The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are held over the course of a weekend and although various classes of past and present Formula Fords are present, the high point for many is the championship in which young but skilled drivers from Ford competitions in Europe and beyond race against one another. Often it is a rare chance to compare the skills of drivers who take part in different Ford competitions around the world. Many winners of the festival have gone on to enjoy professional careers in various branches of motorsport - including fourteen who have raced in Formula One.

The event is administered by the British Racing and Sports Car Club.

History Inception The inaugural season in 1972 took place at Snetterton, where the festival was held until 1975. It then moved to Brands Hatch where it has stayed to date.

The Kent years The Kent engine was the lead engine in early Formula Ford, and so from the first festival in 1972 until the Zetec was introduced in 1993.

The Zetec years The 1800 cc Zetec engine was the leading engine from 1993 until the Duratec took over in 2006. Zetec remained an engine sub-class until 2014.

The Duratec engine The 1600 cc Duratec engine is currently used in the leading races although the Zetec and Kent engines are still used in junior and classic classes of racing. Duratec remained the Festival champion class until 2014.

Loss of prominence For many years the festival was the highlight of the Formula Ford season. Entries of several hundred cars from all over the Formula Ford world were common into the 1990s, with racers competing in knockout heats to decide the grid for a grand final. Entries have been declining and recent Festivals have struggled to attract more than 40-50 cars, enough for two heats and a final. Support races from other classes e.g. Caterham, Club F3, and Historic Sports 2000 have also been included in the program. This is because although the event still has the atmosphere of past years its position as a rite of passage for young drivers has largely been usurped by other junior formulae, mostly by the FIA backed Formula 4 and karting.

More "historic" FF1600 cars have been turning up for the supporting races than contemporary Zetecs, however, in 2006, the Festival saw the Duratec engine for the first time thereby having a final for all 3 marques at one meeting for the first time. The Walter Hayes Trophy now recognises the continuing interest in 1600cc 'Kent' Formula Ford and attracted over 150 entries in 2006, including several drivers more commonly seen in much more senior formulae, including current two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, who won the 2008 Kent class, the most recent prominent champion to have raced in this festival.

From 2015 the Festival became exclusively for Kent engined cars, restoring the Festival to its pre-1993 format.

Resurgence In recent years the festival has seen an increase in entries across all classes notably helped by the success of the BRSCC SuperClassic Pre '99 Formula Ford Championship and the addition of stand alone races for Pre '82 machinery. The 54th running of the event saw 84 entries with 4 returning Champions and competitors travelling from as far a field as Australia to take part in the legendary event. iRacing has also partnered with the event running a virtual version on their ever popular racing simulator platform, no doubt increasing exposure to global audiences.

Winners Below is a list of overall festival winners. Since 1993, a secondary festival was run alongside for older specification cars running the Ford Kent engine. Since 2009, a third event has also been held for cars using the Ford Zetec engine.

* denotes later raced in Formula One

Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner Kent Festival Zetec FestivalDriverChassisEngineDriverChassisDriverChassis 1972Snetterton Ian Taylor Dulon LD9Ford Kent engineNot HeldNot Held 1973 Donald Macleod Van Diemen FA73 1974 Richard Morgan Crossle 25F 1975 Geoff Lees * Royale RP21 1976 Brands Hatch Derek Daly * Hawke DL17 1977 Chico Serra * Van Diemen RF77 1978 Michael Roe Van Diemen RF78 1979 Donald Macleod Sark 1 1980 Roberto Moreno * Van Diemen RF80 1981 Tommy Byrne * Van Diemen RF81 1982 Julian Bailey * Lola T640E 1983 Andrew Gilbert-Scott Reynard 83F 1984 Gerrit van Kouwen Lola T644E 1985 Johnny Herbert * Quest FF85 1986 Roland Ratzenberger * Van Diemen RF86 1987 Eddie Irvine * Van Diemen RF87 1988 Vincenzo Sospiri * Van Diemen RF88 1989 Niko Palhares Van Diemen RF89 1990 Dave Coyne Swift FB90 1991 Marc Goossens Van Diemen RF91 1992 Jan Magnussen * Van Diemen RF92 1993 Russell Ingall Van Diemen RF93Ford Zetec engine Andrew MacAuley Reynard 92FF 1994 Jason Watt Vector TF94 Gavin Wills Swift SC92F 1995 Kevin McGarrity Van Diemen RF95 Topi Serjala Swift SC95F 1996 Mark Webber * Van Diemen RF96 Mark Marchant Jamun M96 1997 Jacky van der Ende Van Diemen RF97Not Held 1998 Jenson Button * Mygale SJ98 1999 Ricardo van der Ende Van Diemen RF99 2000 Anthony Davidson * Mygale SJ00 2001 Alan van der Merwe Mygale SJ01 2002 Jan Heylen Van Diemen RF02 Dave Fricker Reynard 89FF 2003 Joey Foster Van Diemen RF03 Matthew Gilmore Van Diemen RF92 2004 Dan Clarke Van Diemen RF04 Joey Foster Reynard 89FF 2005 Duncan Tappy Mygale SJ04 Gavin Wills Van Diemen RF00 2006 Richard Tannahill Van Diemen RF06 Ford Duratec engine Noel Dunne Van Diemen RF92 2007 Nick Tandy Ray GRS07 Keith Dempsey Ray GRS07 2008 Wayne Boyd Mygale SJ08 Josef Newgarden Ray GRS08 2009 Chrissy Palmer Mygale SJ09 Rory Butcher Van Diemen RF90 Neil Tofts Mygale SJ04 2010 Dennis Lind Van Diemen LA08 Neville Smyth Ray GRS09 Julian Hoskins Vector TF93 2011 Scott Malvern Mygale SJ10 Ivor McCullough Van Diemen RF00 Neil Tofts Mygale SJ04 2012 Antti Buri Mygale SJ11 Ivor McCullough Van Diemen RF00 Xavier Michel Van Diemen Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Duratec Festival Zetec FestivalDriverChassisEngine BuilderDriverChassisDriverChassis 2013 Brands Hatch Niall Murray Van Diemen RF99 MCP Bart van Os Mygale SJ10 Julian Hoskins Vector TF93 Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Duratec-Zetec FestivalDriverChassisEngine BuilderDriverChassis 2014 Brands Hatch James Raven Ray GR13/14 Bold Thomas Craincourt Mygale Duratec Year Circuit Overall Festival Winner - Kent Pre-1990 Winner Pre-1982 WinnerDriverChassisEngine BuilderDriverChassisDriverChassis 2015 Brands Hatch Wayne Boyd Van Diemen MS13K Bold Matthew Cowley Reynard FF88 Stuart Kestenbaum Van Diemen RF79 2016 Niall Murray Van Diemen RF99 MCP Job van Uitert Van Diemen RF89 2017 Joey Foster Ray GR08 Bold 2018 Joshua Smith Van Diemen JL13 Barnett 2019 Jonathan Browne Ray GR18 Bold Alan Davidson Mondiale M89S 2020 Rory Smith Medina JL18 MCP Peter Daly Van Diemen RF88 2021 Jamie Sharp Medina JL17 MCP Matt Rivett Van Diemen RF91 2022 Max Esterson Ray GR18 FMS Cameron Jackson Van Diemen RF90 2023 Rory Smith Medina Sport JL18 MCP Richard Higgins Van Diemen RF91 2024 Joshua Smith Van Diemen JL13 O.R.E. Darwin Smith Van Diemen RF90 2025 Jason Smyth Van Diemen RF00/JL12 Scholar Callum Grant Van Diemen RF91

See also Formula Ford Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Brands Hatch

References

External links BRSCC Homepage Facebook Group to get 50,000 fans to the Festival

Sources BRSCC Calendar Motor Sport Vision (Owners of Brands Hatch) Johnny Herbert Club Formula Ford Historics