Photo: CJB Media
Team Dolan’s Morgan Quinn moved into the United Formula Ford points lead in round two at Donington Park.
Qualifying took place in the morning, and it was a busy session with almost all drivers completing at least 12 laps.
Quinn took pole with a 1m14.424s, edging team-mate Ronan Doherty by 0.027 seconds and B-M Racing’s David McArthur by 0.072s. His brother and team-mate Tom McArthur was 0.204s behind in fourth, with Jason Smyth (Dolan) and Charlie Mann (Mann Motorsport) also within 0.3s of pole. PWR1 Racing’s points leader Jason Prybil was 0.91s off the pace in 10th.
There were three-wide moments on the opening lap of race one and Quinn ended it 0.185s ahead of David McArthur, with Doherty, Smyth, Tom McArthur and Mann close behind. Smyth then went off on lap two, and the leading McArthur brother got alongside Quinn at Schwantz Curve before overtaking him for first place.
Quinn reclaimed the lead on lap four, and had McArthur all over him until lap six when Tom McArthur and Doherty got past him. The other McAthur challenged Quinn for the lead on lap eight, then lost out to Doherty on lap nine. He was unable to challenge Quinn, and on lap 12 Tom McArthur dived down his inside through the Craner Curves. By that point Quinn was 1.7s clear, and his gap grew when Doherty reclaimed second.
He finished the 16-lap race 2.547s ahead, with Smyth (having pulled off some double moves) and David McArthur in third and fourth. A 15s track limits penalty and five-second penalty for causing a collision dropped Tom McArthur from third to 12th. Mann was seventh before crashing out heavily on the last lap.
Quin started on pole for race two, and led the first two laps. Smyth passed him on lap three, then held him at bay all the way to the end despite intense pressure that included several overtaking attempts on the last lap.
Their team-mate Isaac Canto da Silva was behind in third throughout, and Tom McArthur finished fourth. Prybil was on course for fifth before retiring in the pits with a damaged car, which cost him the points lead. Doherty retired on lap one and Pascal Monbaron ended his race in the gravel.
Results round-up
Race 1 (16 laps)
1 Morgan Quinn Team Dolan 20m11.356s
2 Ronan Doherty Team Dolan +2.547s
3 Jason Smyth Team Dolan +5.945s
4 David McArthur B-M Racing +6.144s
5 Lewis Fox Team Fox Racing +8.333s
6 Isaac Canto da Silva Team Dolan +8.715s
7 Jason Prybil PWR1 Racing +12.237s
8 Benn Tilley Simon Hadfield Motorsport +16.465s
9 Ben Cox Oldfield Motorsport +17.803s
10 John Svensson John’s Racing Team +18.177s
Pole: Quinn, 1m14.424s
Fastest lap: Smyth, 1m14.519s
Race 2 (14 laps)
1 Smyth 17m30.889s
2 Quinn +0.169s
3 Canto da Silva +0.443s
4 Tom McArthur B-M Racing +10.387s
5 Fox +14.991s
6 Svensson +17.797s
7 Charlie Mann Mann Motorsport+20.437s
8 Adam Fathers AF Racing +27.722s
9 Tom Nippers Ammonite Motorsport +27.913s
10 Garath Buckingham +28.821s
FL: Canto da Silva, 1m14.367s
Championship standings
1 Quinn 54 2 Fox 52 3 Prybil 47 4 Cox 38 5 Smyth 36 6 Jeremy Fairbairn 30 7 Nigel Dolan 27 8 Canto da Silva 26 9 Fathers 23 10 Andrew Rackstraw 20