GREAT SCOTT! MALVERN BEATS PADDOCK DRAMA TO LEAD TO KNOCKHILL
Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship leader Scott Malvern says he will be fighting fit for the Knockhill rounds of the series over the weekend of 8/9 May, despite injuring his ankle in a freak paddock accident.
Twenty-one-year-old Malvern was literally swept away with an awning by a mini-tornado at the Whilton Mill kart track last week. The gust swept him and the awning clear over a van and about 20ft in the air; fortunately Scott landed on his feet.
"We had finished putting up the awning and I was standing inside it, finishing off, and suddenly there was what my brother describes as a mini cyclone," said Scott. "It picked the awning up and me with it. It went up and over the van and took me about 50ft down the road. I hit someone else's van as I came down, which slowed me down a bit, and I landed on my feet. I am unbelievably lucky to be honest because I dropped from quite a height."
Scott was taken to hospital for checks and advised that had he landed on any part of his body other than his feet he could have been seriously injured. He suffered a bruised ankle and feet but is recuperating quickly.
It's the first time since 2006 that a driver from a team other than Jamun Racing has led the Formula Ford points table. Then as now it was a Cliff Dempsey Racing driver who made the best start to the season, but four years ago Peter Dempsey's tenure as championship leader lasted only as far as the third meeting.
Malvern will be hoping at Knockhill to maintain the stellar form which has propelled him to the top. The Essex-based Ray driver won only one of Easter's Oulton Park races but finished a close second to the Mygale of Jamun's Aussie ace Scott Pye in the other two to build a handy 23-point advantage.
The two Scotts will doubtless be head to head again in Scotland, but both men will need to keep an eye on several rivals coming up on the rails. Last year at Knockhill the works Fluid Motorsport Van Diemens showed great pace to claim two out of three race wins. The team has a new crop of drivers for 2010 - much-fancied Brits Kieran Vernon and James Tucker and fast Finn Jesse Anttila - and will doubtless provide a strong challenge.
The other top 10 men include Enigma Motorsport's Finnish Mygale pilot Antti Buri and Kevin Mills Racing driver Daniel Cammish, in the Spectrum. Both have a season of experience under their belts and are chasing their maiden outright win. Sixteen-year-old Jake Cook, nephew of ex-BTCC racer Paula, impressed on his debut in the Getem Racing Mygale to move into championship fifth.
Malvern has a strong Knockhill pedigree: "I won the Jackie Stewart Golden Helmet there last year, so it's a track that's been kind to me," says Scott. "As for who will be strong there, obviously Scott Pye and I have been at the front already but as the year goes on there will be others up there too. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dan Cammish doing well, and Antti Buri as well; they are all going to get stronger as the year goes on."
In the Scholarship class, Luke Williams was the class of the field at Oulton, taking two wins from three starts in his Juno, but it was the consistent Spirit driver David Ellesley who claimed the championship lead.
A sizeable field of challengers is expected to make the trek north for the Knockhill rounds. Round four of the championship is scheduled for Saturday 8 May, with rounds five and six taking place the following day.
Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great BritainProvisional championship placings after round 3 (of 25)1 Scott Malvern GBR/Ilford 852 Scott Pye AUS/Mount Gambier 623 Antti Buri FIN/Masku 614 Daniel Cammish GBR/Leeds 585 Jake Cook GBR/Rotherham 506 Kieran Vernon GBR/West Chiltington 447 James Tucker GBR/Burntwood 408 Tio Ellinas CYP/Larnaca 399 Josh Hill GBR/Farnham 3610 Jesse Anttila FIN/Kempele 32 etc
Scholarship Class1 David Ellesley GBR/Ipswich 812 Adam Parsley GBR/Harrogate 703 Luke Williams GBR/Thirsk 624 Dani Domit MEX/Mexico City 285 Max McGuire GBR/Altrincham 27
