Brands Hatch

Qualifying - Saturday 3rd May - A torrid session
As a result of an extremely tight timetable at Brands Hatch last weekend due to the Champ Cars visiting the UK for the first time since 1978, none of the teams contesting the 2003 UK Formula Ford Championship were able to have a Free Practice session in order to make adjustments to set up or sort out mechanical gremlins etc etc. Obviously all the teams were in the same boat but none of the Team Managers were particularly happy. At around lunchtime both Team Jato drivers set out on to the Indy Circuit and the driveshaft on James Harris's Ray failed on the out lap and he must have posted the slowest time in FF history with a time of 7:20:464. As a result he qualified 29th out of 29 drivers. However when he arrived back in the paddock, he was informed by the Series Permanent Clerk of the Course Ray Sumner that he would be allowed to race because he had competed in the 2002 Winter Series Championship and, of course, had won the Best Newcomer Award. There was great relief in the Team Jato Motorsport annexe that day, I can tell you. 

The team's Championship entrant Tony Rodgers had an equally poor session when on his second lap he visited the kitty litter at Paddock due to a jammed throttle. He posted a best lap of 50:039 which placed him 27th on the grid. There was much work to be done that afternoon and the team did not leave the circuit until well after 9.00 pm that evening. However all the effort was to pay great dividends the following day. 

Race Day - Sunday 4th May - A great result 
Round 3
The team arrived at 7.30am on a dry and sunny morning and the highly polished Team Jato Motorsport cars looked resplendent. Round 3 was split into two 15 lap races and both drivers were competing in Race A which was the first race of the day at 9.15am. Scholarship driver James Harris was last on the grid in 15th place and Championship driver Tony Rodgers was one place in front of him in 14th position. As soon as the flag fell both drivers set off at a blistering place and by the end of the race Tony had worked his way up to 9th place and James in 12th. Halfway through the race I noticed that James's Ray was misfiring as he entered Paddock where I was photographing our drivers and after the race, it was discovered that the engine misfire was caused by a Fuel Pressure problem. However the team were quite happy that both drivers had qualified for the final race of the day. Tony's best lap was 48:787 and James's was 49:076. 

Round 4
The final round of the day was held late afternoon at 4.54pm. The weather was still fine and dry but the track itself was a little cooler. 28 cars formed up on the grid for the scheduled 25 lap race with Tony Rodgers in 17th position and James Harris in 23rd place. Many of the fancied runners such as Tom Kimber-Smith, Tom Gaymor and Oliver Jarvis did not finish the race for one reason or another and there was a Safety Car period resulting in a 28 lap final. However both Team Jato drivers showed their skill in keeping out of trouble with Tony proving his immense experience by making his way up the field to finish in 4th place overall and 4th in the Championship Class. On the very final lap, James showed his ever growing talent by passing Stephen Jelley coming out of the final turn on to the Start/Finish straight and finished 9th overall but better still his second podium finish in two races by coming 3rd in the Scholarship Class. Tony's fastest lap was 48:543 and James's was 48:765. 17 cars finished. Congratulations to Alx Danielsson who won the race in another Ray. It was good to see Team Jato's 2002 Winter Series Champion having an excellent event. 

We all left the circuit that evening in a fantastic mood especially after such a poor start to the meeting. There is still much to be learnt and done but the team is growing in experience all the time and we are looking forward to the next two rounds at Thruxton over the next Bank Holiday weekend of May 25th/26th. Team owner Jeff Harris as well as the rest of the team would like to thank all of our friends and former competitors who came to the circuit over the weekend to cheer us on. It is your continuous support that makes it all so worthwhile and encourages us to do even better. 

See you all at Thruxton. 

Race Report by Paula Hamilton 

(Photograph courtesy of Jakob Ebrey)


(Photograph courtesy of Jakob Ebrey)


(Photograph: Paula Hamilton)


(Photograph: Paula Hamilton)