Australian star Scott Pye took a big step towards taking the 2010 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford of Great Britain championship with victory in Round 24 at Brands Hatch. The Jamun Racing ace led from lights to flag to take a remarkable twelfth victory of the season, putting him into the lead of the championship with just one race remaining.
Pye started the race from pole position, his sixteenth of the season, with team mate Emil Bernstorff alongside him. Minister International's Dan de Zille enjoyed his best qualifying of the season to start third. As the lights went out, Pye led away at the front, with a great start for de Zille seeing him slide past of Bernstorff for second as they headed into Paddock Hill for the first time.
De Zille quickly set about trying to pressurise Pye at the front, but the 20 year old quickly shook off his pursuer and worked about pulling out a lead at the front. He was aided with de Zille beginning to come under pressure from behind, first by Tom Bradshaw in the Guest car Juno, then by championship protagonist Scott Malvern, who had moved up to third after starting sixth.
Guest driver Bradshaw was in the thick of the action all race, including an early brush with double winner from last time out at Donington, Josh Hill. Ahead though, the main action was in the fight for second place, with de Zille and Malvern running nose to tail throughout the race. Malvern's pressure culminated in a late move on lap 10, but de Zille defended hard, putting Malvern into the clutches of JTR's Tio Ellinas, who slid past for third on the penultimate lap.
At the front, Pye was having a much easier race, romping home to take the win by 4.2 seconds. De Zille held on for second, his best result of the season, with Ellinas following in third for his seventh podium of the season. Malvern held onto fourth, with Bernstorff and Hill following close behind, Hill setting a new lap record in the process. Antti Buri was next up, ahead of Daniel Cammish, whose eighth place finish secured him enough points to secure third place in the championship standings.
In the Scholarship class, Tristan Mingay headed into the weekend needing to record a couple of finishes to take the crown. Chief rival Luke Williams led the way early on, but an engine failure saw his race end in retirement, leaving Mingay to take his 10th class win of the season and with it the 2010 Scholarship crown. Following in the footsteps of 2009 champion Cammish, Mingay will receive the loan of a Van Diemen chassis and Scholar engine for next season, as well as free race entries for the year.
