Freddie’s European Finals
Freddie’s European Finals did not go according to plan. A shattered brake disc carrier in one of the heats, and a similar problem in the Pre Final, saw Freddie fight through in the Final from grid 32 to finish 15th. This was not the result Freddie had hoped for or anticipated, but at least it was enough to secure his coveted International Licence for his move to European Formula ‘A’.
Freddie is British Formula ICA Vice-Champion
Larkhall in Scotland was the venue for the final round of the Senior Formula ICA British Championship. In one of the closest title battles in Formula ICA history, 15 year old Freddie Martin-Dye missed the title by just a single point, (447 to 446) to 21 year old Chris Lemare.
Fast Freddie convincingly won Final 1 in damp conditions. But with Martin-Dye finishing in fifth position during the second Final, Lamare’s win moved him to the top of the driver standings by a mere point. In a further twist, it was Martin-Dye who - during the opening round at Three Sisters Circuit - chose to allow Lamare back past him after Freddie felt he himself had been too forceful with an earlier overtaking manoeuvre.
The net result shows the honesty and sportsmanship of the 15-year old Surrey ace, who is in his first year of senior karting, may well have ultimately cost him the Formula ICA title victory to a driver six-years his senior.
Martin-Dye led from start to finish in Final One to ensure the title fight would go down to the wire.
Martin-Dye, as he crossed the line in Final Two, thought he had done enough to seal the Formula ICA title, but with the ruling that all competitors must ‘drop’ their two worst scores at the end of the year, the drivers and teams had to reach for their calculators to work out who would come out on top after some hectic racing, run in damp conditions. And yet again, Freddie fell victim to this rule, and was relegated to a valiant and highly sporting British Vice-Champion.
Fast Freddie - Italian ‘Industrials’ in Formula A
15 year old Freddie Martin-Dye finished a superb 4th in Parma in the Italian Industrials in his first taste of Formula A. Freddie qualified in 5th position after timed qualifying, after being baulked on his quickest flying lap, which looked like it was would give him a certain pole. After finishing in fifth place in heat 1 and a disastrous ‘off’ in heat 2, Freddie fought through from grid 22 in the Final to finish a superb 4th.
Freddie is soon to finalize his racing plans for 2005, which will be announced shortly.
