Next motorsporting generation of Brabham dynasty set to make his car-racing debutNew EcoBoost Sinter of Fred Martin-Dye also set to debut in Formula Fords second meeting of the year
12 April, 2013 - Two new drivers are set to join the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford grid next weekend (20/21 April) at Donington Park for the second live-televised instalment of what is shaping up to be a classically entertaining championship season.
Sam Brabham, the 18-year-old son of Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham and grandson of three-time World Champion Sir Jack, will be making his car-racing debut at the wheel of one of JTRs Mygale EcoBoost chassis, while Fred Martin-Dye will have his first outing at the wheel of an SWB Motorsport-run Sinter.
Both drivers sampled their new cars for the first time this week, and enjoyed strong runs in the official test session held at Thruxton in Hampshire. Said Henley-based Brabham: It was great to shake down my new JTR Mygale at Thruxton this week. Although the focus is naturally on learning the car and the circuits Im settling in well. With two more tests planned before Donington, Ill be much more confident heading into my single-seater debut. My aim is to quickly learn the circuit and build my experience with some respectable results. Im really looking forward to it.
Martin-Dye, 24 and from Shamley Green in Surrey, emerged the quicker of the two Sinter drivers in the Thruxton test and was pleased with progress: It was a good start. We did 25-30 laps at Donington the day before, where there were some teething issues, so Thruxton was only my second time in the Sinter and my first on the circuit. We know exactly what we need to do to iron out the issues we have with the new car, and I think everyone is quite pleased with how the two days went. Having missed the opening rounds and three opportunities to score, my aim now has to be to make sure I finish every remaining race as well as I can.
Its hoped that Argentinian racer Juan Rosso may be able to make a belated start to his Formula Ford season at Donington - the 19-year-old from Cordoba broke a bone in his hand in a pre-season testing crash at the wheel of his Jamun Racing-run Mygale and awaits the blessing of medics before he can compete.
JTRs Dan Cammish leads the title hopefuls to Donington following his hat-trick of wins late last month. The Leeds racer, who has just celebrated his 24th birthday, said after his Brands Hatch victories that he would be lucky to experience a similar clean sweep again in his career, and the results of the Thruxton test - from which he was absent - suggest that Dans rivals wont be letting him have it all his own way again.
Harrison Scott was the surprise of the Thruxton test, the 17-year-old from Essex topping the timesheet by a quarter-second margin despite it being his first experience of the dauntingly fast Hampshire track, where the quickest Formula Fords were topping 140mph.
Scott scored three race finishes on his car-racing debut at Brands Hatch with Falcon Motorsport, and is hopeful of more at Donington: Weve had limited testing, largely because of all the bad weather, and the team and I have been getting used to the car. Since Brands weve had a couple of test days, weve worked hard on the set-up and its all coming together now. I feel a lot more confident with the car. I definitely want to be finishing all three races again, aiming for the top five if I can, and if we could get a podium that would be great. Solid points are what we want.
Harrison will be joined again at Donington by his Falcon team-mates Neil Winn and Lassi Halminen, both of whom will be looking to improve on their solid starts to the season. Alongside Brabham and Cammish at JTR will be talented young American Camren Kaminsky, who twice made the podium at Brands Hatch on his UK racing debut.
Scott Malvern, the 2011 champion, did not enjoy the best of starts to his campaign at Brands Hatch and will be looking to restore order to his title bid at Donington; the Essex racer underlined his intentions at Thruxton this week by topping the first, damp session and running Harrison Scott closest in the dry. Confirmed alongside Malvern in the Jamun squad are Scholarship Cup class leader Nico Maranzana, from Argentina, and Yorkshireman Luke Williams, both of whom made the Brands Hatch podium last time.
Maranzana also holds second place in the overall championship, jointly with Grays-based George Blundell, who shone at Brands at the wheel of his Enigma Motorsport-run EcoBoost Mygale.
James Abbott and Andy Richardson made successful starts to their single-seater racing careers at Brands Hatch, finishing all three races to net vital championship points. Both Radical Motorsport Sinter driver Abbott and Richardson, whose Mygale is run by family ream Richardson Racing, will be looking for more of the same at Donington.
Doningtons pre-event test is scheduled for Thursday, with official qualifying and one race on Saturday and a further two races on Sunday which will feature in ITV4s live coverage of the Donington meeting.
Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship GBProvisional placings after Round 31 Dan CAMMISH GBR/Leeds JTR/Mygale 91 points2= George BLUNDELL GBR/Grays Enigma/Mygale 642= Nico MARANZANA ARG Jamun/Mygale 644 Camren KAMINSKY USA JTR/Mygale 515 Harrison SCOTT GBR/Althorne Falcon/Mygale 486 Luke WILLIAMS GBR/Thirsk Jamun/Mygale 47 etc
Scholarship Cup1 Nico MARANZANA ARG Jamun/Mygale 632 Harrison SCOTT GBR/Althorne Falcon/Mygale 45
Donington Park provisional timetableThursday 18 April 1030-1110 & 1500-1540 testingSaturday 20 April 0930 qualifying, 1440 Round 4Sunday 21 April 0925 Round 5, 1507 Round 6
