Smyth takes FFord Festival semi-final two victory in tense squabble

Photo: Ida Wood

Team Dolan’s Jason Smyth was victorious in the second Formula Ford Festival semi-final, after more aggressive fights at the front.

Smyth started second, and angled his car inwards on the grid. That meant he slotted in behind B-M Racing’s poleman Rory Smith, but then emerged out of his slipstream at Druids and tried passing around the outside.

Their wheels were interlocked exiting the corner yet there did not appear to be contact until Graham Hill Bend where Smith was sent sliding off. His team-mate Jordan Dempsey had taken third from Charlie Mann around the outside at Paddock Hill Bend, and inherited second as Smith fell to seventh.

On lap two Smith overtook Alex Walker on the outside approaching Druids, then dived down Callum Grant’s inside at McLaren.

Oldfield Motorsport’s Connor Willis overtook Mann at the end of lap three, and Smith then snuck past straight after as the top two pulled away. He interlocked wheels with Willis while passing him at the end of lap four, then the safety car was summoned as Gaius Ghinn had crashed at Clark Curve.

That brought Smith onto Dempsey’s tail for the restart, and after a lap Dempsey was already pushing Smyth into Druids. Smyth tried breaking the tow down the pit straight in the remaining laps, and while he could not shake off Dempsey he also did not face another attack.

Walker quickly cleared Mann after the restart, and took to the grass on the run up to Druids on the final lap as he overtook Willis.

Further back was a three-car battle for 10th, but the key fight was for 15th, granting the last spot for the final, and Don Hardman Racing’s Rick Morris stole it from Dolan’s Stephen O’Connor by 0.056s.

Semi-final 2 results (14 laps)