New Rookie class in National FF1600

A Rookie class has been introduced into the British Racing and Sports Car Club’s National Formula Ford Championship for the first time to encourage new drivers to enter.

Only drivers who have never previously raced a Formula Ford car prior to this season will be eligible for the class.

Grids in the national series have grown over the last two seasons, with a number of karters making the jump into single-seaters for the first time which has prompted the new class.

“It was just a no brainer,” said James Oldfield, team boss of FF1600 team Oldfield Motorsport ( which is featured this week on page 23).

“If you imagine a 16-year-old coming straight in they will have very little experience but it’s probably better to allow them to compete against the likes of Niall Murray and Joey Foster but go for a championship that’s much more possible to achieve.”

Rookie drivers will still earn points for either the Pro or Clubman class – the latter having been streamlined into one category instead of Post-’89 and Pre-’90 chassis.