Smith gets FFord Festival defence back on track in progression race

Photo: Ida Wood

Rory Smith got the defence of his 2023 Formula Ford Festival triumph back on track by winning the progression race on Saturday.

The B-M Racing driver took pole for his heat, but had a driveshaft problem on the grid so did not get to race and therefore had to enter the progression race to get through to the semi-finals. However his heat no-show meant he was 22nd on the grid for what was the day’s driest track action.

Mk8 Motorsport’s James Buckton started on pole alongside Pirate M-Sport’s Leanne McShane, and they held their positions through the opening lap as Oldfield Motorsport’s Spencer Shinner got into third ahead of Shaws Motorsport duo Peter Daly and Colin Williams.

Smith jumped up to 13th place within a lap, and team-mate David McArthur went from 23rd to 16th. Gaius Ghinn meanwhile gained 10 places from 19th on the grid.

The top four broke away, and Shinner and McShane almost banged wheels as they traded second place at the end of lap two. By that point Smith was eighth, Ghinn was ninth and McArthur was 12th.

While Ghinn began to fall down the order (then eventually retired) and McArthur’s progress was stymied by traffic in the midfield, Smith continued his charge at a pace unseen as he set the fastest lap of the day.

He was fifth by the end of lap three, got very slidey at Clearways on lap four so made no further ground but at the start of lap five passed McShane and Daly at the same time then entering Clark Curve also cleared Buckton, who had lost the lead to Shinner.

The gap between Shinner and Smith stood at 2.164 seconds, but it was just 0.652s a lap later.

He confidently swept past into Graham Hill Bend on lap seven, set another fastest lap and romped away to win the 12-lap encounter by 2.723s as Swift Cooper’s Rob Hall reduced his lead on the final lap. Hall became the only other driver to lap sub-51s during that lap, and did so while passing Shinner too.

McArthur made it up to fourth, but was 14.7s behind, Daly was fifth and Don Hardman Racing’s Stuart Kestenbaum was sixth.

Team Dolan’s Stephen O’Connor recovered 15 places to finish seventh and also progress to the semi-finals, ahead of Williams and McShane, who held off three cars at the chequered flag.

Race result (12 laps)