As of next season the single-seater outfits of Hillspeed and Cliff Dempsey Racing will join forces in the BRDC British F3 Championship. Hillspeed have been out of racing for the majority of the season and the partnership could see a revival back into the series.
The new team, which will be called Hillspeed with Cliff Dempsey Racing, will be run out of Hillspeed’s factory in Derbyshire. On top of an assault on the 2017 season, the team is also planning to enter the BRDC British F3 Autumn Trophy later this season.
“This really is a hugely exciting development for both Hillspeed and Cliff Dempsey Racing, a wonderful opportunity and we have big plans going forward”, said Hillspeed team principal Richard Ollerenshaw, “Since our last F3 outing at Oulton Park, we received many approaches from teams wanting to purchase cars and enter into some form of partnership, but nothing was the right fit.
“Both teams have considerable experience in single-seater racing and by pooling that knowledge it will put Hillspeed and Cliff Dempsey Racing in a very strong position going forward.”
Cliff Dempsey and his team has seen varied success in motorsport circles. Collecting titles in Formula Opel, Formula Ford, its respective Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy.
“Obviously, I’m very excited about this whole venture”, commented Dempsey, “Two long-standing and successful teams combining their knowledge and experience, it’s a fantastic opportunity for both of us. This isn’t something I was planning but everything has come together very naturally and we’re looking forward to it hugely.
“It’s a great partnership, I’ll be joining Hillspeed’s engineers on the F3 side and we’ll also be joining forces with the Formula Ford. I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Richard [Ollerenshaw] and, through the good connections I have in the States and Canada, we hope to bring some very talented young drivers over to the UK to compete in British F3.”
As it turned out, the American connection has heralded the first driver announcement of 2017. Jordan Cane, who currently competes in the USF2000 Championship will make his debut after his sixteenth birthday in May next year.
This year, Hillspeed has featured at only one round this year, when Ali Al Khalifa drove the car at Oulton Park. A potential drive with Sasakorn Chaimongkol was noted at the start of the year though the Thai driver never made an appearance throughout the season.