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.

• 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 Paul Simms Memorial Trophy will be presented to the aggregate winner across the final two SDC Classic Formula Ford 1600 races at Silverstone in memory of a popular and respected member of the Formula Ford racing community.

Simms, father of newly crowned 2024 Classic FF1600 champion Benn, sadly died in 2020 at the age of 74 after contracting Covid and is greatly missed across the historic racing paddock. As well as being a racer himself in his earlier days, Paul supported his son’s racing and helped Benn prepare championship winning cars across nearly two decades.

Having won nine of the 10 races to date, Simms is favourite to wrap up a stellar season with two more wins in his Jomo JMR7. Once again, a bumper grid of Formula Fords from up to 1981 will be in action at the conclusion of a tremendous year for the championship. The support from SDC has allowed competitors to benefit from reduced entry fees, and grids have been consistently strong with fine racing all the way down the order.

Paul’s memory is honoured with a superb trophy that will be presented to the leading Classic FF1600 racer at Silverstone. Tom McArthur was the inaugural winner in 2021 while in 2022 the winner was Samuel Harrison and in 2023 it went to Callum Grant.

Benn Simms said: “Dad loved Formula Ford 1600 more than any other race category, so this is a fitting tribute. He would have been very humbled by it.”

The hugely popular annual event at the Wiltshire circuit is a key date in the historic racing calendar but, sadly, the 2024 edition was struck by bad weather, notably on Sunday when heavy rain made track conditions challenging.

However, the track was dry on Saturday afternoon when the opening Historic Formula 3 Championship round was held and it delivered one of the races of the weekend as Andrew Hibberd in his Brabham BT18 fended off Peter de la Roche in his Alexis Mk17 by just a tenth of a second after a glorious race-long battle. The two friends and rivals raced wheel-to-wheel for lap after lap, and even though de la Roche only nosed into the lead briefly, the result was always in doubt as Hibberd extended his impressive winning sequence in the championship. A little way back, Ross Drybrough completed the podium with Mark Carter and Simon Armer rounding out the top five.

On Sunday, conditions were rather different after heavy rain early in the morning. This played into the hands of Hibberd who used his Hoosier wet weather tyres to good effect to rush off into the distance and win by a healthy margin. De la Roche struggled for grip in the conditions and finally conceded second place to Carter’s Chevron B15 while Drybrough was a little way back in his Merlyn Mk14A. The two victories set Hibberd up for the final event of the season at Dijon, when he will be favourite to seal the championship crown.

The joint Historic Road Sports, 70s Road Sports and Historic Touring Car grid was superb, with 37 cars lining up at the Wiltshire track. Conditions were very testing for the opening race as Julian Barter (TVR 3000M) and John Williams (Porsche 911SC) made the running. However, Williams was caught out by standing water at Camp corner and slid into the barriers, bringing out the red flag so Barter was confirmed as race winner on the basis of six laps. Fraser Gibney just held off Adrian Russell for second overall and best of the Historic Road Sports, while a mighty performance from Steve Platts took his Singer Chamois up to fourth overall and first of the Touring Car contingent.

At the end of the afternoon, the Road Sports grid returned in slightly drier conditions but still on a very slippery track. Barter was able to stretch away for a resounding victory, while Williams starred with a fighting recovery drive from the back of the grid, passing over 25 cars, to drop into second place in the rapid but now slightly battered Porsche. Gibney and Russell were again almost inseparable, with Gibney taking third and the Historic Road Sports division by just four tenths of a second. Platts dropped in the overall order a little on the drier track, but still finished ninth to be best of the Touring Cars after another tremendous performance.

Unfortunately, the contenders in the Griffiths Haig Trophy only had one race as the delays during Sunday forced the cancellation of their second race at the end of the afternoon. Up front, Tom Waterfield was unstoppable in his Cooper T39 and won at a canter on a treacherous circuit. Malcolm Harrison ran second in his Cooper Bristol and Tony Bianchi managed to keep his Farrelac Allard on track despite the lack of grip to round out the overall podium just.

With a busy programme of racing from some excellent grids, great weather, lots of attractions both on and off track and a bumper crowd, the Croft Historic Festival was a success on all levels. On track, the HSCC categories delivered fine grids and close racing as championship battles headed into their closing stages.

The HSCC would like to record its gratitude to all the volunteer officials and marshals who supported the event and helped make it such a success, and also to the hard working management team at Croft for delivering an excellent weekend for all visitors.

On track, Benn Simms was the star of the weekend as he clinched three Formula Ford 1600 victories in his Jomo JMR7. Simms set the seal on the SDC Classic Formula Ford Championship with two clear victories, and then added a third win in the non-championship Northern Lights Formula Ford race, which rounded out a busy weekend for many of the Classic and Historic Formula Ford racers.

In both Classic races, Simms stretched clear of a strong pack as Andy Gosling led the chase in the opening race. However, Gosling had to work hard to fend off the challenge of Swiss visitor Gislain Genecand in his Crossle 16F.

In the second race, Simms went away and Gosling lost several places due to confusion over light signals as William Liston came through for his best result to date in his Royale RP24, just holding off Craig Currie (Crossle 30F), Rick Morris in his Royale RP29 and the recovering Gosling.

Historic Formula Fords were out in strength for two rounds of the Barnett Racing Engines championship and there was a clear double win for series returnee Callum Grant in his Merlyn Mk20. In a busy weekend, Genecand bagged second in both races and was close to Grant in the second race. Neil Hose, Christian Goller and championship leader Spencer Shinner were all in the mix.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon the Northern Lights Formula Ford 1600 race brought competitors together from both championships for a non-championship race and Simms made it three from three, even though he was struggling in the final stages with failing transmission and Genecand was able to close in over the final laps. Grant was forced to miss the race with engine issues and so it was Gosling who moved up to take third place.

It was a fine weekend for the Historic Modsports and Special Saloon Series with a 22-strong field marking the biggest grid yet for the series. After a popular grid walk on Saturday lunch time, Jack Harper moved his Triumph Spitfire ahead in the opening race when Andy Robinson spun his mighty Ford Falcon out of the lead. From a midfield start, Joe Ward had a great race to bring the ex-Gerry Marshall ‘Baby Bertha’ up to second place.

On Sunday, Ron Cumming brought his AC 3000ME back into racing after a long gap to race on an invitation basis and was able to pull clear as Ward took another second place to make certain of the Peter Baldwin Trophy for the best of the Special Saloons. The trophy was presented by Peter’s widow June, who had travelled up from Cambridgeshire for the event. Others to feature near the front of the pack included Andrew Willis in his mighty Austin A30 V8 and the rapid MG Midgets of David Morrison and Stephen Watkins.

It was a mixed weekend for Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship leader Samuel Harrison who went clear in the opening race as Graham Fennymore chased hard and Ben Glasswell completed the podium.

However, on Sunday both Harrison and Fennymore failed to finish. Harrison was sidelined by suspension issues and Fennymore by a carburettor problem and so Glasswell moved through to score his first race win with a handy margin over the battling trio of Richard Coleman, Stephen Glasswell and Andrew Storer.

Both Road Sports Championships featured excellent grids for double-header events and in the historic division, which shared a grid with the Historic Touring Cars, Rupert Ashdown (Lotus Elan) and Mark Godfrey (Lotus 7) claimed a win each. A strong 70s Road Sports field was always headed by John Williams in his Porsche 911SC and Will Leverett in his Lotus Elan and there was an appropriate result as they scored a win each after two excellent races.

Finally, the Guards Trophy provided another victory for father and son Robert and Ben Tusting in their very effective Lenham P69. They were able to move well clear of the Chevron B8 of Ted Pearson and Callum Grant, while Benn Tilley was a class winning third in his Lotus 23B.