Home Formula FordNational FF1600 Dempsey given National FF1600 win at Croft after top two crash

Dempsey given National FF1600 win at Croft after top two crash

by Ida Wood

Photo: Ida Wood

The first BRSCC National Formula Ford 1600 race at Croft was shortened due to a crash between the top two, and it was Jordan Dempsey who was awarded victory.

Oldfield Motorsport’s Lucas Romanek and B-M Racing’s Jamie Sharp shared the front row, with championship leader Jordan Dempsey down in sixth but jumping up to fourth early in the opening lap and then passing title rival Colin Queen as he kicked up some dust exiting Tower Bend.

Team Dolan’s Morgan Quinn also passed Queen, but he couldn’t keep pace with the top three who pulled away while remaining glued to each other.

On lap four Queen took fourth back, while Romanek got a small lead but was soon pressured again and demoted to second by Sharp on lap six.

He got back by the next lap, and had a little bit of assistance in staying ahead at the end of it as the top three came to lap early spinner Paul Crosbie into Complex. Romanek was able to get through prior to the right-handers, while the two behind had to wait until the final hairpin to clear the BRSCC Northern FF1600 runner.

Dempsey was cautious in third while having to try to challenge the top two. Going into lap 10, with time on the clock for potentially two more tours, there was 0.162 seconds between the top two. Romanek kept his lead into the first braking zone at Clervaux, but Sharp had more speed and he managed to get alongside on the outside down the straight to Tower Bend.

He couldn’t get a pass done, but drew alongside Romanek again on the next straight. As they went through the second part of the Jim Clark Esses they made wheel-to-wheel contact, and Romanek’s right-hand wheels were pitched into the air before the other side of his car touched the gravel and he was sent into a scary barrel roll and then the barriers where his car caught fire.

He escaped and was taken to the medical centre as the race was red flagged, with the result being taken back a lap. Romanek, who hurt his right hand in the crash, was therefore winner but he wasn’t running when red flags were waved so victory went to Sharp. The final race result came long after that decision, as the clash was investigated and Sharp was disqualified. B-M appealed that, but the result was confirmed six hours later with Dempsey as winner.

Dempsey had broken his nose cone on the rear of Sharp the lap prior to the crash while trying to lap traffic.

B-M had a fruitless race, as Megan Gilkes spun out on the second straight on lap two and Davide Meloni pulled off with a mysterious issue before retiring. Ammonite Motorsport’s Brindley Kinch also ended his race in the pits.

Michael Gray was the top driver registered for Scottish FFord points in eighth after racing against rookie Graham Brunton Racing team-mate Lucas Blakeley, and John Murphy won the Northern FF1600 class in 12th in his Van Diemen RF90.

Race result (8 laps) [Northern drivers in italics]
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Jordan Dempsey Kevin Mills Racing 11m44.938s
2 Colin Queen Ammonite Motorsport +0.748s
3 Morgan Quinn Team Dolan +1.979s
4 Andre Lafond Ammonite Motorsport +4.375s
5 Brandon McCaughan Oldfield Motorsport +4.613s
6 Ben Cochran Team Dolan +8.827s
7 Shawn Rashid Ammonite Motorsport +11.770s
8 Michael Gray Graham Brunton Racing +16.495s
9 Lucas Blakeley Graham Brunton Racing +17.126s
10 Gabe Tesch Team Dolan +24.284s
11 Matthew Chisholm +29.763s
12 John Murphy +32.438s
13 Nick Barnes +32.581s
14 Neil Broome StrongBroo Racing +35.872s
15 Tom Nippers +36.537s
16 Alaric Gordon +50.081s
17 Peter Daly Shaws Motorsport +50.637s
18 Richard Freye +56.373s
19 Neil Hunt +1m09.243s
20 Phil Nelson Murphy Motorsport Int. +1m14.759s
21 Stuart Dix +1m19.266s
22 John Roberts +1m20.925s
23 Roger Arnold +1m21.232s
24 Mike Wales +1 lap
25 Paul Crosbie +1 lap
Ret Lucas Romanek Oldfield Motorsport
Ret Brindley Kinch Ammonite Motorsport
Ret Lorna Vickers Shaws Motorsport
NC Davide Meloni B-M Racing
Ret Megan Gilkes B-M Racing
DSQ Jamie Sharp B-M Racing
Fastest lap: Sharp, 1m26.676s

National standings
1
Dempsey 137   2 Queen 125   3 Cochran 97   4 Quinn 93   5 Romanek 91   6 Lafond 78   7 Rashid 55   8 Sharp 51   9 Rory Smith 47   10 Meloni 44

Scottish standings
Chisholm 57   2 Broome 54   3 Gray 53   4 Blakeley 50