FAST FORD-WARD

One series that has seen its growth and popularity grow exponentially over the last couple of years is the exceptional Modified Ford Series, a dedicated playground for many of the Blue Oval’s popular roster of cars created over the past few decades. 2021 was the first full season of running under the BRSCC umbrella and it had earned a couple of awards within the club racing scene, so no wonder Paul Nevill and his everexpanding group of drivers were excited as they arrived at their first event of 2022 on the Silverstone International circuit. Scott Woodwiss dives in.

In the first race of the year, Malcolm Harding’s Zakspeed Mk2 Escort replica was hunted down by the powerful Focus of James Allen and despite stealing the lead on the penultimate lap to win on the road, he was later disqualified, leaving Harding to take the win in his place, from fellow Mk2 racers Paul Nevill and Craig Rainer.

Malcolm’s second race was much more straightforward, managing to extend a healthy lead while all of his closest rivals dropped back or retired, allowing Harding to win by just over two seconds as he was chased down by Ashley Shellswell’s XR4i in second and Rainer once again in third.

A field of over 35 cars descended on Brands Hatch Indy for their April visit, an entry big enough to warrant it being split into three groups before qualifying. The first two races had the first pair of victories for Dave Cockell and his fire-spitting Escort Cosworth, leading from the front and never headed in race one for Groups A and B from Harding and Dan Minton in his Mk2. Cockell was more dominant in the A and C race by 11 seconds, with Neil Jessop’s Escort Mk2 and the evergreen Rod Birley in his Escort WRC in his wake, while Harding battled back from third on the opening lap of the B and C race to clinch his third win of the season followed, by Jack Gadd’s Mk1 RSR and Jessop on the podium. Cockell was just as dominant in the British GT support races at Donington Park, winning both in fairly commanding fashion too with Simon Light’s Capri, Shellswell and Gadd sharing the silverware behind him.

The one-day thrash at Oulton Park was almost Cockell’s domain again as he won race one from Dan Minton and Richard Rudd, but retired early from the second allowing Piers Grange to take the spoils in his Mk2 over 20 seconds ahead of Shelswell and Gadd. Moving on to Snetterton and with his Escort Cosworth now back to full health, there was no stopping Cockell once more as the long straights played to his overwhelming power advantage and took a clean sweep. Light’s Capri tried to keep him honest and took two second places as Shelswell, Dave Matthias’ Sapphire Cosworth and Nevill were also present in the top three.

A multi-car incident forced a lengthy delay to the restart of Cadwell Park’s first race, which eventually allowed Nevill to pick up a first win of 2022, but only by just over a second from a fast closing Gadd and Harding behind him. However, business as usual was restored the next day as Cockell rebounded from the dramas of Saturday to storm through the pack, take the lead and add another P1 to his tally by almost four seconds as Nevill and Gadd followed him home. Next came the first of two visits back at Brands Hatch’s Indy circuit to round off the season, starting with a staggering 45 cars qualifying in two groups on split grids for the races at Ford Power Live in September. Cockell and Gadd managed to trade wins in Group A with each of their winning margins just as substantial as each other’s, while the battle for Group B honours was much closer with both Jessop and Mike Thurley’s Zakspeed Escorts also taking the flag first each between them.

Then came the finale supporting the Formula Ford Festival with an even larger entry of over 50 cars requiring the A/B/C group system once again as they had done in April. James Allen survived the mother of all tank-slappers in the final minutes of the A and B race at Druids while lapping backmarkers to hold off Jessop for the win with Birley in third, before Rod took a win for himself in the wet A & C race ahead of impressive drives from David Guthrie’s Fiesta and the Puma of Harry Hardy. The final race of the season for Groups B and C had a fantastic duel between Allen’s Focus and the power-sliding Anglia of Steve Goldsmith, the pair finishing in that order respectively with Kester Cook’s Fiesta ST150 completing the podium.

2023 is already looking incredible with a full grid of just over 60 Fords expected for the season opening race on the Silverstone GP circuit and ten weekends of racing lined up including a special summer race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium!