Formula Ford Festival
 Brands Hatch: the current host of the Festival | |
| Category | Single-seaters (Formula Ford) |
|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Inaugural season | 1972 |
| Classes | Kent |
| Engine suppliers | Ford Kent engine |
| Drivers' champion | Rory Smith |
| Constructors' champion | Medina JL17 |
| Official website | Formula Ford Festival |
The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are held over the course of a weekend and although various classes of past and present Formula Fords are present, the high point for many is the championship in which young but skilled drivers from Ford competitions in Europe and beyond race against one another. Often it is a rare chance to compare the skills of drivers who take part in different Ford competitions around the world. Many winners of the festival have gone on to enjoy professional careers in various branches of motorsport - including fourteen who have raced in Formula One.
The event is administered by the British Racing and Sports Car Club.[1]
History[]
Inception[]
The inaugural season in 1972 took place at Snetterton, where the festival was held until 1975. It then moved to Brands Hatch where it has stayed to date.
The Kent years[]
The Kent engine was the lead engine in early Formula Ford, and so from the first festival in 1972 until the Zetec was introduced in 1993.
The Zetec years[]
The 1800 cc Zetec engine was the leading engine from 1993 until the Duratec took over in 2006. Zetec remained an engine sub-class until 2014.
The Duratec engine[]
The 1600 cc Duratec engine is currently used in the leading races although the Zetec and Kent engines are still used in junior and classic classes of racing.[2] Duratec remained the Festival champion class until 2014.
Loss of prominence[]
For many years the festival was the highlight of the Formula Ford season. Entries of several hundred cars from all over the Formula Ford world were common into the 1990s, with racers competing in knockout heats to decide the grid for a grand final. Entries have been declining and recent Festivals have struggled to attract more than 40-50 cars, enough for two heats and a final. Support races from other classes e.g. Caterham, Club F3, and Historic Sports 2000 have also been included in the program. This is because although the event still has the atmosphere of past years its position as a rite of passage for young drivers has largely been usurped by other junior formulae, mostly by the FIA backed Formula 4 and karting.
More "historic" FF1600 cars have been turning up for the supporting races than contemporary Zetecs, however, in 2006, the Festival saw the Duratec engine for the first time thereby having a final for all 3 marques at one meeting for the first time. The Walter Hayes Trophy now recognises the continuing interest in 1600cc 'Kent' Formula Ford and attracted over 150 entries in 2006, including several drivers more commonly seen in much more senior formulae, including current two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, who won the 2008 Kent class, the most recent prominent champion to have raced in this festival.
From 2015 the Festival became exclusively for Kent engined cars, restoring the Festival to its pre-1993 format.
Winners[]
Below is a list of overall festival winners.[1] Since 1993, a secondary festival was run in alongside for older specification cars running the Ford Kent engine. Since 2009, a third event has also been held for cars using the Ford Zetec engine.
* denotes later raced in Formula One
| Year | Circuit | Overall Festival Winner | Kent Festival | Zetec Festival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Chassis | Engine | Driver | Chassis | Driver | Chassis | ||
| 1972 | Snetterton |
|
LD9 | Ford Kent engine | Not Held | Not Held | ||
| 1973 |
|
Van Diemen FA73 | ||||||
| 1974 |
|
Crossle 25F | ||||||
| 1975 | Geoff Lees *
|
Royale RP21 | ||||||
| 1976 | Brands Hatch |  Derek Daly *
|
DL17 | |||||
| 1977 |  Chico Serra *
|
Van Diemen RF77 | ||||||
| 1978 | Michael Roe
|
Van Diemen RF78 | ||||||
| 1979 |
|
Sark 1 | ||||||
| 1980 | Roberto Moreno *
|
Van Diemen RF80 | ||||||
| 1981 | Tommy Byrne *
|
Van Diemen RF81 | ||||||
| 1982 | Julian Bailey *
|
Lola T640E | ||||||
| 1983 | Andrew Gilbert-Scott
|
Reynard 83F | ||||||
| 1984 | 
|
Lola T644E | ||||||
| 1985 | Johnny Herbert *
|
Quest FF85 | ||||||
| 1986 |  Roland Ratzenberger *
|
Van Diemen RF86 | ||||||
| 1987 | Eddie Irvine *
|
Van Diemen RF87 | ||||||
| 1988 |  Vincenzo Sospiri *
|
Van Diemen RF88 | ||||||
| 1989 | Niko Palhares
|
Van Diemen RF89 | ||||||
| 1990 | Dave Coyne
|
Swift FB90 | ||||||
| 1991 |  Marc Goossens
|
Van Diemen RF91 | ||||||
| 1992 |  Jan Magnussen *
|
Van Diemen RF92 | ||||||
| 1993 |  Russell Ingall
|
Van Diemen RF93 | Ford Zetec engine |
|
Reynard 92FF | |||
| 1994 | Jason Watt
|
Vector TF94 |
|
Swift SC92F | ||||
| 1995 | Kevin McGarrity
|
Van Diemen RF95 | 
|
Swift SC95F | ||||
| 1996 | Mark Webber *
|
Van Diemen RF96 |
|
Jamun M96 | ||||
| 1997 | Jacky van der Ende
|
Van Diemen RF97 | Not Held | |||||
| 1998 | Jenson Button *
|
Mygale SJ98 | ||||||
| 1999 | Ricardo van der Ende
|
Van Diemen RF99 | ||||||
| 2000 | Anthony Davidson *
|
Mygale SJ00 | ||||||
| 2001 |  Alan van der Merwe
|
Mygale SJ01 | ||||||
| 2002 | Jan Heylen
|
Van Diemen RF02 |
|
Reynard 89FF | ||||
| 2003 | Joey Foster
|
Van Diemen RF03 |
|
Van Diemen RF92 | ||||
| 2004 | Dan Clarke
|
Van Diemen RF04 | Joey Foster
|
Reynard 89FF | ||||
| 2005 | Duncan Tappy
|
Mygale SJ04 |
|
Van Diemen RF00 | ||||
| 2006 |
|
Van Diemen RF06 | Ford Duratec engine |
|
Van Diemen RF92 | |||
| 2007 | Nick Tandy
|
Ray GRS07 |
|
Ray GRS07 | ||||
| 2008 | Wayne Boyd
|
Mygale SJ08 |  Josef Newgarden
|
Ray GRS08 | ||||
| 2009 |
|
Mygale SJ09 | Rory Butcher
|
Van Diemen RF90 |
|
Mygale SJ04 | ||
| 2010 | Dennis Lind
|
Van Diemen LA08 |
|
Ray GRS09 |
|
Vector TF93 | ||
| 2011 | Scott Malvern
|
Mygale SJ10 |
|
Van Diemen RF00 |
|
Mygale SJ04 | ||
| 2012 | Antti Buri
|
Mygale SJ11 |
|
Van Diemen RF00 | 
|
Van Diemen | ||
| Year | Circuit | Overall Festival Winner - Kent | Duratec Festival | Zetec Festival | ||||
| Driver | Chassis | Engine Builder | Driver | Chassis | Driver | Chassis | ||
| 2013 | Brands Hatch | Niall Murray
|
Van Diemen RF99 | MCP |
|
Mygale SJ10 |
|
Vector TF93 |
| Year | Circuit | Overall Festival Winner - Kent | Duratec-Zetec Festival | |||||
| Driver | Chassis | Engine Builder | Driver | Chassis | ||||
| 2014 | Brands Hatch |
|
Ray GR13/14 | Bold |
|
Mygale Duratec | ||
| Year | Circuit | Overall Festival Winner - Kent | Pre-1990 Winner | Pre-1982 Winner | ||||
| Driver | Chassis | Engine Builder | Driver | Chassis | Driver | Chassis | ||
| 2015 | Brands Hatch | Wayne Boyd
|
Van Diemen MS13K | Bold | Matthew Cowley
|
Reynard FF88 |
|
Van Diemen RF79 |
| 2016 | Niall Murray
|
Van Diemen RF99 | MCP | Job van Uitert
|
Van Diemen RF89 | |||
| 2017 | Joey Foster
|
Ray GR08 | Bold | |||||
| 2018 |
|
Van Diemen JL13 | Barnett | |||||
| 2019 |
|
Ray GR19 | Bold |
|
Mondiale M89S | |||
| 2020 | Rory Smith | Medina JL18 | MCP | Peter Daly | Van Diemen RF88 | |||
See also[]
- Formula Ford
- Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
- Brands Hatch
References[]
- ^ "ROLL OF HONOU" (PDF). BRSCC. BRSCC. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
External links[]
Sources[]
- BRSCC Calendar
- Motor Sport Vision (Owners of Brands Hatch)[permanent dead link]
- Johnny Herbert
- Club Formula Ford
- Historics
- Formula Ford
- Formula races