MSV FF1600 reaches Snetterton - April 9/10

BRSCC meeting also features opening round for T Car series

06/04/2005 - The MotorSport Vision Formula Ford 1600 Championship reaches its second round of the season this weekend at Snetterton.

Irish hotshoe Peter Dempsey won the opening round at a canter and is back to make it two out of two in Norfolk in his Swift SC92. He will definitely be the man to beat, but he should have some healthy competition from some established stars of the FF1600 category.

Veteran team boss Mike Gardner is back in his brand new Spriti WL05 machine, which made its world race debut in race one at Brands Hatch last month, while long-time FF1600 star Stuart Kestenbaum will be out in his venerable Reynard FF89.

Fielding some competitive modern machinery will also be Kevin Bottomley in one of last year's Van Diemen RF04 chassis.

The MSB FF1600 Championship was started this year by MotorSport Vision in order to bring together the many FF1600 chassis that race in regional series in a high-profile series that visits circuits all around the UK.

Meanwhile, the 2005 BRSCC T-Cars Championship gets underway at Snetterton for the first two rounds of the series for 14-17 year-olds.

Following a string of podium finishes at the end of last season, including two race victories, Daniel Laddiman from Norwich must start as pre-season favourite for race honours. Racing in the first two rounds on home turf will stand the experienced Kartist in good stead but challenging for local honours will be James Williams, who took third last time out at the Norfolk track and who rapidly improved in his debut season in circuit racing following a Ministox background.

The next pair, both in Graham Hathaway Engineering-prepared cars, came into T-Cars last year with very little motorsport experience and equipped themselves well despite both missing several races. Jack Timpany from Hartley Wintney also has a third place at Snetterton as his best finish last year and really got to grips with the 100mph saloon car towards the end of the season. So too did Durhams Emma Pascall, the only girl in this years championship, who only came in mid-way through and was forced to miss the finals through injury.

A number of new faces come into the series this year to join the second-term drivers, including the 2005 Scholarship winner Drew Lammas, another former Ministox driver from Welwyn Garden City. Two other drivers who entered the scholarship but just missed out are Ryan Borthwick and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. Both experienced kartists, they acquitted themselves well during the assessment day at Bedford earlier in the year and now make their car racing debuts. Completing the line-up will be Oliver Webb, another experienced kartist who won the Minimax and Junior Max Winter Series and Alex Mac Dowall who has competed in only a handful of Cadet kart races.

Qualifying action starts from 9am on Saturday with racing starting at 11am. Sunday's qualifying starts at 9am with racing from 12.50pm.

Tickets cost £12 for adults and children aged 12 and under are free.Children aged 12 and under go free on all days. Free parking and paddock access.

Uniroyal Fun Cup The Championship features cars using a unique very strong tubular steel chassis with Beetle silhouette GRP bodywork. They are powered by an ultra reliable mid-mounted 1.8 litre VW/Audi engine matched to an Audi 5-speed gearbox at the rear.		MSV Formula Ford Championship National series for all Formula Ford chassis using the 1600cc Kent engines. Multi-chassis cars include Van Diemen, Swift, Reynard and the new Spirit WL05.		T Car Championship The car is a purpose-built tubular space frame racing chassis, designed and produced for T-Cars. The chassis has been mated to a Ford Duratec 2000cc engine, producing 145 bhp. The car is still restricted to a top speed of 100 mph.

Global GT Lights The Yamaha 600cc engines with sequential 6 speed gearbox provides high levels of performance whilst the tubular chassis and adjustable suspension gives exceptional handling characteristics.		VSR V6 VSR V6 Cars feature ultra strong NASCAR type spaceframe chassis clothed in current production saloon bodies with a Ford 2.9 Cologne V6 engine. Limited modifications and controlled tyres make this one of the most competitive one make series.		Super Coupe Cup The Championship started in '95 and a power to weight formula was introduced in 2003. Last year a second 'Open Marque' Class for up to 1600cc was introduced.

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