Richardson Racing will welcome back Louise Richardson when the team races at Croft in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain this weekend. The 21 year old raced for the family team when she made her class debut at Brands Hatch at the start of the season but has been unable to find the budget necessary to race a full season. Based on her impressive performance on the championship’s opening weekend, a backer has stepped up to fund the remaining rounds this year.
“There have been a few false dawns in the past when we thought a deal was in place and then it didn’t happen,” said Louise, “so this one was kept quiet from me until we knew for certain. It was a nice surprise when I was told what was happening, and I’m delighted to know that I’m now sorted in a car for the rest of the season.
“Croft this weekend will be something of a test as I haven’t driven the car since Brands Hatch and will only get into it again during Friday testing. I’ve not been to Croft for a few years and also need to get used to the car again, while there are a few things we want to try out. I can then aim to come out stronger at Snetterton and really push for some good results in the second half of the year. My target is to work towards a full season in the series next year.”
The team has run Ovie Iroro and Louise’s brother Andy Richardson during the season but Louise will be the only Richardson Racing entry at Croft. It is hoped that the team will be able to run two cars for the remainder of the season.
The race weekend at Croft represents the mid-point in the 30 race championship season for the Formula Ford field. A competitive season puts JTR Motorsport’s Jayde Kruger in the lead of the championship by just nine points from Falcon Motorsport’s Harrison Scott. Form suggests that Scott will be quick at Croft, it was at the Yorkshire circuit that he became the only driver to beat Dan Cammish to a pole position all year in his debut season in 2013.
Other race winners in the first half of the season include Sam Brabham for JTR, Juan Rosso and James Abbott for Radical Motorsport and Max Marshall, also driving for JTR. The Scholarship is equally competitive with Connor Mills for Meridian Motorsport, Falcon’s Ricky Collard and Ashley Sutton in the only Jaman Racing car all in contention for the title at the end of the season.
The Croft round will also see the debut of sixteen year old Jai Nijjar with Meridian Racing.
