The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
| Home |
 Features |
Calendar |
News
Archive |
11/56 MotorSport | |
|
Reports |
Gallery |
Links |
Classified |
|
|
CHAMP MACLEOD ADDS 2 MORE WINS Callum MacLeod, who was crowned British Formula Ford Champion seven days ago, put in a champion's performance at Rockingham this weekend to end his remarkable season on the highest possible note. The 19-year-old from Northampton won both the season-closing Motor Speedway races to take to 14 his victory tally for the 25-event season and end it well over 100 points clear of his closest rival, James Nash. "It's been a fantastic year for me," said Callum, who is destined for a British Formula 3 drive in 2008. "I have to give huge thanks to my team, Jamun Racing Services, for giving me the opportunity and the best car. I've just had to drive it... I am really looking forward to F3 and I know that I can do a good job there also." MacLeod's twin Rockingham wins were copybook affairs. On Saturday his progress to victory at the wheel of his Mygale was metronomic. Callum blasted away from the pole to reach the crucial and very tight first hairpin bend, Deene, well ahead of the pack, and from there on in he was on a home run. By the third lap Callum was 1.4 seconds clear and had set the fastest lap of the race. Nick Tandy's hopes of giving chase to MacLeod suffered a blow at Deene on that first lap, when Nash very decisively grabbed second spot in his Van Diemen; Nick's Ray was then pushed back to third at Brook by Nash's Kevin Mills Racing team-mate Steve Roberts. Nash was unable to do anything about MacLeod's lead - indeed Callum was stroking it out at the rate of half a second a lap - but James was in turn pulling well clear of the battle for third, now joined by Linton Stuteley, who pushed Tandy back to fifth on lap five, and Jay Bridger. Tandy it was who won the argument. He relieved Stuteley of fourth place on lap eight and then, three laps later, dived up the inside of Roberts at the Tarzan hairpin for third; their cars touched and Roberts spun back to seventh. At the line MacLeod was 5.8s clear of Nash, with Tandy a further 4.2 behind in third. "That was fantastic," said Callum. "I knew after qualifying that we had the pace and that if I could get to the first corner first, then that would be race over. I am pleased to have proved it." Tandy was later docked £100 and two licence penalty points with regard to the incident with Roberts, but his third place was allowed to stand. Stuteley and Bridger followed Tandy home for fourth and fifth, with David Brown sixth ahead of Roberts, Marc Murray, Sarah Playfair, Takashi Nagase, Freddie Hunt, Roger Orgee, Jamie Jardine and Philippe Layac. Today MacLeod was if anything even more impressive: he romped away from the pole - his 18th of the year - and by first lap's end was half a second clear of Nash, who had outbraked Tandy and the rest around the outside into Deene. Tandy and Stuteley demoted Nash to fourth next time around through Deene, James happy enough to settle back and hold station all the way to the chequered flag, secure in the knowledge that it would give him the championship runner-up spot. The battle for second between Tandy and Bridger was intense, Jay's Mygale moving alongside Nick's Ray into Deene on the 11th lap and pulling ahead at the next bend, Yentwood. Tandy collected himself together quickly, however, and repaid the compliment two laps later at Chapman Curve. By the end MacLeod had stoked his victory advantage to 9.3s over Tandy, with Bridger and Nash in Nick's wheeltracks for third and fourth. Stuteley lost part of his Mygale's rear bodywork on the final lap but managed to stay ahead of Roberts for fifth. Murray liberated seventh from Brown's grasp with three laps to run. Marcus Weller placed ninth ahead of Playfair, Jesse Krohn, Orgee, Jardine and the final finisher, Nagase. Provisional results Round 25 / Rockingham
30/9/2007. 14 laps / 27.16miles
MACLEOD CROWNED BRITISH FORMULA FORD CHAMPION Callum MacLeod today clinched the 2007 British Formula Ford Championship title in the finest possible style, leading every inch of the 23rd round of the series from pole position to chequered flag. For good measure, he lowered his own circuit lap record on the way to his 12th race victory of the year. It was a copybook performance from the Ford-backed championship's season-long leader, and the 19-year-old Northampton driver was delighted: "It's a great way to win the championship. I decided to get my head down at the start and to push as hard as possible; I was able to get away and then relax a little towards the end." Callum paid tribute to his car, the French-designed Mygale chassis, to his engine supplier Scholar, and to his team, Kent's Jamun Racing, for whom this was a third successive British Formula Ford Championship victory: "My car has been fantastic all season and I couldn't be with a better or more supportive team. I'm delighted to have been able to repay all their hard work." MacLeod wins not only a year's use of a Ford Focus ST road car but also a free registration into the 2008 British Formula 3 International Series. He has tests lined up with both the Fluid Motorsport and Ultimate Motorsport F3 teams and has, he says, every intention of being on the F3 grid next season. Both of the Brands Hatch rounds provided superb entertainment for the large and appreciative crowd gathered for the prestigious World Touring Car Championship event. A 25-car Formula Ford field gathered in Kent, with drivers from seven nations taking part. Saturday's race was a cracker, with three different leaders and the top three separated by less than four-tenths of a second at the line. MacLeod led initially - from his 15th pole position of the season - but an astute Linton Stuteley seized the advantage from the champion elect on lap two, setting up the move into Paddock Hill Bend and executing it beautifully through the Druids hairpin and Graham Hill Bend. MacLeod fought back with gusto but his Mygale became tangled with that of Stuteley at Westfield on the fourth lap, leaving the way clear for another of the French chassis, driven by Jay Bridger, to shoot past both of them and into the lead. "I could see that something was going to happen between them," said Jay, "and I just waited and positioned my car perfectly to benefit when it did." But although claiming the lead was relatively easy for Bridger, hanging on to it was going to be another matter entirely. Jay came under intense pressure from MacLeod for the remaining eight laps but never gave his opponent a moment's opportunity to pull alongside. At the chequered flag they were separated by a shade under a hundredth of a second, and Haynes of Maidstone-backed Bridger was jubilant finally to have broken his British Formula Ford Championship duck, on what was his 20th birthday weekend. Stuteley's grasp of third place was loosened completely on the seventh lap, a horde of rivals muscling their way past with Tandy at the head of the queue. But it was not Nick who claimed the final podium place - that honour went instead to David Brown, who was driving his Kevin Mills Racing Van Diemen like a man possessed. Brown outmanoeuvred Tandy for third three laps from the end, having already posted fastest lap of the race, and was crawling all over the back of MacLeod on the final lap. "I just kept pushing and pushing," said the Glasgow 19-year-old. "My twin aims for the season were to get on to the podium and to set a fastest lap. I never thought I'd achieve them both in the same race." Tandy held on to fourth ahead of Stuteley, James Nash, Marcus Weller, Steve Roberts and Sarah Playfair, with South African Marc Murray rounding out the top 10 and taking 'international class' honours, just ahead of Japan's Takashi Nagase and Finn Jesse Krohn. The best placed of the visiting Australian drivers was Joshua Scott, who piloted his Spectrum to 13th on his UK debut. His compatriot Ashley Walsh was on the brink of the top 10 when he ran off the road on the ninth lap. Another visiting Aussie, Nicki Templer, placed 20th. Once again on the pole today, MacLeod concentrated on opening a gap on his pursuers, led by Stuteley and Tandy, right from the outset. By the end of the opening lap he was half a second in the clear and had extended that to 1.6 seconds by the end of lap two, aided by a record-breaking sub-90 second lap of the Brands Grand Prix circuit. Callum's 12th win was never in doubt after that. Behind MacLeod a furious battle raged for second between Stuteley, Tandy and Bridger, with Nick and Jay bumping Linton back to fourth out of Paddock Hill Bend on the fourth lap. Tandy was quick to distance himself and secure second, but Bridger was unable to shake Stuteley from his tail and Linton repassed for third six laps from the end. Murray claimed fifth after finding a way past Nash early on, with James happy enough to secure sixth spot and maintain his modest lead over Tandy in the battle for championship runner-up spot. Brown placed seventh and Adrian Campfield eighth, with Walsh making up for his Saturday disappointment to take ninth. Tenth place looked to be going the way of Freddie Hunt after Steve Roberts' Van Diemen expired on the final lap, but Playfair nipped ahead of the late World Champion James's son at the last to push Freddie back to 11th; it was nonetheless Hunt's best result of the season. Neither Scott nor Templer made the end: Joshua clipped Marcus Weller's slow-starting car away from the line while Nicki's Spectrum expired five laps from the end. With the championship now settled, MacLeod can relish the prospect of a carefree finish to his British Formula Ford season next weekend at Rockingham, and also look ahead to his bid for Formula Ford Festival glory, back at Brands next month. Provisional results Round 23 / Brands Hatch 23/9/2007.
12 laps / 27.61miles
TANDY & NASH TAKE THE SPOILS AT CROFT The championship winner's champagne is still on ice for Callum MacLeod after Nick Tandy and James Nash beat him to victory in the Croft rounds of the British Formula Ford Championship. Tandy won two of the Croft sprints and Nash was the popular victor of the third race of the weekend, James claiming his maiden win in the process. Despite some setbacks, 19-year-old MacLeod left Croft with a more than healthy 82-point lead in the Ford-backed championship and one hand firmly on the title, which he will now aim to secure in a fortnight at Brands Hatch. Saturday's race provided yet another fascinating MacLeod v Tandy duel, with Callum rocketing into an early lead from his 12th pole position of the season. James Nash got away cleanly from the front row, slotting his Van Diemen between MacLeod's Jamun-prepared Mygale and the JTR Ray of Tandy. Nash and Tandy disputing second offered MacLeod the opportunity to build his lead but Callum was unable to capitalise and, once Tandy had overcome Nash on the third lap, Nick was soon latching on to the leader's tail, posting fastest race lap as he did so. Tandy subjected MacLeod to merciless pressure for four laps, then made the decisive manoeuvre of the race at the Hairpin to dive up the inside of the Mygale and seize the lead. "I had tried it a couple of laps earlier and thought I could do it," said Nick, "so when Callum left the door wide open for me I took the chance." Realising his error, MacLeod tried too late to close the door but succeeded only in banging wheels with Tandy. Callum kept the pressure on Nick all the way to the chequered flag, but Tandy beat him to it by less than a hundredth of a second. Nash held off a late challenge from MacLeod's team-mate Marc Murray to retain third. Linton Stuteley had looked set to collect fourth, and possibly third if he could find a way past Nash, but he was nudged into a spin by the pursuing Jay Bridger. Steve Roberts took fifth after passing Sarah Playfair's Mygale on the last lap. Stuteley recovered to seventh with Dan Murray, Takashi Nagase and Roger Orgee rounding out the top 10. Matt Dobson was the unopposed victor of the Scholarship Class. A good drive from David Brown, who had held seventh for much of the race and who was closing on Marc Murray in the late stages, came to nothing: the Scotsman spun to last two laps from the end. There was further drama for Brown at the start of race two when he clipped the stalling Mygale of pole-sitter MacLeod. Callum's engine died seconds after blast off due to a fuel flow problem and the unsighted and unlucky Brown ran over MacLeod's rear wheel. The incident triggered the red flags; neither driver was able to make the restart, and nor was championship debutant Alex Jones, who ran over some debris. At the restart, Nash made a determined getaway to block Stuteley from taking the lead, with Tandy slotting past Marc Murray for third on the run into Tower Bend. Stuteley then ran wide on the approach to the Hairpin to gift second to Tandy. Nash's defence of his lead was as determined as Tandy's effort to wrest it from him. Nick came close to edging ahead on the fourth lap but it was not until Tower on lap eight that Nick was able successfully to manoeuvre past and into a lead he would hold to the line. James tried to get back ahead but could not: "The difference was that Nick was able to hassle me; once he was past I didn't have the pace to repay the compliment." Tandy was nine-tenths clear at the flag and was delighted with his second win of the weekend: "It doesn't get much better than that. James was very hard to pass and drove very well." Bridger claimed third after passing Stuteley on the sixth lap; Linton lost fourth a lap later to Marc Murray but finished well clear of Sarah Playfair to secure fifth. Roberts' hopes of taking seventh went up in smoke three laps from the end when his Van Diemen's catalytic converter caught fire; it had been starved of cooling air due to bodywork damage sustained in an earlier clash. The top 10 was completed by Nagase, Dan Murray, Orgee and Philippe Layac. Matt Dobson claimed his 11th class win to put his points tally beyond the mathematical reach of any of his rivals and claim the British Formula Ford Championship Scholarship Class title for 2007. "It's been a good learning season for me," said the 23-year-old former kart star, "and I'm delighted to have taken the title. There hasn't been a lot of competition but it's a good result nonetheless. I'll be back next year with Duratec power." The Formula Fordsters saved their best for last - the third of the Croft races was a cracker from beginning to end, with a seven-car battle for victory for much of the distance. Nash got another excellent start to bottle up behind him the cars of Tandy, Bridger, Stuteley and Marc Murray, and James the proceeded to give a masterclass in the art of defensive driving. Though Tandy was crawling all over the back of his Kevin Mills Racing-prepared Van Diemen, Nash cool-headedly held his line at every corner. By mid-distance Nash's train of pursuers was joined by MacLeod, who had battled through from dead last on the grid. The pressure finally told on the ninth lap when Nash left the door ajar on the run up to Tower Bend; there was no hesitation from Tandy, who sliced past to take up the running and - he hoped - bag a hat-trick of Croft victories. But it was not to be: rounding Clervaux on the next lap, Tandy hit a kerb and was launched off the track and into a tyre wall. A surprised Nash then found himself back on top once again with the relatively much easier task of fending off Bridger, which he achieved in grand style to claim his maiden win. "I was beginning to think this moment would never come," said James, who had made 13 prior visits to the podium and was at last atop it. "It was such a difficult race - I had to defend so hard." His victory puts him clearly into championship second place. MacLeod made it past Murray for third with three laps to go but could do nothing to dislodge Bridger. Playfair came home fifth and Roberts sixth, with less than three seconds covering the top six finishers. Brown started from pit lane but raced up to seventh by the end, ahead of Stuteley, who was delayed by a pit stop, Orgee and Jamie Jardine. Dobson was again the Scholarship victor, but he was beaten to 'Zetec class' honours by Jones.
Provisional results
Round 20 / Croft
9/9/2007. 12 laps / 25.5miles
Round 21 / Croft
9/9/2007. 12 laps / 25.5miles
3 OUT OF 4 FOR MACLEOD AT THRUXTON Callum MacLeod edged closer to the British Formula Ford Championship title at Thruxton this weekend, scooping a hat-trick of race wins to nearly double his points lead. Nick Tandy was the only man to spoil what could easily have been a MacLeod clean sweep, winning Saturday's race to maintain his strong late-season form. Nonetheless Callum left Hampshire with his championship lead over second place man James Nash extended to 110 points, with seven races remaining. The Bank Holiday weekend Thruxton format featured four helpings of British Formula Ford action - the three scheduled races plus the Easter Monday event held over from Oulton Park. Among the highlights for the junior drivers was a pre-event pep talk from former World Champion Nigel Mansell, who was at Thruxton in support of his sons' Formula 3 exploits. Saturday afternoon's 14-lapper was the best race of the season so far, with five cars vying for the lead for much of the distance. There might have been six at the party but for the retirement of Nash, whose Van Diemen broke a driveshaft on the warming-up lap. MacLeod led away from the pole in his Jamun Racing Mygale but was soon under attack from Tandy's JTR Ray, which slotted into the lead through the Campbell/Cobb/Segrave complex after a superb start from third on the grid. MacLeod had no intention of giving up easily, however, and slipstreamed back into the lead up Woodham Hill. Nor was Tandy in any mood to capitulate, Nick launching a series of assaults on the championship leader culminating in a daring sixth lap outbraking manoeuvre into Club. His line through the tricky chicane compromised, MacLeod found himself pushed back to third as Linton Stuteley's Mygale forced its way past also. Next time around MacLeod slipped to fourth thanks to Steve Roberts in the Kevin Mills Van Diemen, with Jay Bridger's Fluid Mygale snapping at his heels. Tandy looked to have matters well under control but blotted his copybook on his 10th time through the Club chicane, running wide and allowing MacLeod, who had meantime repassed both Roberts and Stuteley, to latch back on to his tail. Callum wasted no time in slipstreaming back into the lead. Lesser drivers might have crumbled but Tandy was in no mood to be denied; Nick clawed his way back on to MacLeod's tail and, on the penultimate lap, seized the lead once more to capture his fourth win of the year. "To win a race like that is a beautiful feeling," said a delighted Tandy. MacLeod, who was beaten back to third at the last corner by the determined Stuteley, said he was playing it conservatively: "I took no risks - it wasn't worth it for a couple of championship points." He added that his Mygale had had superior pace, which was evidenced by his lowering of the circuit lap record. Two seconds covered the top four at the line, Roberts beating a down-on-power Bridger to fourth to record his best finish of the season, despite a last-lap lock-up. David Brown helped himself to sixth by overhauling Marc Murray after Marcus Weller spun, with Sarah Playfair following Murray home to take eighth. Weller recovered to ninth ahead of Adrian Campfield. A strong showing from Freddie Hunt, son of late World Champion James, saw the JTR Ray pilot running ninth before he was tapped into a spin at the chicane on the 10th lap; Freddie came home 15th. Iranian driver Kourosh Khani claimed an unopposed Scholarship Class win. Linton Stuteley fought back from pre-race illness to lead the opening laps of Sunday morning's opener, making the most of his pole position advantage, but the Getem Racing driver then found himself bumped back to fifth by his determined pursuers - MacLeod, Nash, Tandy and Roberts. Tandy passed Nash for second at mid-distance and shattered MacLeod's hours-old lap record as he reeled in the leader's Mygale. But then Nick undid all his good work two laps from home with an error at Segrave which cost him his victory hopes. As MacLeod romped to an untroubled 2.2-second win - his ninth of the season - Tandy was left to fend off Nash and salvage second place. James was less than a second behind to claim his 10th podium result of the season, with Roberts fourth once more, the under-the-weather Stuteley fifth and Murray sixth. Brown drove a lonely race to seventh after Bridger's demise with mechanical problems while Weller recovered from another spin to take eighth ahead of Campfield. Takashi Nagase pinched 10th from Hunt on the last lap; 11th was nonetheless Freddie's best finish of the year. Khani took the Scholarship Class honours once again. Formula Ford newcomer Elliott Mason - who placed a commendable 13th on his debut on Saturday - was the victim of an opening lap fracas which left his JTR Ray on the sidelines. Just as in the previous races it was a MacLeod v Tandy battle in the weekend's third thriller, with the two title protagonists swapping the lead lap after lap as they slipstreamed their way around Thruxton's ultra-fast bends. Time and again Tandy overhauled MacLeod during the opening part of the lap only for MacLeod to slipstream back to the front up Woodham Hill towards the Club chicane. Tandy repeated MacLeod's Woodham Hill trick on lap four to lead over the line, was repassed, and then staged an audacious move up the inside at Church on the seventh tour to take top spot once again. Next time around it was MacLeod's turn to snatch the lead, and on this occasion the championship leader made it stick. Callum was under intense pressure, however, locking up into the chicane on several occasions as he strived to keep Tandy at bay. MacLeod completed the 14 laps just two-tenths ahead and said: "That was an extremely tough race, very close and very clean, and this time it was my turn to lead when it mattered." Tandy had hoped to head MacLeod long enough to slow him down and thus allow third-placed Roberts to join the fight but "I was never in front for long enough". Roberts was delighted with his first podium of the year but added: "I was disappointed to be watching the lead battle and not to be a part of it." Nash couldn't live with the pace of the first three but took a comfortable fourth ahead of Murray, who got the better of Stuteley for fifth at mid distance. Playfair ousted Weller from seventh half-way through, with Brown recovering from an opening lap spin, which had dropped him to last, to claim ninth ahead of Campfield. Khani completed a hat-trick of Scholarship Class wins. There was disappointment for Hunt, who continued his progress to hold a personal-best seventh before the pursuing Mygale of Bridger and Freddie's Ray made contact at the chicane; both spun out on lap five. The fourth and final race, the 'Oulton replacement race', brought MacLeod's third win of the weekend and his 11th of the season, achieved with a comfortable seven-second margin after Tandy, the only man able to live with Callum's pace, was forced into the pits with a tyre problem. Tandy had made a charging start from fourth on the grid to overhaul Stuteley, Nash and then MacLeod within a quarter of a lap but it was not long before Nick began to feel the effects of a slow puncture. MacLeod seized control from him on the third lap and three laps later Tandy's car was in the pits and undergoing a time-consuming wheel change. As Callum romped home a furious battle for second between Nash, Bridger and Stuteley held the crowd enthralled. James kept his pursuers behind his Van Diemen until two laps from the end, when Bridger popped past. A last-corner bid to regain second went wrong for Nash - unable to make the chicane he straightlined it over the kerbs and thus Bridger claimed his best finish of the year with second. Nash recovered in time to keep Stuteley at bay. Murray pinched fifth from Roberts on the penultimate lap, with Brown, Playfair, Nagase, Roger Orgee, Philippe Layac and Jamie Jardine rounding out the top 12. Tandy made it to the line after his stop to take 15th and the final championship point. Provisional results Round 17 / Thruxton 26/8/2007. 14
laps / 32.98miles Round 18 / Thruxton 26/8/2007. 14
laps / 32.98miles Round 2* / Thruxton 26/8/2007. 13
laps / 30.63miles
SILVERSTONE SCORELINE TANDY 2, MACLEOD 1
Nick Tandy takes 2 - pic: Matt Curtis Callum MacLeod saw his British Formula Ford Championship points lead reduced slightly at Silverstone after what was by his standards a relatively lean weekend. The 19-year-old Northampton driver collected just the one race win, plus a second-place finish, for the Jamun Racing team, but also notched up his first non-finish of the season. MacLeod's arch-rival, Nick Tandy, netted two race wins to keep alive his hopes in the Ford-backed series. After Tandy's somewhat fortunate Saturday win in round 13 - which was gifted to him when race-long leader MacLeod tangled with a backmarker on the final lap - Nick was clearly out to earn his place on the top step of the podium in Sunday morning's round 14. Tandy made a deliberately cautious start in the tricky damp conditions, allowing the pole-sitting Mygale of MacLeod to establish an early lead. Having fended off a first-lap challenge from James Nash, Nick then set about clawing his way back on to terms with MacLeod. A succession of fastest race laps brought Tandy's JTR Ray to within a second of the leader by the lap four. Next time around Nick had reduced the gap to next to nothing and then, on lap six, he made his move at Priory, liberating top spot from the championship leader. Tandy romped on to a 2.9-second victory, his second of the weekend and his third of the season. MacLeod said he was happy enough to settle for second: "In these conditions and with my championship lead I decided that trying to fight Nick for the win wasn't worth the risk." Said Tandy: "My first lap was a bit cautious but I thought going into the race that we would have better pace in the conditions. The JTR Ray is awesome in the damp." Nash held off a determined Jay Bridger for the duration to collect third and his eighth podium finish of the season, but Jay's last-lap lunge to displace his rival earned him nothing more tangible than a spin. In fact it lost him fourth place also, Linton Stuteley nipping past Bridger as he recovered from his faux pas. David Brown followed Bridger home for sixth, with Adrian Campfield getting the better of an entertaining duel with Marcus Weller to claim seventh. Weller lost out to his Fluid team-mate Takashi Nagase on the final lap, slipping to ninth, with Sarah Playfair poaching 10th from Marc Murray on the final lap also. Matt Dobson recovered from early dramas to overcome Spain's Marcello Conchado to take his customary Scholarship Class victory. Tandy's hopes of a hat-trick of Silverstone wins took an early bashing in the second Sunday race when Nick, who had started well from the pole to take an early lead, ran off the circuit on the exit to Maggotts. Virtually the whole field streamed past him as he regained the circuit and he completed the opening lap languishing 18th. All of which played very nicely into MacLeod's hands, Callum finding a way past Nash for the lead on the third lap and easing away to the win that had thus far eluded him all weekend. Callum had nearly seven seconds in hand over Nash at the line and was delighted with win eight: "I knew going into the race that I had a good chance to win - my tyres were in much better shape than Nick's because I looked after them in race two. It's nice to get the win and it's all good for the championship." Bridger ousted Stuteley from third early in the race but found Nash a more tricky prospect, James clinging on to second at the flag. Tandy rebounded from his first-lap mishap to pass 14 cars and snatch fourth, while the canny Brown waited until the final lap to find his way past Stuteley for fifth. Marc Murray followed Linton home for seventh ahead of Campfield, Lee Mumford and Weller. Dobson collected his ninth consecutive Scholarship Class victory after the early demise of his only class rival, Conchado. Provisional results Round 15 / Silverstone 12/8/2007. 13
laps / 29.24 miles
AN UNLUCKY NUMBER FOR MACLEOD British Formula Ford Championship leader Callum MacLeod had his hopes of another race win snatched from his grasp on the final lap at Silverstone on Saturday afternoon. Nineteen-year-old MacLeod led all the way from pole position in his Jamun Racing-prepared Mygale, but on lap 13 of round 13 the Northampton driver's season-long luck ran out. As he rounded Abbey with his eighth win of the season apparently in his pocket, Callum and backmarker Matthew Payne collided, bringing both men's race to a premature end. "They just misunderstood each other's intentions, I think," said a delighted Nick Tandy, who had chased MacLeod all the way and into whose lap the race win fell. "A win's a win and I'm delighted to be back on the top step of the podium." It was Tandy's second win of the year. JTR Ray driver Tandy and MacLeod were the class of the field throughout the race, Tandy fighting off an early challenge from James Nash to latch on to MacLeod's tail. MacLeod lowered the lap record on successive laps as he fought to get away from his pursuer, but Tandy responded by lowering it twice more himself before MacLeod finally managed to gain a breathing space. Going into the final tour Callum was 2.4 seconds clear and sitting pretty. Nash was promoted to second by MacLeod's demise, James having earlier fended off an attack from Jay Bridger and his Mygale. Bridger started his relationship with his new team, Fluid, by collecting their first podium finish of the season. South African Marc Murray put in the drive of the race from the back of the grid after his qualifying times - which would have seen him start fourth on the grid - were disallowed when his Jamun Mygale was found to be marginally underweight. In his first race for Jamun this season, Marc charged up into the top 10 by lap four and made it to fifth by lap nine. Glasgow's David Brown, fresh from an impressive club Formula Ford race victory at Oulton Park, got the better of an entertaining fight for fifth which involved Lee Mumford - another driver to switch teams for Silverstone, to JTR - Linton Stuteley and Steve Roberts, who was having his first race on his return to the Kevin Mills team. Eighteen-year-old Brown battled past Roberts and Stuteley early on in his Mills-run Van Diemen, and repulsed a mid-race attack from Mumford, to secure fifth - his best result of the year - with a lap to run. Mumford finished sixth, another season best, with Stuteley seventh ahead of Roberts, Sarah Playfair, Marcus Weller, Roger Orgee, Jamie Jardine and Iranian novice Kourosh Khani. Matt Dobson recovered from an early-race spin to overcome Spain's Marcello Conchado to take his seventh straight Scholarship Class victory.
Provisional results
TANNAHILL TAKES BRANDS DOUBLE FOR VAN DIEMEN 15 July, 2007: The British Formula Ford Championship welcomed a new victor today at Brands Hatch, Richard Tannahill claiming a brace of race wins at the wheel of his Kevin Mills Racing Van Diemen. They were not only the 21-year-old Ulsterman's maiden championship victories but also the first for the recently introduced Van Diemen chassis, and they brought to a halt championship leader Callum MacLeod's stranglehold on victory. MacLeod - who won his seventh round at Brands on Saturday - could manage no better than a fourth and a third today, with one of his outings blighted by a controversial collision. The season-long needle match between Jamun Racing's MacLeod and the JTR team's Nick Tandy continued with renewed vigour in the first of today's races, Nick out-dragging his pole-sitting rival Callum at the start to establish an early lead through Paddock Hill Bend. For four laps they fought tooth and nail for victory, Tandy pulling every trick in his repertoire to keep the championship leader's Mygale behind. MacLeod nosed alongside at corner after corner, but it was not until the completion of the fourth lap that he managed successfully to edge ahead. Tandy was having none of it however, braking later at the end of the pits straight in a bid to regain the advantage. Alas at this point their duel became too physical, MacLeod closing the door with Tandy's foot still in it and the pair colliding, with Nick's Ray flying off into the gravel trap. MacLeod was able to restart after the fracas but his lead was long gone. Said an uninjured Tandy: "It was an unnecessary accident and a big impact - not that I knew much about it at the time. All I could see was the sky for most of it." The chief beneficiary was Tannahill, who had made rapid progress from sixth on the grid to displace Linton Stuteley, James Nash and Sarah Playfair to move up to third by lap three. Richard was handed the lead on a plate and had no hesitation in making the most of it, rapidly putting some daylight between himself and the pursuing Stuteley. His break away was fortunate as late in the race Tannahill started to suffer gear selection problems and Linton was able to close on to his tail and challenge for victory. Richard held him off by just five-hundredths at the flag; he was delighted to have claimed not only his maiden BFFC win but also the first for the 2007 Van Diemen: "It's great to get a win at last. Once Nick and Callum touched it was just a case of keeping my head and getting on with the job." Nash brought further joy for the Kevin Mills Racing team with a deserved third place, his sixth podium finish of the season. MacLeod, who had slipped back to eighth, fought back to fourth by the end, assisted on the final lap when his team-mate Jay Bridger slithered off at Hawthorns. It was a bitter disappointment for the Kent driver after he had held MacLeod at bay for several laps. Post-race, MacLeod was excluded from the results for his role in the collision with Tandy, but was reinstated by the stewards after a successful appeal. Sarah Playfair, who had started an excellent third on the grid once again, placed fifth ahead of Adrian Campfield, David Brown, Takashi Nagase, Marcus Weller, and visiting Dutch driver Henk Vuik. Matt Dobson collected his fifth consecutive Scholarship Class victory after his only class rival, Spain's Marcello Conchado, lost time in the pits. The third race of the weekend was the most exciting of the season thus far, prompted in part by relatively lowly grid slots for MacLeod (fourth) and Tandy (25th) and both men's determination to improve. Tannahill led from the pole with Stuteley, Nash and MacLeod in hot pursuit and showed superb defensive form as he came under attack. Stuteley tried his hardest to dislodge the Van Diemen from top spot and then, in the latter stages, MacLeod had a go also. Neither man could unseat him, however. MacLeod was beaten back to third three laps from home by an on-form Stuteley, Callum mindful of the need to preserve his championship lead rather than go all-out for glory. At the line Tannahill was seven-tenths clear of Stuteley with MacLeod just ahead of Nash for third. Tandy's progress through the field was spectacular: he picked off nine cars on the opening lap and made it into the top 10 by lap four. Eighth was as high as he would reach, however, his Ray expiring three laps from the end following its punishing day. Campfield capped his most successful championship weekend with fifth ahead of Brown, Playfair, Nagase, Norwegian guest Anders Krohn, Bridger and Dutch duo Rogier de Wit and Francesco Pastorelli. Dobson made it a hat-trick of Scholarship Class wins.
Provisional results
Round 12 /
Brands Hatch 15/7/2007. 12 laps / 27.61 miles
SEVENTH WIN FOR MACLEOD AT BRANDS HATCH Callum MacLeod notched up British Formula Ford Championship win number seven at Brands Hatch on Saturday(14 July), the Northamptonshire-based 19-year-old picking his way through the chaos at Brands Hatch to further extend his overall championship lead. It was a great start to the weekend for MacLeod as he bids to net a hat-trick of wins at the Kent circuit. Rounds 11 and 12 of the championship take place on Sunday.15th. But while there were smiles all round from MacLeod and the Jamun Racing team, there were long faces elsewhere after a series of incidents on the start/finish straight which left several cars badly damaged and several drivers fortunate to have escaped serious injury. The crashes were triggered when Linton Stuteley's fifth-placed Mygale stalled on the grid and was collected by the car of Dutch novice Chris Maliepaard. Race officials called out the safety car to lead the pack at reduced pace on to the second lap, but there were further incidents nonetheless. The most serious of these involved Lee Mumford, whose Ray was launched into a series of barrel rolls down the track. Red flags flew as Mumford and others, including Garry Findlay, extricated themselves from their wrecked machines and dusted themselves down. The restarted (and shortened) race saw Nick Tandy produce a brilliant start from second on the grid in his JTR Ray, the Bedford 22-year-old slingshotting his way past pole-sitter MacLeod to establish an early, if short-lived lead. MacLeod regained his composure quickly, muscling his Mygale past Tandy on the circuit's Grand Prix section to reassert his dominance. Nick took to the grass to avoid a collision and that cost him another two places as he slipped behind James Nash and Sarah Playfair. Alas the race struck further trouble on lap two when Tandy's team-mate, Freddie Hunt, spun into the gravel trap at Paddock Hill Bend and prompted a further two-lap safety car interlude while his stricken Ray was recovered to safety. That left two racing laps for MacLeod to hang on to his lead and for Tandy to try to recover lost ground. Both men responded in style, Callum extending his advantage to nearly 1s at the chequered flag while Nick displaced both Playfair and Nash to move back into second. Another man on the move was Jay Bridger, who made a bold move on Nash into Surtees on the last lap to move up to third. "James went a bit wide and I stuck it in there," said Jay. "It was a bit of an 'eyes closed and hope for the best' moment." It was Bridger's first podium finish of the year, appropriately on the Tonbridge driver's home circuit. MacLeod was pleased with his performance: "The start was frustrating but I managed to get past Nick and get the win. We definitely have the pace here to win all three races and that is what I am aiming for." Playfair, her car's handling awry after a minor collision in the aborted first race, slipped to sixth on the last lap, behind Nash and Adrian Campfield. David Brown took seventh ahead of Takashi Nagase, Daniel Murray and visiting Norwegian Anders Krohn. Matt Dobson emerged a deserved Scholarship Class winner over his only class rival, Spaniard Marcello Conchado. Provisional results
MacLEOD & STUTELEY ON TOP AT SNETTERTON Two race victories and a brilliant recovery drive, which netted him fourth place, helped Callum MacLeod extend his British Formula Ford Championship points lead this weekend (2/3 June) at Snetterton, with Linton Stuteley the meeting's other winner - his maiden success. A "fantastic restart" in Saturday's race, after an early safety car period, sealed MacLeod's fifth victory of the season. "It really took the pressure off me. Five out of six is a really good start," said Callum. MacLeod led from pole position and took James Nash with him to open up a small gap to the pursuing pack, which was nullified when the safety car came out for an incident involving Jason Down and Chris Acton at Riches. As soon as racing resumed MacLeod's Jamun Racing Mygale never looked threatened, especially as the chasing pack were more interested in battling amongst themselves. "We could have caught him," said Nick Tandy, whose hopes of doing so took a knock when he left the track at Riches. Tandy recovered to take fifth. This left Stuteley and Nash to dispute second place but then Nash ran wide at Coram before he did a proper job at Riches after he had failed to find a gear going into the corner. He regained the tarmac and finishing a disappointed 17th. This left the steady Richard Tannahill to claim third place: "I just stayed on the track and ended up on the podium," said the Ulsterman. Jay Bridger claimed fourth after fending off David Brown. The Scot was unable to resist the recovering Tandy at the final corner and slipped to sixth. Jesse Krohn finished in seventh place, just ahead of Sarah Playfair. Completing the top ten were Daniel Murray and Marc Murray, the pair swapping places two laps from the finish. Freddie Hunt jumped two places on the final lap at the Esses to finish in 13th and score his maiden championship points. McLeod, Tandy and Stuteley were all trying to lead race two going into the Esses for the first time. A cloud of dust spelt trouble for the series leader - after contact MacLeod was left down in 14th place, setting the scene for a brilliant fight back through the field during which he lowered his own lap record - set on Saturday - and posted the first 100mph racing lap of the Norfolk venue. Stuteley and Tandy swapped the lead between them while Nash, Tannahill, and, in the early laps, Bridger kept a close watch on the action. Tandy squeezed his JTR Ray ahead on lap four but was pushed back to second two laps later. The pair swapped the lead several times before the final lap, when Stuteley's move secured him victory, helped by Philippe Layac spinning at Russell to make it a no-passing zone. Race officials later handed Tandy a four-second penalty for his part in the opening lap incident; this dropped him to fifth in the results, behind Stuteley, Nash, Tannahill and the mercurial MacLeod. "It was fun overtaking, but not as much fun as winning," said Callum. Bridger took sixth and Playfair jumped past Brown on lap 12 and held him off to claim seventh. Marc Murray and Adrian Campfield rounded out the top ten with Matt Dobson repeating his Saturday form to take the Scholarship laurels. Midfield mayhem on the opening lap of race thee saw both Hunt and Takashi Nagase stranded at Riches as Stuteley confidently led the race. Nash, showing a better turn of speed, displaced the Mygale at the head of the pack while Tandy's error at Riches on lap three saw him fall back to fifth. Tannahill then displaced McLeod for third but two laps later contact between the pair at Russell caused Tannahill's retirement. MacLeod motored on and was quickly able to pass Nash and Stuteley to take the lead on the ninth lap. Thereafter he easily pulled away to claim his sixth victory of the season. "It took a while to get to the front but once there I got my head down. Job done," said the winner. Nash fought past Tandy in the closing stages to claim second. "The car is much better than it was on Saturday. At least I can draft by people on the back straight. The team have worked very hard this weekend," said a relieved James. Tandy's third place represented his best result of the weekend, while fourth placed Stuteley looked a bit off colour in the final laps. Playfair was a fabulous fifth having got by Bridger on the fifth lap and kept him and Adrian Campfield at bay for a well deserved result. After an early battle with Marc Murray, Brown claimed eighth. A late charge by Lee Mumford pushed Marc back to tenth at the flag. Dobson, for the third time, claimed the Scholarship honours after catching and passing Sean Gaffney. The latter straightlined the Russell chicane on lap six, damaging his Mygale.
Provisional results
British Formula Ford round 7 (of 25) 1, Callum MacLeod,
UK/Northampton, Jamun/Mygale, 19m 01.137s
Round 8 3/6/2007. 16 laps / 31.23 miles
Round 9 3/6/2007. 16 laps / 31.23 miles
BRANDS HATCH VICTORIES FOR TANDY & MACLEOD
A vast Brands Hatch crowd were this weekend treated to two terrific British Formula Ford races, Nick Tandy on Saturday(28 April - pictured above) ended Callum MacLeod's unbroken streak before MacLeod bounced back on Sunday to take his fourth win of the season. Though both races were halted early by incidents, they nonetheless proved a superb support to the A1GP series on its season-closing British visit. Saturday's race brought the first defeat of the year for MacLeod. Outpaced in qualifying after a dashboard electronics glitch hindered his efforts, MacLeod's Jamun Racing Mygale was left on the line as the JTR Ray of pole man Tandy swept into the lead. It transpired that Callum was lucky to get going at all: "My clutch broke on the warm-up lap," he said, "so it was a question of giving it maximum revs, banging it into gear and hoping for the best..." MacLeod's tardy getaway allowed Linton Stuteley and Jay Bridger to push him back to fourth on the opening lap. Tandy was meanwhile building a handsome lead. By the end of the first lap he was 2.5 seconds in front of Stuteley's Getem Racing-prepared Mygale and he proceeded to pull away at the rate of half a second a lap. Clutchless Callum was not hanging around either. Despite his handicap he nipped past his Jamun team-mate Bridger on the way to Hawthorn Bend on the third lap, and then two laps later seized second from Stuteley. Tandy was long gone, however, and though he shattered the lap record in his pursuit, MacLeod would have to settle for second. A fantastic tussle for third between Stuteley and Bridger was now the chief focus, Linton resolutely defending the position from the Kent driver's onslaught. But the fight was ended prematurely by red flags: Freddie Hunt had spun his JTR Ray and came to a halt in a dangerous position; race organisers chose to end proceedings a couple of laps early. Tandy was one driver pleased to see the flags: "I wasn't disappointed... It's a great relief finally to get on to the top step of the podium. They say the first win of the season is the hardest to achieve, and that's certainly been the case for me. Hopefully we can build on this and go on to take some more wins." Stuteley's second successive third-place finish was reward for his sterling drive, with Bridger just over a tenth of a second behind him. Peter Dempsey, making his 2007 debut at the wheel of a works-run Ray, endured a troubled qualifying but fought through from 12th on the grid to take fifth at the line, just ahead of the battling Van Diemens of Kevin Mills Racing team-mates Richard Tannahill and James Nash. Steve Roberts placed eighth and Adrian Campfield ninth, the Surrey driver enjoying his best outing of the season in the Celre Racing Mygale. The top 12 was rounded out by young Finn Jesse Krohn, David Brown and Marc Murray. James Stephen and Takashi Nagase ended their races in the barriers at Sheene Curve after tangling at high speed; neither driver was hurt. Sean Gaffney's Remita Racing Mygale triumphed in the Scholarship Class for the second successive event, getting the better of a tussle with Chris Acton. Tandy was again the pacesetter at the start of today's race, rocketing into the lead once more from pole position with MacLeod, his car restored to full health, slotting in behind for second position ahead of Stuteley and Nash. Keen to make amends for his Saturday defeat, MacLeod wasted no time in challenging for the lead and successfully attacked Tandy into Hawthorn on the second tour. By lap's end MacLeod's Mygale had pulled a 0.4s lead, and that was as close as anyone would come to Callum for the duration. Tandy's chances of keeping tabs on his title rival were hampered by fierce attacks from both Stuteley and Nash. The pressure finally told on him on the sixth lap, Nick running wide out of Surtees and letting both Linton and James past him. Though Tandy repassed Nash next time around his hopes of regaining second from Stuteley were ended by more red flags, brought out this time in the aftermath of a four-car shunt involving Dempsey, Roberts, Campfield and Brown, who tangled while disputing seventh spot. Thus MacLeod was declared the victor by a 4.9s margin from Stuteley. Callum paid tribute to his Jamun mechanics: "The boys were working till past midnight to fix my car and having studied the data from yesterday they found several improvements. My win was the result of their hard work." MacLeod lowered his own lap record on his way to his fourth win of the year, and in so doing became the first Formula Ford driver to break the 90-second barrier for a lap of the Brands Grand Prix circuit. Tandy was not too disappointed with third: "I'm still on the podium and still smiling. Callum drove fantastically well and deserves the win." Nash was close behind him for fourth, with fifth-placed Bridger catching him at a rate of knots towards the end and Tannahill claiming sixth. The ever-improving teenager Krohn was an excellent seventh in the Spectrum, just ahead of Sarah Playfair, who made a good start and battled through from 12th on the opening lap. Nagase made up for his Saturday disappointment to take ninth ahead of Lee Mumford, Daniel Murray and Roger Orgee. With Dempsey's demise, Matt Dobson inherited the Guest Class win. There were no Scholarship finishers, leader Gaffney's race ending in the Druids Hill gravel trap after a collision with Craig Bell.
Provisional results
Round 6 / Brands Hatch
29/4/2007. 8 laps / 18.4 miles Next rounds: Snetterton 2/3 June
DONINGTON DOUBLE TOP FOR MACLEOD First-round victor Callum MacLeod maintained his unbeaten British Formula Ford Championship record today at Donington Park, the 19-year-old guiding his Jamun Racing-prepared Mygale to twin wins. And as at Oulton Park a fortnight ago, it was the Van Diemen of James Nash which proved the greatest threat to MacLeod. Nash finished less than a second behind him in an accident-blighted race one, and then piled on the pressure once again in race two. MacLeod's progress to his first victory of the day in the Ford-backed series was delayed by a first-lap accident triggered when championship newcomer Freddie Hunt, son of late Word Champion James Hunt, hooked a wheel on the grass on the exit to Redgate Corner and spun. Hunt, who had qualified an encouraging 18th on the 26-car grid in his JTR-run Ray, collected the Spirit of French driver Philippe Layac and the ensuing chaos brought to a premature end the outings of several others, including Jamie Jardine and Chris Acton. The only surviving Scholarship Class contender, Matthew Payne, was caught up in it too but his Mygale survived only to succumb after three laps with engine problems. Removing the accident debris to a place of safety necessitated a three-lap spell under the safety car, negating MacLeod's best efforts to make a break after a good start from pole position, which he had secured by a six-tenth margin. Callum was further frustrated when Adrian Campfield's Celre Mygale expired at Coppice and the safety car was put back on track for a further lap. The second and final restart, with six minutes remaining on the clock, marked the proper beginning of the race. MacLeod was immediately on the pace, setting fastest lap as he tried to edge away from the closely pursuing Nash and his Kevin Mills Racing-run machine. Nash was having none of it and, though he had Nick Tandy's Ray breathing down his neck, made several attempts at pressuring MacLeod into an error. "There was a lot of oil down on the track," said James, "and that gave me a bit of trouble. Callum seemed more confident in the conditions." MacLeod's tyres, which had cooled during the safety car period, were now coming into their own and there were to be no mistakes. On the final lap he sliced eight-tenths from the circuit lap record to beat Nash to the line by just under a second. "My tyres came good late in the race and gave me the edge I needed," said Callum. Pole position, race win and fastest lap is all good for my championship hopes." Tandy, visibly outpaced on the straights, could do nothing about those in front. "I hung back a bit in the hope that James would have a go at Callum and that I could make a run on both of them, but the opportunity never arose," said Nick, who had to settle for third. Ulsterman Richard Tannahill put in a solid performance in the sister car to Nash, unseating South African Marc Murray from fourth with three laps to go. Murray managed to fend off the attentions of the ever-improving Linton Stuteley to secure fifth. Sarah Playfair lost ground at the start but managed to nab a place from Lee Mumford after the second restart to follow her seventh-placed team-mate Jay Bridger across the line. "We have the pace to stay with the front-runners," said Sarah, "so I am annoyed about the start." David Brown, Mumford, Daniel Murray and Takashi Nagase completed the top 12, with Finnish 16-year-old Jesse Krohn piloting the Alan Docking Racing Spectrum to a solid 13th on his championship debut. There were no interruptions to race two, and few problems either for MacLeod as he romped to his third win in succession, once again from the pole. But Callum had his hands full at the start in fending off a very rapid Stuteley, who started alongside him, and then after a couple of laps he found his mirrors full once more of Nash's Van Diemen. James was the most determined he has been all season and his gritty efforts to pressure MacLeod into handing over the lead very nearly paid off at mid-distance when Callum made a slight mistake into McLeans. But although Nash closed on to the Mygale's gearbox there was no way past. MacLeod then popped in a succession of quick laps to atone for his error, lowering his lap record in the process, to pull away from Nash to a 4.1-second victory. 'That one is down to the team,' said Callum. 'They suggested some good tactics and it all worked out perfectly.' Stuteley shadowed Nash all the way to the chequered flag and his first British Formula Ford podium, with Jay Bridger making excellent progress from ninth on the grid to finish fourth ahead of Tannahill and a subdued Tandy, whose straightline pace seemed yet further sapped. Reigning Scholarship Champion Brown continued his steady progress towards the sharp end with a well-deserved seventh ahead of fellow Scots drivers Playfair and James Stephen, who was going great guns in the Kartstart Van Diemen. The top 13 was rounded out by a quartet of overseas drivers: Nagase, lap one spinner Marc Murray, Krohn and Daniel Murray. Fast learner Hunt meanwhile kept out of trouble to come home 21st at a circuit which three days previously he had never seen. "It's been a very steep learning curve," said Freddie, "but I have enjoyed every minute of it." ♦ The British Formula Ford Championship campaigners barely have time to draw breath before they are in action again. Next weekend (28/29 April) the venue is Brands Hatch, the birthplace 40 years ago of Formula Ford, where the championship plays a supporting role to the A1GP series. The regulars will be joined on the grid in Kent by 2006 top-three championship finisher Peter Dempsey, piloting a works-run Ray. Provisional results - British Formula Ford Round
3 (of 25) Donington Park 22/4/2007. 11 laps / 21.52 miles Round 4 /
Donington Park 22/4/2007. 16 laps / 31.31 miles
MACLEOD WINS THE DAY AT OULTON PARK
pic Matt Curtis British Formula Ford's new season blasted away to a dramatic start today (Monday) at Oulton Park with a familiar team in the winner's circle and an exciting new face atop the podium. For the opening round of the championship belonged to champion team Jamun Racing Services and its new star driver, Callum MacLeod. The 19-year-old from Northampton dominated proceedings while his rivals struggled to find their pace, claiming pole position, a convincing race win and a new lap record. Alas for the others, their chance to redress the balance in round two was thwarted by a combination of poor weather, an over-full event schedule and a succession of race-halting accidents in the F3 and sports car races. Time ran out for the Formula Fordsters, whose second race was due to close proceedings, and their event had to be canned. MacLeod was in a class of his own from the word go, Callum planting his Mygale on the pole with a qualifying time seven-tenths better than that of his closest rival, 2006 championship runner-up Nick Tandy. Nick might have narrowed the gap a little but for a late-session spin into the barriers. His crash was to prove a further handicap come the race for, although the JTR team worked miracles to get Nick's Ray on to the grid, its handling was less than perfect. Although Tandy made a blistering getaway to head MacLeod into Old Hall Corner, his tenure of the lead would not last the lap. Once on top MacLeod worked hard to open an advantage, banging in a succession of fastest laps until he had lowered Peter Dempsey's year-old mark by 1.5s. By half distance Callum was 3.6s in front. Tandy's troubles were compounded on the second lap when James Nash's Kevin Mills-run Van Diemen popped past him and sped away in pursuit of MacLeod. Nick was powerless to respond and settled in instead to a race-long defence of third. MacLeod was 6.5s ahead of Nash at the chequered flag and pleased with his strong campaign start: 'It may have looked an easy win but it was anything but. First I had to get past Nick and then it was a question of putting in a few quick laps to make a break. After that I could afford to chill a little.' His podium colleagues agreed on MacLeod's pace. 'I just couldn't catch him,' said Nash. Added Tandy: 'He was awesomely quick, and my car was oversteering badly, probably a result of my qualifying accident.' Linton Stuteley held fourth spot in his Getem Racing-prepared Mygale for the first third of the race until Richard Tannahill unseated him and then Linton lost a further two places, to Jay Bridger and Marc Murray, after a slither at the chicane. Stuteley fought back past Murray but was unable to prevent Tannahill and Bridger from claiming fourth and fifth at the line. Sarah Playfair lost ground at the start to slip to 10th but made good progress back up the order to finish in Murray's wheeltracks for eighth, ahead of Takashi Nagase and reigning Scholarship Champion David Brown. Steve Roberts made a blinding start to zoom from 11th on the grid to fifth on the opening lap, but thereafter his progress was mostly backwards and he ended up 11th once more, just ahead of Lee Mumford, Adrian Campfield, James Stephen and Daniel Murray. Matthew Payne was the sole Scholarship Class contender - more Zetec-powered cars are expected on the grid at the next rounds, at Donington Park in a fortnight.
Provisional results Full results: http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=71405
Provisional championship placings
mail your links to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk
|
|
