The HSCC is delighted to confirm that Historic Formula Ford 2000 will continue to be one of the club’s core championships in 2025, building on 18 successful years with the HSCC since the category was formed back in 2007.

The calendar will take in six double-header events at Snetterton, Cadwell Park, Donington Park, Brands Hatch Grand Prix and the Silverstone Finals meeting. A special feature event at Mallory Park in early September will mark the golden anniversary of the inaugural Formula Ford 2000 race, which ran at the Leicestershire circuit early in 1975.

Long time series chair Alan Morgan is stepping down to be replaced by category stalwart Colin Wright, who was the series winner with the HSCC in 2008. Colin and the rest of the HFF2000 committee will continue to provide a welcoming environment and supportive atmosphere in one of the HSCC’s most successful and best-supported championships.

The 2-litre Ford Pinto engined slicks and wings category is a great fit for the HSCC and offers an ideal opportunity for those competing in Historic and Classic Formula Ford to step up if they so wish. In addition Historic FF2000 is an ideal entry-level category into historic single seater racing offering contained costs and affordable fun in a sporting and friendly atmosphere.

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC, said: “We are delighted to be able to celebrate 50 years of Formula Ford 2000 next year with our excellent Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship. It is one of our flagship categories and we look forward to another season of strong grids, fine racing and great camaraderie, both on and off the track.”

The HSCC Historic FF2000 calendar is:

26-27 April: Snetterton

24-25 May: Cadwell Park Wolds Trophy

21-22 June: Donington Park

12-13 July: Brands Hatch GP Super Prix

6 September: Mallory Park

11-12 October: Silverstone Finals

The Historic Sports Car Club’s Classic FF1600 Championship is set for another bumper season as the title sponsorship will trim £90 off each race entry fee for each competitor.

The 2025 schedule will take in six double-header weekends with visits to both the Silverstone Grand Prix and National circuits as well as Snetterton, Donington Park, Brands Hatch GP and Mallory Park.

Bedford-based SDC is a main contractor in the construction industry and operates as an Employee Benefit Trust (EBT), the first of its kind in the British construction industry. Profits are shared among members of staff and the wider community. Three years ago, SDC celebrated its 50th year.

SDC has a long and hugely successful involvement with Formula Ford dating back to the early 1980s when the company supported drivers like Trevor van Rooyen, David Wheeler, John Village, Jonathan Palmer, Gareth Rees and Bernard Dolan.

The fabulous support from SDC has once again been arranged through Alan Cornock, who has an extensive long term relationship with the company as well as with Formula Ford as a race category. As the former boss of Royale Racing Cars and head of FCS sales and spares, Cornock continues an association with Formula Ford that dates back half a century.

Stuart Kestenbaum, chair of the Classic FF1600 Championship, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support from SDC and also to Alan Cornock for his help in making it all possible. The discount on the entry fees makes a big difference to our racers, most of whom are running on limited budgets. We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming SDC guests to our Silverstone events and look forward to welcoming them back next season.”

During 2024 a number of SDC guests were able to enjoy getting up close to the teams, drivers and cars in the garages at Silverstone and this helped generate a great atmosphere among the competitors and the sponsors.

The provisional SDC Classic FF1600 Championship calendar is:

26-27 April: Snetterton

31 May-1 June: Silverstone GP

21-22 June: Donington Park

12-13 July: Brands Hatch GP Super Prix

6 September: Mallory Park

11-12 October: Silverstone Finals

Across the season tremendously close and sporting racing has been at the core of the club’s programme and from its racing portfolio eight champions have been confirmed for the championships registered with Motorsport UK.

Andrew Hibberd has enjoyed an outstanding season and is a double champion after winning the Historic Formula 3 Championship in his Brabham BT18 and the UK Formula Junior Championship in his Lotus 20 and Lotus 22. Hibberd has been one of the most prolific winners with the HSCC this season and is a worthy champion in both categories.

In the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship young Samuel Harrison has enjoyed a superb season to win his third single seater championship title in three years in the Reynard SF79 on loan from Adrian Reynard. Harrison was able to fend off a determined challenge from out-going champion Graham Fennymore during a fine year of racing.

In Historic Formula Ford 1600 young Spencer Shinner was a most worthy champion after a great season in his Merlyn Mk20. Shinner travelled from Cornwall for each of the events and becomes the latest in a list of promising young racers to first make their mark in Historic Formula Ford 1600.

Meanwhile, in Classic Formula Ford 1600 prolific HSCC champion Benn Simms added another title to his impressive tally with an exemplary campaign in his Jomo JMR7 to seal the overall title in one of the oldest cars in the championship.

Both Road Sports championships were keenly fought and in the Historic Road Sports Championship for the cars of the 1960s it was Frazer Gibney who emerged as champion during the final round in his Lotus Elan. Meanwhile, in the 70s Road Sports Championship Howard Payne overcame mid-season gearbox problems to take the title in his Lotus Europa after a fine campaign.

Finally, in the Guards Trophy for sports racing and GT cars it was father and son Robert and Ben Tusting who emerged as worthy overall champions in their Lenham P69 after battling with the Chevron B6s and B8s during another excellent season.

The HSCC congratulates all 2024 champions and those who made it a truly competitive season across eight well supported championships.

Highlights of the year will include a return to the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on 31 May-1 June, the ever-popular Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit Super Prix on 12-13 July and the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 25-27 July. In addition, the club will make a welcome return to Mallory Park for a one-day event on Saturday, 6 September.

Other dates include the popular mid-summer Donington date of 21-22 June, a season-opener at Snetterton on April 26-27 and the annual Wolds Trophy at Cadwell Park, which moves to the weekend of 24-25 May. The club’s championship season will then wrap up with the Silverstone Finals meeting on 11-12 October.

In addition to its own race meetings, the HSCC will also be the race organising club for the Silverstone Festival (22-24 August) and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone (1-2 November).

Andy Dee-Crowne, CEO of the HSCC said: “I’m very pleased to reveal our full calendar for 2025. We have a great set of venues and a nicely spaced calendar with a sensible late April start and our normal mid-October finish for championship events. With Brands Hatch Grand Prix, Silverstone Grand Prix and Donington Park all on the calendar, we can offer our club members access to the finest tracks in the UK. We look forward to issuing a detailed calendar showing the dates for each championship and series.”

The full calendar is:

26-27 April: Snetterton

24-25 May: Cadwell Park Wolds Trophy

31 May-1 June: Silverstone GP

21-22 June: Donington Park

12-13 July: Brands Hatch GP Super Prix

25-27 July: Oulton Park Gold Cup

22-24 August: Silverstone Festival

6 September: Mallory Park

11-12 October: Silverstone Finals

1-2 November: Silverstone Walter Hayes Trophy

• The HSCC is more expensive than Equipe!

• • We have found that the discounts offered by Classic FF and Historic FF have increased entries significantly and are proposing to apply this to HFF2000 as well for 2025. We would like to see a reduction of £100 minimum and this will be decided at our November board meeting.

• What is your refund policy for entries as Equipe Classic want payment 14 days in advance of a meeting and will only refund 50% of an entry fee up to two days prior to the event when the full amount is kept?

• • Simple, full amount refunded if notified by 12 noon on the Wednesday before the meeting as usual.

• Will the HSCC still run the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship in 2025?

• • Yes. It is registered and we will run it as a championship as normal.

• Is the HSCC Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship exclusively for Historic Formula Ford 2000s?

• • Yes

• Why are you not allowing BMTR into the HSCC paddock?

• • Not our decision. BMTR is welcome in our paddock and to sell Hoosier tyres to our members. They have decided not to do that. HPT will fit free of charge any Hoosier tyres you bring to our meetings as part of its trackside service. To provide continuity, the club will make tyres available at meetings if there is a demand from HFF2000 competitors.

• Why did the HSCC tender for tyres, why not leave things as they were?

• • The HSCC issued a tender for tyres after it was revealed that NOVA had shifted from its original intention to partner with BMTR to having HPT as an exclusive retailer.  BMTR countered with an offer from Hoosier and Continental for virtually all of our championships. This tender ensures the ongoing production and supply of the majority of tyres needed for our series and championships. Additionally, it establishes fixed pricing for a period of four years based on the existing or last price Avons were sold at with restricted inflation. Neither company was prepared to reduce the cost of tyres but both were prepared to use their marketing budget for sponsorship as the HSCC’s official tyre partner. We committed to using the funds for the direct benefit of our members. There is no commission for HSCC from tyre sales. The new Avons need to be tested and found suitable by HFF2000 drivers. The FF1600 tyres have turned out identical to the existing ones and there is no reason to think HFF2000 tyres will be different.

• If the majority of HFF2000 drivers voted to keep Hoosiers as the control tyre would the HSCC allow this?
  • Yes.

The HSCC is committed to HFF2000 and will try to address any problems as they arise. We will nominate a board director of your choosing for direct communication to ensure your voice is heard.

THE HSCC BOARD

29.10.24

We were very concerned your committee wants to move you to Equipe without a formal vote being conducted.

We consider HFF2000 to be one of our core series and will continue to provide you with stand-alone races in 2025 for those of you wishing to remain with the HSCC. If anyone prefers the Formula Libre format you have the option of DBT. You will continue to have access to the best circuits.

We had already resolved to reduce entry fees substantially for our ‘starter’ championships following the success of that for CFF with their sponsorship, HFF1600 this year and HFF2000 will be part of that initiative for 2025.

There is some confusion about tyres. Nova will produce tyres for testing by Q2 next year which, subject to successful tests, will be fully available pre-season 2026.They will be raced abroad during 2025. If you are not happy with their fitness for purpose you would remain on Hoosiers.

The split between BMTR and Nova was a blow for everyone concerned but was not of our making or desire and eventually resulted in a comprehensive agreement with Nova and HPT that gives us funds to reinvest for the benefit of you the competitor.

We understand that not being able to buy tyres at a meeting can be a problem so we will ensure tyres are available ourselves and they will be fitted by HPT as part of their trackside service.

Mention has been made of frustrations with HSCC. All clubs will unintentionally upset people and we are no exception. You can’t please everyone, however, we will try to resolve issues as they arise. Often raising a concern as things happen or are announced can result in an instant resolution; after the fact it’s too late to address.

HSCC Board

24 October 2024

Tom again dominated race two, this time followed by Spencer Shinner and Danny Stanzl who were being chased down by a rapidly closing Chris Porritt charging from the back of the grid. Behind them five cars crossed the line within a single second. It was Formula Ford at its frenetic best.

After the racing the BRDC Suite hosted the gathering for the awards, with £6000 worth of prizes going to the lucky winners from sponsors Barnett Race Engines, Weller Wheels, Avon Race Tyres and Universal Racing Services.

The overall champion was 21-year-old Spencer Shinner (receiving £500 Barnett Engines voucher); second Christian Goller (receiving £350 Barnett engine voucher) and third Ross Drybrough (receiving £150 Barnett engine voucher). For the first time since its inception ten years ago, Ross was the first man on the overall podium to also win the Radio Caroline Over 50’s class. Second in Over 50 was Mark Wilkes very, very close behind, with Chris Porritt only one point away in third. The Over 50’s represents 70% of the grid on most occasions and is another great element of HFF.

Series co-ordinators Alan Jones and Chris Sharples were thanked by everyone for their slick organisation and Josh Barnett and his father Neil presented prize draws with a £3500 Barnett Race Engine rebuild going to Mark Wilkes, the set of wheels by Les Weller to Westie Mitchell and Avon tyre prizes to racers Mads Gravsen, Danny Stanzl and Cormac Flanagan. The URS £200 voucher prize went to Spencer Shinner who was then presented with the enormous and very shiny Merlyn Trophy for the most wins in a Merlyn.

Heading towards 2025 Historic Formula Ford will continue to build with new cars arriving and many old friends returning to the championship. Then, planning will begin for the big 60th anniversary of FF in 2027. Obviously, the July Brands Hatch meeting will be key but all drivers will be asked for ideas on the calendar in this very special year. Since 1967 Formula Ford has been the launch pad for many racing careers.

This it still does in a small way. HFF allows those on a small budget at any age to experience real racing with the more experienced drivers teaching them respect and technique in a great and friendly environment. Everyone hopes that Spencer stays in the category but he might be another competitor who goes on to bigger things. As he says, he’s had a very good founding to do just that. With help from the sponsors, the HFF fraternity will continue racing, respecting and having fun.

The annual HSCC Finals Meeting on the Silverstone national circuit delivered some outstanding racing as season-long battles were won and lost and it was in the weekend’s second SDC Classic Formula Ford Championship round that one of the very best races of the year played out.

In Saturday’s opening race Tom McArthur, in his Titan Mk4, managed to wriggle free of the chasing pack as Benn Simms and Jordan Harrison rounded out the podium finishers. However, that was just a warm up for Sunday, when an absolute thriller brought the Classic Formula Ford season to a close in great style.

This time around, six drivers battled furiously for the lead and were constantly wheel-to-wheel with frequent place changes. Ultimately, McArthur did it again by being in the right place at the right time to lead over the line by just a quarter of a second from Harrison and Simms as Andy Gosling, Rick Morris and Adriano Medeiros all swept past the flag covered by a fraction over a second after a truly sensational race. The result earned McArthur the Paul Simms Memorial Award for the second time as the aggregate winner.

Those two Classic victories marked an awesome weekend for McArthur as he also took two victories in the Historic Formula Ford Championship rounds. In Saturday’s race, a measured fourth place in the midst of a tremendous five-car battle was enough to secure the championship for Spencer Shinner, who marked his 21st birthday by winning the title in his Merlyn Mk20.

On track, Shinner was fractionally headed by Mads Gravsen in the Palliser of Chris Sharples and Simon Toyne in his fresh Winkelmann, whilst right behind came Ben Powney in his Jamun T3 and Cormac Flanagan in his Alexis Mk14. It was a wonderful contest that raged for the entire race.

In the second race, McArthur was able to pull clear as Shinner took second from Danny Stanzl and Chris Porritt as Powney had a first lap spin and Gravsen retired with a sick engine. With four wins in the space of one weekend it was an epic affair for McArthur on one of his relatively rare race outings in the Titan run by the Simon Hadfield team.

Another champion crowned was Howard Payne in the 70s Road Sports Championship with his Lotus Europa. John Williams was the star of the Road Sports races, winning twice in his Porsche 911SC which had been repaired after its accident at Castle Combe three weeks earlier. On Saturday David Tomkinson had his best ever Road Sports finish with second overall in his TVR Vixen ahead of Payne, while on Sunday Payne was able to lead the chase of Williams, as Mark Leverett came up to third after switching Lotus Elans overnight following car problems on Saturday.

The Derek Bell Trophy delivered two mighty races from a spectacular grid of powerful single seaters and on Saturday, on a drying track, Chris Porritt came through for a fine victory in his Chevron B40 from Mark Mercer (Ralt RT1) and Richard Evans (March 782). On Sunday, in fully dry conditions, Mercer made the early running but was later slowed and then forced to retire with a wheel bearing failure, just as Evans came through to attack in his first proper race outing for seven years. Evans moved ahead and won convincingly as an inspired David Thorburn who tigered up to second in his March 762 from Porritt and leading Formula 5000 racer Neil Glover (Chevron B37).

Samuel Harrison arrived at Silverstone with one hand on the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship title and third place in the opening race on Saturday was enough to secure the title for the youngster. However, it was an epic race as Graham Fennymore and Ben Glasswell headed Harrison over the line with eight tenths of a second covering the three cars after some fantastic dicing. Fennymore had to race very hard to recover from stalling on the line and was elated with the result.

With both Glasswell and Harrison missing from Sunday’s grid, Fennymore made the early running and built a substantial lead until a distributor lead started to work loose and prompted a worsening misfire in his Reynard. He was finally caught by the chasing pack and it was Jonty Hair who battled ahead to take his first category win in his Reynard SF78 from Andrew Storer and the impressive David Robinson in his Hawke DL16.

Another excellent race came in the second of the Historic Road Sports and Historic Touring Car contests as five Lotuses battled for the lead in spectacular style. In Sunday’s opening race Robert Rowe emerged to score his first race win over Frazer Gibney in the battle of the Elans and at the end of the afternoon Gibney was able to turn the result around as he beat Rowe by just a third of a second. Rupert Ashdown was the third of the Elans in the lead pack along with the 7s of Mark Godfrey and Jonathan Stringer after a wonderful contest. Neil Wood was the best of the touring cars in his Ford Anglia.

The Guards Trophy season finished in style with a resounding victory for Adam Sykes, who went solo in his McLaren M1A. Driving superbly, Sykes was able to see off the challenge of the smaller-engined cars and win by eight seconds after a mighty performance. Leading the chase was the Lenham P69 of newly crowned champions Robert and Ben Tusting and they had half minute in hand over the Chevron B16 of Daniel Pickett and Dan Eagling.

Finally, the rear-engined Formula Junior pack turned on two stunning races as Callum Grant and Sam Wilson went head-to-head at the front of both races. On Saturday, Grant was able to dive ahead in the Merlyn Mk5/7 of John Sykes when Wilson put a wheel wide on the exit of Luffield. On Sunday the tables were turned and Wilson was able to take a hard-won victory, with a little boost when Grant got caught by a backmarker at Brooklands with a couple of laps to run.

Andrew and Michael Hibberd each took a third and a fourth place as Michael made a welcome return to racing in his Lotus 22. Andrew, in his drum-braked Lotus 20 went into Sunday’s race only needing to finish to make certain of the Formula Junior title and did just that, although an early spin at Beckett’s caused him some anxious moments. He recovered and chased his father home for a class-winning fourth place and his third championship title of the 2024 season. In the separate races for the front-engined Juniors Ray Mallock was peerless and won by 11 and 15 seconds respectively. On Saturday, Adrian Russell led the chase in his Condor S2 while on Sunday Robin Longdon’s Lola Mk2 took the runner-up slot from the Condors of Alex Morton and Russell.

• Nova Motorsport is the licensed manufacturer of Avon Motorsport tyres.
• HP Tyres has been appointed by Nova Motorsport as its exclusive service provider for tyres for the UK historic racing market. HP Tyres is also the current provider of Dunlop and Goodyear tyres used by a number of our series/championships.
• The Nova Motorsport arrangement initially covers the Derek Bell Trophy, Historic Formula 2, Historic Formula Ford, Classic Formula Ford, Historic Formula Ford 2000 and Historic Formula 3. Transitionary plans are in place to migrate HFF2000 and HF3 to Avon Motorsport tyres by the 2026 season.
• HP Tyres will provide a supply and fitting service free of charge at all HSCC race meetings, including all Avon, Dunlop and Goodyear tyres, and will support those championships transitioning from Hoosier tyres (in 2026) throughout the 2025 season.
• This contract represents a significant investment by Nova Motorsport and HP Tyres into the HSCC’s categories and UK historic racing in general.
• The commercial benefits of the deal will be invested back into the club to the benefit of all its members, and the HSCC board will update on specific initiatives as they are developed.
• The move secures the future of tyre supply for all HSCC race categories in a time of market volatility and price fluctuation. It also provides for the on-going supply of period relevant tyres.
• The board of the HSCC has negotiated this four-year deal with guaranteed competitive pricing for 2025 and the subsequent seasons.
• A comprehensive tyre price list will be available, either via the club or HP Tyres, in due course.
• The HSCC board carried out a lengthy tendering process allowing the two main historic tyre providers to bid for the contract. HP Tyres supplied the most comprehensive response. Nova Motorsport has subsequently appointed HP Tyres as its exclusive HSCC tyre service provider.
• Experienced drivers have been involved in testing, underlining the fact that Nova Motorsport is committed to delivering, and the new tyres performed well compared to those from Hoosier.
• Open wheel competitors currently using non-Avon tyres will be allowed to use up any existing stock of tyres they hold throughout the 2025 season, and this will be written into the 2025 championship regulations.
• As part of the agreement, Nova Motorsport will become a major supporter of the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy.

Inevitably, there will be more questions over the next few weeks and we will aim to maintain communication with members to deal with those questions.