SDC will be the title sponsor for the HSCC’s Classic Formula Ford 1600 championship this season, with support that will enable each competitor to benefit from a significant rebate on every race entry.
The new support for the Historic Sports Car Club’s Championship for pre ’82 Formula Ford 1600s will give every contender a £75 rebate for each of the six double-header race weekends contested.
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.
SDC has a long 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 in a series of Formula Fords. Last year, SDC celebrated its 50th year and supported Richard Tarling in a Royale RP26 in the Classic championship.
For 2023, SDC will turn its attention to backing the entire championship and its support will allow every driver to receive a £75 rebate on each race entry this season. On the back of the overall HSCC entry fee reduction programme for the opening events of the season it means that a Classic Formula Ford entry for the double-header at Snetterton will be just £240. Meanwhile, the pair of races on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit at the end of May will now cost £435.
Stuart Kestenbaum is chair of the Classic FF 1600 Championship and says that the support is very welcome. “I think we will get more entries. Entry fees are the one thing that everyone is unanimous about and we’ve taken the pricing back about 10 years thanks to the support of SDC.”
SDC chairman Francis Shiner explained the company’s support: “Formula Ford is an important part of our history and we have quite a few of our staff interested in racing. But it’s more of an emotional involvement for us rather than traditional sponsorship. We did a lot of work at Silverstone over the years and that was a really big part of the company story.
“Later we completed construction projects for Jonathan Palmer at Bedford and supported local drivers like Nick Tandy. We plan to take a number of guests to the two race meetings at Silverstone in May and October.”
Alan Cornock, who was central to the SDC sponsorship 40 years ago, has played a key role in bringing the company back into Formula Ford racing. As the former boss of Royale racing cars, Cornock continues to be closely involved in Formula Ford through his FCS sales and spares organisation.