More than double the number of applicants than places on the Formula Ford Sampler DayMcLaren Autosport award winner Jake Dennis to test new EcoBoost Formula FordCammish, Williams and Martin-Dye among the first to register for the tester dayMSA Academy performance Master Class to be presented by Tom Onslow-Cole
12 December, 2012 - The names of some of the 18 young drivers granted the opportunity to be the first to try a new Formula Ford EcoBoost 200 chassis are revealed today. They include:
Jake DennisThe youngest-ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award will be evaluating the new car on behalf of the Racing Steps Foundation, the young driver scheme which helps support British drivers progress through their racing careers. Jake is helping to test the EcoBoost 200 Formula Ford car and is happy to assist with its development, said RSF spokesman Derek Walters
Dan CammishThe 23-year-old Brit won the Formula Ford Scholarship class in 2009 and was an double outright race winner in Duratec Formula Ford the following season. Since then he has raced in Formula Renault and the JK Racing Asia series
Luke WilliamsA racewinner and regular podium finisher for the Jamun team in 2012, 20-year-old Williams established himself as one of the quickest of the EcoBoost racers
Fred Martin-DyeMartin-Dye, 24, was a podium finisher early on in Formula Ford GB 2012 on his return to racing after kart success early in his career; he plans a full season in the championship
They will be joined at Silverstone on Saturday (15 December) by another 14 lucky drivers whittled down from a longlist of more than double that number, all of them keen to get in at the start of preparations for the BTCC-supporting Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.
We always believed that demand would be strong for this opportunity to try the new Formula Ford, said Sam Roach of series promoter RacingLine. The Formula Ford Sampler Day has become a firm fixture on the British motorsport calendar, and it is given added impetus this year because of the arrival of the new car. Not only have we had a very large number of applicants but they have also been of a very high quality. It has been a hard job selecting the 18 lucky ones. Hopefully those disappointed on this occasion will get another opportunity to test very soon.
Each prospective competitor is set to get some cockpit-adjustment time in the car and several laps of Silverstones Stowe circuit to get a feel for the enhanced aerodynamic package and greater power on offer from the 1.6-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine.
In addition to track time, attendees will be able to join talks with Ford designers and engineers to go over the new car in detail, gain presentation tips from ITV4 presenter Louise Goodman, and also undertake a fitness test with Prodrives driver performance division. The MSA will also be represented, giving details of its Academy Performance Master Classes for Formula Ford drivers for the coming season, presented by BTCC driver Tom Onslow-Cole.
All prospective competitors, and not just the chosen 18 testers, are welcome to attend and take part in the workshops, meet the teams and get the facts and figures, added Roach.
The Formula Ford EcoBoost 200, which will race for the first time next Easter, will be the quickest junior single-seater in the UK thanks to a remapped engine producing in excess of 200 PS. The chassis is equipped with a fully adjustable aerodynamic package, FIA safety compliant chassis, Formula 3-specification six-speed sequential gearbox and on-board data logging and track mapping.
Formula Ford has signed to support the UKs premier motorsport package, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, for the next three seasons. The deal includes live TV at each of the 10 events, broadcast on ITV4.
The first 15 drivers to sign up to contest the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain will receive free championship registration and race entries for 2013, as well as free pre-event testing.
The opening rounds of the 30-race championship are scheduled for 30/31 March at Brands Hatch, the birthplace of Formula Ford in 1967.
