BRSCC 1600 Race Report Season 2014 - Issue 8: International Circuit, 30th August GUTTED!!! Rapid Raven is Robbed

HODGEN: Returns to Winning Ways BRSCC : Race Report - Oulton Park International, 30th August 2014

CONTENTS Page Introduction 3 Post89 Qualifying 4 Pre90 Qualifying 7

Post89 Race 10 Pre90 Race 13 All Classes Race 16

Data & Credits Meeting Type: Double/Single Header Words & Editing: Circuit: Oulton Park International Dave Williams Circuit Length: 2.692 miles www.gramtext.co.uk

National Championship: Rounds 11 & 12 Copyright on Pictures: Northern Championship: Round 9 Bourne Photographic www.bournephotographic.co.uk Organised by BRSCC Sponsored by Avon Tyres Next Meeting: Anglesey Coastal Circuit National Championship Co-ordinator: 27th/28th September Ian Smith (07939 10788) National Rounds 13, 14 & 15 Northern Championship Co-ordinator: Northern Rounds 10, 11 & 12 Matt Hawkins (01270 877841) Entries are still available!!!!

Page: 2 www.brsccff1600.co.uk BRSCC Formula Ford 1600: Race Report - Oulton Park International, 30th August 2014

Introduction

Two months since the BRSCC’s Avon Tyres-sponsored Formula Ford 1600 category last visited Oulton Park, the Cheshire circuit hosted a double header meeting for the National Championship with one of these rounds also having Northern points on offer. Such is the popularity of the latter series that the entry was large enough for the Post89 and Pre90 Classes to each have their own qualifying sessions and races. Therefore, during the course of the day, Formula Fordsters took to the track on no less than 5 occasions. As those involved left the circuit at the end of the afternoon, they had plenty of drama to reflect on, not least because fluctuating weather conditions meant the tarmac had varying levels of grip each time the cars left the Assembly Area.

Page: 3 www.brsccff1600.co.uk BRSCC Formula Ford 1600: Race Report - Oulton Park International, 30th August 2014 Post89 Qualifying RAVEN RULES

James Raven had the most pace during qualifying

As they were fielding a couple of cars in the Formula Championship races at Snetterton the Cliff Dempsey Racing team had to divide their resources between East Anglia and Cheshire. Having only part of the Corby-based squad available to him did not slow down James Raven who qualified on pole for the Post89 Only event by 1 and a quarter tenths. He was the one driver to dip below 1 minute 48s during the course of the session. Stuart Gough had been on pole with a few minutes to go until Raven put in his banzai lap. Gough was disappointed to miss out and felt that possibly newer tyres could have made a difference. However his second fastest time was good enough for pole in the later encounter for All Classes in which the first two reversed their grid positions. Lining up third for both starts was David McArthur. He was generally happy with how qualifying had gone although he became a little bogged down in traffic towards the end. Having his first race at Oulton since finishing runner-up in the 2011 Moose Trophy was Pedro Matos. He was Gough’s team mate at Oldfield and put in a solid performance to set fourth fastest time. One of the last places anyone would want to suffer a puncture is Island Bend but that is exactly what happened to Tom McArthur and he was pitched into the tyre wall on the inside of this fast section of track. Before this mishap he had set a time which was good enough for fifth on the Post89 Only grid while his second fastest effort moved him

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One of the last places anyone would want to suffer a puncture is Island Bend

up to fourth for the start of the All Classes race – putting him alongside his brother David at the expense of Matos. The remainder of the top 10 had a similar look on both grids. The next two drivers – Doug Crosbie and Luke Williams – were the last to beat the 1 minute 50 secs barrier. They headed Martin Short who was getting back up to speed having not raced since the first meeting of the season. Behind Tom Hodgson, Nigel Dolan rounded out the top 10 – he felt things had gone OK but was disappointed not to have set a faster time. The Clerk of the Course must have had plenty of photographs of Formula Ford racing cars to look at during the course of this session as 10 drivers triggered the MSV Track Limits cameras a total of 15 times.

Martin Short made a welcome return

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Stephen Roberts (33) prepares for action

Page: 6 www.brsccff1600.co.uk BRSCC Formula Ford 1600: Race Report - Oulton Park International, 30th August 2014 Pre90 Qualifying SLICK HODGEN TAKES POLE

Chris Hodgen flew after the Myerscough College Team fixed his oil pipe

The engine problems that prevented Chris Hodgen from completing a racing lap in his last outing at Silverstone were traced to a problem with the distributor by Neil Bold but Absolute Media’s Managing Director had more mechanical issues to contend with during Friday’s test day when an oil pipe split after just 8 laps. Quick work by the team from Myerscough College meant the RF89 was ready to take part in the day’s final session in which Chris had enough speed to leave him confident for the weekend ahead. This optimism was well founded as he took pole in a qualifying session that saw trickily damp track conditions with a dry line only just beginning to emerge as the clock clicked down to the chequered flag. Indeed the shortage of grip caught out the second fastest man on the grid, Josh Fisher, causing him to have a heavy impact with the Druids tyre- wall. The Wayne Poole Raclng driver had the consolation of taking the Pre90 pole in the All Classes event as Hodgen decided not to enter that particular contest. Making up the second row of the Pre90 Only grid were Stuart Jones and Jamie Jardine. The former was delighted to be back behind the wheel after the long summer break since the last Northern round at Donington left him suffering withdrawal symptoms. Other commitments meant Stuart couldn’t take part in Friday’s test day and so it wasn’t until Saturday morning that he was re-united with the UCLAN Racing squad. Before Fisher went off there, Jones had experienced a scary moment through Druids which caused him to respect the corner for the remainder of the 20 minutes. He

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chipped away at his times and was very pleased to be third fastest at the end. The first quartet were in a class of their own as they were covered by 7 tenths. Best of the rest was Mario Sarchet. A tenth and abit behind him it was a pleasure to see Jaap Blijleven who was having his first race since breaking his collar bone in testing for the first race meeting of the season back in April. “It was real good to be back with my team and fellow competitors,” reported the Dutchman, “The great spirit and atmosphere again confirmed why I am competing in the Northern Championship. Excellent!!” He was also reminded of the high standards of driving that exist in BRSCC FF1600 as – quite understandably after missing most of the season – he was disappointed not to be able to record better than a sixth place grid position. Nonetheless, this was a very respectable result considering he was still getting up to speed and had to build up the confidence even to perform overtaking manoeuvres during testing on Friday. David Murphy retired after just 5 laps due to a failed exhaust. The damage was irrepairable but to his surprise, Murphy’s team mate Sarchet had a complete system for a Van Diemen RF85 in the back of his van despite currently running a Reynard! Team Manager, David Bailey, was pleased with the solid performance that his charge, Will Alterman, put in when he set the eighth fastest time despite not having competed since May. He was another to be suffering with a holed exhaust but this was small enough for Murphy to weld shut before racing began. Ian Parkington in his Royale RP26 was the fastest Class E man while Stephen Bracegirdle rounded out the top ten. “The great spirit and atmosphere confirmed why I race in BRSCC FF1600” - Blijleven

Jaap Blijleven raced for the first time in 2014

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Diverse Formula Ford chassis in the Cheshire countryside

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National & Northern Post89Championships Race GOUGH GRABS IT

Stuart Gough’s black Van Diemen grabs the lead back from James Raven

When the red lights went out poleman James Raven was distracted looking at his dashboard and this enabled Stuart Gough to take the lead. The two front row men were in separable and also far faster than anyone else. They were 5 seconds ahead of the pack in as many laps as pressure from the super-fast Raven brought the very best out of Gough. As the race drew to a close, Raven made his move on the penultimate lap and got ahead at Old Hall. He defended this corner at the start of the last tour but as a result Gough was able to carry more speed down The Avenue enabling him to grab the lead back again at Cascades. He held on to take an emotional victory in the car formerly piloted by the late Ken Parkinson with his widow, Gill, watching on. There was an equally intense fight for third between David McArthur and Pedro Matos although both wished they could have been up with leaders. Matos was ahead initially but lost out to McArthur at Lodge on lap 3. Later in the race Matos sped by the MedinaSport tended Van Diemen along the Lakeside Straight but McArthur repeated his manoeuvre at Lodge before the start/finish line was crossed again. There was another great battle for fifth – this was a three car scrap which was initially headed by Doug Crosbie with Luke Williams and Tom McArthur in close attendance. Williams was the fastest of the trio and got ahead at Old Hall on lap 4 but in the closing stages it was Crosbie who had the greatest pace as Williams was hampered by a misfire that had troubled him all weekend. Crosbie overtook him on the penultimate circuit with

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This was the first time that Wolfenden had raced without a novice’s cross

T. McArthur pushing Williams down to seventh on the final tour. Martin Short was Mr. Consistent – he started eighth and finished in that position too. Tom Hodgson had started one placed behind Short but didn’t get away well and, having regained a place from Nigel Dolan on the opening lap down Lakeside Straight, he lost control at Island Bend. Dolan and Calum McHale both took to the grass in avoidance. The green stuff was still very wet meaning these two had neither brakes nor steering. They inevitably ended the race there and then in the barriers. This promoted Thomas Capezzone up to ninth as Vincent Jay and Ian Wolfenden contested tenth until Jay went off exiting Cascades where he bent a track-rod against the Lakeside tyre-wall. This was the first time that Wolfenden had raced without a novice’s cross on the rear of his car. He was only out there competing due to the hard work of the Myerscough College team who worked late into Friday evening re-installing his engine and gearbox after a tiny spring in the fuel pump failed during testing. They’d already had a busy day repairing the split oil pipe on Chris Hodgen’s Pre90 car. Tom Hodgson recovered from his first lap spin to take eleventh while Steve Chapman and Stephen Roberts completed the finishers.

Doug Crosbie heads Luke Williams as Tom McArthur closes in

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Pedro Matos raced at Oulton for the first time since 2011

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National & Northern Pre90 RaceChampionships DEMON MOVE

Stuart Jones (10) pounces to take second from Jamie Jardine

A key moment in this race occurred even before the cars had reached the grid. As the cars exited the Shell on their way to take the start second fastest qualifier, Josh Fisher, held up his hand to warn that he had lost power. Although his Reynard had been rebuilt following his crash at Druids earlier in the day, a HT Lead became detached during the green flag. Alan Williamson was another who failed to take the start as he headed to the pits with a misfiring engine. This disappointment for Fisher meant Chris Hodgen was by himself on the front row when the red lights went out and he converted this unexpected advantage into the lead at Old Hall. Jamie Jardine slotted into second as Stuart Jones over-compensated for a slow getaway with too much gas which sent him wheelspinning towards the first corner. This set up what Jones described as “…a great Formula Ford tussle with the lack of aero enabling the three leaders to run so close together, it was proper racing. Wings off !!!” In the middle of this 3-way fight at the front, Jardine was looking ahead to find a way past Hodgen at the same time as defending second from Jones. The turning point came at Druids on lap 5 when Jones carried more momentum through the corner than the man ahead of him. Jardine knew he was in trouble and took up a defensive position on the right of the track under the Warwick Bridge before moving left to take the optimum line through Lodge. This opened the door for Jones to brake as late as he dared and he managed to hold everything together to take the place. As he vigorously held on to the position by taking the inside line on the approach to every corner this allowed Hodgen to break away to take the win. For the remainder of the 20 minutes, Jardine tried everything he knew to regain the runner-up spot but was unable to do so. Due to his injury at the start of the season this was Jaap Blijleven’s first race of the year in “It was proper racing. Wings off Formula One!!!” - Jones

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a car he believed UCLAN Racing had prepared to a higher standard than before the crash. Despite losing traction at the start he recovered to have an enjoyable time trying to wrest fourth from Mario Sarchet – a real clash of the nations! The Dutchman was quicker through the high speed corners while the Burnley domiciled Spaniard had more speed in the twisty bits. Blijleven tried to go round the outside at Shell a few times before briefly getting ahead at Lodge only for Sarchet to get better drive out of the corner and hang on to the place. Ultimately, ignition failure would force Sarchet to retire in the closing stages. Blijleven was happy to bring the car home in one piece and third in class pleased his son, Mart, because Dad brought home a trophy! David Murphy couldn’t keep pace with Blijleven and Sarchet due to his car developing a misfire. On retiring to the pits he discovered one of his plug leads had been too close to the replacement exhaust that he fitted after qualifying and had melted. Remarkably, Stuart Dix was classified fifth having started last on the grid due to completing only an out lap in qualifying due to a CV Joint failure – at least the problem wasn’t caused by the misfire which had plagued the Reynard Lightning all season. The organisers gave permission for him to start both the day’s races for which he was eligible. In the first outing, he had passed half the field at the end of the opening tour thanks to Will Alterman spinning at Cascades and delaying most of the entry. Malcolm Cooper, John Wilkinson and Ian Parkington were the worst affected as they waltzed across the soaking, gripless grass as they took avoiding action. During the remainder of the 20 minutes, Dix continued to pick off cars until his misfire returned to slow him down a little. Having qualified down in thirteenth, Matthew Cowley put his karting experience to good use by chasing down those drivers ahead of him until, having outbraked Stephen Bracegirdle the penultimate time they tackled Hislops, he found himself in sixth. Alterman’s recovery drive saw him catch Andrew MacGregor with whom he jousted for eighth during the rest of the contest. After their excursions across the green stuff at the start, Cooper and Wilkinson recorded tenth and eleventh place finishes. Sam Binfield in the beautiful Titan Mk6 finished just behind Wilkinson, winning Class E in the process after demoting John Swift during the course of the event. Having been last at the end of the open lap, Parkington passed Ian Wood and Phil Nelson to take fourteenth as Wood survived a high speed down the escape road at Hislops. Trevor Morgan decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retired to the pits just after half distance when handling problems developed. These were caused by bolts that attached the engine to the chassis snapping.

Class E winner: Sam Binfield

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Mario Sarchet (8) and Jaap Blijleven (43) focus on the apex at Lodge

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AllNa tionalClasses Championship Race A TWIST IN THE TALE James Raven leads at the start but his fortunes would change

Durng the preceeding race a heavy shower swept across Oulton Park. Although the rain had stopped by the time the Formula Ford boys had gridded up after an additional green flag lap, conditions were still very slippery. Furthermore, to avoid the 6:30 pm curfew being breeched, this event and the ones that followed it had their duration shortened from 20 to 16 minutes. James Raven was fully focussed on the red lights and really meant business following his earlier lapse. At the end of the first lap he was 2.5 secs ahead and impressively set a breath- taking pace until he had a 10 second advantage at the beginning of the final circuit. Behind him the battle for second raged between Oldifield Motorsport team mates, Stuart Gough and Pedro Matos, with David McArthur joining in the fun. With the racing line drying out, Matos dived ahead of Gough at Cascades forcing the latter on to the most slippery part of the tarmac where he did well to hold on to a big slide. Matos was looking good despite not having raced in the wet since the 2011 Walter Hayes Trophy but disaster then struck when he put a wheel on the grass at Island on the penultimate circuit and spun into retirement. Unbeknown to Matos at the time, this cost him victory as on the final lap leader James Raven suffered rose-joint failure in his left front suspension when braking for Hislops. Distraught, he limped slowly round to take the flag in fifth before pulling off at Old Hall. Gough went by on the exit of Knickerbrook but the victory he thought was in his grasp got snatched away as quickly as it was gained. Passing a backmarker through Druids cost a great deal of speed on the run down to Lodge. This allowed McArthur to draw alongside and as the duo attempted to take the final corner as one, contact was made which saw McArthur go through to accept a surprise victory with Gough recovering to be runner-up. The final position on the podium went to a Pre90 driver. After a summer to forget, Chris Hodgen’s National Championship bid is over so he elected not to take part as did Stuart Jones. Jamie Jardine pitted on the third tour – this hiatus was caused by a gear-linkage problem. Quick work by Dave Hart jammed the Reynard in fourth but Jardine still finished a lap down. This meant Josh Fisher was the fastest Pre90 runner and took third over all.

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Another pit visitor was Luke Williams as, after all the electrical components had been changed on his Ray to cure the misfire from earlier in the day, one of the plug leads had not been properly attached. He pulled in at the end of green flag to have this fixed and sped out again after field had been unleashed. He motored up the order and pipped the unfortunate Raven at the line to take a creditable fourth. This place may have been taken by either Tom McArthur or Doug Crosbie but the former ran into the back of the latter in the Hislops braking area on lap 2. Although there were no injuries it was a sickening to see the cars repeatedly hitting each other as they gyrated down the escape road. Martin Short really enjoyed battling with Thomas Capezzone and sixth was his reward for coming out on top. Ian Wolfenden was also a happy man in eighth, still in his first season of racing, consistent lap-times underlined a growing mastery of Formula Ford. This performance was put in with Sam Binfield constantly in his mirrors. Binfield was the only Class E driver to finish as Ian Wood retired to the pits to avoid damaging his selector forks as he was having to hold the car in gear. Rounding out the top 10 was Matthew Cowley who was delighted to pick up the third in Class C trophy. When BRSCC FF1600 heads to Anglesey at the end of September, Matthew will be otherwise engaged as he is currently leading the Junior Rotax Championship at the Manchester and Buxton Kart Club in which he cannot afford to have a zero points weekend as it's too close to call heading towards the end of the season. He will return to Formula Ford action back at Oulton Park on 11th October – this is also his 17th birthday and means, on reaching the age when he can drive on the public road, he will be able to practice his gearchanging technique on a regular basis. Stuart Dix again had to start from the back of grid but this time his misfire was a greater hindrance. Nonetheless, he still advanced to record an eleventh place finish ahead of Steve Chapman, Malcolm Cooper and Stephen Bracegirdle. Repairs to the distributor that had earlier thwarted him enabled Alan Williamson to contest this event and he was the final unlapped runner in fifteenth ahead of Vincent Jay who received a 10 second penalty for starting out of position on the grid. Pre-race in the Assembly Area, Tom Hodgson lost his clutch. Although he still took the start he was having trouble feeding in his engine-braking which needed to be super smooth in the slippery conditions. Each time he changed down the sudden load going to the back wheels was like throwing on a handbrake. Rather than end up in the tyre wall he decided to pull into the pits after 3 laps.

Josh Fisher took Pre90 honuors

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Stuck in fourth gear Jamie Jardine soldiered on

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