Middlehurst leads Team Dolan 1-2-3 in FFord Festival semi-final two

Photo: Ida Wood

Chris Middlehurst led a Team Dolan podium lockout in a very wet second Formula Ford Festival semi-final.

It was a lights-to-flag victory for Middlehurst, who shared the front row with Tom Nippers. His team-mates Morgan Quinn, Isaac Canto da Silva and Jason Smyth occupied the next three places.

Quinn made the best start but Nippers cut across to ensure he could not pass, allowing Smyth to go around the outside of them at Paddock Hill Bend. He was past Quinn exiting the corner, the went to Nippers’ inside at Druids and did get ahead but Nippers moved back in front down the hill.

The wet conditions caught out Nippers at Surtees and he slipped back behind Smyth, who ended the first lap two seconds behind Middlehurst.

Quinn had dropped to sixth behind da Silva and John Svensson, with the older car of Tom McArthur and the Ammonite Motorsport duo of Hugh Esterson and Anthony Amato right behind him.

Svensson did a remarkable job to keep a train of cars beind him, and da Silva joined that pack after he went off at the bottom of Paddock Hill on lap three. However at the same time Quinn and McArthur exited that bunch by squeezing past Svensson.

Lapping was already taking place by lap five as the rain slowed everyone down, and the Ammonite duo cleared da Silva at Druids. Down the Cooper straight da Silva gained back one spot, then ran side-by-side with Amato through the first half of lap six before almost squeezing him off down the Cooper straight.

Esterson pulled away and overtook Svensson, who slowed at Druids next time by and lost one spot before fending off da Silva and Amato into Graham Hill Bend. His defensive efforts lasted until lap 11, and on the preceding lap it looked like da Silva had gone around his outside at Paddock Hill Bend but he kept him just behind all the way.

They began lap 11 going either side of a backmarker, and once they were wheel-to-wheel again da Silva managed to get past on the inside at Druids and Amato followed through. Svensson retired in the pits a lap later.

Esterson tracked down and passed McArthur for fifth before the end of the race, and Quinn took third from Nippers on lap nine. After thinking better of making a move at Paddock Hill Bend, he benefited from the mass of traffic to slip by Nippers and immediately pull away.

Race result (14 laps)