After Scott Pye won Saturday’s race, Scott Malvern and Josh Hill shared Sunday’s spoils as British Formula Ford headed to Silverstone last weekend.
Race 1:
Pye put the pressure on Malvern in the championship standings by winning the first race of the weekend at the Northamptonshire circuit.
It was the Australian’s seventh win of the season and he led for all but the first half a lap of the race.
The race began with a chaotic opening lap which saw Pye and Malvern break away from their pursuers.
The dramas started when Pye was slow away from the grid, throwing away the advantage of pole position and handing the lead to JTR’s Daniel Cammish, who started third behind Pye and his Jamun team-mate Josh Hill.
Cammish’s lead didn’t last long though and he was soon passed by a number of rivals.
Pye and Malvern had built a considerable lead on their pursuers, with the Australian having the advantage. Malvern had no intention of allowing his rival to get away and narrowed the gap from 1.5s to less than a car’s length by the sixth of the 10 laps.
But Pye was able to hold on as Malvern began to fall back but still claim second place, with Hill finishing third.
Pye was happy with his win, especially after a poor start. “I didn’t get the ideal start and Scott had good pace early on, but I held on for the win, and to get it by such a big margin at the end was fantastic,” he said.
Race 2:
Championship front runner Malvern bought an end to his drought of not winning in the last 12 races. His last victory came back in April at Oulton Park.
Driving the Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray, Malvern took the lead in the opening lap of the race and never relinquished his position.
Pye began the race in pole position but got off to another bad start which allowed not only Malvern but also team mate Hill to take advantage.
The championship leader was beginning to open up a gap, but after a collision between Philippe Layac and Ernie van der Walt, the safety car was required for four laps.
When it departed there was just one lap of the race remaining to decide the outcome.
Malvern made an excellent restart, outfoxing Hill, who was forced to defend his second spot from a determined Cammish. And that’s how the top three finished, all within half a second of each other.
Malvern was satisfied with his win and extending his lead in the championship race. “It’s a good result for my championship; it wasn’t much of a lead but it was enough,” he said.
Race 3:
The final race of the Silverstone weekend belonged to Josh Hill after a dramatic race-long battle for the lead between the top five cars.
Hill, the son of Formula One champion Damon, made a great start from pole ahead of Pye, Cammish and Tio Ellinas.
The safety car made a return for two laps after a clash between Luke Williams and Zaamin Jaffer, but Hill was able to hold his nerve at the restart on lap four before being pushed back to second next time around by Cammish, who a few corners earlier had disposed of Pye.
19 year-old Hill wasn’t about to give up however and came fighting back to re-take the lead during lap seven into Copse.
There was a battle for places behind the Surrey based driver, which allowed Hill to build on his lead and claim top spot on the podium.
During the last-lap there was a dust-up between second-placed Pye and his arch title rival Malvern in third. Pye got the better of the encounter to maintain second, while his Jamun team-mate Emil Bernstorff also took advantage to finish third.
Championship leader and winner of the day’s first race Malvern finished fourth.
Hill was delighted with his win: “I have a good track record here, and it’s an absolute joy to win at Silverstone. It’s something every driver needs to have in their CV.”
After the Silverstone weekend Malvern is leading the Championship on 370 points, 38 ahead of Pye on 332 points.
Watch British Formula Ford Championship highlights on Motors TV.
Josh Modaberi
International
