Walker strolls back into FF1600 battle
BRANDS HATCH BRSCC
7-8 AUGUST
In a season of momentum shifts, Alex Walker regained the impetus in National Formula Ford at Brands Hatch last weekend, with two wins sandwiching a success for Rory Smith.
Festival winner Smith, contesting only a part-season alongside historic commitments, qualified his B-M Racing Medina on pole, but was jumped by points leader Max Esterson (Low Dempsey Racing Ray). Running a compromise set-up for changeable conditions, Esterson struggled for ultimate pace on the drying track and led a train of cars headed by Smith, Anglesey double winner Chris Middlehurst (Team Dolan Van Diemen) and Walker’s Kevin Mills Racing Spectrum.
The pursuers exchanged places, but neither Smith nor Middlehurst could breach Esterson’s defence before Walker made a couple of surges around the outside at Paddock Hill Bend, then dived inside Esterson at the same corner.
Despite lairy moments at a greasy Surtees, Walker led the sequel until heavier rain arrived and Smith slithered ahead just before a mid-race safety car. Middlehurst and Jamie Sharp later followed, Sharp passing Middlehurst at Druids on the penultimate lap for a B-M Racing 1-2.
Walker reasserted himself in the dry finale, jumping from third on the reversed grid to lead by Graham Hill Bend, then streaking clear as team-mate Tom Mills kept Middlehurst and co at bay with a strong defensive drive to second, his best finish yet. Esterson climbed to sixth from 15th on the grid after spinning in race two. “It’s getting pretty tight at the top again,” said Walker. “We’ve had a tricky couple of rounds, so to get back up there is nice.”
The Caterham Seven UK title fight also remains close after Will Smith, Stephen Nuttall and Gordon Sawyer split three entertaining races. Smith cut back inside polesitter Sawyer at Paddock to take the opener, while set-up tweaks returned Nuttall to the fore on Sunday. After being disqualified for passing under yellow flags, a determined Sawyer charged from the back of the grid to win race three from Henry Heaton. Nuttall and Heaton continue to head the points, but dropped scores bring Smith within striking distance.
Rod Birley scored career win numbers 692 and 693 in Super Saloons, surviving
late safety-car periods each time to head Alex Sidwell’s Holden Commodore VF and the BMW E36 of Ronan Bradley. Winning the Tin Tops section on both occasions – despite a spin in the opener – was Chris Bassett, his newly built Peugeot 306 GTI on only its second outing. In drying conditions, Bassett qualified second overall and threatened a giantkilling show as he briefly led before the more powerful saloons got their slicks up to temperature. The busy Bassett then led home David Clark’s Renault 5 GT Turbo in both Track Attack races.
Zeo Prototype Cup spoils were shared by the Chiron of Bikesports champion Charles
Hall, on his Zeo debut, and Mike Jenvey’s eponymous machine, which was hampered by overheating in the pair’s race-one duel.
Lewis Thompson has now won six consecutive Caterham 310R races since missing the season opener to focus on his A-levels. Two commanding Brands successes over Pete Walters, after Andy Lees spun from the lead of race one, came despite qualifying seventh in tricky conditions. Taylor O’flanagan did enough to edge two close-fought Roadsport contests ahead of the squabbling Adam West, Hugo Bush and Tom Cockerill.