FORMULA FORD 2012 RACE REPORTS ROUND 1: BURI IS THE FIRST ECOBOOST WINNER • Finn takes pole-to-flag victory for JTR and Mygale • Mexican 16-year-old Fabian Welter dominates the Duratec class 7 APRIL 2012 - Flying Finn Antti Buri claimed the maiden honours in the new era of Formula Ford racing, the 23-year-old winning in style for the JTR team at Oulton Park to record the first race victory for an the EcoBoost-powered chassis. Buri led all the way from pole position to take what was also his first win in the category after two seasons of trying. Mygale EcoBoost chassis from four different teams filled the top eight places in round one of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, with Buri lopping 2.5s from the old Duratec Formula Ford lap record for the Cheshire track to underline the pace of the new-era car. There was a great race also for honours in the Duratec class today, Mexico's Fabian Welter - the youngest on the grid at 16 - winning on his Formula Ford debut. Buri, who signed with Nick Tandy's JTR team only this week, made his intentions clear in qualifying, posting a best lap a shade over a quarter-second better than that of his closest rival, Jamun Racing's Luke Williams (Sowerby). Jamun's other drivers, Argentinian Eric Lichtenstein and Rotherham racer Jake Cook, lined up third and fourth on the grid, ahead of JTR men Julio Moreno and Cavan Corcoran. It was Williams who appeared to make the better start to the race, pulling ahead of Buri on the run to OId Hall corner. But Luke ran wide and allowed Antti to fight back to the front; by lap's end the Finn was 0.7s ahead and that was the closest his pursuers would get for the duration. Williams clung on well but alas his start was deemed by race officials to be have been too enthusiastic and he was summoned to the pits for a drive-through penalty. Williams delayed taking the penalty until three laps from the end, and rejoined fourth behind his team-mates Lichtenstein and Cook. Max Communications, 14 High Street, Packington, Leicestershire LE65 1WH Telephone 01530 563200 email [email protected] FORMULA FORD 2012 / 2 Buri was 4.2s clear at the chequered flag and was delighted to break his duck: "Finally!" he said. "It's been a long two years and I am very happy. It wasn't an easy race, but I did not make too many mistakes and I managed to pull a gap. The new car is really nice to drive and I am looking forward now to two more races on Monday…" Lichtenstein was pleased enough with second given that he seemed to be suffering a fuel pick-up problem: "I made the podium, so it is a good thing, but there was a fuel problem, otherwise I could have been closer to Antti," said Eric. Cook was disappointed with his third place: "The rear tyres went away very quickly," said the Yorkshireman, "and after that I was struggling to keep up." Jake finished 7s down on Lichtenstein and 6s clear of Williams after the latter's pit penalty. Ecuadorian 16-year-old Moreno enjoyed a good debut run to fifth (and top Rookie), liberating the position from his JTR running mate Corcoran (Matlock) into Old Hall on the seventh lap. Surrey racer Fred Martin-Dye was the seventh place finisher in the EcoBoost class, with another first-time Formula Ford racer, Ryan Cullen, eighth. That Ryan even made the race was tribute to the hard work of the Cullen Motorsport/Race Car Consultants team, which had overcome a series of new-car teething problems, including a Friday-night engine swap, to put the Somerset youngster on the grid. Only three finished the Duratec class battle - the other five contenders all fell by the wayside. First out was Don Hardman Automotive driver Abdul Ahmed, whose Ray went off on the opening lap, and he was joined in retirement on lap five by Fluid's Alex Drabble, whose Van Diemen hit the gravel at Druids. Welter had made a good start to overhaul the cars of Matt Rao (Fluid Van Diemen) and Scottish FF1600 champion Kenneth Thirlwall (Myerscough Van Diemen) on the opening lap and steadily eased a small gap from his pursuers. Enigma's George Blundell started to close down the Mexican's advantage but the Essex man was involved in a collision with Rao at Shell Oils on the ninth lap and both went out. American Charles Anti also went off three laps from the end. That left Welter out in front by nearly 15s from Thirlwall, with Australian rookie Olly Rae third for the Enigma team on his racing debut. Fabian was pleased with his result: "I was worried because I could see they were catching me, then they crashed and I could slow down a bit. It was a very good race for me." Max Communications, 14 High Street, Packington, Leicestershire LE65 1WH Telephone 01530 563200 email [email protected] FORMULA FORD 2012 / 3 ROUNDS 2 & 3: COOK & WILLIAMS JOIN THE ECOBOOST VICTORY CLUB • Jake Cook on top in Round 2, his Jamun team-mate the Round 3 victor • Fabian Welter and Kenneth Thirlwall share the Duratec class honours 9 APRIL 2012 - Three races, three different first-time victors and a tie for the top of the championship. The Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain got away to a stormingly competitive start at Oulton Park over Easter with the successful introduction of the new EcoBoost chassis and some close and exciting racing to boot. Today Jamun drivers Jake Cook and Luke Williams joined Saturday's round one victor Antti Buri in the EcoBoost winners' circle, and there was a Duratec class win apiece for Fabian Welter and Kenneth Thirlwall. Sam Roach of championship promoter RacingLine said he was delighted by a successful first weekend of racing for the EcoBoost Formula Fords: "We have seen no significant technical problems, which is always a good thing when a new chassis is introduced, we have had some great racing, with three different winners, and the prospects for the rest of the season are bright. We hope to see further new EcoBoost cars on the grid at Brands Hatch later this month, and I am sure that will only add to the competitiveness." Round 2 Conditions could not have been much wetter for the first of the day's races and, not surprisingly perhaps, nearly half the field - including some fancied EcoBoost runners - fell foul of the weather. Eric Lichtenstein was the first to realise the lap of grip, the lanky Argentinian running off the track on the exit of turn one, Old Hall Corner, moments after the fast-starting Jamun Racing pilot had seized the lead from the surprised pole man Buri. "I made a good start, then I locked up and went off…" said a phlegmatic Eric. Buri's hopes of a repeat of his dominant dry-weather display of Saturday were dashed by the weather. "It was due to a lack of testing in the wet," said the Finn, "and I just did not have the pace." Buri led the opening lap as far as Lodge before running wide and allowing Jamun's Jake Cook in front. Rotherham-based Cook quickly built a useful lead once he hit the front, but saw his hard work undone by the arrival on track of the safety car, which had been called in after the Duratec cars of Olly Rae and Abdul Ahmed ran off the road. Jake need not have worried, however: when the safety car was recalled he nailed the restart and was soon extending his advantage over Buri once again. Max Communications, 14 High Street, Packington, Leicestershire LE65 1WH Telephone 01530 563200 email [email protected] FORMULA FORD 2012 / 4 Cook crossed the line almost 10s clear to record his maiden Formula Ford win, and the first of the season for the Jamun team: "I enjoyed the race," he said, "although I got a terrible start. We were lucky that it was wet here in our test in the week, and I went quite well then. It also helped that some others went wide…" Buri clung to second in the JTR Mygale EcoBoost, but had few worries once the Jamun cars of Lichtenstein and Luke Williams went off. Lichtenstein, who had dropped to eighth on the opening lap, spun again on lap two and then decisively at Druids on the sixth lap. Williams had dropped even further back on lap one but was up to third after the restart before he also finally left the track, fortunately causing only minor damage, on lap six. Not putting a wheel wrong in the conditions was key, as Surrey racer Fred Martin-Dye discovered in his Enigma Motorsport Mygale. He made an excellent start to what was only his second car race and slotted into a safe third after the restart, which he held to the end to record his first podium finish. Ryan Cullen (Cullen/RCC) and Julio Moreno (JTR) completed the EcoBoost finishers, with Cavan Corcoran covering a single lap before an electronics issue halted him. The Duratec class battle was as engaging as ever, with George Blundell (Enigma) holding the lead until he ran wide three laps from home and gifted the position to round one Duratec class victor Fabian Welter. The Mexican was pleased and surprised to score his second class win for Rendez-Vous Racing: "It was a very good race for me and I am very happy.