A grid of 27 cars from six different chassis manufacturers, drivers from 11 nations and stunningly close race action with victory margins measured in hundredths - those are the statistics from the opening rounds of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain which underline the healthy state of the country's favourite single-seater series.
Oulton Park's Easter trio of races were the first for the Ford championship's new Dunlop radial tyre, and the results were spectacular: in the first round, Jamun Racing's new signing Scott Pye shattered the circuit's two-year-old lap record by in excess of half a second.
Scott Malvern, championship leader and the round two victor for Cliff Dempsey Racing, praised the new tyre: "The best thing about them, I think, is that they don't really go off too much; there's not a big drop-off - they stay consistent from as soon as you scrub them in all the way to the end of 100 laps and there's no loss of performance. That helps keep costs down too."
Championship manager Sam Roach, of RacingLine, was delighted by all aspects of the opening meeting of the Formula Ford season. "To see 27 cars arrive at Oulton to qualify at the start of the fourth season of the Duratec engine-era Formula Ford was a real pleasure," he said. "That's four more cars than we had at the start of 2009 and six more than in 2007 and '08.
"There were drivers from Australia, India and Mexico, as well as six from Scandinavia and five from European states other than mainland Britain, which drives home the point that Formula Ford is still, in its 44th season, regarded internationally as the best single-seater training there is.
"Two of the three races were won by margins of less than 12 hundredths of a second, with five different drivers from different five teams, driving four different sorts of chassis, taking podium finishes - it doesn't come any closer or more competitive than that, and it all bodes fantastically well for a vintage season."
Mike Norton, Motorsport Manager Ford of Europe, added: "What a great start to Dunlop MSA Formula Ford season! Ford is proud of its championship and delighted that it continues to provide such great training for the stars of the future as well as such spectacular entertainment for the racegoer."
The thrilling opening rounds can be seen on Motors TV from next Saturday, 17 April, and will be aired on Channel 4 also, on Sunday 25 April. The championship's next rounds are at Knockhill on 8/9 May.
