Mitchell Wins HFF At Silverstone! - 26 October 2008
The HFF Championship went down to the wire where Westie Mitchell took his maiden HFF win, while Michael Lyons took the Championship...

 

 

WESTIE WINS!

 

Westie Mitchell took a very popular win in a scintillating final Historic Formula ford Championship race at Silverstone last weekend.

 

Just like our bigger (but more boring) relatives in F1, the 2008 HSCC Grandstand Motorsport Tours HFF Championship went down to the wire at the last round on the Silverstone National circuit. Two drivers were capable of winning, Westie Mitchell in his Merlyn Mk20 and Michael Lyons in his Merlyn Mk11A. However, it was another Merlyn, that of 2007 Formula Ford Duratec Champion Callum Macleod that took pole position by almost 7 tenths of a second from Lyons and Mitchell. Fourth on the grid was Darren Burke, his ex Gabrielle Konig Macon not sounding as healthy as it should.

 

Paul McMorran was next up in his Crossle 20F in 5^th place. McMorran was set to have a busy weekend by racing with us on the Saturday at Silverstone and back in a Historic FF at Spa the next day. Top man! Crispin Schlaefli had pulled another scintillating qualifying performance out of the bag in his Westone Bathrooms backed Macon MR8 to qualify 6^th. This despite not one single lap of testing in 2008 other than a couple of sessions prior to the very first round of the year at Donington. Conclusive proof that our series can be extremely economical. Circuit specialist Amanda Whitaker was struggling with a down on power engine in 7^th place just ahead of Ken Finneran and Michael Grant-Peterkins beautiful Brabham BT21. Adam Sykes did a tremendous job to round off the top 10 with his Merlyn Mk11A.

 

At the start the first two rows of the grid all got a good getaway and with Darren Burke missing from 4^th spot after his engine having been diagnosed as terminally ill this left Paul McMorran with a clear shot at the lead bunch. His enthusiasm got the better of him however and a spin at Copse on the first lap put paid to any chances. Behind, both Peter Lavender and Michael Grant-Peterkin had to make off track diversions to miss the spinning McMorrans Crossle. Macleod had edged slightly clear on the first lap and it was Mitchell who had passed Lyons for second spot to start what was to be a fantastic race long battle between the two.

 

Behind Mitchell and Lyons the next battle was intense and as at the previous Donington round, about 6 cars were disputing the same piece of circuit in classic FF1600 style. Chris Sharples had come alive from his qualifying position of 13^th, however, unlucky it was not as he began to ascend the order and join in the battle with Whitaker, Finneran, John Hayes-Harlow (who was getting his moneys worth by using the ‘extra’ piece of tarmac at Copse every lap….rumours that he was so wide he would have to buy a ticket to get back in were wide of the mark!) Clive Fidgeon and Grant-Peterkin. Crispin Schlaefli was starting to drop back through this bunch as the battles raged ever more intense.

 

With Macleod edging away at the front it was a surprise when the yellow Merlyn pitted on lap four after being black flagged for a broken gear linkage. Macleod had been stuck in fourth gear and he was out but not before setting a new lap record in his opening couple of laps. This left the Mitchell / Lyons scrap as the lead for the race as well as the Championship. It was a superb demonstration of Formula Ford racing from both drivers. Numerous lead changes with the cars never more than inches apart made for compelling viewing. It was also noted after the race by a number of people as to how fair this fight had been, neither driver resorting to desperate tactics, well done lads!

 

Amanda Whitaker was now third, up from 7^th on the grid, albeit helped by Burke’s non start and Macleod’s demise. John Sykes had been another driver on the move after starting in 12^th spot the Merlyn driver was battling with Whitaker, Hayes-Harlow, Sharples and Finneran before a spin dropped him down the order. This helped Sharples, the previous lap record holder on the Silverstone National circuit to leap frog his Palliser ahead of Whitaker with Hayes-Harlow leap frogging both into third place. His delight was clear as he crossed the line, hands punching the air after having spent the previous evening building a ‘bitsa’ engine in the Silverstone garage.

 

So at the flag it was Westie Mitchell who took his maiden win from Michael Lyons, who took his maiden HFF Championship win with Hayes-Harlow in third. Chris Sharples was fourth just pipping Amanda Whitakers Elden for 5^th place. John Bladon had had a corker of a race (Good to have you back John!), his freshly rebuilt Merlyn looking fabulous. Bladon had started in 20^th spot but bought the Merlyn home in 9^th just ahead of Clive Fidgeon’s Lola T200. Crispin Schlaefli had slipped to 11^th ahead of Adam Sykes and Diogo Ferraro’s Merlyn Mk20.

 

It was good to see not one but two Lotus 51’s on the grid with us at Silverstone, Paul Stringers example joining the immaculate ex Jim Russell car of Albert Clements. Gary Critchers Nike Mk4/6 and Roy Macgregors Hawke DL2B made for 11 different chassis marques represented on the grid, great stuff.

 

Well, it was another top race to round off another brilliant HFF season (didn’t it fly by!). Hopefully, we may have impressed sufficiently to secure a spot at the Silverstone Classic in 2009? Let’s hope so. Time now for a well earned rest and rebuild in the winter months and we hope to see you all again in 2009. HFF Winter Series anyone?!

 

Race Report: Peter Alexander.