Sadly, it can be rare to find common sense in motorsport. Yet last month's confirmation that the British Racing & Sports Car Club and MotorSport Vision Racing had reached an agreement to not run rival series for modern Formula Ford 1600 machines from 2024 is a rare exception to that rule.
The end of the BRSCC’s long-running National FF1600 championship may be sad news for those who hark back to FF1600’s glory days decades ago when it was the place for young racers to begin the climb up the motorsport ladder, but the decision to concentrate all efforts on MSVR’s United series is a logical one. The cold, hard numbers dictate that.
So far this year, National FF1600 has managed a measly 11 cars on average, while United – which caters for cars throughout FFord’s history and not just modern machines – has fared only slightly better with 12, although it has varied wildly from 20 at some events to six at others. Put simply, there are not enough competitors to go around.
The 19-20 August weekend was the perfect example: National attracted 11 cars at Brands Hatch, while United featured a meagre six at Oulton Park. Such a situation simply is not sustainable at a time of economic uncertainty, when organisers literally cannot afford to have small grids.
While the end-of-season knockout Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy events continue to pull in vast crowds of entries, it is worth noting how FF1600 has struggled more generally in recent times. The Scottish and Irish championships no longer exist, and even the historic scene is far less buoyant now than it has been in seasons gone by. The exception has to be the Castle Combe series, which had its own slump a few years back but has steadily and impressively rebounded since then.
So that leads us to the common-sense decision taken over the 2024 FF1600 landscape. And, in another break from the motorsport norm, this was something extensively discussed between the relevant parties and not decided on a whim or bulldozed through.
“All the teams have been involved in this – it’s not one person’s decision, everyone’s been collaborating,” says Andy Brickles, boss of the B-M Racing squad. “I think it’s a good thing. FF1600 was diluted – it’s no secret that the grids are low in both series. By just creating one home for the modern cars to race, it can only be a good thing.”
Oldfield Motorsport founder James Oldfield adds: “We’ll try to keep everyone together to boost the grids. At Brands Hatch [in National], we had 11 cars but the top six were separated by less than a tenth of a second. The quality on the grid is there, we just need the quantity.”
Alongside the general economic downturn and concerns in some quarters about a lack of promotion, another factor behind the 31% reduction in National entries (following a 6% decline in 2022) has to be calendar clashes with GB4. When it was introduced last year, GB4 was intended as a bridge between FF1600 and the higher single-seater ranks of British F4 and GB3, with several Formula Ford squads buying cars. But four National dates clash with GB4 rounds this year, along with the Festival, creating a headache for teams.
"The time’s come for people to stop being greedy – we need to take a sensible approach to move the category forward" James Oldfield
“I can’t do GB4 and FF1600 on the same weekend – I’m not a Carlin or Hitech, I had to choose one or the other,” explains Oldfield, who opted for FF1600. In contrast, Kevin Mills Racing chose GB4, a move that has further affected grid sizes.
But with modern FF1600 congregating around the United championship next year – which, like GB4, is MSVR-administered – this calendar logjam should be eliminated. And there could be wider benefits too, with Oldfield considering buying a second GB4 car now that there is the potential to run in both categories again.
What is abundantly clear is that something had to be done to improve the situation to ensure a future for modern FF1600 in the UK. After all, let us not forget that new cars are still being built, with Brickles saying a “sleeker” Mk2 version of the Medinas he runs is coming for the Festival. Without the common sense and uniting of minds, the prospect of more new creations would have been slim.
That does not mean to say that teams are free from any concerns. There are worries that the loss of the National name could make attracting drivers a harder sell, and some are disappointed by the end of the BRSCC’s involvement in this sphere (although it remains committed to the Super Classic pre-1999 series and the Festival).
But there is a lot of positivity, too. After all, the end of the “over dilution” should mean one bigger grid encapsulating the best drivers and therefore victories become more meaningful. And, with the news being announced now, there is plenty of time for teams and drivers to plan accordingly.
“We’ve got to do what’s beneficial in the long run,” concludes Oldfield. “The time’s come for people to stop being greedy – we need to take a sensible approach to move the category forward.”
Now, if only such common-sense thinking could also be applied to other motorsport scenarios…
