Sam Brabham has avoided accident and incident to claim his first ever win in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain at Thruxton. The 19 year old grandson of Sir Jack Brabham led from lights to flag on Saturday despite a monumental crash for Falcon Motorsport’s Chris Mealin interrupting the action on lap three.
Brabam’s victory looks easy when you say he led the race from lights to flag but the truth of the matter is that it was anything but. At first he had to fend off his championship leading JTR Motorsport team mate in the form of Jayde Kruger. Then the rival for the win became Harrison Scott after a brave move at the chicane on the opening lap saw the Falcon Motorsport machine past the South African racer and in hot pursuit.
Kruger’s race would go from bad to worse soon after when he was caught up in Mealin’s shunt. The second Falcon Motorsport machine tangled wheels with Jayde at the end of lap two. Mealin speared off into the barriers at speed and while his car was a mess, he got out of the car shaken but unharmed. Kruger turned in two laps under the safety car before retiring with damaged suspension.
Six of the eighteen laps were run behind the Fiesta ST safety car as the recovery of the stricken #23 machine and repairs to the barrier took place. When the action got back underway Brabham nailed the restart as he had the getaway from the grid. Scott spent ten laps trying to find a way past, but fell half a second off the lead by the end of the race with Jamun Racing’s Ashley Sutton a similar distance behind in the lead of the Scholarship class.
Max Marshall took fourth in his JTR run machine ahead of Juan Rosso who overcame his team mate James Abbott to take 5th and 6th for Radical Motorsport. Connor Mills came next for Meridian Motorsport with team mate Bobby Thompson in eighth behind him.
Ricky Collard took a rare fourth in class ahead of Ovie Iroro for Richardson Racing. Greg Holloway’s SWB Motorsport Sinter came last some thirty three seconds off the pace and almost nine and a half off the Richardson machine.
Brabham, who was thrilled to finally take his first victory said, “I wasn’t too worried when the safety car came out because I knew I had the pace to stay in front. I just needed to get a good restart and I did so. Harrison was giving me a hard time the whole race and I had that pressure… I’m so pleased finally to have won my first race. Now to win some more.”