Photo: Ida Wood
Formula Scout has gone through the Walter Hayes Trophy entry list to find out who’s likely to shine this weekend, and some of the stories behind the drivers and teams taking part at Silverstone
Some of the best slipstreaming action in single-seater racing, and in all sorts of weather conditions, can be found on the first weekend of November each year at Silverstone in Formula Ford’s Walter Hayes Trophy.
There is once again over 100 cars on the entry list, meaning the paddock the full of plenty of stories and potential winners with drivers from 14 different countries on track for this year’s edition.
Team Dolan
#1 Jason Smyth IRELAND Van Diemen JL12
2026: FFord Festival winner, 9th in United FFord champion, 20th in GB4 Walter Hayes Trophy: 2025 winner
The defending winner followed up his title-winning 2025 with a switch to slicks-and-wings at the start of this year, and made the podium on his second GB4 start. He only did two rounds, but had a scoring rate that would have put him in the championship’s top seven.
After that the son of 2010 FFord Kent Festival winner Neville Smyth returned to FF1600, and became the first ever driver to successfully defend their FFord Festival crown. He also won the Martin Donnelly Trophy in Northern Ireland this year.
#7 Megan Gilkes CANADA Van Diemen LA10
2026: no racing WHT: 11th in 2021
Formula Scout readers will recognise Gilkes’ name from racing in W Series back in 2019 and then being a race-winner in the 2022 GB4 season. Now she is a performance engineer at the Aston Martin F1 team, based across the road from Silverstone.
#27 Stephen O’Connor IRELAND Van Diemen RF90
2026: 7th in Bert Ray Memorial Trophy, 16th in Super Classic FF1600, finalist in FFF, 36th in United FFord WHT: Semi-finalist in 2024 & ’25
O’Connor impressively took a damaged car through the heats and to the semi-finals in 2024, which was his first WHT attempt, and last weekend at the FFord Festival was fifth in his semi-final but then only reached lap three in the final.
#97 George Quartermaine ENGLAND Van Diemen RF99
2026: 8th in United FFord, finalist in FFF
#119 Mark McKenna IRELAND Crossle 35F
2026: Northern Irish FF1600 WHT: semi-finalist in 2023, ’24 & ’25
McKenna has been a semi-finalist with Team Dolan in each of the last two years, and has FFord Festival experience from the late 1990s.
#777 Chris Middlehurst ENGLAND Van Diemen LA10
2026: no racing WHT: 2023 winner
Middlehurst had finished in the top five of the WHT four times prior to his dramatic victory in 2023, then was in the fight to win again the following year before a plug lead came off in the final. He returns after a year out.
B-M Racing
#3 Jordan Dempsey IRELAND Medina Sport BH22
2026: 2nd in FFF, 7th in United FFord WHT: 2019 winner
The runner-up at the FFord Festival in each of the last two years also has strong WHT form, and has more preparatory mileage than last year having upped his United FFord commitments.
#6 Michael Fitzgerald IRELAND Medina Sport BH22
2026: 17th in United FFord, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: Last Chance Race in 2025
Not to be confused with racing drivers of the same name, Fitzgerald is in fact the creator of the Star Wars fan film ‘Stormtroopers’ and will be recognised by Game of Thrones fans as a Glover general in season six.
#10 David McArthur ENGLAND Medina Sport BH19
2026: 4th in Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup WHT: 13th in 2015
The Thruxton-based Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup event in July was McArthur’s first piece of single-seater action since he made the WHT final last year.
#11 Neil McArthur ENGLAND Van Diemen LA10
WHT: finalist in 2012
#17 Tom McArthur ENGLAND Medina Sport Mk1
2026: 29th in Historic FFord, 45th in United FFord WHT: 10th in 2018
Having raced historic FF1600 machinery earlier this year, McArthur returns to the Medina Sport Mk1 chassis he has raced in previous years. In the 2025 WHT he qualified fourth and finished second in heat three, but his weekend ended with 19th place in semi-final two.
#45 Rory Smith ENGLAND/AUSTRALIA Medina Sport JL18
2026: 6th in United FFord, 3rd in Bert Ray Memorial Trophy, 7th in HoFF1600 SC, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: 2024 winner
Whenever he gets in the car, Smith is quick and he usually features near the front in every FF1600 event he appears in. He came to the WHT in 2025 as the defending winner after soaking up race-long pressure in the 2024 final, but last year didn’t go to plan and he started 27th for the final. Despite that, he charged up to eighth place before 45 seconds of track limits penalties sent him back down to 26th.
At last weekend’s FFord Festival he qualified second for his heat, but again was on the back foot after retiring from it. To make up for it he went on a stunning charge from 22nd to victory in the Progression race, lapping over a second faster than anyone else, then rose from 23rd to 11th within three laps in semi-final one. He was in sixth place before retiring on the last lap.
Smith also had a scary incident earlier this year, rolling his car at Oulton Park in May.
#74 Grace Parkington ENGLAND Crossle 25F
2026: 8th in Classic FFord, NC in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
Parkington is one of B-M’s mechanics, but she is a racer in her own right on the side as she drives this Crossle in Classic FFord. For her WHT debut last year though she raced a modern FFord car.
#181 Nigel Dolan IRELAND Van Diemen RF90
2026: no racing WHT: semi-finalist in 2021, ’22, ’24 & ’25
Being in an older car doesn’t mean the final is out of reach for a driver at the WHT, and Dolan will be aiming to reach it for the first time.
KMR Sport
#8 Andrew Schofield SOUTH AFRICA Spectrum 011C
2026: 6th in South African Touring Cars, 28th in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: 25th in 2025
The instigator of the programme bringing his countryman to race in the UK, Schofield has plentiful experience over the years at home and abroad in FF1600 cars. He reached the WHT final last year, and finished nine places higher than he started.
#21 Tom Mills ENGLAND Spectrum 011C
2026: NC in United FFord WHT: 4th in 2022
Now 21 years old, Mills returns to an event he last contested in 2022. He came fourth in BRSCC National FF1600 as a rookie in 2021, after missing round one due to being underage, and at the end of the year came 19th in the WHT. On his second attempt he finished fourth, with the focus that year being his switch to Formula 4. He came fourth in the GB4 championship with two wins, then in his sophomore season took the title with 10 victories.
His United FFord cameo at Silverstone this year marked his return to the cockpit with the team run by his father Kevin, having supported its FFord drivers for the last few years.
#69 Mikel Bezuidenhout SOUTH AFRICA Spectrum 011C
2026: 2nd in MSA4 WHT: 13th in 2024
Another multiple-time beneficiary of the South Africa to Kevin Mills pipeline, Bezuidenhout was eighth in South African F1600 in 2024 then has been MSA4 championship runner-up two years in a row. He took the fight for the title to the last day of this season, and to “leave without it hurts” but he combined being “disappointed” with positive reflections on a campaign in which he won several races.
#71 Simphiwe Mohlahlo SOUTH AFRICA Reynard 89FF
2026: 18th in MSA4, NC in Super Classic FF1600
A make-up artist and content creator by trade, Mohlahlo’s preparations for the WHT were interrupted somewhat in pre-event testing when the engine in the older Reynard 89FF she is driving had to removed from the car and examined before she could return to the track. In South Africa she has been racing a FF1600 car in Formula Libre, and also competed in one of the winged cars of MSA4 over the last two years. This September she made a motorsport trip to Britain that included testing at Welsh circuit Anglesey.
#171 Julian Van der Watt SOUTH AFRICA Mygale SJ26
2026: SATC champion WHT: 11th in 2019 & ’22
A frequent visitor to Silverstone in Novembers through the KMR-partnered South African single-seater scheme. In 2023 he had a high-speed crash which broke his body in multiple places and caused a collapsed lung. But he bounced back, returning to walking, cycling and then racing. Touring cars is his main on-track home, and that culminated in claiming the South African Touring Cars title this year. Let’s see if he can carry that momentum into his latest single-seater outing.
#172 KC Ensor-Smith SOUTH AFRICA Mygale SJ26
2026: 2nd in SATC WHT: 3rd in 2024 & ’25
Ensor-Smith was runner-up in South Africa’s equivalent of a national FFord championship in 2024, then put in a starring WHT drive. South African F1600 turned into MSA4 in 2025, with halo-shod cars inspired by F4, and he went one better by winning the title. He couldn’t go one better at the WHT though, finishing third again. In a new Mygale chassis to learn rather than the Spectrum he’s raced previously, and having spent 2026 in touring cars, getting another podium may involve new challenges.
Ammonite Motorsport
#24 Jase Petty USA Ray GR18
2026: 10th in FFF, 11th in United FFord WHT: Finalist in 2023
Having first raced cars back home in America three years ago, Petty’s on-track career has built up momentum in Britain through 2026 by racing in United FFord and then the FFord Festival. At the latter he showed his ongoing improvements, qualifying eighth and finishing sixth in his heat, rising four places to seventh in semi-final one, and climbing three spots in the final to finish 10th.
#42 Hugh Esterson USA Ray GR18
2026: 24th in United FFord, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: 6th in 2025
The older brother of 2022 Festival winner and IMSA racer Max, who made it up to Formula 2 in his single-seater career, came fifth in the F1600 Championship Series in 2021 as a rookie and third the year after, was a finalist at the 2023 WHT, and fought for overall victory in the 2024 FFord Festival. He was always in the top six at last year’s WHT, and last weekend at Brands Hatch was also on the pace before he retired from the first FFord Festival semi-final.
#62 Haarni Sadiq ENGLAND/PAKISTAN Ray GR18
2026: 37th in British F4, 37th in UAE4
Sadiq raced for JHR Developments in British F4 this year, setting the fastest lap in two races but only coming 37th in the standings as he only claimed two top-10 finishes from 29 starts. Those were both on Silverstone’s National layout, the part of the track used for the WHT, which sets a good precedent. In 2025 he only did three rounds but came 35th in the points table.
The 16-year-old is raising money for support and research charity Parkinson’s UK this weekend.
#90 Anthony Amato ENGLAND Ray GR22
2026: United FFord champion, Bert Ray Memorial Trophy winner, 3rd in FFF WHT: 14th in 2024
The 22-year-old is on a constant upward trajectory as he builds experience in single-seaters. He was fifth in United FFord last year, and champion this season, and he arrived at Silverstone this week off the back of a FFord Festival weekend in which he finished second in his heat and semi-final, and only missed out on matching that result in the final by 0.02 seconds. On current form, he should be considered one of the favourites for this Sunday.
TM Racing
#28 Tom Hawkins ENGLAND Van Diemen RF92
2026: 2nd in Super Classic FF1600, 8th in Castle Combe Racing Club FFord, 8th in Heroes of FF1600 SC WHT: 19th in 2023
Hawkins and team-mate Fisher entered the WHT in modern FF1600 chassis last year, but are attacking this weekend in designs that are over 33 years old. It could serve Hawkins well, based on his form in the Super Classic FF1600 championship for older machinery.
#37 Felix Fisher ENGLAND Van Diemen RF90
2026: 14th in United FFord, NC in Heroes of FF1600 SC WHT: 3rd in 2009
The multi-time Castle Combe FFord champion has historically shown well at the WHT, and will probably be the fastest driver in a pre-’93 car.
#98 Cody Hayhurst USA Ray GR26
2026: 16th in United FFord, karting
When Hayhurst arrived in Britain’s FFord scene early this year, he called his first taste of action at Silverstone “the most fun I have ever had racing”. He had been honing his skills in the USA’s karting and FFord scenes prior to that, and continued to kart competitively through 2026 between trips across the Atlantic. The Ray GR26 he will be driving in the WHT is one of the newest cars in the pitlane.
#128 Ricky Simpson USA Ray GR20
2026: 27th in United FFord, finalist in FFF WHT: 14th in 2025
With a similar career path to Hayhurst, Simpson raced in his home country’s FFord series before heading to United FFord last year and coming 14th in the standings. Simpson also appeared in Northern Irish FF1600, and made the FFord Festival final. He did so again this year, making his heat’s podium, finishing seventh in semi-final two but falling to the back of the field and then retiring early in the final.
Swift Cooper
#26 Sam Skellett ENGLAND Swift SC20
2026: 2nd in CCRC FFord
#44 Paul Mason ENGLAND Swift SC94
2026: 11th in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
#169 Alan Slater ENGLAND Nike Mk4
2026: Progression race in FFF, NC in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: Progression race in 2022, ’23 & ’25
Slater’s car is older than most of the drivers, as he enters a 56-year-old chassis.
#211 Luke Cooper ENGLAND Swift SC20
2026: CCRC FFord champion, 5th in FFF, 6th in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: 4th in 2024 & ’25
After losing out on the CCRC FFord title several years in a row, Cooper has now won back-to-back titles, and his WHT form has been at its best in the last two editions. As a perennial FFord frontrunner, he’s sure to be up front once again even though Silverstone isn’t the best circuit for the Swift.
Enigma Motorsport
#55 Luke McShane ENGLAND Crossle 47F
WHT: semi-finalist in 2024 & ’25
#60 Alan Williamson Van Diemen RF81
2026: 18th in Classic FFord
#77 James Clarke ENGLAND Van Diemen RF90
2026: 20th in Super Classic FF1600, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: 18th in 2023
Clarke won the WHT’s Janet Cesar Memorial Trophy race for older cars in 2022, and although he reached the semi-finals of last weekend’s FFord Festival he didn’t get to actually start the race. In his heat he had finished sixth, contending with the newer cars for a potential podium.
#116 Xavier Michel FRANCE Crossle 32F
2026: =7th in FFord Historic France – pre-’82 class
Oldfield Motorsport
#130 Richard Tarling ENGLAND Jamun T2
2026: 3rd in Heroes of FF1600 SC WHT: 22nd in 2014
Tarling loves racing historic cars, and the Jamun T2 was a model seen in FFord paddocks back in 1970. It’s interesting to see him entering the WHT this year with the technical support of an Oldfield, a Warwickshire-based team best known for being at the front of the field with contemporary single-seaters.
#143 Maris Schulte GERMANY Van Diemen JL13
2026: 4th in United FFord, 6th in FFF WHT: 21st in 2025
The German stepped up from his home country’s X30 Senior kart championships to FFord with Oldfield at the start of 2025. His performances in United FFord put him 11th in the standings, and he was 16th at the FFord Festival.
His sophomore season initially did not initially look like an improvement, but consistent top-10 finishes meant Schulte still surpassed 200 points. The FFord Festival could count as his strongest showing of the year, having finished second in his heat, fourth in semi-final two and sixth in the final.
Andy Charsley ENGLAND Medina Mk2
2026: 9th in Bert Ray Memorial Trophy, 17th in SC FF1600 WHT: 24th in 2016
Shaws Motorsport
#75 Harrison Morrow ENGLAND Reynard 92FF
2026: Super Classic FF1600 champion, 10th in United FFord, 14th in FFF WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
Morrow is a driver to keep an eye on this weekend, and Shaws will have plenty of data to utilise having run 10 cars at the FFord Festival. The pace potential with Morrow was on show before then, as he won the Super Classic FF1600 title and in his Heritage class car he made it into the top 10 in the United FFord standings.
At Brands Hatch he drove the 34-year-old Reynard 92FF to 13th in semi-final one and 14th in the final.
#142 Daniel Whear ENGLAND Royale RP21
2026: 10th in Super Classic FF1600, 10th in Classic FFord, semi-finalist in FFF
#147 Ben Hadfield ENGLAND Van Diemen RF79
2026: semi-finalist in FFF, 31st in Classic FFord WHT: LCR in 2020
Dousse Int. Sanglier
#16 Mathieu Boissiere FRANCE Van Diemen RF90
2026: 9th in Open FSeries
#46 Arnaud Dousse FRANCE Van Diemen RF92
2026: 2nd in Trophee FF1600 Kent, 8th in Open Formula Series, 17th in FFF WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
The team boss has raced in classic FFord cars across Europe, and raced at Le Mans Classic, but had never raced in Britain until 2025’s end-of-year FFord classics. In France’s FF1600 championship, he was third last year and second this season.
#89 Benjamin Monteiro FRANCE Van Diemen RF89
2026: 7th in Trophee FF1600 Kent, 33rd in Open FSeries WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
Neil Fowler Motorsport
#25 Chris Porritt ENGLAND Titan Mk6
2026: 15th in Historic FFord, 19th in Classic FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2012
An engineer who loves playing around with old cars in and out of cockpit, Porritt won the Jochen Rindt Trophy at Thruxton Retro last year.
#63 Matt Taylerson ENGLAND Hawke DL11
WHT: semi-finalist in 2006
#891 Mark Charteris ENGLAND Lola T200
Auto Haeckel Motorsport
#14 Gerhard Hauschulte GERMANY Van Diemen RF91
2026: 19th in Super Classic FF1600, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: LCR in 2022 & ’25
#17 Klaus-Dieter Haeckel GERMANY Van Diemen RF88
2026: 23rd in Super Classic FF1600, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: semi-finalist in 2019, ’22 & ’25
Vertical Racing
#57 Ian Campbell IRELAND Ray GR08
2026: NC in United FFord, NI FF1600 WHT: 11th in 2020
Campbell writes software for electric car batteries to improve charging speed and efficiency.
#148 David Parks IRELAND Reynard 89FF
2026: NC in United FFord, NI FF1600 WHT: finalist in 2025
Pirate M-Sports/Don Hardman Racing
#78 Joey Foster ENGLAND Firman RFR22
2026: 30th in United FFord, =45th in Historic FFord WHT: 2003, ’04, ’05 & ’22 winner
The pirate moniker is to do with Cornwall’s naval history, with Foster proudly having the Cornish flag on his helmet and using Cornish-built engines (Whear is another Cornish driver in this field). Each year he develops his Firman car a little more with the support of Don Hardman’s team.
In addition to being the most successful driver in WHT history, the 44-year-old managed F2 racer Kush Maini’s career.
#79 Leanne McShane ENGLAND Firman RFR19
2026: 34th in United FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2019, ’20, ’23, ’24 & ’25
Wayne Poole Racing
#81 Josh Fisher ENGLAND Van Diemen RF99
WHT: 2nd in 2008, ’16 & ’17
#82 Sam Street ENGLAND Van Diemen RF88
2026: 15th in CCRC FFord, finalist in FFF, NC in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: 20th in 2022
Following the 2022 Festival, Street switched from Aston Martin to Formula 1 rival Williams… as an engineer. He’s been a senior aerodynamics engineer there since 2024, a very cool job but not the best for racing in FFord since the cars have no wings.
GT Motorsport
#18 Jack van der Ende THE NETHERLANDS Van Diemen RF78
WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
Prior to last year’s WHT, van der Ende had not raced a FFord car since 1997 when he was British FFord champion and FFord Festival winner.
GT Motorsport boss Mike Gardner approached van der Ende to make his 2025 appearance happen, and he drove the car that ex-F1 driver Jan Magnussen entered the 2024 WHT in. Gearbox problems hampered what was becoming an increasingly competitive showing this time last year, and van der Ende has said finishing on the podium in the Carl Hamer Trophy race (for pre-1982 cars) this Sunday is his aim.
During his actual racing career, the 49-year-old competed the Porsche Supercup, Formula 3 and Formula 3000.
John’s Racing Team
#135 John Svensson BELGIUM Ray GR17K
WHT: 10th in 2015
Svensson loves coming over to the UK to race in the WHT, and has been racing in FF1600 in various countries since 1994.
Sema Racing
#121 Alex Ames ENGLAND Van Diemen RF90
2026: NC in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: 5th in 2005
Ames is a force to be reckoned with at the WHT, having come fifth in 2005, eighth in 2006, 16th in 2024 and 17th last year. His 2025 result was perhaps his most impressive, having qualified and finished fourth in his heat, 0.253s off second place, and finished 10th in semi-final two in his old but well proven Van Diemen.
Simms Engineering
#70 Benn Simms ENGLAND Van Diemen RF81
WHT form: semi-finalist in 2024 & ’25
Simms has a very long history in FFord, winning the category’s Historic title in Britain in 1998, 2011, 2014 and 2026, and the Classic championship in 2024. He’s now also a WHT semi-finalist two years in a row, and is racing one of Shaw Motorsport’s cars.
Souley Motorsport
#2 Andrew McInnes AUSTRALIA Van Diemen RF88
2026: semi-finalist in FFF
Simon Hadfield Motorsport
#5 James Hadfield ENGLAND Van Diemen RF94
2026: 33rd in United FFord WHT: 25th in 2024
Ecurie Hinxton
#40 Ben Tinkler ENGLAND Van Diemen RF92
2026: 5th in Super Classic FF1600, 12th in FFF, 31st in United FFord WHT: 22nd in 2017
Tinkler returned to the FFF last weekend over a decade since his last appearance.
Porter Motorsport
#50 Dave Porter ENGLAND Van Diemen RF92
2026: 43rd in United FFord WHT: 19th in 2020
Team CKM
#52 Antony Denham ENGLAND Van Diemen RF80
2026: semi-finalist in FFF WHT: Progression race in 2025
Team Fox Racing
#154 Lewis Fox ENGLAND Ray GR25
2026: finalist in FFF WHT: 8th in 2025
A regular at the WHT, Fox’s best finish was only 17th place until last year when he impressed with seventh place in qualifying, finishing fifth in his heat, seventh in semi-final two and climbing five spots in the final to finish eighth.
Shift Point Racing
#166 Michael Dolzer AUSTRIA Reynard 84FF
2026: 2nd in FFord Austria
This year was the first that Austria’s FFord series was ratified as a national championship, and Dolzer competed there after several years driving a variety of cars including a Brabham BT21 in F3 spec for an upcoming documentary about James Hunt. Several Austrian drivers are with Shift Point this weekend to evaluate entering the WHT in 2027.
Asphalt Racing
#12 Thomas Craincourt FRANCE Van Diemen RF92
Classic & Race
#91 Joshua Law ENGLAND Tiga FF78
A drummer by trade, Law confirms he knows the score for hit song ‘Eye of the Tiga’. He previously raced in Sports 2000.
Team Black Magic Motorsport
#95 Alan Crocker NEW ZEALAND Cheetah Mk4
Crocker competed in Britain’s Formula Atlantic series in 1975 and ’76, with an engine failure interrupting his rookie season, then he returned home with his March 74B chassis to race in the inaugural season of the New Zealand Formula Pacific championship in 1977. Either side of that period he could be seen in FFord cars, something he has done again in recent years with a car that started as a Ray chassis from 1973, was copied down under with a larger bellhousing a year later then built to racing spec in Britain.
CC Racing
#110 Axel Castillou FRANCE Ray 92F
2026: Trophee FF1600 Kent champion, 29th in Open FSeries, finalist in FFF.
Another name to watch, as Castillou starred on the continent this year. He was champion of France’s FF1600 championship, and he got a return of three victories from two rounds in the country’s multi-class Open Formula Series.
Last weekend featured a new challenge, and Castillou rose from eighth to fourth in the heat, finished ninth in the semi-final, followed that up with fourth in the FFord Festival’s Historic final and then was a retiree in the grand final.
Beastworx
#133 Richard Higgins ENGLAND Van Diemen RF91
2026: NC in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: semi-finalist in 2022 & ’23
Stephen Hardy Motorsport
#118 Nelson Lukes FRANCE Van Diemen RF06
2026: no racing
HTT Motorsport
#218 Michel Ghio FRANCE Crossle 35F
2026: 79th in Open FSeries
The Frenchman has raced his Crossle at home and in the USA this year, and is making his British racing debut.
Privateers
#15 Matthew Wrigley ENGLAND Merlyn Mk11A/20
2026: FFord Historic France champion – Invitational class, 8th in Historic FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2021, ’22, ’23 & ’24
#20 Kevin Teager IRELAND Van Diemen VD77
2026: Progression race in FFF
#22 Kieran Hannon IRELAND/CANADA Crossle 32F
2026: NC in United FFord
#30 Cal Bennett WALES Van Diemen RF80
2026: 2nd in Classic FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
#33 Stephen Daly IRELAND Swift SC93
2026: no racing
#35 Gislain Genecand SWITZERLAND Crossle 16F
2026: 4th in Historic FFord, 7th in Classic FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2017
#41 Nigel Smyth IRELAND Royale RP24
2026: 20th in Classic FFord, NC in United FFord, NI FF1600 WHT: Progression race in 2025
Neville’s brother was inspired by his nephew’s exploits to return to FFord last year, having previously competed in the Northern Irish championship back in 2009 and 2010. The Royale is his own car, which he bought from Sweden. To collect it required a winter roadtrip and taking the last boat back to Ireland on Christmas Eve 2024.
#43 Jaap Blijleven THE NETHERLANDS Reynard 88FF
2026: 9th in Super Classic FF1600, 13th in FFord Historic France – Invitational class WHT: 17th in 2020
#47 Tim Fitzgerald ENGLAND Van Diemen RF89
2026: 15th in Super Classic FF1600, semi-finalist in FFF WHT: Progression race in 2022 & ’25
#48 Benn Tilley ENGLAND Swift SC92
2026: 5th in Heroes of FF1600 SC WHT: 18th in 2025
#49 Christopher Stones ENGLAND Van Diemen RF88
2026: 7th in Super Classic FF1600
#51 Joseph Ahrens ENGLAND Royale RP26
2026: 24th in Classic FFord WHT form: 23rd in 2025, Carl Hamer Trophy winner in ’23
#61 Andy Clark ENGLAND Van Diemen RF95K
WHT: semi-finalist in 2017
#67 Stuart Adam ENGLAND Swift SC97
WHT: LCR in 2025
A friend of Foster from their karting days in the 1990s, Adam has worked at Le Mans and for the Haas F1 team. He made his FFord debut last year, driving the car Dan Wheldon contested the 1996 FFord Festival in, and competing in the WHT was on his bucket list. His car is being run with support from Don Hardman.
#68 Trevor Delaney IRELAND Van Diemen RF02
2026: NI FF1600
#84 Gaius Ghinn ENGLAND Reynard 89FF
2026: 18th in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: semi-finalist in 2021, ’22 & ’25
#87 Liroy Stuart THE NETHERLANDS Ray GR27
2026: finalist in FFF
Stuart has a huge amount of experience from the Dutch and Benelux FFord 1800 and Duratec championships. He also raced in British FFord, and starred in winged single-seaters while racing in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup. He was in Team Dolan’s line-up at the FFord Festival the last two years, making the semi-final in 2025 and progressing to the final last weekend by finishing fifth in his heat and sixth in semi-final two.
#96 Jamie Perry ENGLAND Crossle 40F
2026: =42nd in Classic FFord WHT: Progression race in 2025
#112 Tom Gadd ENGLAND Van Diemen RF81
2026: Historic FFord champion WHT: semi-finalist in 2025
#114 Neil Hunt ENGLAND Mondiale M92S
2026: 13th in Super Classic FF1600, 35th in United FFord WHT: semi-finalist in 2024
#137 Tim Murray Crossle 35F
#145 Duncan Ross Titan Mk6
#149 Mark Harrison Lola T540E
#161 Colin Lewis IRELAND Crossle 45F
2026: NC in United FFord
#162 Remy Brooks-Johnson ENGLAND Royale RP26
2026: 15th in Classic FFord WHT: Progression race in 2025
#177 Koen Baretta THE NETHERLANDS Reynard 89FF
2026: 24th in Super Classic FF1600 WHT: Progression race in 2025
Baretta is friends with Jaap Blijleven as they were pilots of the Dutch air force in fighter jets, then both flew for airliner KLM.
#187 Jack Wilkinson ENGLAND Swift SC95
The former Formula Vee racer is making his FFord debut, and his Swift only ran on track for the first time in pre-event testing.
#189 Tom Nippers WALES Van Diemen RF01
2026: Ian Taylor Trophy winner (Heroes of FF1600), 5th in Bert Ray Memorial Trophy WHT: 7th in 2024
Nippers fought hard for FFord Festival victory in 2025, finishing fifth, then performed strongly at the WHT where he was fourth in heat one, 1.8s away from victory in semi-final one but was spun out of the final on the last lap while running sixth. It meant he couldn’t improve on his 10th place in 2023 and seventh place finish in the 2024 final.
This year has also had its ups and downs. In summer he won the Ian Taylor Trophy at the high-speed Thruxton circuit, qualifying sixth behind two older cars but getting into the lead by lap six and going on to win race one. It was a lights-to-flag success in race two.
At Brands Hatch he was fifth in September’s Bert Ray Memorial Trophy, and last weekend was a mix of fates. He qualified third for heat four but had a massive crash in the session, then a failed overtake attempt meant he lasted only one lap in his heat before crashing again.
Various set-up and reliability problems also inhibited Nippers, but he climbed 20 spots to third in the progression race, earning himself entry into semi-final one where he repeated his previous march to finish eighth. So he made his way into the final but only for two corners.
#190 Henry Campbell IRELAND Reynard 89FF
2026: NC in United FFord, NI FF1600 WHT: Semi-finalist in 2020, ’23 & ’25