17 April, 2008: Next weekend's Croft rounds of the British Formula Ford Championship could provide the best chance yet for Wayne Boyd's rivals to stop the young Ulsterman from running away with the Ford-backed series.

That's the view of another championship front-runner, Linton Stuteley, who says the North Yorkshire circuit does not suit the Mygale chassis which he and Boyd both drive: "Many of the corners are quite awkward it's also very bumpy, which makes some parts extremely difficult to drive, especially for the Mygales, which run monoshock suspension. Other cars, such as the Van Diemens and the Rays, will be much closer to the front at Croft."

Croft was the only circuit last season not to host a Mygale race victory, but nonetheless Boyd will take some stopping after his dream debut: the 17-year-old has claimed five British Formula Ford wins from six starts in his Jamun Racing-prepared Mygale.

Boyd's team-mate, the reigning Australian champion Tim Blanchard, is top of the list of suspects to put a stop to Wayne's winning streak. Tim won the Oulton Park race that Boyd failed to, and has finished a close second to him three times; Blanchard currently trails his rival by 16 points.

Getem Racing driver Stuteley is third in the championship after two strong second-place finishes at Knockhill last weekend in his ST Construction Mygale. Linton, who called Croft his home circuit for many seasons, is hoping he can show good form: "Last year we had a bit of bad luck with an incident at the hairpin and then in the final race a drive-through penalty, but I think overall my pace was good and should be just as good this year.

"Croft has several mid- to high-speed corners which are immediately followed by much tighter ones, and this would normally make overtaking easier but the track is also quite narrow in places and this makes it easier to defend your position. The hairpin can be very difficult to drive, not just because it is so tight but because it's very easy to leave the door wide open for the car behind.

"The track becomes treacherous in the wet, especially during the second half of the lap, and this will place the onus on the driver's wet-weather judgment."

A Van Diemen won at Croft in 2007, and the Fluid Motorsport team and their drivers David Brown and Marco Sorenson will be keen for a repeat performance. Westley Barber, meanwhile, is helping the new Comtec chassis to improve with every outing; he qualified on the front row at Knockhill and led briefly.

The Kevin Mills-run Spectrums of Adrian Campfield and Glen Wood are getting closer to the front also, while the JTR Mygale trio of Matt Hamilton, Philippe Layac and Rogier de Wit could spring a surprise. Young Brazilian Victor Correa, in another Jamun Mygale, claimed his maiden podium finish last time out and looks sure to become a factor, as does Stuteley's Dutch team-mate, Chris Maliepaard.

Chester-le-Street's Peter Daglish made an encouraging start to his British Formula Ford season at Knockhill; Peter and his family-run Ray contest the Scholarship division for older chassis and drivers on a tight budget. Current leader of the class is Welsh driver Alex Jones, whose Van Diemen is prepared by the students of Myerscough College.

Croft, near Darlington, plays host to rounds seven, eight and nine of the 20-race British Formula Ford Championship over the weekend of 26/27 April.

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