JACKSON TAKES FIRST TITLE FOR WINKELMANN
Cameron Jackson duly claimed his second Historic Formula Ford title on Saturday on the back of a remarkable run of 10 wins and three seconds from 13 races. Only former champion Richard Tarling has topped Jackson at Brands Hatch this season and Jackson was able to miss four rounds and still seal the spoils with two races to run.
His 2018 title came in a Lola T200 but this year, working again with Neil Fowler’s team, he opted to run the unfashionable Winkelmann, the US brand for the Uk-built Pallisers. Never before had a Palliser or a Winkelmann won the title in 24 years of the series, although Jamun and Macon have both enjoyed more success in historics than they did in period.
“It was a really good car out of the box and it dispels these things that people think about what is a good car, and that’s why
I got it in the first place,” said Jackson of the Winkelmann. “It’s unbelievable what Neil Fowler and I, and all of his guys, have been able to do over the last two years. We dialled the Winkelmann in but we’ve not done anything drastic to it. Neil and I bounce ideas off each other and he’s obviously a top driver as well as a great engineer and he raced the car at Anglesey in July and won first time out.”
Jackson arrived at Brands on Saturday fresh from racing a Crossle 5S sports-racer to a podium finish in the hugely competitive Whitsun Trophy at Goodwood, a race won by former F1 racer Karun Chandhok. Earlier in the year, Jackson won at the Members’ Meeting in the unfashionable Crossle, which is now for sale.
Another new challenge will come this weekend when he contests the Spa Classic Six-hours in the freshly prepared Lotus Elan 26R of fellow Historic Formula Ford racer Lee Penson. Sir Chris Hoy is due to join the driver line-up. However, Formula Ford racing is still number one for Jackson.
“I’m just completely addicted to Formula Fords,” he admitted. “I think it’s pretty safe to say I’ll be racing Formula Ford for a long time. I don’t mind losing to Richard, he’s always quick and he’s a very good driver and good fun to race with. We try hard and we don’t hide that fact and we think a lot about it. That’s part of the enjoyment and we get results to show for it.”
Clearly his plans for 2020 will heavily feature Formula Ford with Fowler’s standard-setting team. With the Classic Formula Ford Championship, for the pre-’82 cars, joining the HSCC roster next year, a challenge on both championships becomes logistically possible for a driver with the time pressures of a young family and business commitments.
“I may even try and win a third Historic title in three years in three different cars,
I’d quite like to do that; that would be amazing!” Jackson said. It just so happens that he has a car in mind and, if that tentative plan comes off, another marque could be joining the nine already listed on the Historic Formula Ford roll of honour.