Jason Smyth secured his place in history by becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Formula Ford Festival in its 55-year history. Competing at Brands Hatch for the event’s 50th anniversary at the circuit, the Team Dolan driver triumphed despite an intra-team collision and a post-race stewards’ investigation.
A Controversial Path to Victory
Driving a Van Diemen RF00/JL12, Smyth started his weekend strongly by winning wet heat two by 12.6 seconds during Storm Boelo. In the second semi-final, he faced stablemate and two-time Festival winner Niall Murray, who had recovered from 18th on the grid after a qualifying driveshaft failure. The pair pulled away from the pack, leading to a fierce battle that saw Murray squeezed onto the wet grass at Paddock Hill Bend.
The tension boiled over during the 23-lap Final when Murray attempted a similar move on the inside of the eighth tour. Contact between the two sent Murray into a 360-degree spin, resulting in a puncture and bent steering that forced him to retire. Murray later stated that Smyth routinely shoves drivers off when they are alongside, while Smyth defended his actions by saying he left his car in the middle of the road and that Murray hit his rear.
Intense Battles for the Podium
Murray’s elimination left B-M Racing’s Jordan Dempsey to chase Smyth. Dempsey had won his opening heat and finished second in his semi-final, maintaining pressure on the leader throughout the Final. Their battle allowed Anthony Amato, Ben Cochran, and Luke Cooper to join the front-running group. Amato, driving for Ammonite Motorsport, constantly threatened Dempsey and finished just three tenths behind him in their semi-final.
The event saw numerous incidents further back, including a first semi-final featuring two red flags and multiple retirements involving drivers such as Leo Robinson and Hugh Esterson. Two-time Festival winner Rory Smith also missed out on the final stages after a driveshaft failure in the heats forced him through the Progression Race, which ended when he spun into the gravel on the final lap.
In the closing laps of the Final, Swift driver Cooper watched as the leaders traded positions. Amato made a final outside attempt to pass Smyth at Paddock Hill on the last lap, but ended up in the gravel. This allowed Smyth to cross the finish line 0.321 seconds ahead of the chasing group, where Dempsey, Amato, and Cochran were covered by just 0.026s.
Race officials investigated Smyth’s collision with Murray and his racing conduct with Dempsey—who felt the driving exceeded acceptable limits—ultimately deciding to take no further action in either case.
