- JTR’s Buri leads all the way in round five at Brands Hatch - Duratec class win goes the way of Olly Rae and Enigma
From pole position to chequered flag, Antti Buri made the fifth round of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain his own at Brands Hatch this evening. The Finn led from start to finish in his JTR EcoBoost Mygale, crossing the line more than two seconds clear of Jamun Racing’s Luke Williams to become the first driver this season to claim a second win.
A hugely entertaining battle in the Duratec division saw a popular maiden class win for Enigma Motorsport’s young Australian, Olly Rae.It was the first properly dry race of the short Formula Ford season, and Buri was more than pleased to take to the track with no guesswork as to settings and the level of grip he would encounter. Antti made a superb start to outdrag Williams away from the line and did not put a wheel wrong throughout the 23 laps, even though Williams was an ever-present threat in his mirrors.
“I made a good start and managed to stay ahead from the lights to the chequered flag,” said a delighted Buri. “I had good pace and the car was perfect; it was all about controlling the gap. No problems at all and a good, dry race. finally.”
Williams, who spun out of second place in yesterday’s Brands Hatch race, was pleased to get to the finish without mishap. “I got a good start and was able to hold on to Antti’s pace at the start, but then later when we hit traffic I got stuck a little. Then the tyres started to go away, and that’s something I need to work on,” said the Sowerby driver.
Yesterday’s winner, Eric Lichtenstein, was well in touch with the leaders in third spot until lap 16, when mechanical problems intervened; the Argentinian slowed and slipped down the order before a disappointing last-lap call to the pits and retirement. That handed the final podium slot to Jake Cook, who started P5 and who struggled to find a way past JTR’s Cavan Corcoran until the 10th lap. “My qualifying was the problem,” said the Rotherham-based Jamun Racing man. “I was reeling in Antti and Luke towards the end but the gap was too big to bridge.”
With Corcoran another pit visitor with technical problems, fourth place - and top Rookie slot - went the way of JTR’s Ecuadorian 16-year-old Julio Moreno, with Fred Martin-Dye fifth for Enigma. Fred and Ryan Cullen were both delayed by a first-lap collision which is the subject of an inquiry by race stewards; Cullen brought his Cullen Motorsport EcoBoost Mygale home 11th overall and sixth in class.
The Duratec class battle saw a four-way dice for supremacy between veteran Jason Down (Getem), who led initially, Friday’s class winner Fabian Welter (Rendez-Vous Racing), Abdul Ahmed (Don Hardman Automotive) and Rae.
Welter edged in front on the second lap but Rae was the man on the move, slicing past both Down and Ahmed on lap six to latch on to his Mexican rival’s tail. Three laps later the Australian found a way past, and he held on in front for the duration to claim the first win of his brief but promising track career. “I had a few problems,” said Olly. “I kept locking up the rear through Druids and I was struggling with the gears a bit, but I had good pace and I was lucky with the backmarkers.”
Welter came home second to maintain his overall Duratec points lead. “I was fast in the beginning,” said Fabian, “but as the race wore on I started to lose some traction. It was a very tough race - congratulations to Olly, he drove a good race.”Non-scoring guest driver Down was third for the class podium, with Ahmed encouragingly close behind to record his first finish of the season. Matt Rao, George Blundell and Alex Drabble completed the Duratec class finishing order.Provisional resultsDunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great BritainRound 5 (of 24), Brands Hatch 19/5/1223 laps / 27.57 miles
Overall & EcoBoost1 Antti BURI / FIN JTR Mygale 18m 08.184s / 91.20mph2 Luke WILLIAMS / GBR Jamun Mygale +2.438s3 Jake COOK / GBR Jamun Mygale +3.063s4 Julio MORENO / ECU JTR Mygale +17.387s5 Fred MARTIN-DYE / GBR Enigma Mygale +21.728s etc
Duratec class1 Olly RAE / AUS Enigma Mygale 22 laps2 Fabian WELTER / MEX RVR Mygale 22 laps3 Jason DOWN / GBR Getem Mygale 22 laps4 Abdul AHMED / USA Hardman Ray 22 laps5 Mat RAO / GBR Fluid Van Diemen 22 laps etcFastest lap: Buri 46.490s / 92.82mph RecFull results britishformulaford.co.uk/2012results.htmProvisional championship standingsOverall 1 Buri 140 points; 2 Cook 130; 3 Martin-Dye 98; 4 Moreno 90; 5 Williams 80; 6 Eric Lichtenstein 79 etc.Duratec 1 Welter 141; 2 Rae 96; 3 George Blundell 89; 4 Ken Thirlwall 84; 5 Rao 77; 6 Alex Drabble 40 etc.Next round 20 May, Brands Hatch
