Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative member, Adam Mackay, produced an impressive maiden performance at Oulton Park this weekend (May 23) as a guest driver in round three of the National Formula Ford 1600 Championship with Graham Brunton Racing.
Despite having never raced at the technical and challenging Cheshire circuit, the Scottish FF1600 points leader made the most of Friday’s test sessions to learn the track and was posting competitive lap times towards the end of the day. However, Saturday morning’s qualifying was hampered by a snapped anti-roll bar, which saw him line up ninth on the 22-strong grid for Race 1.
A dramatic start at the unfamiliar venue saw Adam lose a number of positions in the early stages of the race. However, the 18-year-old from Aberdeenshire was able to profit from racing incidents involving cars further ahead and make some impressive overtaking manoeuvres en route to securing eighth at the chequered flag.
“It was a good race overall,” said the young Scot. “The unfamiliar light sequence caught me out at the start, which meant I lost a lot of places going into Turn 1. However, it resulted in me having to do some overtaking, which gave me the chance to learn about the level of racecraft required to compete at a national level. It was a baptism of fire, but I really enjoyed it!”
Adam made a much better start to the second race from seventh and was battling with the front-runners in fifth before the Safety Car was required on lap two. On its return to the pits, Mackay immediately set about pushing his way further up the field, successfully claiming fourth at Druids with two laps to go. What’s more, he eventually crossed the line only a tenth behind third and a similar margin shy of the fastest recorded race lap
“It’s been a great two days at Oulton Park,” he concluded. “I’m so happy with the way the team worked and with the car that they were able to give me. It’s great that I was able to come to a brand new track at a national championship event and get so close to a podium finish.”
Following an extremely positive weekend, Mackay and the Graham Brunton Racing squad now return to Knockhill for the upcoming SMRC Scottish FF1600 Championship round on June 21.
