Nippers wins first FFord Festival semi-final after dramatic lead fight

Photo: Ida Wood

Tom Nippers won a dramatic first Formula Ford Festival semi-final, which featured red flags and the safety car.

Team Dolan’s Niall Murray had pole position as the heat four winner, and Nippers lined up second having won heat one.

Nippers cut straight to the inside when the lights went out, and a very slow start by Ronan Doherty had dropped him from fifth to eight by turn one.

Spencer Shinner tried going around Luke Cooper’s outside at Paddock Hill Bend but was sent into the slippery runoff, and as he came back on moved across against Oldfield Motorsport team-mate Ben Cochran.

Joey Foster had passed Shinner, and had a slidey lock-up into Druids as he tried to avoid contact with Cooper’s rear.

Cochran hit Shinner’s rear-right as they turned in, just as he was hit from behind by Doherty, who in turn had Ammonite Motorsport’s Hugh Esterson jumping over his rear-left wheel as he had tried slowing.

While Shinner’s right wheels were in the air, he went into Foster’s side and they both spun, with David McCullough then driving over the back of Tom Hawkins as they tried to avoid the already crashed cars.

Further back, Drew Cameron had already lost control and he went into Abdul Ahmed and then McCullough.

The safety car was called, with Esterson and Rick Morris falling further down the order with issues before red flags waved on lap two.

Cameron, Esterson and Foster were retirees, but there was a long wait for the restart and to see if the reserves would join the grid. They were given the go-ahead to join the second start, which eventually took place after Shinner had his left sidepod taped up on the grid and Ahmed also had work done.

This time Murray stalled, and Nippers led by a big margin over Copper into Paddock Hill Bend. Doherty took third ahead of the Oldfield cars, whose squabbling allowed Murray to reclaim a spot by Graham Hill Bend.

Murray overtook Cochran there on lap two, as Shinner fell back before retiring. Cooper lacked pace and had Doherty and Murray on his tail by lap three of 14.

Doherty looked to the outside at Paddock Hill Bend and Druids on lap four, but it set up Murray to take third at Graham Hill Bend and for Cochran to then muscle past at Clearways.

Murray and Doherty both gained back a place at Druids on lap five, but Doherty then went off exiting Graham Hill Bend and lost out to Morgan Quinn and Anthony Amato.

Nippers had a 1.9-second lead over fastest lap holder Murray, which was down to 1.339s when Storm Gjerdrum crashed at Paddock Hill Bend and the safety car appeared as lap nine began.

Racing resumed on lap 12 with Murray almost bump drafting Nippers. The leader slid down the hill then cut across and sent Murray onto the grass, and Quinn nudged Cooper from behind at Druids.

Nippers also left Murray no room exiting Druids, and there was further drama at Clark Curve as Doherty spun.

Murray was on the grass again down the pit straight and bounced back onto the track, and Nippers cut across at Hailwoods Hill again to severely that Murray then to the outside of him into Druids. There was no room on the exit and he went off, rejoining behind the side-by-side Quinn and Cooper.

It was Cooper who reached Graham Hill Bend in second, and McCullough joined the fight.

Quinn got loose exiting Paddock Hill bend on lap 13 and Murray passed him on the inside through Druids, then he hassled Cooper all the way to the finish as Nippers won by 0.376s.

James Rigby climbed 11 places to finish ninth, and Oliver Chapman secured a spot in the final by 0.356s by climbing from 26th to 14th.

Semi-final 1 results (14 laps)