Double Dutch for Malvern in Formula Ford at Zandvoort

DoEven the worst that the Dutch weather could hurl in the direction of Scott Malvern today failed to derail the Essex man's progress in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain and the Formula Ford EuroCup. Scott and his Jamun Racing Mygale triumphed in both of the day's streaming wet Zandvoort races, beating Finn Antti Buri to the line on both occasions, to further strengthen his grip on the British championship title.Round 13 reportMalvern sped to his 10th consecutive Dunlop MSA British Formula Ford Championship victory - and his ninth Formula Ford EuroCup win - at Zandvoort this morning. The 22-year-old Jamun Racing driver made a great start from pole position to open a healthy two-second lead on the opening lap, and that was as close as his pursuers would get for the 10-lap duration. "It was just a question of getting my head down and pulling a gap, and then not pushing too hard or doing anything silly," said Malvern. He extended his advantage with every lap up to the seventh - when he had to back off to avoid a stricken car - and thereafter cruised home to win by 3.6s.The battle for second was the highlight of the race: local hero Joey van Splunteren and his Provily Racing Mygale overhauled the Jamun car of Aussie Nick McBride on the opening lap before McBride, who had started second on the grid behind his team-mate Malvern, reasserted himself.Buri passed van Splunteren on lap two also and set about trying to find a way past McBride; he achieved the feat with a brave dive into the Tarzan hairpin on lap six. "It took me three laps to get him," said Antti, "and by then Scott had a good lead, which stayed pretty much the same to the end."Van Splunteren dislodged McBride from third next time around, but had no answer to the pace of Buri's LMS Racing Mygale. McBride was suffering technical issues: "The first part of the race was good but then I lost the clutch and started locking up everywhere," said Nick. "I was a sitting duck."Jeroen Slaghekke took McBride for fourth three laps from home and then Nick's countryman Geoff Uhrhane seized fifth from him on the penultimate lap. Uhrhane's drive from 17th on the grid - the legacy of a mysterious technical issue in qualifying - was impressive; the JTR man set fastest lap of the race by a three-tenth margin during his forward progress.Provily's Bas Schouten placed seventh, ahead of Jamun's Jake Cook and Dutch championship regulars Michel Florie and Steijn Schothorst. The British championship field was completed by Jamun's Spike Goddard, CDR Ray man Neil Alberico and RVR/Enigma driver Philippe Layac. Layac was delayed on the second lap by a tangle at the Esses with the Fluid Van Diemen of Matt Parry. "I tried a move on Jake Cook," said Matt, "and left my braking a tad too late; unfortunately I went into Philippe." Cook was out on the spot; he was joined in retirement by JTR's Dan de Zille, who twice erred at Tarzan, the second time conclusively on the final lap.The third JTR Mygale of Tristan Mingay was a non-runner, Tristan sidelined by an elbow injury sustained in a road car accident a few days before the meeting.Round 14 reportThere was plenty of rain at Zandvoort this afternoon but none on Malvern's parade as he romped home to his 12th Formula Ford GB race victory of the season, and his 11th win on the bounce for the Jamun Racing team.Just as he did in the morning race, Malvern led from pole position to chequered flag and never looked threatened, even during an early-race safety car period which saw his carefully nurtured lead wiped at a stroke.Once again it was Buri who was Malvern's closest challenger, and though the LMS Racing Mygale pilot was closer this time, it was still not quite close enough. Antti slotted into second off the startline as the man due to start from P2, Joey van Splunteren, stalled at the getaway.By the third lap, Malvern was 2.3s clear of Buri but then the safety car came into play as a number of beached cars were removed from gravel traps, among them Spike Goddard's Jamun Mygale, which was punted off on the opening lap."I was a little disappointed to see the safety car," said Malvern, "because I was well away after a good start. But it didn't make any difference in the end. Antti is definitely getting quicker all the time, and he is starting race three from alongside me. I'd better hope he doesn't make a good start." Malvern set fastest lap of the race en route for victory; he was 1.8s ahead at the line.Buri regretted a missed opportunity at the restart after the two laps under the safety car: "I made a big mistake and got too much wheelspin at the restart. After that, the conditions were horrible and my car was all over the place."Third place was disputed by Jamun men Nick McBride and Jeroen Slaghekke and by Provily Racing's Bas Schouten from first lap to last. McBride ceded the place to Schouten on the final lap after Slaghekke ran off the track at Tarzan. "I tried to outbrake Nick around the outside," said Jeroen, "and it didn't work out. I might not have tried if I had realised that it was the last lap. But then again, maybe I would."Fourth on the road was a podium finish in British championship terms for McBride; he was followed home by Fluid Van Diemen man Matt Parry, the Cardiff youngster driving well to score his biggest points haul of the season so far.Parry passed Dan de Zille at the restart for fifth overall and the Jerseyman followed him home for sixth, ahead of American Neil Alberico's Ray, Dutch driver Jack Swinkels, Jake Cook's Jamun Mygale and a subdued Geoff Uhrhane for JTR. Slaghekke recovered from his last-lap off to take 14th, four places ahead of Philippe Layac.Provisional resultsDunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great BritainRound 13 (of 24) & Formula Ford EuroCupZandvoort 13/8/201110 laps / 26.76 miles1 Scott Malvern GBR / Ilford Jamun Mygale 19m 45.301s / 81.34mph2 Antti Buri FIN LMS Mygale +3.672s3 Joey van Splunteren NED Provily Mygale +4.297s4 Jeroen Slaghekke NED Jamun Mygale +5.524s5 Geoff Uhrhane AUS JTR Mygale +8.253s6 Nick McBride AUS Jamun Mygale +9.673s7 Bas Schouten NED Provily Mygale +9.804s8 Jake Cook GBR / Rotherham Jamun Mygale +9.918s9 Michel Florie NED Provily Mygale +16.902s10 Steijn Schothorst NED Geva Mygale +17.799s etcFastest lap: Uhrhane 1m 57.071s / 82.21mphRound 149 laps / 24.09 miles1 Scott Malvern GBR / Ilford Jamun Mygale 19m 53.506s / 72.53mph2 Antti Buri FIN LMS Mygale +1.806s3 Bas Schouten NED Provily Mygale +3.472s4 Nick McBride AUS Jamun Mygale +3.988s5 Matt Parry GBR / Cardiff Fluid Van Diemen +5.158s6 Dan de Zille JEY JTR Mygale +6.467s7 Neil Alberico USA Dempsey Ray +7.822s8 Jack Swinkels NED Geva Mygale +8.279s9 Jake Cook GBR / Rotherham Jamun Mygale +8.767s10 Geoff Uhrhane AUS JTR Mygale +9.960s etcFastest lap: Malvern 1m 58.035s / 81.62mphProvisional GB championship standings1 Malvern 369 points; 2 McBride 300; 3 Buri 278; 4 Slaghekke 274; 5 Uhrhane 233;6 de Zille 212 etcNext round Zandvoort 14 August


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