JTR Motorsport’s leading driver Jayde Kruger has extended the title lead he carried from Brands Hatch in the first of three Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain rounds at Donington Park. Jayde held off his team mate Sam Brabham from the line to keep hold of the lead, weathering a strenuous attack from the Brit and a safety car on his way to the victory.
That safety car was the story of the race and was caused by Ricky Collard, son of Touring Car ace Rob. Collard the younger lost control of his Falcon Motorsport run Mygale on the exit of the Roberts Chicane, spun into the wall and buried the nose into the tyres by pit in. Three laps under the safety car gave the remaining racers a chance to cool the tyres and figure out a strategy.
That strategy for Brabham included an instant attack when the track went green again. Unfortunately he mis-timed his move and was forced to give the place back on the way into Redgate rather than press home his advantage. Brabham was then forced to accept his second place, though it took another ten laps for him to realise it!
Come the end of the race it was Kruger who took the flag followed by Brabham 0.421 seconds later. Falcon Motorsport’s Harrison Scott struggled with the pace of the two JTR runners ahead and dropped two and a half seconds over the final ten laps of the race but held a healthy eight second advantage to Radical Motorsport runner James Abbott.
Abbott managed to get past his team mate Juan Rosso to claim fourth place, both Radical men passed the third JTR car of Max Marshall.
Scholarship went to Connor Mills from Chris Mealin and Bobby Thompson. That means that in the second class there was no change, mainly due to the accident which put Collard out of the action. The Falcon Motorsport meat in a Meridian Motorsport sandwich, Mealin managed to hold Mills to just a 1.6 second advantage.
James Webb was the best SWB Motorsport driver, as Greg Holloway finished stone dead last in his SWB Sinter. Webb will not be celebrating tonight however, given that he only managed to best his team mate and Ovie Iroro who made his race debut in the Richardson Racing machine.
Despite his off and retirement, Collard can console himself with the fastest lap in the Scholarship class, a lap before he broke the car.
The series returns to action tomorrow in an Easter Sunday bonanza of Touring Car action. Races in both the morning and afternoon start with JTR’s Max Marshall and Falcon’s Harrison Scott on the respective poles. For those unable to come to the track, the full day will be televised live on ITV4, while we continue our live reporting and tweeting via @tcfBTCC.