 United Kingdom Joey Foster Van Diemen RF03 United Kingdom Matthew Gilmore Van Diemen RF92
2004 United Kingdom Dan Clarke Van Diemen RF04 United Kingdom Joey Foster Reynard 89FF
2005 United Kingdom Duncan Tappy Mygale SJ04 United Kingdom Gavin Wills Van Diemen RF00
2006 United Kingdom Richard Tannahill Van Diemen RF06 Ford Duratec engine Republic of Ireland Noel Dunne Van Diemen RF92
2007 United Kingdom Nick Tandy Ray GRS07 Republic of Ireland Keith Dempsey Ray GRS07
2008 United Kingdom Wayne Boyd Mygale SJ08 United States Josef Newgarden Ray GRS08
2009 United Kingdom Chrissy Palmer Mygale SJ09 United Kingdom Rory Butcher Van Diemen RF90 United Kingdom Neil Tofts Mygale SJ04
2010 Denmark Dennis Lind Van Diemen LA08 Republic of Ireland Neville Smyth Ray GRS09 United Kingdom Julian Hoskins Vector TF93
2011 United Kingdom Scott Malvern Mygale SJ10 United Kingdom Ivor McCullough Van Diemen RF00 United Kingdom Neil Tofts Mygale SJ04
2012 Finland Antti Buri Mygale SJ11 United Kingdom Ivor McCullough Van Diemen RF00 France Xavier Michel Van Diemen
Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Duratec Festival Zetec Festival
Driver Chassis Engine Builder Driver Chassis Driver Chassis
2013 Brands Hatch Republic of Ireland Niall Murray Van Diemen RF99 MCP Netherlands Bart van Os Mygale SJ10 United Kingdom Julian Hoskins Vector TF93
Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Duratec-Zetec Festival
Driver Chassis Engine Builder Driver Chassis
2014 Brands Hatch United Kingdom James Raven Ray GR13/14 Bold France Thomas Craincourt Mygale Duratec
Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Pre-1990 Winner Pre-1982 Winner
Driver Chassis Engine Builder Driver Chassis Driver Chassis
2015 Brands Hatch United Kingdom Wayne Boyd Van Diemen MS13K Bold United Kingdom Matthew Cowley Reynard FF88 United Kingdom Stuart Kestenbaum Van Diemen RF79
2016 Republic of Ireland Niall Murray Van Diemen RF99 MCP Netherlands Job van Uitert Van Diemen RF89
2017 United Kingdom Joey Foster Ray GR08 Bold
2018 United Kingdom Joshua Smith Van Diemen JL13 Barnett
2019 Republic of Ireland Jonathan Browne Ray GR18 Bold United Kingdom Alan Davidson Mondiale M89S
2020 United Kingdom Rory Smith Medina JL18 MCP United Kingdom Peter Daly Van Diemen RF88
2021 United Kingdom Jamie Sharp Medina JL17 MCP United Kingdom Matt Rivett Van Diemen RF91
2022 United States Max Esterson Ray GR18 FMS United Kingdom Cameron Jackson Van Diemen RF90

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ROLL OF HONOU" (PDF). BRSCC. BRSCC. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
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Sources

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