21 September, 2009: Josef Newgarden's MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain title hopes took a dent yesterday, for although the young American won both races at Brands Hatch he was excluded from one of them for a technical infringement, handing the victory to the favourite for the championship crown, James Cole. Newgarden's JTR team is appealing the decision, and thus the title will likely be decided by the rule makers rather than on the track…

Race 1
Mygale driver Newgarden appeared to do all he needed to keep his title chances alive in race one at Brands Hatch, but it was title rival Cole who provisionally took maximum points for Jamun Racing.

Not for the first time this season the pair started at the front, Cole having pipped Newgarden to the pole by just three-thousandths of a second. Cole's Jamun Mygale grabbed the initial advantage, but Newgarden got a good run out of Surtees and slipstreamed past to take the lead on the opening lap.

A clash between Dan de Zille and Josh Hill briefly brought out the safety car and after the restart Newgarden and Cole pulled clear of the pack. Cole kept the pressure on initially, but Newgarden inched away and Cole was lucky to finish as he was struck with a fuel surge problem in the closing stages.

That allowed Newgarden's JTR team-mate Liroy Stuart to close up as he scored his first podium of the season. The Dutchman started fourth and made a good start to shoot by Jamun's Patrick McKenna. As McKenna got embroiled in a fight for fourth with team-mate Chrissy Palmer, Daniel Erickson (Kevin Mills Racing Spectrum), the Van Diemen of Garry Findlay, and Getem's Rogier De Wit, Stuart was able to break away.

He had almost been reeled back in when McKenna spun at Stirling's on lap eight, putting himself and Palmer out, and delaying Findlay. Erickson had already retired after a clash at Surtees, so De Wit inherited fourth, chased by Ben Barker (Fluid Van Diemen) and Findlay. Findlay made it past Barker, but couldn't oust De Wit from fourth after a tough fight and saw his championship hopes evaporate.

Hill put in a great recovery drive to come back to seventh after his early delay, which had dropped him to the back of the pack, while the Scholarship Class went to GV Racing's Josh Benson. Fabio Gamberini's Van Diemen had led the class early on, but a mistake at Paddock delayed the Brazilian and allowed Benson by. Gamberini then narrowly held off Kieran Vernon's Spirit to take second.

Newgarden's joy at his ninth victory of the season was shortlived. His JTR Mygale's alternator was found to be disconnected in post-race scrutineering, contravening regulations, and he was excluded from the results. JTR has appealed the decision.

Race 2
Newgarden bounced back from his disappointment with one of the most dominant performances of 2009. The American started from pole, rebuffed Cole's challenge into Paddock on the first lap and drove away from the field.

A cautious Cole was jumped by Erickson at the exit of Westfield on the opening lap and was demoted again by De Wit on lap two. The Getem machine then slipstreamed Erickson out of Surtees on the next tour and drove around the outside of the Spectrum driver into Hawthorn. Erickson would spend the rest of the race staring at the back of the Dutchman's Mygale, but could not find a way by.

Their fantastic fight eventually resulted in an eight-car train battling over second. Cole lost a further place to team-mate Palmer at Surtees on lap three, only for Palmer to go off at Sheene shortly afterwards, and Cole was then overtaken by Stuart at Druids. Although McKenna then applied more pressure to Cole, the championship leader held on to follow De Wit, Erickson and Stuart across the line in fifth.

Just behind McKenna came a recovering Palmer in seventh, just 67-thousandths ahead of Findlay, up from row six after an off in qualifying had limited his running. Hill completed the top nine and was just 2.013s behind the second-placed De Wit.

Benson completed a fine weekend with his second Scholarship Class win and 13th overall. Gamberini again led in the early stages, but Benson's GV Mygale was able to pressure the Van Diemen into a small mistake on the Grand Prix loop to take the lead at around half distance.

He then drove away, leaving Gamberini to again fend off a charging Vernon, which he did by just 0.239s. De Zille looked set to have a say in that fight, but a crash at Paddock on the final lap ended his chances of a podium.

Up front, though, Newgarden had won by over five seconds, and had backed off on the final tour. "This was the best response to the exclusion," said the 18-year-old American. "This place has been good to me."

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