REVIEW : CLASSIC FF1600
Richard Yeomans at Donington
Chasing Harrison
In 2021 the HSCC Classic Formula Ford Championship finally managed a full season of fourteen races . Although grid numbers were not yet quite where we would like to see them the racing was of very high quality in terms of competitiveness and high driving standards . Andrew Smith reports .
At the top of Class A for pre-1982 cars Jordan Harrison found a new level and won repeatedly in the latter half of the season , recording some very fast lap times in the process . Henry Chart showed similar speed , winning races at each end of the season , but missing a couple of events mid-season left him third behind the evergreen Rick Morris . Rick is still extremely quick and scored consistently throughout the season including two class wins at Cadwell Park . The remaining top ten in Class A were the FF1600 veteran and multiple championship winner Stuart Kestenbaum , Alan Fincham and newcomer Joseph Ahrens in their Van Diemen RF80s , Mark Harrison , Ben Tinkler making a welcome return from more modern FF1600 , Ben Hadfield and Jake Shortland . Outside of the top ten newcomer James Fettiplace made good progress in his ex-Mark Armstrong Van Diemen . Established Star Cam Jackson had Class B for pre-1974 cars won quite early in the season with a series of outright wins . As well as competing with the Class A front runners he was pushed hard particularly at Cadwell Park by 17-year-old Samuel Harrison driving his Elden . Samuel has been extremely quick
Jordan Harrison at Cadwell Park
from the outset in Classic FF1600 and HFF1600 and capped a strong season with a stunning pair of Pre ‘ 82 wins at the Walter Hayes Trophy . Third in Class B was Chris Porritt in his Lola despite only competing in two events , narrowly beating fellow Lola driver Simon Toyne .
The championship ran alongside Historic F3 and Heritage FF1600 cars at a couple of meetings . Co-operation with these championships on these occasions maximised the number of Drivers able to race at those venues , although it is our firm intention to build on the core of regular drivers that we now have in 2022 and attract new competitors .
There was a considerable buzz in both the paddock and on social media around the entry of some famous
drivers including Roberto Moreno at the end of season trophy events in pre-82 cars . This has hopefully reminded many of the appeal of racing cars dating from this era of FF1600 and of the great racing heritage they represent . The popular ‘ Too old and Too Slow ’ ( he is neither ) YouTube Channel run by Richard Yeomans also gives a great insight into the championship from the perspective of a midfield competitor . We were also able to start tentatively thinking about social events this season including a successful pizza evening mid-season .
The Championship received generous sponsorship from both Universal Racing Services run by Formula Ford expert Ken Thorogood and Robin Haslam ’ s Trophy Trader Company . We would like to thank both for all their support this year .
Rick Morris fends off Samuel Harrison at Mallory
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