Welcome
to the most vibrant single-seater championship in the world -
the British Formula Ford Championship.
2007
witnessed the most successful year for British Formula Ford in
recent memory. With strong grids and exceptional racing, this
attracted the attention of press, public and the motorsport
industry alike. 2008 is certain to build on this success.
New
teams and new drivers are already flocking to the '08
championship. These newcomers are clearly aware that to win
races in Formula Ford, or even become British Champion, will
give them greater credibility in the eyes of the motorsport
community than any other junior single-seater category can
offer.
But
as well as the respect that winning in Formula Ford can give a
career-minded driver, the other half of the equation is always
the financial one. With budgets in rival single-seater
championships continuingly escalating, it is a central principle
of Formula Ford's future to constantly seek ways in which to cap
or even reduce cost to teams and drivers. The championship has
removed the official testing programme, thus giving each driver
and team the flexibility to tailor their own testing programme
to suit their budgets and time.
But
not only does Formula Ford offer lower annual running budgets
than its rivals, it also offers maximum track time. This is
arguably the single most important aspect of any young driver's
development.
Do
the calculations - you will find that Formula Ford Duratec costs
around half the price per mile of its rivals. With budgets being
so hard to achieve at this level of the sport (and indeed each
of the subsequent stages), every driver must consider very
carefully just what that funding buys them at each step of the
career ladder.
The
British Championship in 2008 will be contested over 25 rounds at
10 venues across the UK. We are supporting every UK round of the
British Formula 3 Championship, plus a repeat of the fantastic
support race at the A1GP meeting. Supporting F3 has proved to be
the perfect environment for both the drivers and teams with a
number of leading Formula Ford drivers from previous year's
championship grids making successful transitions into Formula 3
drives.
GRAND
PRIX DRIVER JENSON BUTTON:
"Formula Ford was a great championship for me to start
my career in single-seater cars. For drivers making the step up
from karts to cars, Formula Ford couldn't be a better
championship to introduce rookies to the open wheel racing.
After winning the British Formula Ford Championship and the
Formula Ford Festival, the next step up for me was Formula 3. I
definitely think that Formula Ford gave me the right preparation
and experience needed to move up again in my career."
WHY
CHOOSE BRITISH FORMULA FORD?
The 2007 British Formula Ford Championship was, incredibly, its
40th consecutive year of delivering future champions. The list
of drivers who have started their car racing careers in Formula
Ford reads like a who's who of motorsport. It is this heritage
that makes Formula Ford such an incredible championship in which
to take part.
Nothing
is a certainty in motorsport, but it always has been and always
will be a pretty good bet that any driver who excels in British
Formula Ford is on their way to great things in their driving
career.
The
strictly enforced technical regulations are one of the mainstays
of the championship over the years. Ford Motor Company is behind
these regulations, with staff at the home of Ford
Motorsport in Dunton Research Centre, writing and updating
these, and providing the vital expertise of the championship
scrutineer and electronics experts.
One
of the key elements of its success is that Formula Ford, unlike
all the other single seater series that have come and gone in
the UK over the past 20 years, is not a one-make championship.
By allowing freedom of chassis design, engine build and numerous
technical items of specification on the car, this drives the
technical standards to exceptionally high levels from both teams
and drivers.
Contrast
the fixed specification of rival single-seater cars with the
engineering freedom permitted for Formula Ford, and you will
rapidly appreciate why Formula Ford drivers leave the series
with exceptional levels of understanding of car set up and the
implications of each chassis variation they try. This tends to
be the reason that their careers progress so far thereafter. If
you are serious about your driving career, missing the crucial
learning experience that Formula Ford provides might just be the
biggest mistake you make.
There
are only two other professional single-seater racing formulae in
the world that offer freedom of chassis and engine build - they
are Formula 3 and Formula 1.
This
is why Formula Ford continues to resist aerodynamic aids such as
wings and their resulting downforce, giving drivers the only
chance in their careers to master the mechanical grip that a car
and tyre will produce when driven and set up properly. If a
driver misses this crucial stage of learning, then they may
never get a chance to regain this critical knowledge.
As
Motorsport News asked recently: 'Can you really afford to
skip Formula Ford?'
SUCCESS
IN FORMULA FORD - TWO OF OUR MOST RECENT GRADUATES
There is no better testimonial for aspiring drivers considering
their choice of single-seater championship than to look ahead at
the next steps on the ladder - Formula 3 and Champ Car. It is no
secret around UK paddocks that Formula 3 team managers respect
the development that Formula Ford gives its drivers over that
offered by rival one-make, winged racing cars. That is why we
choose to follow the Formula 3 calendar - just watch how the
Formula 3 teams come out of their garages to watch the Formula
Ford races.
The
very best illustration of this comes from two of our top drivers
from the last couple of years who have moved up from British
Formula Ford to British Formula 3, then on to Euro F3 and Champ
Car World Series. They have performed way above expectation,
both winning races in the first half of their maiden seasons of
British F3.
There
is no other junior single seater formula in the UK or abroad
that develops its top drivers highly enough to achieve this
level of success. Built on Formula Ford foundations, both of
these drivers' racing careers are tipped to go all the way.
Charlie
Kimball, Euro Formula 3
"As a driver, I can think of no better junior Formula
than Formula Ford in which to prepare to race in Formula 3. F3
has always been a proving ground for young drivers because of
its level of competition, technical education, as well as its
extensive testing and racing. Formula Ford excels in those same
three categories which allows a learning and developing driver
to prepare him/herself best for the future. The technical
foundation of Formula Ford is so important because it allows a
driver to understand the basis of a racing car, mechanical grip,
without being confused with aerodynamics. This core knowledge
has given me the necessary tools to develop a new Formula 3 car
in my first year. Furthermore, the amount of testing and racing
in Formula Ford prepared me for the physical and mental tests of
a 22 race season in F3. Without the education of Formula Ford, I
would not be in a position to be as successful as I have been
this year."
Dan
Clarke, Champ Car World Series
"I competed a total of three years in the racing
divisions of Formula Ford and enjoyed huge successes with race
wins at Brands Hatch, Thruxton, Spa Francorchamps and most
importantly, the Formula Ford Festival in 2004. Now in my first
year of Formula 3 I'm already a race winner. And I can attribute
much of that success, not only the car controlling skills I
honed from driving Formula Fords, but also the racecraft I
developed in the fast and exciting races in Fords. Any race fan
will tell you, with the array of classes out there at the
moment, Formula Ford is the only one that constantly guarantees
close racing and overtaking. And I have that experience to thank
for my success in Formula 3 and Champ Car since."