2024 GERRIT VAN KOUWEN ANNIVERSARY FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL

As Autumn is in full swing, October means only one thing for the British Racing & Sports Car Club – Festival season!

For the 53rd time since it first took place in 1972, the prestigious Formula Ford Festival is back for another year as many of the best and brightest in Formula Ford racing from both the British Isles and overseas descend on the speed bowl that is the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent to fight it out for supremacy.

This year’s event takes on an extra special tone, as the 2024 edition is being run in memorial of one of its greatest champions – 1984 Festival winner Gerrit van Kouwen. The event takes on the Dutchman’s name and is known as the “BRSCC Gerrit van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival for this edition, meaning everyone competing this weekend will be hoping to emulate his success 40 years ago. We are proud and honoured that the van Kouwen family have chosen to associate Gerrit’s name this year with an event that he dearly loved and cherished, and was a regular attendee of as a pure motorsport enthusiast.

The task of this year’s Festival competitors will be somewhat identical to that of Gerrit’s way back when. For the benefit of those spectating the Festival for the first time, entrants are separated into three heats on Saturday where they compete for automatic qualifying spots in Sunday’s semi-finals. Those who don’t make it through automatically move on to the Progression Race at the end of Saturday to determine the rest of the grid orders for the following day.

After the semi-final races are complete on Sunday, the top 12 finishers in each guarantee their places in the Grand Final with the faster winner between the two claiming pole position. As the name says on the tin, non-automatic qualifiers head to the Last Chance Race to decide the final six cars that will make up the 30-car grid for the Grand Final, where first past the chequered flag sees the winner crowned Festival champion for 2024 and receives the perpetual Neil Shanahan Trophy, which will be presented for the 25th time this year to the winner.

There’s also a standalone Historic Final on Sunday afternoon prior to the main event for all competing Formula Fords built before 1999, with all eligible battling it out to win the Brian Jones Memorial Trophy in honour of the legendary “Voice of Brands Hatch” who sadly passed away at the beginning of 2021. Just this race alone provides an excellent showcase of Formula Ford across the years from when it began in 1967 and through the glory days of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the entire event sees contemporary and classic Formula Ford chassis do battle with each other on track throughout.

In terms of just how significant this event has been in motorsport history, you only have to look back through the Roll of Honour to find a plethora of familiar names to those who are fans of the sport. The Festival was the launchpad for the careers of previous winners such as Jenson Button, Johnny Herbert, Mark Webber, Eddie Irvine, Jan Magnussen, Roberto Moreno, Derek Daly and more, while it also made cult heroes of the likes of Tommy Byrne, Vincenzo Sospiri, Roland Ratzenberger, Dave Coyne and of course, Gerrit van Kouwen himself. Even others that took part and didn’t win have gone on to incredible success in their careers, including legends such as Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Alain Menu, Kimi Raikkonen and many more. That’s what has made the Festival so special over the years – its innate ability to see the cream truly rise to the top and step forward.

It’s a good time to talk about who the main contenders are for victory in this year’s Festival, and previous champions returning for another shot at glory is a fitting place to start. Last year’s victor Rory Smith returns to shoot for his third Festival victory to add to 2020 and 2023’s successes and ultimately must start as favourite. He won’t be the only one searching for another win as Joey Foster makes a welcome return to the event too, the “Flying Cornishman” having taken victories in 2003, 2004 (in the Kent Festival) and in 2017. He’s been trying for another Festival title ever since and will be hoping he doesn’t come up short again this year. Then there’s 2018 champion Josh Smith, back at the Festival for the first time in five years. Back then he was at the wheel of an Oldfield Motorsport Van Diemen, and he’s decided to reunite with his old team to roll back the years and go for glory again.

Next, there’s a couple of drivers who have come close over the years but found themselves just missing out on a Festival win. Someone who will be more determined than ever is Chris Middlehurst, last year’s Walter Hayes Trophy winner and a two-time Grand Final podium finisher. Chris’ form in Formula Ford over the last couple of years has been solid, including a National title in 2022 and no matter where and when he takes to the grid, he never loses his pace. He’ll also have Luke Cooper for company too, another perennial Formula Fordster that had a strong run in 2023 and will be wishing to rekindle this form in this year’s event too. Don’t be surprised to see his red and white Swift challenging at the front from the outset once more.

What about young guns? There’s been a decent influx of new talent developing in Formula Ford over the past couple of seasons and that includes last year’s National champion Jordan Kelly who didn’t quite have the Festival he was expecting. He’ll be back to put that right in 2024, along with teammate Morgan Quinn who has always looked impressive over the past couple of years and would love this year’s Festival attempt to be his most fruitful.

While there’s sadly no Team USA Scholarship team this year, America will be represented by Jason Pribyl and Hugh Esterson (brother of 2022 victor Max), while Team Canada do return with their new young charges in Callum Baxter and Antonio Costantino, both hoping to make an impact on their European racing debuts and follow in the wheel tracks of Scholarship alumni that have gone before them. There’s also the impressive Jason Smyth who has been making waves throughout 2024 and has to be in with a shout of challenging the experienced names at the front, along with Brazil’s Isaac Canto Da Silva.

Others you can’t count out for a strong run include another former National Formula Ford champ in Jonny McMullan, Belgium’s own John Svensson, Charlie Mann and two-time Kent Festival winner Gavin Wills making a welcome return to the event, hoping to be in the mix and driving a 2000 Van Diemen, the same constructor and model he took to the victory 19 years ago.

Over in the classic and historic ranks and those who will likely contest the Historic Final for the Brian Jones Memorial Trophy, last year’s victor Richard Higgins is also back to try and become the first driver in its short existence to win the trophy in consecutive years. However, he certainly will have plenty of suitors lining up to try and claim it for themselves. There’s the evergreen Rick Morris, a veteran of the Festival and Formula Ford and one you can NEVER count out to be in contention, someone who can still match competition decades his junior in his Royale. Historic Formula Ford star Samuel Harrison could be a real threat for victory in his Elden and match the younger cars in the field, so be sure to watch for him throughout the weekend.

Will Liston’s UK odyssey has been a remarkable one, the Australian managing to take multiple wins and podiums in his short time here and now gunning for a respectable Festival performance. His drivers in the Super Classic Pre ‘99 rounds at Brands Hatch in August will certainly put him in good stead for this weekend. Also look out up and down the grid for the likes of Alex Ames, Gaius Ghinn, Sam Street, Oliver Buckton, Jonathan Barnes, Tom Hawkins and another Formula Ford veteran in Andy Charsley.

All in all, not only will this be another magnificent celebration of all things Formula Ford and another stellar Festival weekend in prospect, but also a fitting tribute to the man who produced one of the event’s greatest all-round performances. We’re certain if Gerrit were still around today, he would once again be enthralled and excited to see some of the best that Formula Ford has to offer charging around Brands Hatch in another quest to become the Festival champion for 2024.

The final rounds of the 2024 GAZ Shocks Mazda MX-5 Championship take place amidst the backdrop of the BRSCC Gerrit van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival, with the championship battle as close as ever and no less than four drivers in contention to take this year’s crown. It’s been a mighty competitive contest from the outset, and it all concludes today.

After the unfortunate washout of Sunday at Donington Park due to heavy rain making the circuit unsuitable to continue, that meant just a single race from that weekend was run, and after a cracking 20 minutes of action, the result has left things VERY interesting in the standings with three races left.

It couldn’t be any closer at the top, with Adam Sparrow and Thomas Langford tied on points after dropped scores heading to Brands Hatch. Langford has more wins than Sparrow, but Thomas has also missed a round at Croft meaning he has no dropped scores to fall back on should his fortunes go south. He started the year strong with five wins from the first six races, but hasn’t taken a victory since and would love to try and secure the title with at least one victory this weekend.

As for Sparrow, he’s been here before. 2023 saw Adam become vice champion behind Steve Foden and pushed him all the way to the final chequered flag, and now he finds himself in the same situation in 2024, albeit tied at the head of the table. After missing out last year, Sparrow will need to be on the front foot from the start and outscore Langford as much as possible to end the season on top.

The pair behind in third and fourth will also have other ideas, though. Jack Noller took the sole race win at Donington Park and climbed to third, just eleven points behind Langford and Sparrow. It’s possible for him to overturn this deficit, but he’ll need all of the good fortune and show race winning pace all weekend long. A trio of wins would be ideal, but even then he’d need to outscore the top two by at least four points each on all three races to overhaul them.

Then there’s Luke Pullen, who started the season losing a wheel at Silverstone in March, but has charged his way up to fourth on dropped scores just two behind Noller. A mid-season spike in form at Oulton Park plus more successes at Croft have given him the same amount of wins as Langford and Noller, making the potential for the title to potentially being decided on countback a possibility. Luke is a popular figure in the paddock and his title win would be one celebrated up and down the field.

All four of the above names will be feeling the nerves ahead of one of them taking their first BRSCC Mazda MX-5 title, but there will be other drivers not in contention that will be hoping for their own positive conclusions to the 2024 season. More young stars such as Ewan Thomas and Will Chadwick have made real impacts throughout the season and managed to feature on the podium at least once. Also keep an eye on the likes of Levi Aisbett and Neil Chisnall, two more young racers who could also make their mark before the curtain closes on 2024.

It’s time for the final outing for the 2024 Downforce Radio Mazda MX-5 Clubman Championship this season, and they will do so at Brands Hatch amidst the festivities of the BRSCC Gerrit van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival. With the previous round at Donington Park washed out and abandoned after heavy rain prevented any racing on the Sunday from taking place, that means the championship standings on dropped scores remain as they were post-Cadwell Park.

That means the gap between Paul Bateman and Jonny Greensmith going to Brands Hatch remains static at just nine points. With only two races left to run, that means Greensmith has it all to do to overhaul the deficit and will effectively need to at least draw level by the end of the weekend to stand a chance of becoming champion-elect on countback of wins.

Bateman held the early season advantage with four wins in the first five races, but it was Jonny’ run of five on the bounce through Anglesey and Croft plus further podiums finishes that have helped him rebound from a tough start, and now puts himself in the frame to win his second MX-5 title. For Bateman, it would be his first, but he knows he will need a flawless day from start to finish to remain ahead.

In third is Jack Warry, who had set the fastest time in the qualifying session on the soaked Sunday morning at Donington before racing was abandoned. That will certainly give him confidence should the heavens open this weekend, but his main task will simply to cement his podium position in the standings. A breakout season for Jack, a first win at Oulton Park and multiple podiums in the second half of the season have helped him become a solid front runner.

Beau Parry maintains fourth at this stage, after a strong start to 2024 that included a first win at Snetterton, but in recent rounds he’d had to struggle his way to decent results. After missing Cadwell Park, he’ll hope he can bookend the season with a solid performance. Del and Jake Paice were also two drivers that impressed in the beginning from Silverstone, and while they haven’t been able to match their podium finishes from the season opener, they’ve definitely had their moments. Jake has especially come close to another podium finish with fourth at Cadwell Park.

In the rest of the top ten, seventh to tenth is separated by just 13 points and could still shuffle around some more by the end of the weekend. Russell Halley and Pete Smith are just two points apart after drops and both have come close to a top three finish on more than one occasion, so each will be keen to beat the other. Jamie Turner will still be on a high after his third place finish at Cadwell Park and will hope the momentum hasn’t dropped after the Donington washout, while Simon Waterfall has certainly had his ups and down but formed himself into a regular top ten finisher and knows he needs one more solid meeting to retain tenth place.

One of the toughest championships to win in club motorsport in the UK, the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX-5 SuperCup reaches its conclusion this weekend at Brands Hatch. It’s been another competitive year with close racing, exciting battles and all three classes (Pro, Club and Masters) still to be decided. Amidst the special BRSCC Gerrit van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival, it’s certainly going to be a momentous occasion. With the previous round at Donington Park abandoned on Sunday due to adverse weather, drivers will be eager to get on track one last time.

For the Pro class honours, defending champion Aidan Hills is in top spot again with three races left to run. With an eleven point advantage on dropped scores and seven wins to his name in 2024, it all looks good for Aidan to retain the #1, but not guaranteed. Main rival Patrick Fletcher heads to Brands Hatch on the same number of victories, but he’s the driver doing the chasing. To deny Hills Pro class title number two, Fletcher will need to outpace and outscore him to overturn the deficit. It’s sure to be a tense fight between the pair to see who comes away from Kent as champion-elect.

It’s also close for third place behind them with Tom Griffiths only four points ahead of Joe Wiggin going to Brands Hatch. Wiggin’s second place in the sole Donington race helped him close the gap with Griffiths only managing P5, and both have also been race winners so far this year taking to the SuperCup top step for the first time. Given how close and competitive the SuperCup is at the front, expect both drivers to be in the hunt for victory again, with every single point being critical at this stage.

Outside of the top four, notable drivers to watch include Oliver Allwood and James Cossins, both hitting their strides towards the end of the year and hoping also be in the conversation when race wins are up for grabs. Jack Brewer will be another man with a desire to finish 2024 as strong as possible, while many more will have similar ambitions – to simply enjoy the occasion and to finish their seasons strong.

Ollie Hall is the Club class leader on dropped scores going to Brands Hatch having battled his way through the season to overcome the initial lead held by main rival Aimee Watts. A trio of victories at Snetterton helped Aimee retain top spot early on, but Ollie’s mid-season charge (which included no less than seven class wins) helped him overturn the deficit and pull clear by 23 points going into the weekend. Both have a clear advantage over third placed Clive Powles, who himself is just a single point ahead of Bruce Robinson, meaning the final step on the class championship podium is far from settled. Wilbur Tiley and Kamal Kalsi will also be two drivers aiming for plenty of points.

As for Masters, Allwood is looking good to claim that title with over 100 points on second placed Bruce Robinson, who in turn is also battling with Club class rival Powles here too. Albeit this time, it’s Robinson ahead by 11 points and holding the advantage.

The Mazda MX-5 SuperCup’s cut-and-thrust racing action will provide the perfect compliment to this weekend’s Formula Ford festivities!

The season finale for the 2024 Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup & Student Motorsport Challenge takes place on the speed bowl that is the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, where both titles are set to be decided after another exciting season full of packed grids and close racing.

After a Silverstone weekend that only saw him take one win from the three on offer, Stuart Bliss is in the pound seats at the top of the standings and on course to wrap up the season as champion-elect. With eleven wins to his name, his hands are effectively on the championship trophy with a lead of 46 points and two races left to run. Finishing every single race and never off the podium, he’s the overwhelming favourite to provisionally seal the title and mimic brother Richard’s success in 2022.

Richard Jepp holds firm in second place and while his chances of toppling Stuart are incredibly slim, he can still solidify his best overall championship position to date. A two time outright race winner at Oulton Park, his first in the championship, Jepp has done his best to stay as consistent as possible and regularly featured on the podium, and Brands Hatch is another chance to feature there again and finish strong.

Brady Pollock has been the best Novice driver by far and away this season and is third overall on dropped scores, becoming a regular podium and top five finisher in recent races over the last handful of meetings. He has a clear gap over Jack Wheeler in fourth who himself took a win at Silverstone, as did fifth placed Elliot Lettis. In fact, both took their first outright victories for East Surrey College and City College Norwich respectively last time out, so expect them to aim for more to add to the trophy cabinet.

Also watch for the likes of Haydn Payne, Joe Moss, Joshua Jackson, Alex Foden and Toby Owen, all of which have been regulars in the lead group and could spring a surprise or two if given the chance.

The Student Motorsport Challenge is also to be settled this weekend with Team Northbrook Racing looking to make it three titles in a row but facing competition from the likes of West Suffolk College, QE Motorsports, East Surrey College and City College Norwich, all of which have been successful in taking SMC wins over the course of the season.

The final races of the year for the BRSCC Evolution Trophy will also take place at Brands Hatch, with four categories all competing on the same grid together in a bid to develop, grow and eventually become a sustainable standalone series in its own right. The four competing categories on track together consist of the Ricci Concept Classic VW Cup, Finsport Renault Cup, BMW 1 Series SuperCup and Mazda MX-5 Mk4 Trophy.

There’s a solid entry in the Classic VW Cup ranks, with plenty of VW Golfs, Audi TTs and A3s in the mix, plus a SEAT or two in the mix for good measure. There’s a Renault Megane RS in the hands of Samuel Haywood representing the Renault Cup, along with Millie Hart making her debut in her BMW 1 Series SuperCup car, and MX-5 racing expert Brian Chandler in his Mk4 MX-5 taking to the grid too.

Written by Scott Woodwiss