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UK FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

CHAMPION FREKE & RUNNER-UP TANDY CLAIM FINAL WINS

Nathan Freke crowned his UK Formula Ford Championship-winning season with another race victory – his 10th – yesterday (Sat) at Castle Combe, with Nick Tandy pipping Freke to the line to win race two and secure championship runner-up position.
 
Both races held the sizeable Formula Ford Carnival crowd captivated throughout and provided a fitting end to what has proved a remarkably successful and exciting year for the rejuvenated Ford-backed series. Combe also saw 18-year-old David Brown confirmed as Scholarship Cup Champion and Neil Tofts securing the Clubmans Cup title.
 
Freke was on superb form in qualifying once again, his Jamun Racing Services-prepared Mygale claiming pole position for both races to take his seasonal tally of poles to 13.
 
And Kidderminster-based Nathan led all the way in race one, despite intense pressure from a succession of drivers. His team-mate Jay Bridger held second on the opening lap before slipping back, and then Ireland’s Peter Dempsey led Freke’s pursuers, until a heart-stopping spin down the main straight at the start of the eighth lap. Peter had hooked a wheel on the dirt as his Ray exited Camp Corner and spun through 360 degrees in the middle of the track, miraculously avoiding contact.
 
Steve Roberts thus took over in second in his Kevin Mills Racing Van Diemen, closing the gap on Freke to 0.8s, before Tandy popped past to take runner-up spot on the penultimate lap. Freke crossed the line 2.8s ahead of Tandy, with Roberts a tenth further behind to take third; he was pleased to be back on the podium after a three-month absence.
 
Said Freke: “It’s brilliant to have ended my championship-winning year with a win, particularly one that was far from easy. Peter gave me a hard time at the start and then so did Steve and Nick. This one is for all the many people who have supported me this season.”
 
Less than 10 seconds covered the top seven at the line, South African Sean Petterson claiming fourth ahead of Australian John Martin and Ulster’s Richard Tannahill. Dempsey recovered from his spin and fought back from 10th to seventh at the flag.
 
Christian Ebbesvik took eighth, Linton Stuteley ninth and David Mayes 10th, just ahead of the Mygale of Tofts, who beat Callum McLeod to 11th and the Clubman’s Cup class win, securing the club championship title in the process.
 
Freke and Tandy gave a fantastic show from lights to chequered flag in race two, Freke leading his rival for the first 11 laps – but only by whisker – before Tandy and his family-run Ray swept through to take top spot. Freke then smashed the lap record, set earlier in the day by Tandy, in response and swept back into the lead with four laps to go.
 
With a third race win and second in the championship in his sights, Nick was not to be denied, however. Tandy regained the lead next time around and held on in front to pip Freke to the line by a tenth. “That was thrilling,” said Nick. “Nathan and I were side by side and on the limit of adhesion for most of the race. It’s a great end to the year for me.”
 
Dempsey started from 12th on the grid after dramas in qualifying and his charge through the field was another highlight of the race. Peter lifted third from Martin with three laps to go, the final podium placing just enough to secure for him third place in the championship.
 
Martin placed a comfortable fourth ahead of Tannahill and Roberts, with James Nash – who was eliminated from race one in a first-lap clash with Jonny Baker – seventh in his repaired Van Diemen. Bridger, Petterson, Ebbesvik, Stuteley and Australia’s Nathan Caratti rounded out the top 12.
 
Freed from the constraint of having to finish at all costs, Glasgow’s David Brown turned in champion performances to win the Scholarship class in both races, overhauling rapid Japanese pilot Takashi Nagase along the way. Brown’s prize includes the loan of a Van Diemen chassis and Scholar-tuned Duratec engine for an assault on the 2007 UK Formula Ford Championship.
 
Spain’s Marcello Conchado was 20th and a surprised Clubman’s Cup victor after Tofts failed to make the grid and McLeod fell by the wayside.
 
*There was further excitement at Combe with the annual running of the Formula Ford Carnival, for which a grid of 34 cars was assembled. Edward Moore won it in a Van Diemen RF99 from Matt Rivett, with Peter Dempsey’s elder brother Keith taking third and their cousin, Morgan Dempsey, fourth.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 19, Castle Combe, 7/10/2006.  15 laps / 27.75 miles
1,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  20m 37.124s
2,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Tandy,  Ray,  +2.804s
3,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +2.931s
4,  Sean Petterson,  ZA/Walton,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +4.670s
5,  John Martin,  AUS/Blackwater,  Borland,  Spectrum,  +5.873s
6,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +6.056s
Clubmans Cup: Neil Tofts (UK/Mygale) / 11th overall +23.922s
Scholarship Cup: David Brown (UK/Van Diemen) / 16th overall +29.513s
Fastest lap: Tandy 1m 07.863s / 98.13mph (est rec)
 
Round 20, Castle Combe, 7/10/2006.  18 laps / 33.3 miles
1,  Tandy,  20m 38.011s
2,  Freke,  +0.103s
3,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +3.309s
4,  Martin,  +3.848s
5,  Tannahill,  +6.603s
6,  Roberts,  +11.312s
Scholarship Cup: Brown / 15th overall +41.087s
Clubmans Cup: Marcelo Conchado (ESP/Mygale) / 20th overall, 17 laps
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 07.552s / 98.59mph (rec)
 
 
Provisional final championship placings
Overall
1 Freke 526 points; 2 Tandy 365; 3 Dempsey 363; 4 Christian Ebbesvik (NOR/Van Diemen) 357; 5 James Nash (UK/Van Diemen) 355; 6 Tannahill 299 etc.
Scholarship
1 Brown 532; 2 Jamie Jardine (UK/Van Diemen) 424; 3 Simon Kinsey (UK/Van Diemen) 422; 4 Takashi Nagase (JAP/Van Diemen) 417 etc.
Clubmans Cup
1 Tofts 355; 2 Craig Bell (UK/Van Diemen) 295; 3 David Mayes (UK/Ray) 291 etc.
 
Forthcoming events: 20-22 Oct, BRSCC Formula Ford Festival, Brands Hatch;
3-5 Nov & 11/12 Nov, UK Formula Ford Winter Series, Silverstone & Brands Hatch
 

EBBESVIK & TANDY ON TOP AT THRUXTON

Wins for Christian Ebbesvik and Nick Tandy at Thruxton this weekend were the highlights of the UK Formula Ford Championship's penultimate meeting of the season.

Ebbesvik took a hard-earned and long-awaited win on Saturday(Sept 30) to become the season's sixth different victor and Tandy won today's 18th round of the Ford-backed championship in tricky damp conditions.

Ebbesvik's win ended a 16-month victory drought for the once dominant Van Diemen marque. The 22-year-old from Bergen in Norway assumed control at half distance in his Team JLR-run RF06, having started from fourth on the grid. It was Christian's first race win in five seasons of trying.

Newly crowned UK Formula Ford Champion Nathan Freke was the early pacesetter, leading away from his 10th pole position of the season. But Freke's Mygale - like most of the grid shod with wet-weather Avons - was soon suffering handling problems which rendered him unable to prevent Nick Tandy's Ray from lifting the lead on lap four.

Ebbesvik was on the move too, claiming third from Steve Roberts' Van Diemen and then second from the increasingly troubled Freke before latching on to Tandy's tail for three laps. Christian's decisive manoeuvre for the lead came on lap seven and he was quick to pull out a handy advantage. Tandy held on well to the charging Norwegian to finish 1.1s behind at the chequered flag.

The meteoric Peter Dempsey was an impressive third. The Irish Ray pilot was one of only two on the grid to opt for slick tyres, a decision he was to rue on the opening lap when he spun to last but one in the tricky damp conditions. Peter made it back into the top 10 by mid-distance and then picked off some notable names on his charge back to the podium.

With Freke calling it a day after nine laps, and joining Richard Tannahill and Roberts in retirement with tyre problems, Jamun Racing honours were upheld by South African Sean Petterson, who matched his season-best result with fourth, two places ahead of the sister car of Jay Bridger, with James Nash's Fluid-run Van Diemen sandwiching them for fifth. Adriano Buzaid, Nathan Caratti, Johnny Baker and John Martin rounded out the top 10, with Sarah Playfair 11th just ahead of 16-year-old Robert Hall.

Callum McLeod was next up to take the Clubmans Cup honours for Zetec-powered cars, and Takashi Nagase was 14th and the leading Scholarship Cup finisher, seven seconds ahead of David Brown.

The identity of the victor of Sunday's race(Oct 1), the championship's 18th round, was in doubt right up to the final lap. Three drivers held the lead and the showery weather made for tricky driving conditions which caught out more than a few.

Tandy seized the lead from pole man Freke on the opening lap, up Woodham Hill, but Freke fought back to the front next time around, with Steve Roberts close behind for third.

Tandy posted the fastest lap of the race - and broke Dempsey's lap record, set the day before - on the fourth tour as he swept back into the lead, only to come under attack from Roberts, who had pushed Freke back to third.

Enjoying his best race of the season to date in the Kevin Mills Racing Van Diemen, Roberts snatched the lead from Tandy into the Club chicane on the eighth lap. Alas Steve's tenure in front was to last only until two laps from the end, when he got caught up in another's accident - Neil Tofts spun his Ray at Club and collided with Roberts, who was in the wrong place at precisely the wrong moment.

Tandy's hopes of victory had looked remote thanks to a spin at the chicane two laps earlier, but he recovered to repass Freke and was then gifted the lead by Roberts' demise. Nick crossed the line 1.455s ahead of Freke for his second win of the year and said: "What a fantastic race… It was so slippery out there that it was anybody's race for a time."

Ebbesvik followed up his Saturday win with a close third behind Freke, with Petterson just behind them both in fourth. A distant fifth was James Nash, with Jonny Baker and Jay Bridger close behind. McLeod was eighth to once again win the Clubmans Cup, and Nagase ninth for Scholarship honours. Tannahill, Playfair and Jamie Jardine rounded out the top 12.

Young Glaswegian Brown drove a steady and conservative race once more to take 14th and to secure enough points to make his Scholarship Cup championship victory a virtual certainty. All David needs to do at next Saturday's championship finale at Castle Combe is to turn up for the meeting…

Provisional results UKFF round 17, Thruxton, 30/09/2006.  14 laps / 32.98 miles
1,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  20m 12.437s
2,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Tandy,  Ray,  +1.117s
3,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +10.668s
4,  Sean Petterson,  ZA/Walton,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +15.732s
5,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +25.155s
6,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +26.351s
Clubmans Cup: Callum McLeod (UK/Ray) / 13th overall +47.324s
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase (JAP/Van Diemen) / 14th overall +48.034s
Fastest lap:   Dempsey 1m 23.043s / 102.13mph  (est rec)

Round 18, Thruxton, 01/10/2006.  15 laps / 35.34 miles
1,  Tandy,  21m 18.120s
2,  Freke,  +1.455s
3,  Ebbesvik,  +3.133s
4,  Petterson,  +3.396s
5,  Nash,  +24.244s
6,  Jonny Baker,  UK/Farnham Common,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +24.605s
Clubmans Cup: McLeod / 8th overall +42.115s
Scholarship Cup: Nagase / 9th overall +50.313s
Fastest lap: Tandy 1m 18.967s / 107.40mph (rec)

Full results: http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63905

Provisional championship placings
Overall
1 Freke 467 points; 2 Nash 337; 3 Ebbesvik 329; 4 Dempsey 320; 5 Tandy 307; 6 Richard Tannahill (UK/Van Diemen) 257 etc.
Scholarship
1 David Brown (UK/Van Diemen) 471; 2 Jamie Jardine (UK/Van Diemen) 377; 3 Simon Kinsey (UK/Van Diemen) 375; 4 Nagase 360 etc.
Clubmans Cup
1 Neil Tofts (UK/Mygale) 352; 2 Craig Bell (UK/Van Diemen) 295; 3 David Mayes (UK/Ray) 291 etc.

FREKE TAKES FORMULA FORD TITLE AT SILVERSTONE
 
24 September, 2006:

Nathan Freke is the 2006 UK Formula Ford Champion. The 23-year-old clinched the championship this weekend in the best possible style, winning both Silverstone races at the wheel of his Newnet-backed, Jamun Racing-prepared Mygale.
 
His Silverstone victories bring the Kidderminster racer’s win tally for the season to nine, with four rounds of the Ford-backed championship remaining. It is the second successive championship win for the Jamun team and for Mygale, and Freke could not have been more delighted. “It’s a fantastic way to win the championship,” said Nathan, “I couldn’t have hoped for a better finish.”
 
Freke’s path to title glory saw him overcome early-season domination by Irish driver Peter Dempsey. Added Nathan: “There was massive pressure on me after Peter won the first four rounds. I knew I could beat him, but perhaps a lack of experience counted against me. Then came Snetterton and my first ever win in a racing car, and the tables were turned.
 
“They say the first win is the most elusive, and it was certainly a huge boost to my confidence.” Wins at Brands Hatch, Rockingham, Knockhill and Silverstone followed in quick succession, and Freke is quick to pay tribute to his team and to his sponsors: “The Jamun crew are here to win. That’s what drives them and they never rest on their laurels. They are without a doubt the best team out there. I’m so glad they took a chance on me, and I’m completely indebted to my sponsors, and to my parents, who have dug deep to get me to this point.”
 
Nathan’s mobile is already receiving calls from leading Formula 3 teams keen to sign him, but he believes his racing future may lie in the US. “I’m looking seriously at Formula Atlantic, but keeping my options open for 2007…”
 
Freke’s twin wins were anything but easy. Saturday’s race saw him put under intense pressure by Australian hot shot John Martin, and on Sunday he had to overcome a first-lap error and charge back to victory from fourth spot.
 
Saturday’s 15th round of the championship was spoilt by first-lap incidents which ended the races of six drivers – Takashi Nagase, Linton Stuteley, Matt Dobson, Simon Kinsey, Richard Tannahill and Steve Roberts – and which resulted in a lengthy safety car period which reduced the event to just seven racing laps.
 
Freke started from P1 on the 30-car grid – the biggest field of the season so far – and led the opening lap just ahead of Martin, with South Africa’s Sean Petterson third and Nick Tandy close behind for fourth.
 
Four slow laps behind the safety car later, Freke had it all to do once more at the restart. He kept ahead for a lap, but Martin was in determined form and slipped past for the lead next time around. “It think maybe John’s tyres warmed up a bit quicker than mine,” said Nathan. “He was all over me…”
 
Freke regained his composure – and the lead – with three laps to go, and his Mygale seized the fastest lap of the race on the final tour to beat Martin’s Spectrum to the chequered flag by nine-tenths of a second. “Thankfully my tyres came good when it mattered and I was able to find a way back past John… Not a bad result,” said Nathan of his eighth win of the year.
 
Tandy got the jump on Petterson at the restart and held on to third for the duration, unable to get on terms with the leaders but finishing five seconds clear of Jay Bridger’s Jamun Mygale.
 
James Nash claimed fifth ahead of a subdued Peter Dempsey after Petterson, who had looked destined to secure sixth, slipped down the order on the final lap. Christian Ebbesvik was seventh, Adriano Buzaid eighth and Jonny Baker ninth, with 18-year-old David Mayes, enjoying his first taste of Duratec power, a creditable 10th.
 
Callum McLeod made his seasonal debut at the wheel of a Zetec-powered Ray and romped to Clubmans Cup victory and 11th overall.
 
With Nagase and Kinsey eliminated on the first lap, the Scholarship Class battle was between Jamie Jardine and David Brown. Jamie finished two seconds ahead after a race-long fight.
 
Freke made another good getaway from the pole on Sunday but his tenure of the lead lasted only as far as Maggotts, where he ran wide and slipped to fourth behind Nash, Ebbesvik and Martin.
 
As Nash sped away to build a five-second lead in the Fluid Motorsport Van Diemen, Freke set about clawing his way past Ebbesvik and Martin, and then into second spot after disposing of Dempsey on the fourth lap. Second place would have done him in championship terms, but Nathan wasn’t going to settle for that: “I really messed up on the first lap and, because of that, I was determined to catch James and win this one.”
 
Freke whittled away at the gap and, on the penultimate tour, overcame his rival. “I thought I had that in the bag,” said Nash, “but I guess Nathan was a bit quicker than I had reckoned on.” James was 1.2s behind at the line to claim his second runner-up spot of the season.
 
Dempsey was delighted to be back on the podium again, in third, with Tandy inheriting fourth after Martin and Ebbesvik tangled and spun out on lap five. Birthday boy Bridger was fifth and Roberts sixth ahead of Buzaid, Mayes and Baker. McLeod was 10th and once again the Clubmans Cup victor, with Neil Tofts taking class second to all but seal the Clubmans championship.
 
There’s still all to play for in the Scholarship Cup over the remaining races. David Brown took the Silverstone race two honours, well ahead of Simon Kinsey, after Jardine and Nagase both failed to complete the opening lap. Brown now enjoys a whacking 87-point Scholarship championship advantage.
 
*There’s no rest in sight just yet for the championship contenders – they are back in action next weekend (30 Sep/1 Oct) at Thruxton, with the final rounds of the UK Formula Ford Championship scheduled for the following Saturday (7 Oct) at the Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 15, Silverstone, 23/09/2006.  11 laps / 24.74 miles
1,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  21m 00.547s
2,  John Martin,  AUS/Blackwater,  Borland,  Spectrum,  +0.858s
3,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +2.668s
4,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +7.738s
5,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +7.923s
6,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +11.043s
Clubmans Cup: Callum McLeod (UK/Ray) / 11th overall +12.830s
Scholarship Cup: Jamie Jardine (UK/Van Diemen) / 18th overall +35.360s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 26.142s / 93.98mph (est rec)
 
Round 16, Silverstone, 24/09/2006.  14 laps / 31.49 miles
1,  Freke,  20m 32.378s
2,  Nash,  +1.242s
3,  Dempsey,  +4.128s
4,  Tandy,  +6.167s
5,  Bridger,  +14.065s
6,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +16.149s
Clubmans Cup: McLeod / 10th overall +27.548s
Scholarship Cup: David Brown (UK/Van Diemen) / 15th overall +1m 04.831s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 25.978s / 94.16mph (rec)
 
 
Provisional championship placings
Overall
1 Freke 439 points; 2 Nash 297; 3 Dempsey 294; 4 Christian Ebbesvik (NOR/Van Diemen) 274; 5 Tandy 248; 6 Richard Tannahill (UK/Van Diemen) 245 etc.
Scholarship
1 Brown 418; 2 Simon Kinsey (UK/Van Diemen) 331; 3 Jardine 325 etc.
Clubmans Cup
1 Neil Tofts (UK/Mygale) 351; 2 Craig Bell (UK/Van Diemen) 295; 3 David Mayes (UK/Ray) 291 etc.

FREKE CLOSES ON TITLE AT KNOCKHILL

Nathan Freke edged closer to the UK Formula Ford Championship crown yesterday when he claimed twin wins at Knockhill in Scotland to bring his victory tally for the season to seven.
 
Kidderminster-based Freke refused to let a wet weekend at Knockhill dampen his spirits at what was the Ford-backed championship’s first appearance on the BTCC bill in three years.
 
The 22-year-old Jamun Racing driver claimed both pole positions after an intense battle with James Nash in Saturday’s qualifying session. Nash had held the top spot for the majority of the session until Freke pinched it with just five minutes remaining. Nash quickly responded and retook pole but Freke bounced back again to seal it with his last lap of the session. Nash was denied the opportunity to respond when the session was red-flagged two minutes early with two cars off in the gravel at the hairpin.
 
Freke made it away in the lead of the first race and was able to open a decisive gap as Nash came under threat from Peter Dempsey. The Irishman had qualified only sixth but charged up to third off the line and quickly put Nash under pressure for second. He found a way around on the third lap and set off in pursuit of Freke.
 
But it was too late to mount a serious challenge, Freke had broken away and Dempsey was never able to make inroads into the gap. Freke controlled the race brilliantly from the front and scored a well-deserved win with a faultless drive.
 
Nash held on to his third place to secure another strong podium finish, but he was made to work hard for it on the last lap by Sarah Playfair, who was charging through the field from eighth on the grid.
 
The East Lothian lass had already displaced her Jamun team-mate Jay Bridger and Kevin Mills Racing’s Richard Tannahill on her way to the front, and started to reel in Nash. She caught him with two laps to go and set about finding a way through. Nash’s defence was strong, though, and he covered the inside line at the hairpin on the last lap to hold on to the place up the hill to the finish line.
 
“I’m really pleased with that drive,” exclaimed Playfair. “Obviously it’s disappointing not to have made the podium after that, but I was so close and I really enjoyed it.” Sarah set the fastest lap of the race, establishing a circuit lap record for the Duratec class.
 
Tannahill headed home Bridger for fifth, with Steve Roberts seventh ahead of Christian Ebbesvik, who had an eventful race after qualifying an impressive third. The Norwegian slithered off the track early in the race and had to fight his way back up from 12th. He was making good progress until he came under attack from Adriano Buzaid. The young Brazilian dived up the inside under braking for the hairpin and the pair made contact as Ebbesvik turned in. A pair of synchronised 360-degree spins later, they rejoined and resumed their races.
 
Jonny Baker was ninth ahead of Scholarship Class victor Takashi Nagase, Sean Petterson and Buzaid, with returning Scottish Champion Joe Tanner 13th.
 
In race two Freke put in another mistake-free performance to claim his second win but had to work a little harder for this one thanks to pressure from Nash.
 
Nash chased hard in the opening laps and even looked like he might pass Freke after a brief safety car period. He looked to challenge at the first corner but wasn’t quite close enough to make a move stick. He was able to follow Freke for much of the race but, ultimately, the championship leader’s pace proved too much and Nash had to settle for his second podium of the day.
 
“It was the perfect weekend for me,” said Freke. “It was so important to get off the line well and make it really tough for everyone behind who had to deal with driving through the spray. I managed to get away in the lead and open a gap in both races, and the damp patches actually worked in my favour a little because they made overtaking very difficult.”
 
Freke’s championship lead is now a whacking 119 points – a good score at Silverstone in three weeks time ought to be enough for him to clinch the crown.
 
The Kevin Mills pairing of Tannahill and Steve Roberts were handed third and fourth place finishes after Bridger touched the rear of Ebbesvik’s car at the hairpin and both were delayed. The Norwegian recovered to fifth but Bridger slipped down to ninth.
 
Peter Dempsey’s hopes of gaining ground on the championship frontrunners were dashed when he slid off the road on the first lap; he recovered to sixth. Playfair faltered in the second race too, caught out by a wet patch while trying to overtake Roberts, she spun into retirement at Clark.
 
Tanner took seventh with Petterson eighth ahead of Bridger and Nagase again 10th. The Japanese driver won both Scholarship Class races, lifting his Van Diemen RF05 well clear of his nearest class rivals. He said: “The conditions were quite difficult and keeping it on the track was hard work. But it was a great feeling to be in the top 10 twice and to pick up the points for two wins.” Glaswegian Gary Brown finished both races to maintain his overall Scholarship Class lead.
 
Ruth Senior just missed out on a top-10 finish, with Baker following her home for 12th ahead of Jamie Jardine and Craig Bell, the sole Clubmans Cup representative to make the trip north.
 
*Meanwhile Down Under, Brands Hatch UKFF victor John Martin won round five of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at Sandown Park yesterday to extend his series lead. Martin is set to return to Britain later this month to complete the UK season.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 13, Knockhill, 03/09/2006.  18 laps / 22.88 miles
1,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  17m 24.899s
2,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +5.783s
3,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +8.061s
4,  Sarah Playfair,  UK/East Lothian,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +8.221s
5,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +8.796s
6,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +9.768s
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase (JAP/Van Diemen) / 10th overall +26.845s
Clubmans Cup: Craig Bell (UK/Van Diemen) / 17th overall, 17 laps
Fastest lap: Playfair 57.220s / 79.98mph (est rec)
 
Round 14, Knockhill, 03/09/2006.  18 laps / 22.88 miles
1,  Freke,  18m 03.946s
2,  Nash,  +3.303s
3,  Tannahill,  +9.395s
4,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +9.907s
5,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +12.096s
6,  Dempsey,  +13.936s
Scholarship Cup: Nagase / 10th overall +18.641s
Clubmans Cup: Bell / 14th overall +34.742s
Fastest lap: Freke 52.175s / 87.71 mph (rec)
 
Provisional championship placings

Overall
1 Freke 375 points
2 Ebbesvik 256
3 Dempsey 249
4 Nash 248
5 Tannahill 245
6 Nick Tandy (UK/Ray) 199 etc

Scholarship
1 David Brown (UK/Van Diemen) 359
2 Simon Kinsey (UK/Van Diemen) 304
=3 Nagase & Jamie Jardine (UK/Van Diemen) 295 etc

Clubmans Cup
1 Neil Tofts (UK/Mygale) 297
2 David Mayes (UK/Ray) 291
3 Bell 245 etc

NEWCOMER MARTIN & FREKE SHARE THE BRANDS SPOILS

Australian star of the future John Martin yesterday showed the UK Formula Ford Championship regulars the way they do it Down Under, winning at a canter the 12th round of the Ford-backed series at Brands Hatch.
 
The 22-year-old Queenslander was the class of the field in the new-to-Britain Spectrum chassis, taking a handsome victory after his chief race rivals tripped over each other on the final lap.
 
One of those to fall by the wayside in pursuit of the Aussie was championship leader Nathan Freke. It was Freke’s first no-score of a fantastically successful season, and came after his victory on Saturday at Brands. With eight races remaining and despite the failure, Nathan leads the title chase by 90 points.
 
Freke’s Saturday lights-to-flag win may have looked straightforward but Nathan’s smooth on-track progress to his fifth victory of the season was only part of the story. Unseen by spectators were the tireless efforts of the Jamun Racing Services team to repair his Mygale for the race.
 
In qualifying Freke ploughed straight on through the Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap, causing front-end damage which could have brought a premature end to his racing weekend. Fortunately for Nathan, Jamun had the answer and, doubly lucky, the 22-year-old from Kidderminster had already done enough prior to his shunt to secure pole position for both races.
 
There were no mistakes from Freke in the race: he made a superb getaway to seize the lead at the first corner and, though his pursuers never allowed him a moment to relax, he claimed a relatively untroubled win. “The accident took the edge off things a bit,” said Nathan, “but fortunately I had no problems in the race. I just tried to be as consistent as possible and managed to edge away.”
 
The battle for the remaining podium placings was absorbing, Ireland’s Peter Dempsey – returning after a 30-day drive ban – making an early bid for second in his Ray before being overhauled by Nick Tandy’s similar car and the Van Diemen of Steve Roberts.
 
Dempsey soon faded, the result of “understeer and overdriving”, to allow Tandy a clear run to the runner-up spot, while Roberts fell back after twice spinning at Graham Hill Bend.
 
All this handed Australian newcomer John Martin an ideal opportunity to shine on his UKFF debut at the wheel of his Spectrum. Eighth on the opening lap, Martin doggedly fought his way up to sixth by lap three and disposed of Dempsey, Roberts and Brazilian Adriano Buzaid to race on to an impressive third.
 
“I’m pleased,” said Martin, “but not as pleased as I would have been if I had won. It’s hard to come to a completely new circuit, into a new championship with a new car and be competitive. It’s tough at the front here, so third is a good result.” Martin is returning immediately to his homeland to defend his Australian Formula Ford Championship position but will be back in Britain next month.
 
Dempsey held on for fourth, with Jay Bridger fifth on his home circuit ahead of Richard Tannahill, Sean Petterson, Christian Ebbesvik, Buzaid, James Nash, Jonny Baker and Roberts.
 
Thirteenth overall and the Clubmans Class victor was another Kent-based driver, David Mayes, who finished more than three seconds ahead of class points leader Neil Tofts. Craig Bell was the third Clubman home.
 
David Brown, who arrived at Brands win-less but heading the Scholarship Cup points table, broke his duck with a comfortable class victory over Simon Kinsey after the other Scholarship runners, Takashi Nagase and Jamie Jardine, fell by the wayside.
 
Aussie battler Martin, emboldened by his first-race result, was in no mood to return home without a win on Sunday. He started from fourth on the grid, behind Freke, Tandy and Roberts and just ahead of Dempsey, and moved into third on the opening lap to give chase to Freke and Tandy.
 
Freke’s tenure of the lead lasted but a lap before he was overhauled by Tandy, with Martin right on Nathan’s tail and Buzaid close behind for fourth. Alas Adriano came a cropper at Hawthorns on lap four, spinning his Ray and being collected by Roberts’ closely pursuing Van Diemen.
 
The incident triggered a two-lap safety car period, after which Martin made his move. He overhauled Tandy on the fast back section of the circuit and then nosed in front of Freke as they crossed the line to complete lap seven. By the end of the following lap the Spectrum was half a second clear and well on its way to victory.
 
But there were plenty more fireworks to come: into Surtees on the final lap the battle for second between Freke and Tandy took a grisly turn, their cars touching and spinning off. Jay Bridger was caught up also and all three finished their races several corners early.
 
Thus Martin romped to a handsome 3.3-second win. John was delighted: “That’s what I came all this way for and naturally I am delighted.”
 
Sean Petterson picked his way carefully through the last-lap carnage to claim a season-best second for Jamun, with Richard Tannahill notching up his first podium finish in third for the Kevin Mills team.
 
Dempsey, who survived a solo first-lap excursion at Paddock, later clashed at the same corner with James Nash, an incident which resulted in his later exclusion from fourth place. Thus Jonny Baker claimed fourth for Team JLR, another personal best.
 
Tofts beat Mayes to the Clubmans Class honours on this occasion, Neil taking fifth and David sixth, with Brown seventh ahead of his Scholarship Class rivals Nagase, Kinsey and Jardine. Craig Bell and Nick Lay completed the top 12.
 
*The UK Formula Ford Championship heads north of the border next weekend (2/3 Sept) to the Knockhill circuit, near Dunfermline, for the 13th and 14th rounds of the 20-race series. It’s the first time in several years that Formula Ford has supported the prestigious British Touring Car Championship.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 11, Brands Hatch, 26/08/2006
13 laps / 29.91 miles
1,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  20m 06.954s
2,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +3.036s
3 John Martin,  AUS/Blackwater,  Borland,  Spectrum,  +5.198s
4 Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +6.542s
5,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +11.879s
6,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +12.062s
Clubmans Cup: David Mayes / 13th overall +32.930s
Scholarship Cup: David Brown / 15th overall +47.778s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 32.011s / 90.02 mph (est rec)
 
Round 12, Brands Hatch, 27/08/2006
9 laps / 20.71 miles
1,  Martin,  16m 04.081s
2,  Sean Petterson,  ZA/Walton,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +3.336s
3,  Tannahill,  +6.162s
4,  Jonny Baker,  UK/Farnham Cmn,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +6.704s
5,  Neil Tofts,  UK/Old Harlow,  ,  Mygale,  +9.953s
6,  David Mayes,  UK/Staplehurst,  Marque,  Ray,  +10.194s
Clubmans Cup: Tofts
Scholarship Cup: Brown / 7th overall +11.861s
Fastest lap: Martin 1m 32.594s / 89.46mph
 
Full results: http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63405
 
Provisional championship placings

Overall
1 Freke 312 points
2 Christian Ebbesvik (NOR/Van Diemen) 222
3 Dempsey 204
4 Tannahill 200
5 Tandy 199
6 James Nash (UK/Van Diemen) 196 etc.
 
Scholarship
1 Brown 307
2 Simon Kinsey 260
3 Jamie Jardine 243 etc.
 
Clubmans Cup
1 Tofts 297
2 Mayes 291
3 Matt Dobson 182 etc.
 

BUZAID & FREKE SHARE THE SPOILS AT ROCKINGHAM

 
The UK Formula Ford Championship proved once again this weekend that its blend of ultra-close racing and unpredictability provides not only a great learning experience for its young competitors but also some breathtakingly exciting action for spectators.
 
Saturday’s thrilling sprint at Rockingham brought a maiden win in the Ford-backed championship for 18-year-old Brazilian star of the future Adriano Buzaid, who became the season’s fourth different race victor and who wrote a new name in the list of Formula Ford team winners – Eau Rouge Motorsport.
 
On Sunday it was the turn of championship leader Nathan Freke to claim victory, the Jamun driver extending his points lead in the process.
 
Saturday’s race got away to a disastrous start with a multi-car pile-up in Turn One which left four cars sidelined with damage, including those of the fast-starting Jay Bridger, who had qualified third, James Nash, whose Van Diemen was shoved into the unforgiving Rockingham Raceway wall, and reigning Scholarship Champion Steve Roberts. Nobody was hurt but the race was stopped while the debris was cleared.
 
At the restart Freke got the drop on pole man Nick Tandy to take an early lead, with Buzaid surviving a nasty moment with Richard Tannahill through the first turn, the Ulsterman’s car riding up on the back of the Brazilian’s, to slot into third.
 
Tandy, a full tenth quicker than Freke in qualifying, was on strong form for the race also, executing a superb passing manoeuvre on Freke into the hairpin on lap four to claim the lead. Next time around Nathan had lost second to Buzaid, with Tandy easing into a useful two-second lead over his pursuers.
 
It all went wrong for Nick at the start of the eighth lap when he spun away his advantage just after the chicane. “I have been through there a hundred times in testing with no problem,” said Tandy. “This time I must just have clipped the kerb slightly, the car landed badly and the back came round before I knew what was happening.”
 
Tandy recovered brilliantly from the gyration and lost only two places, and then drove like a man possessed to close the 3.3-second gap between himself and second-placed Freke within four laps. Nathan was powerless to prevent Tandy from stealing back into second, but put up sufficient of a fight to slow both of them down, which allowed leader Buzaid to build an unassailable advantage.
 
Adriano crossed the line 3.4 seconds ahead, delighted to claim his maiden championship win and follow in the wheeltracks of his father, Alvaro, the 1984 Esso Formula Ford Champion. “I am so pleased,” said the 18-year-old. “It was a big fight with Nathan and Nick, and they are both good drivers. I was lucky that the collision with Richard didn’t damage my suspension or things could have been different.”
 
Tandy’s dramas were not over yet – Freke lined him up precisely into the final bend and shot out of his slipstream at the perfect moment to snatch second from Nick’s grasp right on the line. Said Nathan: “I noticed that one of Nick’s mirrors was facing the ground, so I stayed on his blind side until the last moment. I was quite pleased to have avoided all the damage and to have third in the bag – to get second was a bonus.”
 
Freke’s Jamun team-mate Sean Petterson joined the battle for second in the closing laps, having earlier passed Christian Ebbesvik, but the South African had to settle for fourth at the chequered flag, with Ebbesvik fifth for Team JLR and Linton Stuteley scoring a season-best sixth in the works Spirit.
 
Seventh and the Clubmans Class victor for the first time this season was 17-year-old David Mayes; he finished well ahead of his only class rival, six-time victor Neil Tofts.
 
In the Scholarship Class Jamie Jardine battled through to win despite a terrible opening lap which left languishing all but last. Suspension problems for Simon Kinsey and a last-lap spin for Takashi Nagase aided David Brown’s cause, the Scots lad able to close to within a second of Jardine by the end to take class second. Tannahill joined Kinsey in retirement after his early-race brush with Buzaid, with Jonny Baker forced into the pits to retire on the penultimate lap.
 
The cars of Bridger, Roberts and, amazingly, Nash, were all repaired overnight and fit for battle again in Sunday’s race, held under tricky damp-but-drying conditions. Tandy was once again the pole-sitter, his second pole of the season, but Nick was swamped at the start and spun into the gravel and retirement half-way around the opening lap.
 
That left Freke out in front, pursued by his team-mate Bridger, Tannahill and Roberts, Steve determined to salvage something worthwhile from his weekend. The Kevin Mills Racing driver launched his attack on lap four – just after a two-lap safety car interlude during which Tandy’s car was retrieved from its resting place – Roberts lifting second from Bridger at the chicane and then harassing his way past Freke for the lead with a slick manoeuvre at the hairpin four laps later.
 
But Freke managed to repass Roberts before the lap’s end and then Steve slipped back to fourth after a Turn One wobble. He then skidded out of the race completely on the penultimate tour.
 
Mayes was the man meanwhile making all the progress. The Kent lad propelled his three-year-old Zetec-powered Ray, prepared by Marque Cars, into the top seven on the opening lap and by mid-distance was up to fourth, David clearly revelling in the slippery conditions. Roberts’ problems handed Mayes third and he snatched second from Bridger four laps from the end.
 
Freke crossed the line for his fourth win of the season just 2.3s ahead of a delighted Mayes, who said: “That was awesome. To get a Zetec car up to second is a fantastic result. I just seemed to be able to get the power down better than the other guys.”
 
Bridger held on in front of Tannahill for third, his maiden UKFF podium finish. “It was a really difficult race,” said Jay, “much wetter than I had expected. I couldn’t stay with my team-mate and then I had my hands full with Steve Roberts, who drove really well until he went off.”
 
Ebbesvik took fifth to move into the championship runner-up slot, with Buzaid, who lost several places on the opening lap, sixth ahead of Stuteley, Petterson and Alex Waters.
 
Takashi Nagase was 10th and the Scholarship Class victor for the third time this season, with Brown finishing ahead of Kinsey to move into the Scholarship points lead. Erstwhile class leader Jardine came a cropper on the opening lap.
 
*The UK Formula Ford Championship will be back in action in a fortnight’s time (26/27 August) on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch,
 
Provisional results
UKFF round 9, Rockingham, 12/08/2006.  14 laps / 22.68 miles
1,  Adriano Buzaid,  BRA/Bicester,  Eau Rouge,  Ray,  15m 47.344s
2,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +3.445s
3,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +3.477s
4,  Sean Petterson,  ZA/Walton,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +4.824s
5,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +5.041s
6,  Linton Stuteley,  UK/Hexham,  Spirit,  Spirit,  +16.417s
Clubmans Cup: David Mayes / 7th overall +16.505s
Scholarship Cup: Jamie Jardine / 9th overall +33.241s
Fastest lap: Tandy 1m 06.442s /87.77mph (est rec)
 
Round 10, Rockingham, 13/08/2006.  14 laps / 22.68 miles
1,  Freke, 19m 44.112s
2,  David Mayes,  UK/Staplehurst,  Marque,  Ray,  +2.293s
3,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +6.894s
4,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Mills,  Van Diemen,  +7.712s
5,  Ebbesvik, +8.182s
6,  Buzaid, +18.802s
Clubmans Cup: Mayes
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase / 10th overall +31.819s
Fastest lap: Buzaid 1m 11.893s / 81.12mph
 
 
Provisional championship placings

Overall
1 Freke 279 points
2 Ebbesvik 194
3 Peter Dempsey (IRL/Ray) 179
4 James Nash (UK/Van Diemen) 174
5 Tandy 172
6 Tannahill 153 etc

Scholarship
1 David Brown (UK/Van Diemen) 245
2 Jardine 221
3 Simon Kinsey (UK/Van Diemen) 208 etc

Clubmans Cup
1 Neil Tofts (UK/Mygale) 239
2 Mayes 231
3 Matt Dobson (UK/Van Diemen) 138 etc.

FREKE GOES CLEAR AT BRANDS HATCH

 Nick Tandy and Nathan Freke took a UK Formula Ford Championship win apiece at Brands Hatch over the weekend, Freke extending his championship lead over Peter Dempsey, who claimed a second place on Saturday but failed to finish Sunday’s race two.
 
This was down to a first corner coming together with fellow Ray driver Tandy, and led to an ugly incident at post race prize-giving, at which Dempsey assaulted Tandy in front of shocked spectators. The stewards of the meeting suspended Dempsey’s licence for 30 days at a subsequent enquiry.
 
Tandy became the Ford-backed championship’s third different race winner this year when he took Saturday’s round, held in tricky damp-but-drying  conditions.
With one exception, the 21-car field elected to run treaded tyres. That decision to take slicks, by Simon Kinsey, would net him a very fine sixth overall in his Scholarship Class Van Diemen RF01.
 
Pole sitter and points leader Freke set the early pace but the charging Tandy was up from row three to second spot inside a lap. He soon had Freke in his sights and finally settled the issue at Clearways on lap four.
 
The man really on the move, however, was Dempsey, who had qualified a lowly ninth (albeit only 0.23s off pole) after a too-low third gear left his Cliff Dempsey run Ray on the rev limiter for much of the lap.
With a change of ratio he was simply flying and up to third spot within three laps. He ousted Freke from second at Graham Hill Bend on lap five, but trying to pass Tandy around the outside at Paddock on lap seven was almost his undoing.
 
He went in deep but had to get off the throttle as he ran perilously wide, allowing Freke to retake second. Peter redressed that situation a lap later at Druids.
 
Christian Ebbesvik meanwhile made stealthy progress and wrested third from Nash. Focus then switched to the run by Kinsey, who’d started 20th on the grid, but with his slicks coming good as the rest struggled for grip, was making rapid progress.
 
For two thirds of the race, Takashi Nagase led the Scholarship class, but Kinsey was unstoppable and indeed by lap 22, he was all over Freke for fifth. He got it soon after, although Freke reclaimed the place on the last lap.
 
Steve Roberts, Jonny Baker, Linton Stuteley (who qualified second fastest) and David Brown completed the top ten.
 
After taking his first UK Formula Ford race win, Tandy said: “It was difficult to judge if it was slipperier at the start or the finish. My tyres were absolutely shot.”
 
Freke’s margin of victory on Sunday (some 4.37s) wasn’t a true reflection of his superiority, as late on he was experiencing gear selection problems. Indeed, he virtually coasted over the line, but still clear of guest class driver Marc Murray.
 
Murray led for a lap until Freke dived past at Druids and then progressively edged away. The first corner incident between Dempsey and Tandy took away a potential source of interest in the race as they resumed well out of contention.
Such was the front two’s pace that the tussle for third was soon being dropped, and not long after wresting the place from Nash, Stuteley ended his race in the gravel at the top of Paddock.
 
This left Nash a distant third, but well clear of a wonderful four-way scrap for fourth involving Adriano Buzaid, Sean Petterson, Ebbesvik, Jay Bridger and Richard Tannahill. They circulated as one giant 16 wheeler for lap after lap, yet without making contact. The crowd loved it and a mere 0.8s covered them at the flag.
 
Jonny Baker had been on the back of the group, but a spin at Paddock left him to trail home 12th. Baker’s bad luck was Steve Roberts’ good fortune and he came home ninth, a couple of seconds clear of Nagase, who never saw a rival en route to a very easy win in the Scholarship class.
 
The Clubmans class cars ran separately this weekend, merged with a healthy field of Zetecs from the Dutch Benelux series. Neil Tofts led home David Mayes by half a second on Saturday with third place finisher Henk Vuik Jnr best of the Benelux runners.
 
Mayes spun while leading Sunday’s race in which Michel Florie restored Dutch pride as he came home clear of Tofts. Mayes resumed in eighth only to further blot his copybook with a trip through the Paddock Bend gravel trap. That left Craig Bell (seventh) as next-best Brit, with Mayes coming home a chastened 12th.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 7, Brands Hatch, 22/07/2006.  28 laps / 34.3 miles
1,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  25m 13.992s
2,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +0.910s
3,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +3.604s
4,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +6.207s
5,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +14.852s
6,  Simon Kinsey,  UK/Holmes Chapel,  Myerscough,  Van Diemen,  +15.294s
Scholarship Cup: Kinsey
Fastest lap: Dempsey 51.079s / 86.42mph est rec
 
Round 8, Brands Hatch, 23/07/2006.  31 laps / 38.0 miles
1,  Freke,  25m 49.920s
2,  Marc Murray,  ZA/Pretoria,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +4.368s
3,  Nash,  +16.900s
4,  Adriano Buzaid,  BRA/Bicester,  Eau Rouge,  Ray,  +27.937s
5,  Sean Petterson,  ZA/Walton,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +27.999s
6,  Ebbesvik,  +28.456s
 
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase / 10th overall +39.581s
Fastest lap: Freke 49.161s / 89.79mph rec
 
Full results: www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?event=62931&source=brscc2006&eventtype=brsccclub
 
Provisional championship placings
Overall
1 Freke 222 points; 2 Dempsey 179; 3 Nash 164; 4 Ebbesvik 152; 5 Tandy 144; 6 Steve Roberts 142 etc.
Scholarship
=1 Jamie Jardine & David Brown 189; 3 Kinsey 183; 4 Nagase 147 etc.
Clubmans Cup
1 Neil Tofts 185; 2 David Mayes 165; 3 Matt Dobson 138 etc.
 

FREKE ON TOP AFTER SNETTERTON WINS

Nathan Freke claimed a convincing pair of race wins at Snetterton yesterday (Sunday) to accelerate into the lead of the UK Formula Championship for the Jamun Racing team.

The 22-year-old Kidderminster-based racer's glory came at the expense of erstwhile points leader Peter Dempsey, who managed to salvage only one podium finish from the weekend.

Dempsey, the victor of the first four rounds of the Ford-backed championship, saw his winning streak brought to an end in the first of the day's races. Though his Cliff Dempsey Racing-run Ray started from its customary pole position, the 20-year-old Irishman found himself out-gunned by Freke's Mygale, Nathan pulling ahead into Riches corner and into a lead that he never looked in danger of losing.

Dempsey clung on to Freke's tail for several laps but soon found himself under mounting pressure from the cars of Nick Tandy and Stephen Roberts, the Shropshire driver regaining the sort of form which brought him Scholarship Class title honours in 2005.

Bedford-based Tandy was on a mission to secure second, so much so that his enthusiasm carried him over the grass at Russell, by-passing the chicane entirely, at one point. He managed to nose past both Roberts and Dempsey on the ninth lap - but only for a matter of yards before spinning away his advantage at Sear and losing several slots.

As Freke romped home to a seven-second win - the biggest victory margin of the season so far - Roberts took advantage of Tandy's mishap to edge ahead of Dempsey and hold second for the remaining four laps.

Freke was delighted with his maiden UKFF win: "It's a big confidence boost finally to win. I concentrated on getting a good start, pulling a gap and being consistent, and it all paid off." Roberts was equally pleased: "We've done a lot of work since the last race and we are getting towards where we want to be. There's plenty more to come."

Dempsey was far from downbeat: "We seem to have an understeer problem in the heat which we have yet to find an answer for. But I can't be disappointed with third, it's good for the championship."

The race was brought to a halt by red flags a couple of laps before its scheduled finish after Jay Bridger's Mygale came to a halt in a dangerous position at Riches; he'd overshot the corner after losing his brakes.

James Nash battled through to fourth ahead of Richard Tannahill and Jonny Baker, with Sean Petterson seventh after a time-consuming spin. Christian Ebbesvik was eighth, ahead of Alex Waters, who claimed his best-yet finish.

Championship returnee Sarah Playfair was 10th in her new Mygale, Tandy 11th after his spin, Linton Stuteley 12th and Adriano Buzaid 13th on his debut in the championship class at the wheel of an Eau Rouge Motorsport-prepared Ray.

Neil Tofts claimed Clubmans Cup honours after a long battle with David Mayes, while in the Scholarship Class Japanese driver Takashi Nagase triumphed in a battle which involved 18-year-old Scottish talent David Brown and Jamie Jardine for the duration of the race.

Norfolk drivers Ruth Senior (Wymondham) and Craig Bell (Diss) placed 15th and 20th respectively.

Race two provided the healthily large Snetterton crowd with another helping of excitement, Freke making the most of his first pole of the year to establish an early lead, this time pursued by Roberts and Nash, with Dempsey joining the battle from the fourth lap onwards.

Freke and Roberts traded top spot lap after lap, but Dempsey's hopes of getting a nose in front took a knock at the Esses on the 12th lap when he spun after contact with one of his rivals. The Irishman lost 10 places, and was forced into retirement a lap later with crash damage.

In the closing stages Freke eased out just enough of a gap over Roberts to ensure his second win of the day, with Steve comfortably ahead of Nash, who made it to the podium for the first time after repulsing a late attack from Christian Ebbesvik.

Tannahill came home behind Ebbesvik for fifth, with Bridger making up for his race one crash with sixth, his best-yet result. Alex Waters collected seventh ahead of Linton Stuteley, with Tofts an excellent ninth - once again an easy Clubmans Cup victor. Senior found some extra straight-line pace to claim 10th, another personal best.

With Nagase crashing out of the lead of the Scholarship Cup on the sixth lap, the honours went to Cheshire youngster Jamie Jardine, with his Myerscough College team-mate Simon Kinsey second in class and Brown third. Jardine assumes the Scholarship Cup points lead too.

The UKFF stars are back in action next weekend (22/23 July), at Brands Hatch.

Provisional results
UKFF round 5, Snetterton, 16/07/2006.  12 laps / 23.42 miles
1,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  15m 20.920s
2,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +7.024s
3,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  +11.481s
4,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +11.971s
5,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +12.232s
6,  Jonny Baker,  UK/Farnham Common,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +12.955s
Clubmans Cup: Neil Tofts / 14th overall +26.448s
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase / 17th overall +36.430s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 11.001s (est rec)

Round 6, Snetterton, 16/07/2006.  16 laps / 31.23 miles
1,  Freke,  20m 59.879s
2,  Roberts,  +1.650s
3,  Nash,  +10.508s
4,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +10.689s
5,  Tannahill,  +11.114s
6,  Jay Bridger,  UK/Horsmonden,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +12.332s
Clubmans Cup: Tofts / 9th overall +18.814s
Scholarship Cup: Jamie Jardine / 13th overall +30.383s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 11.236s

 Provisional championship placings
Overall 1 Freke 169 points; 2 Dempsey 151; 3 Nash 115; =4 Roberts & Tannahill 112; 6 Nick Tandy 108 etc
Scholarship 1 Jardine 145; 2 David Brown 135; 3 Simon Kinsey 127 etc
Clubmans Cup 1 Tofts 124; 2 David Mayes 112; 3 Matt Dobson 94 etc

ANOTHER DOUBLE FOR DEMPSEY AT DONINGTON

 

Win number three for Peter and his Cliff Dempsey Racing-run Ray came in Saturday’s incident-packed sprint when he beat Nick Tandy and Nathan Freke into second and third respectively. And Dempsey made his fourth straight victory, on Sunday, look even easier despite streaming wet conditions, this time with Freke claiming second and Tandy third.
 
Dempsey’s progress to victory on Saturday was every bit as impressive as his twin wins at Oulton Park in April, Peter leading every inch of the way from pole position to chequered flag.
 
His performance in qualifying was good enough to net him the pole for both races, with his best time nearly six-tenths ahead of that of his closest rival, Jay Bridger. Christian Ebbesvik lined up third on the grid on Saturday, ahead of Tandy, Freke and the impressively quick Brazilian teenager Adriano Buzaid, whose relatively elderly Scholarship Class Mygale topped the timesheets for a while during the session’s early wet stage.
 
Bridger made an excellent getaway in the Jamun Racing Mygale but Dempsey’s start was at least as good. The Irishman edged ahead into Redgate Corner with the clear intention of building an early lead. By the end of lap two Peter had eked out a 1.6-second advantage, only to see it wiped away when the Safety Car was deployed as the result of a three-car crash at Redgate.
 
As the snatch crews toiled to remove the stricken cars of Ruth Senior, David Mayes and Takashi Nagase from the circuit, Dempsey had to lead around a procession of slow-moving Formula Fords for four laps. Tandy was by this time Peter’s closest challenger, the Bedford lad having pinched second from Ebbesvik on the second tour.
 
At the restart and with seven laps ahead of him, Dempsey made no mistakes and posted fastest lap as he charged away to rebuild his lead. Tandy, after fighting back a further challenge from Ebbesvik, was not slow to respond, twice setting fastest race lap himself, on successive laps, as he battled to reel back the Irishman.
 
Nick and his works-run Ray ran out of laps, however, and had to settle for second. “Peter pulled a brilliant manoeuvre at the restart,” said Tandy, “and it was hard work to catch him up again. Another lap or two and I might have managed it.”
 
“I pushed really hard to build a gap after the restart,” said Dempsey, “and it was just as well that I did because Nick was catching me rapidly towards the end. That’s another good result for the championship for me.”
 
Freke dislodged Ebbesvik from third with three laps to go, resisting a last-lap effort which netted the Norwegian Team JLR driver the extra point for fastest lap. Fifth, just behind Ebbesvik, was Ulsterman Richard Tannahill, despite having started from ninth on the grid; Richard finished a place in front of his Kevin Mills Racing team-mate Steve Roberts for good measure.
 
South African Sean Petterson scored his first points of the year with seventh, with James Nash eighth, Jonny Baker ninth and Buzaid an excellent 10th, six places and 13 seconds ahead of his closest Scholarship rival, Simon Kinsey. Front row man Bridger’s hopes of a strong finish plummeted on the final lap when, having slipped back to eighth, he spun down to 14th.
 
After Mayes’ early departure, the Clubmans Class victory went to Neil Tofts, who finished some five seconds ahead of Craig Bell.
 
Sunday’s dreadful weather did nothing to dampen Dempsey’s spirit, Peter rocketing into an immediate and commanding lead from pole position, with Freke’s Jamun Mygale and Tandy in hot pursuit.
 
Nick’s hopes of keeping up with the leaders were dashed on the fifth lap when he was passed by Ebbesvik. Although the Norwegian handed third place back with a spin at the Old Hairpin on the following lap, Tandy’s rivals were by this time long gone.
 
Freke did everything possible to keep tabs on Dempsey but admitted his cause was hopeless: “I think I had the quicker car but when I tried to close in the spray from Peter’s car was so bad I couldn’t see where I was going and had to back off.” Dempsey crossed the line 2.4s in front – his biggest victory margin of the season to date – with Freke 11s ahead of Tandy.
 
Dempsey modestly put it all down to his mechanics: “The team gave me a brilliant car this weekend, it’s been great in these conditions.”
 
Ebbesvik recovered from his spin to once again set fastest race lap on the final tour and claim fourth ahead of Nash’s battered Van Diemen, James surviving a 12th lap clash with Buzaid as they disputed fifth. Roberts was sixth ahead of Baker, Bridger and Tannahill, with Buzaid, despite the collision, finishing an excellent 10th overall and once again an easy Scholarship class victor, this time ahead of Takashi Nagase.
 
Mayes’ miserable weekend continued, the 17-year-old’s Ray one of several to slither off the track on the opening lap. Again Tofts enjoyed a largely untroubled run to Clubmans Cup victory, once more ahead of Bell.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 3, Donington Park, 20/05/2006.  13 laps / 25.4 miles
1,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  20m 10.664s
2,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +1.033s
3,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +3.762s
4,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +3.953s
5,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +4.472s
6,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +5.098s
Scholarship Cup: Adriano Buzaid / 10th overall +13.185s
Clubmans Cup: Neil Tofts / 17th overall +35.185s
Fastest lap: Ebbesvik 1m 11.814 (est rec)
 
Round 4, 21/05/2006.  14 laps / 27.4 miles
1,  Dempsey,  20m 57.890s
2,  Freke,  +2.472s
3,  Tandy,  +13.485s
4,  Ebbesvik,  +16.055s
5,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +28.742s
6,  Roberts,  +33.228s
Scholarship Cup: Buzaid / 10th overall +43.682s
Clubmans Cup: Tofts / 16th overall +1m 08.407s
Fastest lap: Ebbesvik 1m 27.883s
 
Full results: http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=62005
 
Provisional championship placings
Overall 1 Dempsey 125; 2 Freke 106; 3 Tandy 100; 4 Tannahill 72; 5 Ebbesvik 71;
6 Nash 68 etc.
Scholarship 1 Buzaid 122; 2 Simon Kinsey 100; 3 Jamie Jardine 90 etc.
Clubmans Cup 1 Stuart Gough 64; 2 Tofts 62; 3 David Mayes 56 etc
 
Next rounds: Snetterton 15/16 July.

DEMPSEY ON TOP AGAIN AT OULTON

 
Following his rousing Easter Saturday win in UKFF round one, 20-year-old Dempsey, from Ashbourne, County Meath, started Mondays Oulton Park sprint as firm favourite, and he did not disappoint. His Irish Ferries-backed Ray led all the way from pole position to victory despite the very close attentions of Nathan Frekes Jamun-run Mygale, inches behind throughout the 12 laps.
 
Dempseys double-top earns him a nine-point advantage over Freke in the championship standings.
 
As on Saturday, 25 cars made the starting grid 17 of them equipped with Fords impressive new 1600cc powerplant and they provided the Bank Holiday Monday crowds with some brilliantly close action.
 
Dempsey made a blinding getaway from the pole, but was hotly pursued by the man he beat on Saturday, Nathan Freke. I made a better start than on Saturday, said Peter, and I had the pace to get away from him, but then I made a slight mistake at Cascades on lap three and went on to the grass and he got right on to me again. I couldnt really shake him off from there.
 
Kidderminster racer Freke was all over Dempseys gearbox for the duration, the pair of them locking brakes at almost every corner as they tussled for the win. In the end, however, Freke had to settle for second once more: I tried my best but Peter drove a tremendous race, said Nathan. He defended every inch and made all the right moves. Dempsey was less than two-tenths ahead at the chequered flag.
 
Christian Ebbesvik held third throughout fighting off challenges from both Steve Roberts and Nick Tandy to record his maiden UKFF podium with Team JLR. It more than made up for the Norwegians disappointing Saturday outing, which ended prematurely with a damaged car. That was a bit better, said Christian, but still we have some problems with the car. I must hope for better for the rest of the season.
 
Tandy, third on Saturday, might have made it two podiums in a row but got a little too close to Ebbesviks Van Diemen on the ninth lap, right after setting fastest lap of the race. The slight contact which ensued bent one of the trackrods on Tandys Ray and he was forced to back off and defend his fourth place from the attentions of Ulsterman Richard Tannahill in the final three laps.
 
Tannahill was the only finisher for Kevin Mills Racing after Steve Roberts Van Diemen went out at Cascades on the fourth lap. James Nash was sixth for the Fluid squad, with Stuart Gough seventh and once again the Clubmans Class victor, just ahead of David Mayes. Linton Stuteley and Sean Gaffney rounded out the top 10, with reigning Scottish Formula Ford Champion Joe Tanner 11th.
 
Young Brazilian Adriano Buzaid, 18-year-old son of 1984 Formula Ford champion Alvaro Buzaid, claimed 12th and his first Scholarship Cup win for Eau Rouge Motorsport with a narrow victory over the Fluid Motorsport Van Diemen of Japanese racer Takashi Nagase.
 
Provisional results UKFF round 2, Oulton Park, 15/04/2006.  12 laps / 32.30 miles
1,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  20m 47.527s
2,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +0.175s
3,  Christian Ebbesvik,  NOR/Bergen,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +0.292s
4,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +6.362s
5,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +6.436s
6,  James Nash,  UK/Newport Pagnell,  Fluid,  Van Diemen,  +12.418s
Scholarship Cup: Adriano Buzaid / 12th overall +45.047s
Clubmans Cup: Stewart Gough / 7th overall +28.416s
Fastest lap: Tandy 1m 42.789s
 
 
Provisional championship placings
Overall 1 Dempsey 63 points; 2 Freke 54; 3 Tandy 48; 4 Tannahill 40; 5 Nash 34; 6 Linton Stuteley, 28 etc.
Scholarship 1 Buzaid 59; 2 Simon Kinsey 55; 3 Garry Findlay 47 etc.
Clubmans Cup 1 Gough 64; 2 David Mayes 54.
 
Next rounds: Donington Park 20/21 May.
 

 
DEMPSEY IS THE FIRST DURATEC VICTOR

The UK Formula Ford Championship enjoyed a spectacular return to form yesterday (Sat) at Oulton Park with 25 cars tackling the Ford-backed championship's opening round.

It was the first ever race for Formula Ford's exciting new 1.6-litre Duratec powerplant, and it provided abundant close action and thrilling racing as Irishman Peter Dempsey earned his place in the record books as the maiden victor of the Duratec era.

Sam Roach, director of championship promoter RacingLine, was delighted: "To see 25 Formula Fords on the grid was a fantastic reward for all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to make the introduction of the Duratec engine possible. It was the largest grid seen so far this season in the UK for a manufacturer-backed single-seater championship, and that says everything."

Dempsey's progress to win number one and an early UK Formula Ford Championship lead provided more than enough excitement, even without the efforts of the other 24 drivers. The 20-year-old from Ashbourne, County Meath, qualified his Irish Ferries-backed Ray on the pole with a time two-tenths better than that of his nearest rival, Nathan Freke.

But it was Freke and his Jamun Racing Mygale who made the better grid getaway, the 22-year-old karting veteran outgunning Dempsey on the run down to Old Hall Corner. Peter tried everything possible to find his way past? trying a little too hard at the start of the third lap, when he missed a gear and received a tap from closely the pursuing Christian Ebbesvik. "That put me on to the grass and half the field went past me," said Dempsey. "It made things a bit exciting."

Dempsey slipped to fourth behind Freke, Nick Tandy and Steve Roberts, with Freke taking the opportunity to open out a three-second gap to his pursuers.

Peter was not going to let matters rest there, however. On his fourth lap he shattered the old Formula Ford lap record for Zetec-engined cars and went on to lower it a further two times as he deposed first Roberts and then Tandy to slip into second spot.

Entering the penultimate lap Dempsey still has more than a second to make up to catch Freke, but his dogged fight back was rewarded by an error from the Mygale pilot. "I didn't have the grip I needed," said Nathan. "I could see Peter catching me and then I locked a wheel going into the chicane, and that allowed him to get on to my tail."

Demspey made his move into Old Hall on the last lap, holding on to top spot at the chequered flag by a margin of just 34 thousandths of a second. "I was lucky he made a slight mistake," said Peter, "otherwise I would never have won it. Hopefully I won't make such a mess of the next race."

Tandy was delighted with third place in his works-run Ray, not least because he had had little chance for pre-race testing and had damaged his car early in qualifying. Roberts was fourth for the Kevin Mills team after surviving a late-race clash with Ebbesvik which brought about the Norwegian's retirement.

Ulsterman Richard Tannahill was fifth ahead of Jonny Baker, James Nash (Newport Pagnell) and Andrew Meyrick (Delamere). Stuart Gough (Nottingham) put in an excellent showing to claim ninth as leading Zetec finisher and Clubmans Cup victor, with Linton Stuteley (Hexham) 10th and Simon Kinsey (Holmes Chapel) taking 11th and Scholarship Cup victory after overhauling the race-long class leader, Brazilian Adriano Buzaid, on the final lap.

Dempsey is set to start from pole position once again in Monday's second round of the 2005 UK Formula Ford Championship.

Provisional results UKFF round 1
Oulton Park, 15/04/2006
12 laps / 32.30 miles
1,  Peter Dempsey,  IRL/Ashbourne,  Dempsey,  Ray,  20m 48.035s
2,  Nathan Freke,  UK/Kidderminster,  Jamun,  Mygale,  +0.034s
3,  Nick Tandy,  UK/Bedford,  Ray,  Ray,  +4.148s
4,  Steve Roberts,  UK/Whitchurch,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +10.260s
5,  Richard Tannahill,  UK/Coleraine,  Kevin Mills,  Van Diemen,  +11.091s
6,  Jonny Baker,  UK/Farnham Common,  JLR,  Van Diemen,  +12.448s

Scholarship Cup: Simon Kinsey / 11th overall +45.310s
Clubmans Cup: Stewart Gough / 9th overall +34.310s

Fastest lap: Dempsey 1:42.687 (est rec)



Provisional championship placings
Overall 1 Dempsey 33; 2 Freke 27; 3 Tandy 25; 4 Roberts 22; 5 Tannahill 20; 6 Baker 18, etc.
Scholarship 1 Kinsey 30; 2 Adriano Buzaid 29; 3 Garry Findlay 25 etc.

           

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