British Formula Ford Championship

Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain

Category	Single seaters
Country	United Kingdom
Inaugural season	1976
Folded	2014
Constructors	Mygale, Sinter
Engine suppliers	Ford
Tyre suppliers	Dunlop Tyres, Hankook
Last Drivers' champion	Jayde Kruger
Last Teams' champion	JTR

The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry level single seater motor sport category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from across the world were attracted to the United Kingdom to compete in the series, and successful Formula One drivers such as Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button won their first single-seater titles in the championship. The championship was run to various Formula Ford regulations over the years, based on the engines provided for the championship by Ford Motor Company. These engine based regulations/specifications include the Ford Kent engine, Ford Zetec engine, Ford Duratec engine and in the final years the Ford EcoBoost engine.

From the 2015 season onwards, the championship will be replaced by MSA Formula, which conforms to the FIA's new Formula 4 regulations. Many of the teams and drivers which competed in the final season of British Formula Ford will move to the new series.

History

Formula Ford Duratec car from Mygale, Ray and Van Diemen

Although the first British Formula Ford Championship was not held until 1976, Formula Ford's roots are firmly situated in the British racing scene. The first Formula Ford race was held at Brands Hatch in 1967 and was the precursor to the birth of the domestic championship. The first British Formula Ford Championship, held in 1976, was the original Formula Ford Championship which gave birth to many others over the years, including successful championships in Australia and New Zealand.^[1]

The championship started out with the 1600cc Ford Kent engine and continued to use it until Ford introduced its newer, more powerful 1800cc Ford Zetec engine. Although this engine change didn't affect the other technical regulations, which still called for steel space frames which were much more economical to build and run compared to their carbon fiber counterparts, the increased engine power accelerated chassis development, causing many of the smaller manufacturers stopped producing cars, resulting in fewer constructors represented in the championship.^[2] The Zetec regulations lasted only 12 years up until the Ford Duratec engine was introduced in 2006, providing better handling and power due to its lighter weight even though the specification had returned to 1600cc engines.^[1]

The biggest changes to the championship came in 2012 when the latest Ford EcoBoost engine and specification was adopted as the main championship. The EcoBoost car marks a substantial change in the direction of Formula Ford racing as it introduces both smaller capacity Turbocharged petrol engines and for the first time a sequential gearbox.^[2]

The car

2012 Formula Ford EcoBoost Car

The championship currently allows two specification of Formula Ford car to race: the current generation EcoBoost car and the previous generation Duratec car. The championship is multi-chassis, featuring manufacturers such as Van Diemen and Mygale. To help keep costs low, cars are made from steel, as opposed to the more exotic carbon fibre commonly found in higher categories of racing. The Duratec cars were introduced in 2006, when all the cars in the series were required to use the 1600cc Naturally aspirated Ford Duratec engine which replaced the Ford Kent engine that had been used since the championships inception. Beginning in 2012, the EcoBoost class was introduced to run as the premier class alongside a secondary class for the aging Duratec cars. The EcoBoost class utilises Ford's latest EcoBoost engine which provides greater power thanks to the introduction of a Turbo Charger. The chassis however remains a steel space frame rather than the carbon fibre Monocoque found in other formulae.^[3]

From 2015 onwards, the MSA Formula will use Formula 4 regulations. Mygale will continue to provide the carbon-fibre monocoque chassis (As opposed to the Tatuus supplied chassis used in BRDC F4. The engine will be a Ford 1.6L EcoBoost engine as used in the more modern Formula Ford cars, tuned to a maximum of 160 PS. All engines will be tuned by the same race engine preparer, in an attempt to reduce costs. Similarly, all tyres will be provided by Hankook. Sadev will provide the sequential paddle shift transmission and data logging system.

The Championship

From 2013, the championship is composed of 30 rounds held at ten events in support of the British Touring Car Championship.^[4] Both EcoBoost and Duratec classes compete in the same races as each other. Drivers who have competed in less than 4 junior formula races in the past are eligible to compete for the Rookie Cup, whilst both Teams and Constructors have separate championships for themselves. The Nations Cup is awarded to the highest placed registered driver from each country excluding UK.^[3] In 2015, the series will again run 30 rounds at ten events in support of the BTCC, despite becoming the MSA Formula.

Weekend Format

A 20-minute qualifying session is used to decide the grid for the all the weekends races. The drivers fastest lap decides the grid for race one, their second fastest time decides the grid for race two and their third fastest time, the grid for race three. All three races will be run over 15 miles.^[3]

Points system

Current points system

Points are awarded to all finishing drivers in each race as well as the driver setting the fastest lap using the following system:

Main Class, Teams Cup & Nations Cup points systems.[5]
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	Others	Fastest Lap
30	27	24	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1	1

Scholarship Class points system.[5]
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	Others	Fastest Lap
20	15	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1	2

Constructors Cup points system.[5]
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
8	7	6	5	4	3

Champions

1981 champion Ayrton Senna in his Van Diemen built car

Season	Champion	Constructor	Teams' Champion	Secondary Class	Nations Cup	Winter Series Champion
1976	David Kennedy	Van Diemen	Not Held	Not Held	Not Held	Not Held
1977	Trevor van Rooyen	Royale
1978	Kenneth Acheson	Royale
1979	David Sears	Royale
1980	Tommy Byrne	Van Diemen
1981	Ayrton Senna	Van Diemen
1982	Maurício Gugelmin	Van Diemen
1983	Andrew Gilbert-Scott	Van Diemen
1984	Dave Coyne	Van Diemen
1985	Bertrand Gachot	Van Diemen
1986	Jason Eliott	Van Diemen
1987	Eddie Irvine	Van Diemen
1988	Derek Higgins	Van Diemen
1989	Bernard Dolan	Reynard
1990	Michael Vergers	Van Diemen
1991	Marc Goossens	Van Diemen
1992	Jamie Spence	Swift				Winter Series Champion
1993	Russell Ingall	Van Diemen				Martin Byford
1994	Jason Watt	Vector				Narain Karthikeyan
1995	Bas Leinders	Swift				Vitor Meira
1996	Kristian Kolby	Van Diemen				Ricardo Sperafico
1997	Jacky van der Ende	Van Diemen				Mark Taylor
1998	Jenson Button	Mygale				Ricardo van der Ende
1999	Nicolas Kiesa	Mygale				Anthony Davidson
2000	James Courtney	Van Diemen				Adam Carroll
2001	Robert Dahlgren	Van Diemen				Joey Foster
2002	Westley Barber	Van Diemen				Alx Danielsson
2003	Tom Kimber-Smith	Van Diemen		James Walker		Sebastian Hohenthal
2004	Valle Mäkelä	Van Diemen		Not Held		Robert Sunderland
2005	Charlie Donnelly	Mygale				Andrew Bentley
2006	Nathan Freke	Mygale				David Mayes
Season	Champion	Constructor	Teams' Champion	Scholarship Class	Nations Cup	Winter Series Champion
2007	Callum MacLeod	Mygale	Not Held	Matt Dobson	Not Held	Not Held
2008	Wayne Boyd	Mygale		Chrissy Palmer
2009	James Cole	Mygale		Daniel Cammish
2010	Scott Pye	Mygale	Jamun Racing	Tristan Mingay	Australia
2011	Scott Malvern	Mygale	Jamun Racing	Cavan Corcoran	Australia
Season	Champion	Constructor	Teams' Champion	Duratec Champion	Nations Cup	Winter Series Champion
2012	Antti Buri	Mygale	JTR	Matt Rao	Finland	Not Held
Season	Champion	Constructor	Teams' Champion	Scholarship Class	Nations Cup	Winter Series Champion
2013	Dan Cammish	Mygale	JTR	Harrison Scott	Argentina	Not Held
2014	Jayde Kruger	Mygale	JTR	Ashley Sutton	South Africa

Other UK Championships

Such was the popularity of the formula in the UK over its history; there is an abundance of second hand chassis from previous generations of the championship. This has led to the formation of several other national and club level championships within the UK catering for legacy chassis, engines and cars.

• BRSCC Formula Ford Duratec Championship - Created at the end of 2012, the proposed championship will give a home to the previous generation Duratec class Formula Fords after the British Championship switched solely to the new EcoBoost class.^[6]
• Formula Ford 1600 Championships - Operated by the BRSCC, this championship caters for cars built to the Kent specification, utilising the Ford Kent engine. Consisting of two regional and one national championship, it give opportunities for a range of drivers to showcase their talents. A two class structure based around the construction year of the chassis allows a range of different chassis to remain competitive.^[7]
• Several Club level championships are also arranged. Of note include the Monoposto Racing Club Championship, the 750 Motor Club Formula 4 championship , the Castle Combe Formula Free championship and the Classic Formula Ford Championship.

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 across the world. The event is administered by the British Racing and Sports Car Club.

References

1. "The History of Formula Ford Racing". [britishformulaford.com]. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
2. "History". [formulafordzetec.co.uk]. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
3. "2012 Formula Ford GB Regulations" (PDF). British Formula Ford Championship. BRSCC. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
4. "Formula Ford returns in 2013". British Touring Car Championship. TOCA. 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
5. "2013 Formula Ford Championship Sporting Regulations" (PDF). British Formula Ford Championship. Max Communications. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
6. "BRSCC ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR DURATEC FORMULA FORD". BRSCC. BRSCC. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
7. "AVON TYRES FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIPS". BRSCC. BRSCC. Retrieved 31 October 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Official Parts Suppliers
• BRSCC Formula Ford 1600 Championship website
• British Formula Ford Championship on Twitter