| VICTOR
VICTORIOUS, ADRIAN ALSO
13 July, 2008: The
British Formula Ford Championship welcomed two new race winners at
Brands Hatch today, Adrian Campfield claiming not only his maiden
championship victory but also the first for a Kevin Mills Racing
Spectrum chassis, while young Brazilian Victor Correa took a
hard-fought win ahead of his Jamun team-mate and championship
leader Wayne Boyd.
Ironically it was a
collision involving Correa and Boyd which cleared the way for
Campfield's victory in race one, and though Boyd came away
win-less from Brands (the first time this year he has failed to
win at least one race in a weekend) the Ulster teenager's lead in
the Ford-backed championship is barely altered at 54 points, with
five races remaining.
Brands Hatch always
provides the closest in Formula Ford racing, even on the 2.3-mile
Grand Prix circuit, and both of the day's sprints were super-close
slipstreamers. The first looked likely to turn out another Jamun
Racing 1-2 as pole position man Boyd and Correa disputed the lead
over the opening five laps, with the Brazilian claiming top spot
on the opening lap after making the better getaway. Boyd charged
past Correa on lap four to regain the lead and, with Campfield and
Matt Hamilton's JTR Mygale in close company for third and fourth,
the scene was set for a battle royal to the flag.
Alas for Boyd,
Correa and Hamilton the three of them tangled out of Clearways on
lap six, a collision race stewards were later to put down as a
racing incident. Fortunately none had their race ended, but all
three were delayed and a very grateful Campfield found himself out
in front.
Adrian may have
been handed the lead, but he certainly wasn't handed victory; for
that he had to work harder than he had ever done before as Tim
Blanchard's Jamun Mygale piled on the pressure for the next seven
laps. In the end even the Aussie battler was unable to prevent a
Spectrum win, the first in 2008 for any chassis other than a
Mygale. "It's unbelievable," said a delighted Campfield.
"We have had such a bad run of luck all year that finally to
win is just amazing. I found it a real struggle to keep up with
Wayne and Victor early on, and then when they went off it was a
case of holding my nerve to the end."
Campfield was less
than half a second ahead of Blanchard at the line, with the
rejuvenated Van Diemen of Dane Marco Sorensen third to claim his
first podium finish since April's Oulton Park races. Chris
Maliepaard's Getem Mygale charged up from eighth on the grid, past
the other Fluid Van Diemen, driven by David Brown, to take fourth,
and Linton Stuteley was right in Brown's wheeltracks for sixth.
To add to the Kevin
Mills team's joy, Glen Wood placed seventh to end his run of
no-score results and Alex Jones claimed a commanding Scholarship
Class victory in his Spectrum, ahead of Chrissy Palmer's Ray. Boyd
recovered to 10th, behind the cars of Rogier de Wit and James
Cole, Correa finished 12th and Hamilton 15th.
A seven-car
slipstreaming battle for victory kept the spectators more than
entertained during the second Formula Ford epic, the outcome of
which was not decided until the last corner. Once again it was
Boyd and Correa who were in charge at the sharp end of the fight,
but fortunately this time their Mygales did not meet physically.
Boyd led from the
pole to the end of the fifth lap but was powerless to prevent
Correa nabbing the lead from him through Paddock Hill Bend next
time around. "I just didn't have the pace to stay
ahead," said Wayne, "and once he was in front Victor
drove brilliantly to defend his position." Boyd tried every
trick in his repertoire to try to force an error from Correa; none
came and the Brazilian was the winner by less than three-tenths of
a second. "It was a very hard race," said Victor.
"It's my first win and I am very happy. I hope to have
more."
Campfield held
third from beginning to end and had his hands full trying to keep
behind him the battling Van Diemens of Sorensen and Brown, each of
which took its turn in fourth. Sorensen held that position on the
final lap, with Maliepaard nicking fifth at the last from Brown. A
subdued Blanchard came home seventh ahead of Hamilton, JTR guest
driver Peter Dempsey and Stuteley. Scholarship Class honours on
this occasion went to Palmer after Chrissy's Ray and the Spectrum
of Jones made contact at Druids on the fourth lap. |
