Spectacular wheel-to-wheel action, an intra-team collision and post-race stewards' investigation all culminated in Jason Smyth becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Formula Ford Festival in its 55-year history last weekend.
The young Irishman had comprehensively won the blue riband event 12 months ago, but recapturing his crown in 2026 proved to be much more difficult – and controversial.
At the wheel of a Team Dolan Van Diemen RF00/JL12, Smyth was one of the favourites for this year's event, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Festival being held at Brands Hatch, with the Final even shown live on Sky Sports F1 ahead of the channel's United States Grand Prix coverage.
Smyth's pole position for heat two was converted into a comfortable 12.6-second victory during a wet Saturday afternoon as Storm Boelo battered the UK, but he faced a sterner test the next day against stablemate and two-time Festival winner, Niall Murray.
Murray also won his 10-lap heat comfortably, but the 2013 and 2016 Festival winner had to do it from 18th and last on the grid when his driveshaft broke after just a single lap in qualifying. The Dolan duo lined up on the front row for a completely dry second semi-final and pulled clear of the chasing pack, with Murray harassing his team-mate and making several attempts to pass in the 14-lap affair.
Murray's best chance came on lap nine as he moved to the inside on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend on the run up the hill into Druids, but he found himself squeezed onto the wet grass before backing out. The order remained unchanged at the chequered flag, with Murray stating post-race that he would not back out of a similar move in the final as friction between the pair – already evident after several on-track moments at last year's Walter Hayes Trophy – bubbled away.
Murray (r) was less than impressed with his team-mate's robust defence
Photo by: Gary Hawkins
His words proved prophetic for the 23-lap Final, as in a repeat situation, Murray moved to the inside on the eighth tour and did not back out as contact with Smyth sent him into a 360-degree spin. Although he recovered, a puncture and bent steering brought Murray into the pits and out of contention.
“When someone is alongside he just shoves them off,” lamented Murray. “It is frustrating because he's really fast and really talented. I would love to be able to have good battles with him. In the semi and the final I had a wheel alongside and he just turned in.”
The contact damaged Smyth's car, whose viewpoint was that, “I saw him in the mirror and put it in the middle of the road, but I don't think he had enough [alongside] and he hit my rear.”
Murray's demise left B-M Racing's Jordan Dempsey as Smyth's next challenger, who 12 months ago had split the Dolan drivers in the final classification and was looking to go one better. The Medina Sport BH22 driver took victory in the opening heat from pole, defending from United Formula Ford champion Anthony Amato on the first lap before romping to a 5s victory and earning another pole for the first semi-final.
Amato was once more Dempsey's main challenger from third on the grid, and the completely dry conditions allowed the Ammonite Motorsport driver to be a constant threat as just three tenths separated the pair at the flag.
Dempsey initially challenged Smyth from the front row into Paddock Hill at both starts in the Final – a second restart needed after Tom Nippers found the gravel at Druids on the opening lap – before dropping behind Murray and Amato briefly. After establishing himself back in second, Dempsey closed a one-second gap to Smyth, but was continuously rebuffed in his efforts to gain the lead, their fight allowing Amato, as well as Ben Cochran and Luke Cooper, to join the fray.
Amato closes on Dempsey in the battle for the podium places
Photo by: Gary Hawkins
Cochran had started last in the opening heat before recovering to fifth after a wheel fell off his Oldfield Motorsport Van Diemen in qualifying, while reigning Castle Combe FF1600 champion Cooper slumped to seventh in heat three from third on the grid after a poor start.
Both were then helped in a first semi-final that featured two red flags as they finished third and fifth respectively. British F4 race winner Leo Robinson had claimed heat three victory in his first-ever FF1600 outing for Oldfield Motorsport, but was eliminated in a collision up towards Druids with Hugh Esterson on his next start. Heat podium finishers Esterson, Ronan Doherty and Morgan Quinn then retired in a second incident at the same spot.
Two-time Festival winner Rory Smith also failed to advance, a driveshaft breaking on his B-M Racing Medina Sport in the heats meaning he had to compete in the Progression Race. Victory from the back row gave him a shot at the semi-finals, but a spin into the Paddock Hill gravel on the final lap when fighting Cooper for fifth ended his event.
In the latter stages of the Final, Swift driver Cooper held a watching brief as those in front continuously banged wheels and swapped positions, all except Smyth whose resolute defence could not be broken despite a frenetic battle from those behind. Amato made one last attempt around the outside of Smyth at Paddock Hill on the final lap but found the gravel, giving Smyth the edge to claim victory by 0.321s, as Dempsey, Amato and Cochran were covered by just 0.026s, with Cooper just a further three-tenths back.
Smyth's incident with Murray and his racing conduct with Dempsey, who believed that “there was a limit, and it was way over” during their battle, were investigated by officials before no further action was taken in each instance.
“It's a dream to just win it, but to win it twice [in a row], it might never be beaten,” said Smyth immediately post-race before any investigation. “We just have to enjoy these moments.
“I got hit I don't know how many times in the gearbox and this is also supposed to be a non-contact sport. It was give and take. It created a great race for Sky Sports and I think this is just going to raise Formula Ford's profile because the racecraft shown there, we definitely put a show on.”
Another year, another Smyth victory for the FF1600 star
Photo by: Gary Hawkins