Open for business
The internet can be a hit and miss method of research, involving lots of cats and craziness. But every now and then you stumble upon something quite fascinating, such as a list of Formula Fords produced before 1974 in an old rules document (search ‘brsccff1600 technical regulations’). It’s an interesting read, not least because it contains the likes of Lotus, Lola and March, but also because it’s so very, very long. From Alexis to Winkelman, by way of Blackjack, Cougar, Ladybird and Raven, there are 66 marques listed in all. That’s a lot of racecars. That’s a lot of racecar manufacturers.
Things have changed since then. Dominant marques took over in Formula Ford in the ’70s and ’80s and the smaller constructors fell by the wayside. In the process, the very nature of the single-seater ladder was skewed. For in the search for an, arguably illusory, level playing field, spec formulae began to appear in the late 1980s, and the rot from the root soon spread to the uppermost branches of the tree.
Formula Ford survived the onslaught from myriad one-make, entry-level series and, while the main championship in the UK went down a number of blind, or at least short sighted, alleys, cars packing the trusty 1600cc crossflow Kent engine continued to race in every corner of Britain and across the world. Many are still racing too, with around 100 entered in the two 2021 season-closing FF1600 jamborees, the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch (98 cars) and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone (106). All of which must mean there’s still a viable market for new single seater producers to do business in, right?
Well, we will come to that in a moment.
