The Formula Ford Festival knockout events at Brands Hatch last weekend featured a packed support schedule of older FF1600 machines. Although worsening Saturday weather forced organizers to cancel one of the three planned races, Sunday’s action delivered intense competition and dramatic finishes.
Classic FF1600 and Historic Final Drama
The single replacement race for pre-1982 cars on Sunday morning was temporarily halted when Rick Morris crashed his Royale into the tyre wall at Paddock after attempting to pass Robbie Allen’s Van Diemen. Morris walked away safely from the incident. Once resumed, the race featured a fierce battle for the lead between Callum Grant in a Merlyn Mk20A and Harrison Morrow driving an Ayrton Senna-replica Van Diemen RF81. Morrow ultimately edged past Grant in the final mile to claim victory and the John Webb Memorial Trophy, leaving Daniel Whear in third place.
Separately, the Historic Formula Fords competed for the Brian Jones Memorial Trophy, which was won by Stephen O’Connor in a Van Diemen RF90. O’Connor finished just 0.3 seconds ahead of James Clarke, also in an RF90, before rushing off to prepare for the Festival Grand Final. This race experienced its own disruptions, including an initial first-corner red flag and a subsequent safety car period following a collision that eliminated former Brands champion Andy Charsley and his Ray 92F.
Support Categories and Championship Deciders
Away from the FF1600 action, Thorburn Astin and Christopher Stretton claimed BMW Supercup victories during Saturday’s heavy downpour, with Astin securing another win in dry conditions. Aydan Hassan captured the 1 Series title following three top-six finishes, while brothers Joshua and Mikey Doble—fresh from winning the British Touring Car Independent drivers’ championship—split the Compact class wins, with Paul Mousell taking the overall Compact crown.
The Caterham Graduates Sigma 150 title battle shifted dramatically when William Briant failed a post-qualifying technical inspection and was forced to start from the back of the grid for every race. William Van Es capitalized on the setback, securing enough points with a second and two third-place finishes to become champion, while James Sibbet dominated the weekend by taking three consecutive wins.
In the Sigma 135 category, James Hapgood secured the championship title by finishing fifth in the opening race, benefiting from points leader Jamie Ellwood’s absence from the weekend. Luke Weightman triumphed in the first two races, while David Rooke was awarded victory in the dry finale after Barney Hussey-Yeo received a penalty for a collision between the two cars.
