Photo: Great South Photography

The Spectrum 015-driving Marco Manson tops the standings at the halfway point of the New Zealand Formula Ford season.

Round one was at Teretonga on January 23-25, and Manson showed he was the driver to beat from the off by topping practice. He had a 0.429-second gap to Maxim Kirwan in second place, and 0.52s to Toby Musico in third.

His advantage grew in qualifying, as he clinched pole for the season-opening race by 1.316s. Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi was second, with Dylan Petch and Campbell Owens the only other drivers within 1.7s of Manson.

However it was a different story in the race itself, which was soaking wet. Manson had a super slow start and was fifth before the opening corner. Eskandari-Marandi took the lead by avoiding wheelspin off the line, but could do little up front as the safety car was summoned due to Musico skating off into turn one’s gravel trap.

Racing resumed on lap six, and Petch looked to either side of Eskandari-Marandi at turn one as Manson flew off but carried enough speed to eventually rejoin the track at the back. Petch then had to hold off Owens, and on lap seven Kirwan mirrored Manson’s off. Toby McCormack was next to go off there, but he got beached and it led to the race finishing behind the safety car and Manson finishing ninth.

It remained wet the next day for race two, which used the same grid. Manson again started badly, losing two places before getting back past Jacob Begg with greater speed exiting turn one. Owens made contact with Musico and sent him off, triggering a safety car period that lasted until the end of lap four and earning himself a 10s penalty.

Manson reclaimed the lead down the pit straight as the field returned to racing speeds, while Izaak Fletcher fell from fourth to sixth through turn one.

There was a 2.5s gap between Manson and Eskandari-Marandi on lap seven when he flew through the gravel at turn three but again maintained enough speed to emerge from the other side of it and rejoin the track in eighth.

Eskandari-Marandi kept the lead to the finish, and on the final lap Owens swept around the outside of Begg at turn one in a move he ‘wasn’t expecting to stick’. His penalty dropped him to eighth though, and Begg ended up holding off Petch for second by 0.105s.

Manson went on a charge, going from eight seconds behind the leader to 2.86s by the end as he recovered to fifth.

Drivers’ fastest laps from the weekend until that point set the dry race three’s grid, so Manson got another pole ahead of Owens.

The first pressure on the poleman came at the last corner on laps two and three. Next time by, Owens was all over Manson the whole lap and a group formed with Petch and Fletcher. Petch got on Owens’ inside at the final corner, and through turn one on lap five Owens lost two places. He reclaimed third around the outside of turn one a lap later, and the lead fight was reinvigorated on lap nine when Manson had a big slide.

Petch got alongside him all the way to the exit of turn one on lap 10, and on lap 13 that lasted until turn three where Manson braked late to stay ahead. He was alongside through the lengthy turn one again on lap 14, but then he lost out to Owens as lap 15 began.

Owens’ favoured attack spot once into second was also turn one, and when Petch tried pressuring Manson too he got baulked and lost third to Musico. He had been picking off drivers, and taken fourth from Fletcher during lap 14.

Lap 18 began with Manson leading by 0.094s, and Owens almost had contact with him as they went through turn one. That was the last attack, while Eskandari-Marandi rose from seventh to fifth in a three-wide photo finish.

Round two took place at Timaru on January 30-February 1, and Manson led the way in practice again. This time his advantage around the shorter circuit was 0.412s over Kirwan. That was slashed to 0.053s in qualifying, and Fletcher was only 0.072s off pole. Owens trailed by 0.193s in fourth, Eskandari-Marandi was sixth and 0.5s split the top 11.

Manson led lights-to-flag in race one, finishing 1.959s ahead of Kirwan. Owens had an off after the same corner on lap one and two, which cost him third to Fletcher. He slipstreamed back past on lap three, and after Fletcher pitted Eskandari-Marandi was next to challenge him. They traded places on lap five, and Petch soon got past too.

Owens then repeated his earlier off, and finished sixth before a five-second driving standards penalty for Eskandari-Marandi meant he moved up to fifth.

Manson had another lights-to-flag success in race two. Jake Bryant made a great launch to get into second and initially distance himself from Kirwan, but the front row starter was back ahead by turn three of lap two.

There was a brief off for Manson but he was untroubled, and Bryant held on for the rest of the race to make the podium. Eskandari-Marandi overtook Fletcher for fourth on lap six, and Owens was close behind until Musico went into his side at the hairpin on the last lap. He had dropped to ninth by the finish, but gained back a spot once Musico was penalised.

Race three was the next day, with the same top two on the grid. Matthew Basso started third, ahead of Fletcher, Bryant, Owens and Eskandari-Marandi.

Kirwan took the lead on lap two after Manson put a wheel off, and on lap four Manson used the slipstream to get back ahead at the end of the back straight. They remained super close, and had not shaken off Basso when the safety car appeared on lap eight as a kerb hit led to Petch losing a wheel and crashing out.

Red flags waved on lap nine, which was where the restarted behind the safety car. Three laps of racing remained following that, and Manson initially got the jump but the slipstream effect brought his chasers back onto him. Basso overtook Kirwan on lap 10, and at the end of the back straight on lap 11 he got back past on the inside while Owens overtook Fletcher around the outside for fourth. Bryant had previously held fifth until he cut the chicane at the start of lap eight.

The victory fight came down to the last lap, and Kirwan squeezed down Manson’s inside at the end of the back straight to make the winning move.

Manson lined up on pole again in race four, ahead of Musico, Kirwan and Eskandari-Marandi. Kirwan took second on lap two, and Manson got defensive against him on lap four but Kirwan still found a way through as a four-car fight formed.

A lap later, Manson swept around the outside at the end of the back straight to snatch back the lead. Kirwan kept on his gearbox until a wide moment on lap seven meant he lost out to Musico and then Eskandari-Marandi. Third place returned to Kirwan on lap eight, and Musico’s robust defending against him after that allowed Manson to pull away to win. Kirwan did get his overtake done on lap 10, echoing the move Manson had made on him.

Results round-up
Teretonga race 1 (10 laps)
1 Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi 17m09.576s
2 Dylan Petch +0.565s
3 Campbell Owens +1.210s
4 Jacob Begg +1.519s
5 Izaak Fletcher +1.887s
6 Matthew Basso +2.794s
7 William Beck +3.832s
8 Olivia Lorenzen +7.371s
9 Marco Manson +7.640s
10 Maxim Kirwan +8.546s
Pole: Manson, 1m13.638s
Fastest lap: Manson, 1m14.390s

Teretonga race 2 (13 laps)
1 Eskandari-Marandi 19m04.922s
2 Begg +1.894s
3 Petch +1.999s
4 Fletcher +2.364s
5 Manson +2.863s
6 Kirwan +6.962s
7 Basso +8.209s
8 Owens +10.334s
9 Beck +46.538s
10 Lorenzen +1 lap
FL: Manson, 1m12.174s

Teretonga race 3 (18 laps)
1 Manson 19m30.395s
2 Owens +0.754s
3 Toby Musico +0.850s
4 Petch +1.139s
5 Eskandari-Marandi +5.510s
6 Begg +5.590s
7 Basso +5.603s
8 Fletcher +5.722s
9 Kirwan +5.747s
10 Beck +34.943s
FL: Owens, 1m03.533s

Timaru race 1 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m05.818s
2 Kirwan +1.959s
3 Petch +11.393s
4 Jake Bryant +11.683s
5 Owens +12.343s
6 Toby McCormack +15.116s
7 Eskandari-Marandi +15.549s
8 Begg +16.011s
9 Cameron Freeman +19.191s
10 Beck +29.117s
P: Manson, 1m06.110s
FL: Manson, 1m05.895s

Timaru race 2 (10 laps)
1 Manson 11m23.063s
2 Kirwan +0.908s
3 Bryant +4.441s
4 Eskandari-Marandi +4.887s
5 Fletcher +5.147s
6 Basso +7.008s
7 Petch +7.171s
8 Owens +7.242s
9 McCormack +11.173s
10 Begg +11.275s
FL: Basso, 1m06.158s

Timaru race 3 (12 laps)
1 Kirwan 16m12.118s
2 Manson +0.128s
3 Basso +0.510s
4 Owens +1.844s
5 Fletcher +2.249s
6 Bryant +3.039s
7 Musico +3.123s
8 Eskandari-Marandi +3.352s
9 Begg +3.655s
10 Beck +4.189s
FL: Musico, 1m06.023s

Timaru race 4 (12 laps)
1 Manson 13m25.653s
2 Kirwan +0.865s
3 Musico +1.723s
4 Eskandari-Marandi +1.987s
5 Basso +1.987s
6 Petch +6.016s
7 Owens +9.439s
8 McCormack +11.832s
9 Begg +14.165s
10 Fletcher +14.322s
FL: Kirwan, 1m05.936s

Championship standings
1 Manson 456   2 Eskandari-Marandi 400   3 Kirwan 390   4 Owens 358   5 Petch 331   6 Basso 323   7 Begg 319   8 Fletcher 308   9 Beck 246   10 Musco 198

The post Manson leads at season’s halfway point in New Zealand FFord appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Mattia Tremolada

Britain’s main Formula Ford 1600 championship, United FFord, will continue to have a multi-nation calendar for its fifth season in 2026.

The MotorSport Vision Racing and James Beckett Motorsport-organised championship will have eight rounds, and most notably will swap its Welsh races at Anglesey for a trip to another part of the United Kingdom by heading to Northern Ireland.

Pre-season testing will be at Donington Park (February 10), then the first races will be on Silverstone’s National layout on April 4. The Jim Walsh Trophy will be awarded in one of those races.

Oulton Park hosts round two (May 23), then the paddock heads to Mallory Park on June 6 for round three. That circuit hosted the British FFord championship 11 times, most recently in 1992 when a 19-year-old Jan Magnussen won.

The post United FFord to race on rarely seen venue and in Northern Ireland appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Matt Smith Photography / NIFF

Jack Groenewald leads the 2025 leg of the North Island Formula Ford season, despite going win-free in the first 10 races.

The 2025-26 campaign began at Hampton Downs on October 5, and top of the class in qualifying were two-time champion Dylan Grant and Campbell Owens. While 0.334 seconds split the pair, there was then a gap of 1.649s to Groenewald in third.

Grant converted pole into victory in race one, building a 3.541s lead over Owens. The fight for third was far more exciting, with Toby McCormack pipping Groenewald by 0.078s in a photo finish. It was a similar story in the battle for fifth, with William Beck claiming the position by 0.084s over Shane Drake and with Oliver Sentch only 0.096s further behind. Post-race, McCormack was disqualifieddue to technical non-compliance.

In race two it was lights-to-flag for Grant, who stunned with a winning margin of 6.866s over Owens. Reigning champion McCormack was 10s behind the winner in third, ahead of Groenewald.

Grant made a slow start from pole in race three, dropping behind Owens and McCormack. By the time Grant got back past McCormack, Owens was 1.5s clear and able to maintain that gap to the finish while McCormack kept Grant in his sights. Groenewald was a distant fourth and Sentch finished fifth by just 0.056s.

However since Owens then got disqualified from the whole meeting due to technical infringements, it meant Grant (who had been suffering from a fuel issue) won and Groenewald’s point haul put him second in the standings.

Grant then graduated to muscle car racing, so was not present for round two at Taupo on November 9 and Groenewald became the driver to beat in the standings. He showed his potential in qualifying, edging Owens to pole by 0.076s. Beck trailed by 0.752s in third.

Results round-up

The longer race four, which awarded the Dan Higgins Trophy, was a thriller which Owens started from pole. He lost the lead on lap one to McCormack, who then had a race-ending brake failure which triggered a safety car period. That put Owens back in front, and while he did not have a big pace advantage the frantic battling behind allowed him to win by 6.68s.

Beck, Groenewald, Sentch and Drake fought hard and Groenewald took the runner-up spot by just 0.024s over Beck. Sentch was a further 0.195s behind, and 0.104s ahead of Drake.

The remaining two rounds are in March 2026, and also count towards New Zealand’s national FFord championship.

The post Jack Groenewald leads 2025 leg of North Island FFord season appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

The penalty that meant Walter Hayes Trophy winner Jason Smyth started the final from 13th almost led to him withdrawing from the event.

Smyth had stormed to heat two pole around Silverstone’s National layout, but was frustrated at himself after being beaten to victory by KMR Sport’s Andrew Rackstraw in that race and semi-final one.

In the latter, Ammonite Motorsport’s Anthony Amato and B-M Racing’s Rory Smith had spun around the front of Smyth after coming either side of him approaching Luffield.

Smyth was found responsible and handed a 10-place grid penalty, and with the chance of victory reduced there was a call to withdraw his car.

Neville Smyth, 2006 WHT runner-up and Jason’s father, jumped on the winning car [pictured] when it returned to the pitlane and the victor’s first words to him were “I told you so!”.

“I just can’t believe it. I thought it was over after that [penalty],” an emotional Smyth Sr told Formula Scout.

“It was terrible to see Rory go out, because Rory’s a great competitor and you don’t like to see it happen. And he goes out, so we were disappointed in that. But in my mind it was a racing incident. I thought the penalty wasn’t very fair.

“I told Jason we weren’t going to do the final. I said it to the clerk of the course. And Jason told me: ‘No, dad. I’ll win it from 13th.’. And the emotion. Like, what do you say to that? I had to get the car ready. I couldn’t say no… unbelievable.”

The younger Smyth and team boss Bernard Dolan were convinced victory remained possible, and Smyth had a fresh set of tyres while team-mate and victory rival Niall Murray continued on the rubber he had comfortably won semi-final two with.

Despite winning the United Formula Ford title, FFord Festival and WHT this year, Smyth lacks the financial backing to move into winged single-seaters for 2026. The Irish-Filipino youngster is also in his final year studying engineering at college in Dublin.

The man who “created the beast” who won FF1600’s major honours this year is Team Dolan’s driver coach Matt Round-Garrido, a FF1600 champion who reached USF Pro 2000 during his racing career.

“We started working together at the start of last season, and straight away you could see the lad had bundles of talent,” he said of coaching Smyth.

“It was just about harnessing it in the right way. Knowing when to push hard, where in the corner to be pushing hard, where to kind of pull it back a bit. So Bernard and I have been working on that with him. And his father as well. Bernard and Neville have done such a good job with the car. In my opinion, the best car, the best motor, and the best driver.”

Round-Garrido was naturally “really happy” with the win, having felt “like I’ve been pushing quite hard” to make Smyth a victory contender.

The post WHT winner Smyth won over call to withdraw after grid penalty for final appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

Team Dolan’s Jason Smyth came from 13th on the grid to win a thrilling final to the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.

He was handed a 10-place grid penalty pre-race, which meant B-M Racing Jordan Dempsey started third behind semi-final winners Andrew Rackstraw (KMR Sport) and Niall Murray (Team Dolan).

Poleman Rackstraw was slow off the line and dropped to third, with Top Nippers in fourth ahead of KMR duo Jacob Tofts and KC Ensor-Smith. Dempsey looked to Murray’s outside at Brooklands, as Smyth made his way up to eighth.

The top two began laps two and three side-by-side, with Dempsey tucking back in behind at Copse both times. By then Smyth was sixth, just behind the lead train.

Rackstraw went down Dempsey’s inside into Becketts, then to Murray’s outside at Brooklands. That left the inside free for Nippers to go from fourth to second, but Rackstraw was back ahead at the direction change of Luffield and Dempsey moved past at Woodcote.

Murray had Rackstraw alongside him for the start of lap four, and he stayed there through Copse and down to Maggotts. Smyth had overtaken Nippers on the pit straight, then edged ahead of Dempsey at Maggotts, so when Rackstraw ran wide at Becketts he was alongside at the exit.

Rackstraw was stuck to Murray’s gearbox down the Wellington Straight, while Smyth was neck-and-neck with him until Luffield where the inside line gave Smyth the advantage.

A second split the top eight starting lap five, and Smyth went for the lead on the outside at Copse. He was fully ahead at Maggotts, but Murray braked late into Becketts to reclaim first. They were wheel-to-wheel again at Brooklands and Smyth slid into the side of Murray who was on his outside. Despite this, Murray still got to Luffield in the lead with Dempsey now third.

Smyth tried a switchback through Copse on lap six, and this time was the later braker into Becketts and took the lead. Murray attacked at Brooklands, then had Dempsey alongside him until the pit straight where Rackstraw pushed him forward.

Rackstraw took third into Becketts on lap seven of 15, as Murray looked to the outside of Brooklands again. They entered lap eight leading a 15-car train, and Murray went around Smyth’s outside at Copse. Smyth nosed ahead at Maggotts, but Murray had the inside for Becketts so led again.

Smyth’s straightline speed put him into the lead again down the Wellington Straight, but after brushing each other Murray led again on the inside into Brooklands. The response from Smyth was a switchback, and he went around Murray’s outside through Luffield to get to the front. Just behind, Dempsey overtook Rackstraw.

Dempsey dived past Murray into Maggotts on lap nine, then did a switchback as Murray slid into Becketts. They were side-by-side until braking for Brooklands, where Dempsey went to the outside and tried passing Smyth. He took second, but exceeded track limits and copped a five-second penalty.

Smyth had a 0.256-second gap entering with five laps to go, the biggest margin yet for a leader, but Dempsey then closed in and tried passing around the outside at Brooklands. That bunched up the lead group of nine even more, as Nippers challenged Rackstraw for fourth, and Dempsey began lap 12 alongside Smyth.

Copse was his next point of attack, where Murray ran wide and got his own track limits penalty. Rackstraw therefore was Smyth’s main rival, and he dived past Murray at Maggotts and then hassled Dempsey through Becketts. He could not get past, and Nippers overtook Murray out of Luffield.

Murray reclaimed fourth with a high-speed move at Brooklands a lap later, and Dempsey went into the penultimate lap alongside Smyth again. He stuck to the outside at Copse but could not pass, and a slide into Becketts let Rackstraw through to second.

When they reached Brooklands, Rackstraw exited Smyth’s tow and sent it around the outside but their wheels rubbed and Rackstraw was sent off. He rejoined in fourth, and Smyth entered the last lap 0.073s ahead of Dempsey.

Murray wanted to win, and he lunged to the inside of Dempsey at Maggotts, then held his speed around the outside through Becketts. Just behind, Tofts sent Nippers spinning.

There was even more drama at Brooklands, as Dempsey dived down Smyth’s inside and drove into his sidepod. Murray also went to the inside and just avoided Dempsey’s spinning car, and Smyth went off and rejoined side-by-side with his team-mate.

The inside line meant Smyth had the advantage through Luffield, and he met the chequered flag with Rackstraw right behind and Murray alongside. Just 0.017s split the top two on track, but the penalty demoted Murray to 15th, with Dempsey 10th on-the-road but being pushed down a spot.

Ensor-Smith was promoted to the podium, and completing the race-long lead group was Swift Cooper’s Luke Cooper and Dolan’s Jordan Kelly.

B-M Racing’s Rory Smith had charged from 27th to eighth before 45s of track limits penalties sent him back down to 26th, so Oldfield Motorsport’s Connor Willis was the biggest climber as he rose from 29th to finish 10th.

Sema Racing’s Alex Ames also starred, being in the lead group for a long time and coming 17th in a Van Diemen RF90, making him the top heritage class driver.

Final results (15 laps)

The post Smyth stuns by winning sensational 2025 Walter Hayes Trophy final appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

Team Dolan’s Niall Murray comfortably won the second Walter Hayes Trophy semi-final, despite safety car interruptions.

There was pre-race drama as Arnaud Dousse stopped on the formation lap, and the top six reached the grid long before the rest of the field.

Poleman Murray led the field into turn one, with his team-mate Jordan Kelly being overtaken by B-M Racing’s Tom McArthur around the outside.

Kelly braked very late into Becketts and reclaimed second, but went too deep and conceded the place again. Ian Campbell and Ayrton Houk were then alongside him down the Wellington Straight, and on the outside Ammonite Motorsport’s Houk went from fifth to second at Brooklands.

KMR Sport’s Michael Eastwell overtook Vertical Racing’s Campbell and Kelly, then red flags waved due to a big crash earlier in the lap between Wayne Poole Racing’s Alex Walker and Jaap Blijleven. The incident meant Dolan’s Mattia Tremolada then joined the grid as a reserve.

For the restart, the top 12 were on the grid before the rest of the 34-car field reached the pit straight so their tyres were cold when racing began. However Murray did nail his launch, being well clear of Kelly by Copse.

Campbell was spun at Becketts by Eastwell, which led to Alex Ames going off in avoidance, and Kelly’s rear wheels went into McArthur’s front wheels at Luffield which sent him wide and down to sixth behind McArthur, Eastwell, B-M’s Jordan Dempsey and Callum Grant by the end of the lap.

Five drivers went off at Luffield, so the safety car was summoned. Racing resumed on lap four of 12 and Murray sprinted away, while Dempsey instantly passed Eastwell. He got back ahead at Maggotts, and Grant overtook Dempsey too, but Grant’s lack of straightline speed meant he lost several places down the Wellington Straight.

At Brooklands, Dempsey went to pass Eastwell but a huge lock-up sent him past McArthur too and then down to fifth behind Kelly. Murray was now 2.3 seconds clear and grew that gap while battles continued behind.

McArthur defended the outside approaching Brooklands on lap five, but Eastwell still passed on the wider line and there was move on the inside of Luffield for Kelly to get ahead too. But the rear of Eastwell’s car was then flicked up by Kelly’s front-left wheel and when it landed it spun Eastwell off and brought McArthur with him.

Eastwell’s car was beached, and his team-mate KC Ensor-Smith took second ahead of Dempsey, Kelly and Houk.

Kelly went around the outside of Dempsey at Copse on lap six, Dempsey was back past into Becketts, then the safety car returned.

The next restart was on lap nine, and Murray again left his rivals way behind. He built a 2.85s lead in the last four laps, with Dempsey finishing second.

Dempsey had got alongside Ensor-Smith at Copse on the restart, then expertly dived past on the outside at Brooklands. Ensor-Smith thought about returning the favour next time by, then nosed ahead into Maggotts on lap 11 before a brief brushing of wheels that put Dempsey back ahead.

Houk looked to the inside of both and Kelly when they reached Brooklands, making one pass stick by cutting the inside kerbs as Kelly ran very wide. When Houk then had a go at Ensor-Smith through Luffield, it brought Kelly back into their group.

Kelly tried passing Houk on the inside of Becketts on the last lap, without success, and the quartet were split by under a second at the end.

Grant pipped Lewis Fox to sixth by 0.076s, KMR’s Julian Van der Watt held off Oldfield Motorsport’s Brandon McCaughan for eighth and McArthur just missed out on making the final as he finished 19th, one spot below automatic qualification.

Semi-final 2 results (12 laps)

The post Murray in control for Walter Hayes Trophy semi-final two victory appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

KMR Sport’s Andrew Rackstraw won the Walter Hayes Trophy’s dramatic first semi-final, holding off Team Dolan’s Jason Smyth.

The pair had fought in heat two, and Rackstraw’s triumph there put him on semi-final pole. He and fellow front row man Jacob Tofts wheelspun off the line, and Tofts took the lead on the inside.

Smyth thought better of making it three-wide into Maggotts, but his caution allowed B-M Racing’s Rory Smith to take third as Rackstraw led again. Smith went for second on the outside of Becketts but was forced wide and returned to third, then overtook Tofts again and went for the lead around the outside of Brooklands.

That instead cost him second to Smyth, who began lap two alongside Rackstraw and took the lead on the outside at Copse. Smith fended off Tofts exiting Becketts, and Smyth’s weaving down the Wellington Straight did not stop Rackstraw from flying past on the outside into Brooklands. A gap on the inside at Luffield was filled by Smith, which earned him a second place he immediately defended.

Smyth was back alongside down the pit straight and took second on the outside at Copse, and he also slipstreamed past Rackstraw down the Wellington Straight. But Rackstraw reclaimed the lead under braking into Brooklands, and sixth-placed Megan Gilkes’ spin at Luffield also sent Joey Foster spinning and left him beached alongside the track.

The top two were wheel-to-wheel again as lap four began, and Smyth’s preferred pass at Copse did not work this time. Smith got back alongside Smyth through Brooklands, then yellow flags meant fighting paused until the pit straight.

Smyth tried again at Copse on lap five, but banged wheels and Smith overtook him. They went side-by-side through Maggotts and Becketts on lap six, with Smyth returning to second down the Wellington Straight.

For lap seven, Smyth eyed a swithback move at Copse, and nosed Rackstraw into Maggotts. There was now a lead group of seven, and two laps later it was three-wide up front down the Wellington Straight. Smith led on the inside, Smyth locked up on the outside, then Smith ran deep and Rackstraw exited the corner ahead.

Smyth then got pincered between Anthony Amato and Smith approaching Luffield, and they both spun around the front of his car and off the track. That handed Rackstraw a gap over Smyth, which he maintained over the remaining three laps until the final corners where Smyth got back onto his tail.

After the earlier spinners retired, Tofts held fourth over Tom Nippers, Luke Cooper and Amato. Nippers considered overtaking on lap six before encountering yellow flags.

Amato passed Cooper on lap five, and dived past Nippers into Brooklands on lap eight. His lap nine spin was triggered by Tofts leaving the door open on the inside there until the apex, as he committed to the inside, then had to use the kerbs before rejoining ahead of two drivers but into the path of Smyth.

Tofts, Nippers and Cooper continued battling after that, with Smyth at first too. Nippers and Tofts banged wheels at Brooklands on the penultimate lap, but Nippers was still able to get past through Luffield.

Amato and Smith finished eighth and 14th, with the top 18 progressing to the final.

Semi-final 1 results (12 laps)

The post Rackstraw wins another duel with Smyth in WHT semi-final one appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Ida Wood

Oldfield Motorsport’s Connor Willis was victorious in a restarted Walter Hayes Trophy last chance race at a drying Silverstone.

The 36-car field got two sighting laps to understand track conditions, as it was very sunny but the track was wet in several areas.

It proved slippy at Copse as several drivers slid way off at the opening corner, and then there was chaos at Luffield. Stuart Adam spun off, and when he tried rejoining he just tagged Neil Fowler Motorsport’s Chris Porritt.

There was an on-track clash, with Dave Porter retiring on the grass on the inside while Neil Hunt and Gerhard Hauschulte also retiring.

Red flags waved as KMR Sport’s Neil Tofts led the field into lap two, and it was decided there would be another formation lap and the race would restart on lap one. Two reserves had already joined the 36-car grid, and the restart took the original grid order at the front but with gaps and with some order changes at the back.

Tofts was first into Copse on the restart, but Simms Engineering’s Ben Simms passed him into Maggotts and ran deep into Becketts to ensure Tofts could not get back past. However Tofts’ straightline speed avantage meant he was in first again by Brooklands.

Wayne Poole Racing’s James Colborn was third, Willis repeated his diving Brooklands move from the first start to be fourth and WPR’s Alex Walker climbed six spots to 10th. Willis took third on lap two despite going off entering the Wellington Straight, where he then cleared Simms. When Tofts slid into Woodcote and hit the kerbs, Willis overtook him too.

Tofts and Simms continued to fight, with Simms taking an alternative line through Becketts, but on lap five of 10 Walker got involved. He went down Simms’ inside at Copse, fended off an attack from him at Becketts and continued his run of fastest laps as he then overtook Tofts on the next lap.

There was 1.766 seconds to make up on Willis, and the gap initially reduced but Willis snatched the fastest lap late on to finish 2.861s clear.

“It was a blast,” Willis said post-race. “It was awesome. The conditions made it even more fun with having to adapt throughout the race. Having to pass nine cars, and then also having to adapt to the conditions. And the track was dry and there was dry lines appearing, you could see it visibly and feel it in the car.”

Having done both of this morning’s races, Walker will be on worn tyres for the semi-finals and was being risk-averse behind Willis.

“The whole point was just to get to the next race, so once the gap I saw was quite big, I kind of just wanted to get around and keep the car in one piece and see what the track was doing as well, as it’s evolving quite a lot,” he said.

“It’s not a full dry line at all yet, but it’s, it’s definitely getting there, whereas this morning was full wet.”

Simms reclaimed third by flying past Tofts into Becketts on lap eight, with Tofts then running very wide. However he slipstreamed back past with ease, and on lap nine Simms went side-by-side into Maggotts then braked later to nail a move around the outside at Becketts. Tofts then drifted off there and this time was gapped by Simms.

Afterwards, Simms told Formula Scout that “finding the dry patches was the key to” taking his Jomo JMR7 to the podium.

Colborn was a lonely fifth, and Team Dolan’s Adam Quartermaine climbed 12 spots to sixth while team-mate Mattia Tremolada joined the grid as a reserve, rose from 35th to 15th then spun at Copse mid-race and finished 28th.

Pirate M-Sports’ Leanne McShane rose nine spots to 10th, Bob Hawkins (TM Racing) and Stephen O’Connor (Dolan) climbed 14 places each to 11th and 12th, and Speedsport’s Leon Frost went from 34th to 17th. The top 22 progressed to the semi-finals.

Last chance race results (10 laps)

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Photo: Ida Wood

Alex Walker charged through the spray on Silverstone’s National layout to win the Walter Hayes Trophy progression race from 27th on the grid.

Team Dolan’s Adam Quartermaine started on pole, with Souley Motorsport’s John Blanchard and Dominic Sheppard behind him. Rain the previous afternoon had left the track damp everywhere, and with standing water in areas where there was shade.

Sheppard made the best getaway and got into the lead through Copse, but Blanchard’s newer car then had the pace advantage down to Maggotts and he took first place there. However Quartermaine, in an even more contemporary car, was able to slipstream past Blanchard and led at the end of lap one.

Pirate M-Sports’ Leanne McShane and Wayne Poole Racing’s Walker both climbed 12 places, with McShane in eighth.

Blanchard reclaimed the lead on the inside of Copse on lap two as Quartermaine slid out wide, then both were briefly battling with Sheppard again as Neil Hunt tried to get involved. It became a multi-car battle for second as Quartermaine then broke clear. McShane improved further to sixth, Walker was now 12th and Dolan’s Mattia Tremolada was up to 16th from 25th on the grid.

Sheppard attacked Blanchard for second into Becketts on lap three, then was overtaken by McShane. Quartermaine’s lead grew to 2.954 seconds, Walker passed five more drivers and Tremolada cleared four.

The drama ramped up on lap four of 10. Sheppard spun twice at Copse and fell to 17th, McShane took second into Maggotts and Walker made his way into third so the top three. While Quartermaine now had an enlarged 3.46s gap by the end of the lap, the two drivers behind were actually closing in.

Walker eliminated the one-second gap to McShane on lap five and passed her into Brooklands with a very deep line that he had used with success when passing drivers in older cars, then set about pursuing victory.

He set the fastest lap by 1.8s as he made the most of clean air and was on Quartermaine’s tail by lap seven. The leader went to the right down the Wellington Straight, and Walker just eased past under braking for Brooklands. A 1.266s gap was built in the three remaining corners of the lap, and he went on to win by 6.302s.

“Very wet, very slippery,” he told Formula Scout afterwards. “It’s so cold here, even though it’s not raining and the sun’s out it takes a while [to dry].”

Walker added: “I was trying to just keep it on the road more than [go on a charge].”

Quartermaine felt “very, very blessed” to be second, having missed all of pre-event testing.

“[Dolan] set it up for full wet, and they set it up for a novice driver as well. And I think that probably helped me a little bit!”

McShane was an isolated third, admitting she “wasn’t anticipating the podium” but is now confident for the next race, and Blanchard held fourth until the final lap when Cal Bennett got past.

Tremolada entered the top 10 on lap five, was sixth by lap eight then spun at Brooklands with nobody around him and fell to 18th.

There was also late trouble for Shift Point Racing’s Matthew Smith and Tim Fitzgerald, who spun off after an incident at Luffield.

Dolan’s Stephen O’Connor was 23rd on the grid but stalled so was 11s behind 27th after lap one. He briefly held fastest lap as he charged up to 10th, comfortably putting him through to the last chance race.

Progression race results (10 laps)

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Photo: Ida Wood

Team Dolan’s Jordan Kelly triumphed in the fourth Walter Hayes Trophy heat at Silverstone, which was full of drama.

KMR Sport’s KC Ensor-Smith had pole, but lost out to Kelly and Sema Racing’s Alex Ames before Copse.

Ammonite Motorsport’s Ayrton Houk made it three-wide for second into Maggotts, but was then wheel-to-wheel with Wayne Poole Racing’s Alex Walker exiting Becketts. It was then three-wide for third on the following straight, and a huge lock-up for Ames sent him into Walker and put the latter out of the race.

Ames dropped to sixth, with Kelly leading Houk until Becketts on lap two as Houk went around Kelly’s outside to get ahead. Yellow flags waved after that due to the clearing of Walker’s car, but Oldfield Motorsport’s Connor Willis went to pass Ensor-Smith down the straight.

Ensor-Smith in turn went to Kelly’s inside and took second, then got a wheel alongside Houk but it sent both spinning.

Kelly was left leading Willis and KMR’s Michael Eastwell, and Ames got battling with them on lap three. Willis and Eastwell collided on the Wellington Straight, with Eastwell spinning but actually taking second and going damage-free.

He was however 2.97 seconds behind Kelly as lap four began, and that gap grew to 5.539s in the race’s second half.

Part of that was down to more battling, with Ames getting ahead of Eastwell early in lap five but the places reversing at Brooklands where Houk took the outside so he could then pass on the inside through Luffield.

He did the same on Eastwell a lap later, but Eastwell was back ahead by Becketts. They banged wheels down the Wellington Straight and at Brooklands, where Eastwell asserted himself back in second.

Houk almost nosed him into Maggotts on the final lap, then Eastwell sent Houk onto the grass down the next straight. Once Houk’s car was back on track fully they banged wheels multiple times and ran side-by-side through Brooklands. Eastwell held on to second by 0.053s, with Ames 0.2s behind.

“It felt very much like a final [with the battles],” said Eastwell. “We came out realtively unscathed. From eighth, I’m happy with that because we had a terrible morning.”

“Ammonite guys gave me a tank. This thing held up to a lot of abuse out there,” was Houk’s description of the race. “I definitely think we could have contended for a win if we didn’t get spun down to 10th and back up to third again. Really happy about how it went, really excited about tomorrow.”

Doug Crosbie came through for a surprise fifth place after B-M Racing’s Drew Cameron got a five-second track limits penalty, Ensor-Smith fell to 21st but recovered to sixth, and Enigma Motorsport’s James Clarke colimbed 12 places to finish seventh.

Dolan duo Stephen O’Connor and Mattia Tremolada were on course to finish 11th and 12th, granting them semi-final spots, until the last lap when incidents at Becketts sent both into retirement.

Heat 4 results (8 laps)

The post Kelly wins as the drama gets dialled up in the fourth WHT heat appeared first on Formula Scout.