Haggerty earns first BRDC Formula 4 podium of the seasonMacKay dominates with double victory at KnockhillEcurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative members Ciaran Haggerty and Adam MacKay both made strong starts to their respective BRDC Formula 4 Championship and Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship campaigns last weekend (April 4-6).While Haggerty put on an impressive performance at Oulton Park by securing a podium in race two, MacKay went one better, dominating the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship meeting at Knockhill with a double victory.After a dramatic 20-minute qualifying session that saw less than a second covering the top eight drivers, Haggerty started his first race of the season in fifth. The 18-year-old enjoyed a race-long tussle with Tom Jackson, Jack Bartholomew and Chris Mealin before eventually crossing the line in sixth after a fierce battle over the closing laps.A break in the bank holiday programme saw the reigning Scottish Formula Ford 1600 champion return to the track on Monday morning for race two, where he started third. A strong getaway helped the GBR/Ecurie Ecosse driver move up to second, where he stayed throughout the 12-lap race en route to a first podium finish of 2015. A delighted Ciaran was presented with his trophy by three-time Indy 500 winner, four-time IndyCar champion and Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative mentor, Dario Franchitti. Haggerty then lined up third for his final race of the weekend that afternoon and immediately made a good start by jumping up to second behind race leader Jordan Albert. As the front pair moved clear of the rest of the field, Haggerty brought the gap down to as low as two tenths before an unfortunate spin dropped him to third. Another small mistake then lost the young Scot a few more places, but he clung on to seventh to claim all-important championship points. As a result, Haggerty goes into the second round of the BRDC Formula 4 Championship at Rockingham (May 2/3) joint fifth in the standings.Ciaran Haggerty: “I kept up with Chris at the start which was good but then I made a mistake going into Cascades and had to get out of the throttle which opened up a big gap, which I just couldn’t close. I am happy with second though as it is a really good start to the year after finishing sixth in the first race. It was also amazing to share the podium with Dario!”
Meanwhile, north of the border, Adam MacKay enjoyed a winning start to the season by claiming victories in the opening two rounds of the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship.With foggy conditions curtailing qualifying, grid positions were decided on last year’s championship points, meaning MacKay started race one in second. It wasn’t long before he was in the lead though and maintained control of the race from there to take a commanding first win as an Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver.Despite starting on pole for race two, a mistake at lights out meant the 17-year-old dropped down to fourth on the opening lap. The young Scot wasted no time however, quickly re-taking the lead and building the gap to the chasing pack en route to his second win of the weekend.The second round of the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship takes place May 2/3, again at Knockhill.Adam MacKay: “I really couldn’t have hoped for better results in my first race as an Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver! Although I could have made things easier for myself if it wasn’t for little mistakes, I’ve learnt from them and there are plenty of positives to take from the weekend. Hopefully we can continue this winning streak as long as possible, but we’ll see what happens at the next round.”
Ecurie Ecosse was formed in 1951 by Edinburgh accountant David Murray. Under his leadership the team achieved a huge number of international race victories, the most prestigious being overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1956, and finishing 1st and 2nd in the same race in 1957. Ecurie Ecosse took the racing world by storm and to this day has an unprecedented reputation as a winning formula. In 1983 Ecurie Ecosse Association Member and Edinburgh businessman Hugh McCaig took control of the team and lead it on to further great success, including:1985: Runners-up, C2 World Sportscar Championship1986: Winners, C2 World Sports Car Championship1987: Winners, Index Of Performance, Le Mans 24 Hours* 2nd in class and 8th overall, Le Mans 24 Hours Runners-up, C2 World Sportscar Championship1988: Winners, British Thunder Saloons Championship1995: Winners, British Touring Car Championship2013: 3rd, British GT Championship 3rd, European Le Mans Series (GTC)2014: Winners, British GT Championship (Drivers') 3rd, British GT Championship (Teams') 3rd, Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am (Teams') 3rd, Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am (Drivers')*This is awarded for the best performance in terms of the combination of speed and fuel efficiency.Three Formula One World Champions and every Scottish Formula One winner has raced for Ecurie Ecosse. They were the first privately entered outfit to beat works teams in the British Touring Car Championship. An extraordinary list of legendary drivers have raced for Ecurie Ecosse including Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Ian Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham, Innes Ireland, Masten Gregory, Roy Salvadori, Richard Attwood, Ron Flockhart, Brian Redman, David Coulthard, Allan McNish, Johnny Dumfries, David Leslie and Tom Walkinshaw. Ecurie Ecosse remains one of the world’s most important and influential teams still in existence, while there are very few still operating today that have such a rich and historical background.
