The MotorSport Vision Racing USA Snetterton 300 meeting may have been a celebration of all things Americana, but the very European United Formula Ford grid delivered the best action across the weekend.
Race one was a troubled affair as a safety car period ate away the first half of the race. After that, however, the racing resumed with vigour as poleman Ronan Doherty (Van Diemen RF00) did his best to hold off the charging pack. However, a missed gear tripped Doherty up and caused him to run wide late on, with Anthony Amato quickly capitalising on the error. Amato duly took the win in his Ray GR22 ahead of Ben Cochran (Van Diemen LA09).
Determined to bounce back, Doherty delivered a masterclass in defensive driving to secure victory in the second encounter. The Irishman led from pole but was constantly under pressure from the chasing Amato and Cochran, the trio seemingly entering Riches three-wide at the start of every lap.
With anticipation growing with every tour, the end to the brawl was rather anticlimactic, as the race was red-flagged at the conclusion of lap six due to Gavin Guthrie’s stranded Ray GR14. “There was a massive headwind, so you had to have at least four car lengths if you didn’t want to defend,” explained a delighted Doherty of the keys to his success. “It meant you had to really nail the last sector of the lap through Coram and the last corner, but that’s Formula Ford racing, you just get an amazing slipstream.”
The eclectic grid of Bernie’s V8 contenders delivered a superb opening encounter as Michael Saunders’s TVR Tuscan just managed to pip Chris Richardson’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the line. Saunders led from pole but dropped back mysteriously at mid-distance.
Saunders was able to defeat Richardson’s Chevrolet at the head of the Bernie’s V8s field
Photo by: Richard Styles
“I was getting into a good groove with some good laps,” explained Saunders. “Then the throttle stuck open down the main pit straight! I had to turn the engine off because there was no way of getting a gear or anything.”
Saunders managed to remedy the throttle issue, and a late-race safety car allowed him to have another crack at Richardson. The move finally came on the penultimate tour, with Saunders taking the flag by just over a tenth of a second from Richardson as British machinery defeated American muscle.
Resuming their duel in race two, an exciting conclusion was denied when Richardson dropped out with two laps to go, allowing Saunders to notch up another win with Matthew Ellis (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus) and Neil Fowler (MGB GT V8) completing the rostrum.
Intense as always, the Legends grid provided close battles with slipstreaming strategy being critical around the Norfolk circuit. Chris Needham was the man on form throughout the weekend, grabbing victory in both opening heats on Saturday. The first final was also decided in favour of Needham after the Manchester-based driver snatched the lead off Tyler Read and managed to keep the pack at bay. Needham and Read split heat honours on Sunday with Read securing the Elite Cup title, before Needham clinched a quintet of wins in the final from Aaron Cooke.
There was drama in the first Monoposto race after George Line, who had dominated proceedings in his Dallara F308, slowed with a dead battery on the last lap, handing victory to James Williams (Dallara F311). Line bounced back to triumph in races two and three on Sunday.
Legends provided plenty of close racing but it was Needham who won five times
Photo by: Richard Styles
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– The Autosport.com Team
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