Post by NS-R on Oct 25, 2007 12:49:29 GMT
Ford Fiesta Championship - Rounds 14 & 15
Brands Hatch Indy - 20 & 21 October
General
The final rounds of the Ford Fiesta Championship were showcased in front of the Formula Ford Festival last weekend. This festival is steeped in history and previous drivers who have raced at the festival include Michael Schumacher & Ayrton Senna. The event is the highlight of the Formula Ford year and large attendances were evident throughout the weekend including Ford senior management.
Both cars had undergone major motorsport preparation work since the last meeting. John’s ABS sensor which had caused his braking problems was now working and Nick’s car was mechanically repaired with some more cosmetic repairs made due to the damage sustained at the last meeting. If anyone chose to inspect the cars closely however it would reveal that both cars had been involved in “close racing” with Nick’s car showing signs of visiting the tyre barriers. The intention was to have both cars mechanically sound with the full cosmetic overhauls to be done over the winter period.
Five Fiesta STs were entered with Richard Kemp returning after severing a tendon in his hand whilst fitting his race exhaust. 32 cars were to race over the Brands Hatch Indy circuit – the maximum number of cars allowed on the grid which is a testament to how well the series is supported. After the final race on Sunday the series coordinator gave feedback from Ford senior management who were present at the festival. They were impressed with the level of entries in the Ford Fiesta Championship and enjoyed the good close racing with a view to potential factory support in 2008.
Representatives from both of the team’s major sponsors – Kempster Ford and Orion Engineering – were present at the meeting so John and Nick were determined to put on a good show and round out the season with some good performances.
Testing
Nick unfortunately was unable to test prior to this meeting, work commitments meaning he was out of the country. John however tested on the Wednesday prior to the meeting. Only six other saloons were booked in so John was guaranteed an empty track to experiment with his technical setup. John was suffering from a ‘tummy bug’ and not feeling 100%, his race mechanic later reported that his fastest laps were just before he came in to answer the call of nature!
The first session was on a damp, but drying track and driving the circuit in these conditions would be useful if the forecast weekend weather took a turn for the worst. Conditions improved for the remainder of the day and John generally used the time to increase his knowledge of the circuit.
The last session of the day was run with a low sun which meant the turn in points for Druids and Clearways were almost blind and this was a piece of information filed away for race day.
David Ellesley also tested in his Fiesta Si although his day came to an abrupt end when he rolled his car down Paddock Hill Bend although it was relieving to hear that David was unhurt during this incident.
Qualifying
31 cars lined up for the 15 minute qualifying session after one car pulled out with mechanical problems. The team noted from earlier sessions that the cars which went out on circuit first actually caught the end of the field coming out on to the track from the pit lane so they decided to go out mid-pack and make some space for themselves. John got away first and got a few good laps in to be running 7th. Nick stormed onto pole position early in the session and remained there for the majority of the session. John then got caught up with slower cars and gradually slipped down to 10th as others improved their lap times. When he saw this on his pit board, he knew he would have to find some space and two laps later had improved back up to 6th. Nick continued on pole until the second last qualifying lap when he was just pipped by Dan Rose by 0.073 seconds into 2nd place.
With the experience of a previous race meeting behind them, both drivers improved their fastest Brands Hatch lap time and qualifying positions considerably.
Qualifying Result
Nick Sanderson – 56.880 – Position: 2nd.
John Findlay – 57.760 – Position 6th.
Round 14
The sun was low when the cars went out to race and John improvised a sun screen by attaching a piece of gaffer tape to the visor of his helmet, allowing him to easily adjust the height of it depending on the sun. This was to prove useful for the Cooper straight where the sun was directly in the drivers eyes.
The last race meeting of a season can sometimes prove to be eventful as some drivers, knowing they have all winter to repair their cars seem to be a bit cavalier in their approach. Unfortunately, this would prove to be the case during this race.
At the start, Nick, Dan Rose & Ben Roper charged down Paddock Hill Bend heading the field with John a few places, but close behind. Gordon Tomkins lost it going down Paddock Hill Bend whilst outside John and careered off into the tyres. Ben & Dan then came together at Graham Hill Bend. This left Nick in a clear lead. John safely negotiated his way through Ben & Dan’s parked cars though he was delayed slightly. It appeared that there had been more carnage behind John as he had a huge gap behind him and he was looking forward to concentrating on the cars in front without needing to defend.
Unfortunately as the cars came over the start / finish line the red flags came out to signal a race stoppage. It soon became clear as to the cause as cars were strewn across the track on the approach to the Druids hairpin.
When Dan and Ben collided, Nick took avoiding action and went into the lead of the race and would have been in an excellent position to take another race win. However, although disappointing given both John & Nick’s race positions, stopping the race was definitely the correct decision.
Both Dan and Ben made it to the restart and after a word or two from the clerk of the course, all the cars raced off the line again for a shortened race of 15 minutes. Brian Roper made a great start and was up the outside of John going into to Druids Hairpin. Brian got half a car ahead but then turned in, with the end result of John T-boning him all the way round the hairpin. This slowed John down and a couple of cars went past but then Ben and Nick lost it independently at Graham Hill Bend and collected each other when coming back on, Nick hitting Ben’s car hard whilst travelling backwards. This put John in 7th position (2nd in class) and he set about closing down David Nye who was a few seconds up the road. John caught him on lap 5 and after David defended for a couple of laps he got past on lap 7. John’s car then started understeering - a problem that worsened as the race went on. It was particularly bad at Druids Hairpin as the car would simply not turn in. This halted John’s progress and he remained comfortable in 6th until the chequered flag.
Nick set about making up the lost places after rejoining in 24th place. He charged through the field behind Ben Roper and the two STs were dicing hard and after many attempts, Nick finally got past Ben to finish 8th overall, 3rd in the Fiesta ST class.
Round 14 Result
Nick Sanderson – 8th (3rd in ST class) - Fastest Lap 57.244
John Findlay – 6th (2nd in ST Class) - Fastest Lap 57.933
Summary
An eventful race which saw John finishing in a season’s best position of 6th and 2nd in class, comfortably on the pace and looking forward to the final race the following day. Nick’s car required more preparation work for the following day including re-attaching the rear bumper, courtesy of the marshals who had retrieved it from the side of the track.
Round 15
John’s understeer had been traced to a loose nut which once re-torqued, resolved the understeer problems. David Nye made a blistering start and got up the inside of John who lost the place, but came out of paddock still in 6th position as David Ellesley was overtaken. Nick got up John’s outside at Druid’s and the cars briefly touched resulting in John’s passenger wing mirror being flattened against the window. With Nick now on the inside for Graham Hill Bend, John conceded the place and Nick set about closing down the leaders. The safety car was deployed on lap 2 due to Gordon Tomkins’ car being stranded at the top of Paddock Hill Bend after a coming together whilst jockeying for position. At this point John was 8th and Nick 6th. The safety car obviously closed the field but it was all systems go on lap 3 when the safety car went into the pitlane. Ben Roper pulled a big move on Nick at the re-start and went through on the outside at Paddock Hill Bend – a brave move and very well executed. Nick improved a position when he got past Tim Bennett but Tim then chose to vigorously defend his position against John who could not get past.
Right behind John was Richard Kemp and David Ellesley. This four car train were nose to tail lap after lap but losing time against the cars ahead due to Tim’s resolute but fair defending. David briefly got past John on lap 11 but John retook the place on lap 12. John went for a gap on lap 15 which Tim closed at the last minute forcing John to back out of it and lose momentum. This allowed both Richard and David to get past and by this time the four car train had been joined by Richard Durham who eventually sneaked up John’s blindside on lap 19 leaving John at the end of the five car train which was covered by under 2 seconds as they took the chequered flag.
Whilst all this was going on Nick continued to make up places and moved into 3rd place overall when David Abbott left his braking a little late and went off at Graham Hill Bend. Although Nick had made up five positions, he couldn’t quite catch Ben or Dan who were battling for the lead but came home in a strong 3rd position.
Round 15 Result
Nick Sanderson – 3rd (3rd in ST class) - Fastest Lap 57.354
John Findlay – 10th (5th in ST class) - Fastest Lap 58.234
Summary
Both John and Nick had exciting final races to the season and finished with big smiles on their faces. John’s steering wheel had worked loose during the race and it finished with quite a bit of “play” in it. John only noticed this after the race had ended! For his efforts, John won driver of the day for the Saturday race.
Final Championship Standings – ST Class
Final Championship Points
(with two ‘dropped scores’)
Position Name Points
1 Daniel Rose 190
2 Ben Roper 180
3 Nick Sanderson 154
4 John Findlay 107
5 Richard Kemp 60
6 Stewart Scott 24
Considering the 2007 season was a development year for the team’s new Fiesta STs, the programme has been a great success with some excellent results. The cars have proved to be reliable and technical knowledge has been learned throughout the season. Both factors give rise to optimism for next season.
With Nick finishing 3rd overall and John finishing 4th overall, both drivers will receive championship trophies at the BRSCC Awards Ceremonies.
Both cars will now be fully maintained back to concourse condition and will be on display in the Kempster Ford showroom over the course of the winter. The cars can be made available for events during the close season. Both drivers are committing to the 2008 Ford Fiesta Championship where the team will be challenging for the championship title.
A special thanks from both Nick and John to Kempster Ford and Orion Engineering for their support during the season and we look forward to extending our relationship for the next phase of the programme.
Congratulations to Dan Rose on winning the inaugural Fiesta ST Class Championship. A comic moment to mention, as Dan went into the final round of the season, in his rush to re-join the grid, he managed to hit himself in the head with his crash helmet, resulting in a huge black eye! It didn’t stop him taking the fastest lap and winning the race though…
A season DVD will be available later in the year from AMG Television showing coverage of all the rounds throughout the season, as broadcast on Motors TV & Channel 5. Rounds 12 & 13 will be televised at 9pm Friday 26 October on Motors TV. John had the ‘in car camera’ for Round 12, with it transferring to Nick’s car for Round 13.
An End of Season review is in production and will be distributed shortly.
Cheers,
Nick.
Brands Hatch Indy - 20 & 21 October
General
The final rounds of the Ford Fiesta Championship were showcased in front of the Formula Ford Festival last weekend. This festival is steeped in history and previous drivers who have raced at the festival include Michael Schumacher & Ayrton Senna. The event is the highlight of the Formula Ford year and large attendances were evident throughout the weekend including Ford senior management.
Both cars had undergone major motorsport preparation work since the last meeting. John’s ABS sensor which had caused his braking problems was now working and Nick’s car was mechanically repaired with some more cosmetic repairs made due to the damage sustained at the last meeting. If anyone chose to inspect the cars closely however it would reveal that both cars had been involved in “close racing” with Nick’s car showing signs of visiting the tyre barriers. The intention was to have both cars mechanically sound with the full cosmetic overhauls to be done over the winter period.
Five Fiesta STs were entered with Richard Kemp returning after severing a tendon in his hand whilst fitting his race exhaust. 32 cars were to race over the Brands Hatch Indy circuit – the maximum number of cars allowed on the grid which is a testament to how well the series is supported. After the final race on Sunday the series coordinator gave feedback from Ford senior management who were present at the festival. They were impressed with the level of entries in the Ford Fiesta Championship and enjoyed the good close racing with a view to potential factory support in 2008.
Representatives from both of the team’s major sponsors – Kempster Ford and Orion Engineering – were present at the meeting so John and Nick were determined to put on a good show and round out the season with some good performances.
Testing
Nick unfortunately was unable to test prior to this meeting, work commitments meaning he was out of the country. John however tested on the Wednesday prior to the meeting. Only six other saloons were booked in so John was guaranteed an empty track to experiment with his technical setup. John was suffering from a ‘tummy bug’ and not feeling 100%, his race mechanic later reported that his fastest laps were just before he came in to answer the call of nature!
The first session was on a damp, but drying track and driving the circuit in these conditions would be useful if the forecast weekend weather took a turn for the worst. Conditions improved for the remainder of the day and John generally used the time to increase his knowledge of the circuit.
The last session of the day was run with a low sun which meant the turn in points for Druids and Clearways were almost blind and this was a piece of information filed away for race day.
David Ellesley also tested in his Fiesta Si although his day came to an abrupt end when he rolled his car down Paddock Hill Bend although it was relieving to hear that David was unhurt during this incident.
Qualifying
31 cars lined up for the 15 minute qualifying session after one car pulled out with mechanical problems. The team noted from earlier sessions that the cars which went out on circuit first actually caught the end of the field coming out on to the track from the pit lane so they decided to go out mid-pack and make some space for themselves. John got away first and got a few good laps in to be running 7th. Nick stormed onto pole position early in the session and remained there for the majority of the session. John then got caught up with slower cars and gradually slipped down to 10th as others improved their lap times. When he saw this on his pit board, he knew he would have to find some space and two laps later had improved back up to 6th. Nick continued on pole until the second last qualifying lap when he was just pipped by Dan Rose by 0.073 seconds into 2nd place.
With the experience of a previous race meeting behind them, both drivers improved their fastest Brands Hatch lap time and qualifying positions considerably.
Qualifying Result
Nick Sanderson – 56.880 – Position: 2nd.
John Findlay – 57.760 – Position 6th.
Round 14
The sun was low when the cars went out to race and John improvised a sun screen by attaching a piece of gaffer tape to the visor of his helmet, allowing him to easily adjust the height of it depending on the sun. This was to prove useful for the Cooper straight where the sun was directly in the drivers eyes.
The last race meeting of a season can sometimes prove to be eventful as some drivers, knowing they have all winter to repair their cars seem to be a bit cavalier in their approach. Unfortunately, this would prove to be the case during this race.
At the start, Nick, Dan Rose & Ben Roper charged down Paddock Hill Bend heading the field with John a few places, but close behind. Gordon Tomkins lost it going down Paddock Hill Bend whilst outside John and careered off into the tyres. Ben & Dan then came together at Graham Hill Bend. This left Nick in a clear lead. John safely negotiated his way through Ben & Dan’s parked cars though he was delayed slightly. It appeared that there had been more carnage behind John as he had a huge gap behind him and he was looking forward to concentrating on the cars in front without needing to defend.
Unfortunately as the cars came over the start / finish line the red flags came out to signal a race stoppage. It soon became clear as to the cause as cars were strewn across the track on the approach to the Druids hairpin.
When Dan and Ben collided, Nick took avoiding action and went into the lead of the race and would have been in an excellent position to take another race win. However, although disappointing given both John & Nick’s race positions, stopping the race was definitely the correct decision.
Both Dan and Ben made it to the restart and after a word or two from the clerk of the course, all the cars raced off the line again for a shortened race of 15 minutes. Brian Roper made a great start and was up the outside of John going into to Druids Hairpin. Brian got half a car ahead but then turned in, with the end result of John T-boning him all the way round the hairpin. This slowed John down and a couple of cars went past but then Ben and Nick lost it independently at Graham Hill Bend and collected each other when coming back on, Nick hitting Ben’s car hard whilst travelling backwards. This put John in 7th position (2nd in class) and he set about closing down David Nye who was a few seconds up the road. John caught him on lap 5 and after David defended for a couple of laps he got past on lap 7. John’s car then started understeering - a problem that worsened as the race went on. It was particularly bad at Druids Hairpin as the car would simply not turn in. This halted John’s progress and he remained comfortable in 6th until the chequered flag.
Nick set about making up the lost places after rejoining in 24th place. He charged through the field behind Ben Roper and the two STs were dicing hard and after many attempts, Nick finally got past Ben to finish 8th overall, 3rd in the Fiesta ST class.
Round 14 Result
Nick Sanderson – 8th (3rd in ST class) - Fastest Lap 57.244
John Findlay – 6th (2nd in ST Class) - Fastest Lap 57.933
Summary
An eventful race which saw John finishing in a season’s best position of 6th and 2nd in class, comfortably on the pace and looking forward to the final race the following day. Nick’s car required more preparation work for the following day including re-attaching the rear bumper, courtesy of the marshals who had retrieved it from the side of the track.
Round 15
John’s understeer had been traced to a loose nut which once re-torqued, resolved the understeer problems. David Nye made a blistering start and got up the inside of John who lost the place, but came out of paddock still in 6th position as David Ellesley was overtaken. Nick got up John’s outside at Druid’s and the cars briefly touched resulting in John’s passenger wing mirror being flattened against the window. With Nick now on the inside for Graham Hill Bend, John conceded the place and Nick set about closing down the leaders. The safety car was deployed on lap 2 due to Gordon Tomkins’ car being stranded at the top of Paddock Hill Bend after a coming together whilst jockeying for position. At this point John was 8th and Nick 6th. The safety car obviously closed the field but it was all systems go on lap 3 when the safety car went into the pitlane. Ben Roper pulled a big move on Nick at the re-start and went through on the outside at Paddock Hill Bend – a brave move and very well executed. Nick improved a position when he got past Tim Bennett but Tim then chose to vigorously defend his position against John who could not get past.
Right behind John was Richard Kemp and David Ellesley. This four car train were nose to tail lap after lap but losing time against the cars ahead due to Tim’s resolute but fair defending. David briefly got past John on lap 11 but John retook the place on lap 12. John went for a gap on lap 15 which Tim closed at the last minute forcing John to back out of it and lose momentum. This allowed both Richard and David to get past and by this time the four car train had been joined by Richard Durham who eventually sneaked up John’s blindside on lap 19 leaving John at the end of the five car train which was covered by under 2 seconds as they took the chequered flag.
Whilst all this was going on Nick continued to make up places and moved into 3rd place overall when David Abbott left his braking a little late and went off at Graham Hill Bend. Although Nick had made up five positions, he couldn’t quite catch Ben or Dan who were battling for the lead but came home in a strong 3rd position.
Round 15 Result
Nick Sanderson – 3rd (3rd in ST class) - Fastest Lap 57.354
John Findlay – 10th (5th in ST class) - Fastest Lap 58.234
Summary
Both John and Nick had exciting final races to the season and finished with big smiles on their faces. John’s steering wheel had worked loose during the race and it finished with quite a bit of “play” in it. John only noticed this after the race had ended! For his efforts, John won driver of the day for the Saturday race.
Final Championship Standings – ST Class
Final Championship Points
(with two ‘dropped scores’)
Position Name Points
1 Daniel Rose 190
2 Ben Roper 180
3 Nick Sanderson 154
4 John Findlay 107
5 Richard Kemp 60
6 Stewart Scott 24
Considering the 2007 season was a development year for the team’s new Fiesta STs, the programme has been a great success with some excellent results. The cars have proved to be reliable and technical knowledge has been learned throughout the season. Both factors give rise to optimism for next season.
With Nick finishing 3rd overall and John finishing 4th overall, both drivers will receive championship trophies at the BRSCC Awards Ceremonies.
Both cars will now be fully maintained back to concourse condition and will be on display in the Kempster Ford showroom over the course of the winter. The cars can be made available for events during the close season. Both drivers are committing to the 2008 Ford Fiesta Championship where the team will be challenging for the championship title.
A special thanks from both Nick and John to Kempster Ford and Orion Engineering for their support during the season and we look forward to extending our relationship for the next phase of the programme.
Congratulations to Dan Rose on winning the inaugural Fiesta ST Class Championship. A comic moment to mention, as Dan went into the final round of the season, in his rush to re-join the grid, he managed to hit himself in the head with his crash helmet, resulting in a huge black eye! It didn’t stop him taking the fastest lap and winning the race though…
A season DVD will be available later in the year from AMG Television showing coverage of all the rounds throughout the season, as broadcast on Motors TV & Channel 5. Rounds 12 & 13 will be televised at 9pm Friday 26 October on Motors TV. John had the ‘in car camera’ for Round 12, with it transferring to Nick’s car for Round 13.
An End of Season review is in production and will be distributed shortly.
Cheers,
Nick.
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