6 July, 2009: MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain leader James Cole managed to double his points advantage at Snetterton at the weekend, collecting a brace of podium finishes from the three Norfolk rounds. The race victories belonged however to 16-year-old Jordi Cunill, who claimed his maiden win, and to Josef Newgarden, who twice triumphed for the JTR team.

Saturday's 10th round of the championship saw points leader James Cole overhaul pole-sitter Josef Newgarden on the opening lap to take up an early lead. Alas for Cole, any hopes the Jamun driver might have had of pulling clear of the American were destroyed when the safety car was brought into play while the stricken Mygale of Josh Hill was retrieved from a dangerous spot. Hill's Jamun Mygale had suffered suspension failure after contact with another car.

Cole judged the restart to perfection, repulsing Newgarden's inevitable attack through Riches and hanging on to the lead. Josef was in no mood to play second fiddle, however, and blasted past his rival two laps later to assume command. Cole clung to the back of the JTR car for as long as he could… in fact until Daniel Cammish loomed so large in his mirrors that James had to concentrate on defending second place rather than attacking for the lead.

The relatively inexperienced Spectrum pilot Cammish tried everything he knew to find a way around Cole, James keeping him at bay for several tense laps. On the final tour Cammish tried to dive down Cole's inside into Riches but succeeded only in spinning away his podium hopes.

Newgarden was two-and-a-half seconds clear of Cole at the flag, with Cammish's KMR team-mate Daniel Erickson gratefully collecting third on the final lap, finishing a whisker ahead of Garry Findlay's Van Diemen. Cammish recovered to sixth, just behind Chrissy Palmer.

"That was a lot of fun," said the victorious Newgarden. "The safety car mixed everything up and maybe even made it a better show. Our races are so close, the crowd have got to love them. Everyone gets a kick out of watching them."

Patrick McKenna battled with Palmer for much of the race, eventually coming home seventh, ahead of Spain's Jordi Cunill, Dutchman Liroy Stuart and Brazilian Fabio Gamberini to make it seven different nationalities in the top 10.

On Sunday morning Newgarden showed his rivals a clean set of heels with a lights-to-flag victory in the 11th round. Once again, his nearest challenger was the Jamun Racing Mygale of James Cole.

JTR driver Newgarden confidently translated pole position into a race lead as the pack headed off from the green light, holding firm against the challenge from the Kevin Mills Racing Spectrum of Cammish. Further back, Findlay found an early advantage in his Fluid Motorsport Van Diemen, powering from ninth on the grid to hold sixth at the end of lap one.

Newgarden was one second clear of the chasing pack on lap two, while on the next tour the Cole was able to claw back second spot from Cammish and set about attacking for the lead.

Behind Cammish, Patrick McKenna and Daniel Erickson were locked in a similarly tight fight for fourth, the Irishman's Jamun Racing Mygale besting the Australian on lap four.

Up front, Newgarden was holding a steady advantage, while Cammish, struggling with understeer, was facing a multi-car challenge for his third place, McKenna nailing the move through Riches at the start of lap six, with Erickson also moving through to take fourth on the same tour.

The status quo at the front held firm through lap seven, with a revived Cammish hauling a place back from Erickson on lap eight. Chrissy Palmer's GV Racing Mygale joined the leading pack to challenge Findlay for sixth place, only to be overhauled by team-mate Jordi Cunill on lap nine.

Cole succeeded in cutting Newgarden's lead by half by lap 10, with Cammish managing to open a breathing space ahead of Erickson and his pursuers. Cole posted fastest lap of the race on lap 11, but this was still not enough to put him on terms with the leader, who remained half a second clear.

Findlay's determination paid off on lap 12, with a successful move on Erickson to take fifth. The Australian was destined to fall further back, overhauled by both Palmer and Cunill on lap 14.

On the penultimate lap, the leading duo were closer than ever, but Cole could find no answer to Newgarden's pre-eminence. Rather it was Cammish who launched a late braking attack on McKenna through Riches and Sear, but was ultimately unable to better his fourth position.

At the flag Newgarden came home less than half a second ahead of Cole, with McKenna third and Cammish fourth and top Scholarship finisher. Findlay held fifth and Palmer's late dash for the flag saw him wrest sixth from Cunill by a whisker. Erickson, Liroy Stuart and Alex Jones completed the top 10.

"This was not such a comfortable win as yesterday," said Newgarden. "I had some loose bodywork that was lifting along the straight and adding to the drag. It could have hindered us but I had enough pace to keep ahead. I'm really pleased with the result, we need to keep the ball rolling now."

Added Cole: "We are fast enough to win but Josef consistently put in very good laps and I just had to keep with him as best I could."

The third race of the weekend saw Spain's Jordi Cunill celebrate the first single-seater victory of his racing career, the 16-year-old seizing a hard-fought win on the last lap. Jordi clinched a passing move on his GV Racing team-mate Chrissy Palmer to take first place by less than a tenth of a second. His success was the culmination of a thrilling race-long battle between four drivers.

At the start Cole converted his pole position into an early lead, with Newgarden, winner of the weekend's two previous rounds, unable to fend off Palmer's charge from third on the grid into second. Newgarden was not to be bested for long, however, and he regained the advantage into the Esses to lead the field at the end of the second lap.

As Newgarden threatened to build a clear lead on lap three, behind him there was a close battle for second place, held by Cole from Palmer and Cunill. A little further back, Cammish led the chasing group.

By the end of lap four, Cole had clawed back Newgarden's lead to 0.8 seconds; next time around the gap was closer, but Cole himself had Palmer and Cunill in close attention. With Newgarden unable to break free, these four were all in contention for the lead on lap six, with Cole initiating the first in a series of slipstreaming manoeuvres that would take each man to the front before the chequered flag.

Newgarden was back in front on lap eight, only to cede to Cole again on the next tour, the Jamun Racing pilot holding on to the lead for the next two laps, albeit by less than two tenths of a second. Behind the quartet out front, Cammish was a 3.5 seconds further back and facing a growing challenge from Garry Findlay in the Fluid Motorsport Van Diemen.

On lap 13 it was change again, as Cole faced payback time from Newgarden along the Revett Straight and into the chicane. Next time around the pack was shuffled once more, Palmer making it to the front for the first time, from Newgarden, Cunill and Cole. He made the move stick for a further lap, with Cunill moving ahead of Cole to second.

On the last lap Cunill timed his move perfectly to relegate Palmer to second, while Newgarden also benefited from a bold manoeuvre on the outside of Riches to seize third place from Cole. Findlay had made it past Cammish on the penultimate lap and held fifth by 0.266 seconds, Cammish took sixth by just the same margin from Patrick McKenna. Liroy Stuart, Ben Barker and Alex Jones completed the top 10 finishers. Edged off the podium, Cole's consolation was fastest lap of the race.

"This win means a lot to me," said Cunill. "It's my first in a single-seater. It's very exciting for me, especially as I have achieved it with my new team. We've worked very hard for this and now it has all worked out right. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward to Donington."

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