Photo: Ida Wood
Team Dolan’s Jason Smyth finished second in the fourth Walter Hayes Trophy heat at Silverstone despite last-minute car dramas on Saturday morning leaving his chances of competing at all “touch-and-go”.
Smyth came into the weekend feeling optimistic after showing strong pre-event testing pace, but his hopes initially appeared to be over after a differential problem was discovered prior to qualifying.
Following a hasty rebuild of the rear-end of his Van Diemen JL12 and, after officials agreed to move him from heat one to heat four, the Northern Irish Formula Ford 1600 champion made it out to qualify third.
“I came into the garage and dad goes ‘we’re out, that’s it’,” Smyth told Formula Scout. “ I was distraught. I had so many emotions coming into it.
“On Thursday we had another engine in it and we were the quickest straight away. As the day went on we were losing time and scratching our heads. It was obviously because the diff was getting worse and worse.
“Bernard [Dolan, the team owner] overruled us. He had a gearbox and bell housing out the back and we replaced it in less than an hour, which is unheard of really.”
Dolan revealed that it wouldn’t have been possible for the car repairs to have been completed in time for heat one qualifying.
“I’ve had a lot of dramas over the years, but that was touch-and-go to get him out in time,” said Dolan. “I suppose in the heat of the moment, with the family, sometimes, they thought their weekend was over. And I said: ‘no, let’s get this done.’
“We wouldn’t have made the first heat. Not a hope in hell. That was not going to happen. So as it was, we were lucky to make heat four. At first they weren’t going to [allow switching heat], but then basically they saw common sense, in the spirit of the meeting.
“We’ve got a great crew of guys and three generations of Smyths, which was great to see. They all got stuck in. It brings back memories of working with the Smyths over the years.”
Smyth is the son of 2010 FFord Kent Festival winner Neville, whose own father helped the rebuild too.
In the heat itself, Smyth went on to battle B-M Racing’s Rory Smith for victory, and after initially being relegated to third by a five-second track limits penalty he was reinstated in second on appeal as it was deemed he had to take avoiding action of Smith when going off the road.
“It was just a really good fight those last two laps,” said Smyth. “Going into Copse, I made a bit of an error, I shouldn’t have let him up the inside, but these things happen.
“Every position here is crucial. I was in doubt that [the penalty] would get overturned, but the stewards went on our side. It’s racing. I would have done the same thing [as Rory]. We got out of our cars and we were laughing with each other.”