NZ Driver to Europe recipient, James Penrose, has come away from competing in the prestigious and very competitive Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford weekend at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, happy with his performance. The Kiwi competing with the Borders Reivers Racing team, not only made it through to the final but crossed the line in ninth place, only to incur a 10 second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to 21st overall.
“It was a cool weekend,” commented Penrose. “I think it was a different style of race to the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch two weeks ago. Silverstone is very fast and flowing. Leading up to the weekend testing took place mostly in the dry while it rained all race weekend (Saturday and Sunday 5-6 November 2022).
The Walter Hayes race weekend features a series of knockout heats and semi-finals over two days to ultimately find an overall winner from 125 competitors.
“While we were on the pace testing on a dry track, the wet weekend meant that it was about adapting to the conditions and knowing where the speed was and this is where local knowledge gave an advantage while I was still figuring it out,” said Penrose. “However, in saying that, it was really enjoyable and rewarding.”
Penrose, a previous winner of the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, the NZ Formula Ford Festival, the NZ Elite Motorsport Academy and winner of the New Zealand Driver to Europe competition, recently competed in the 2022 British Racing & Sports Car Club (BRSCC) Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. Run in a similar knockout format to the Walter Hayes Trophy, Penrose made it through to the final race of the weekend which saw heavy rain stop the 20-lap decider only after four completed laps.
“The level of competition between the Festival and Walter Hayes was similar but this weekend there were more drivers therefore more competition. Most who had competed at Brands Hatch were at Silverstone plus even more drivers.
“What I found in the wet is that those who had done more racing at Silverstone were that much quicker. Some have competed for five or six years and were fresh out of their national champs. I’ve learnt a fare bit about not just going fast in the wet, but the tactics you also need in the wet.”
Thirty-seven drivers took to the grid for the 15-lap final with Max Esterson crossing the line in first for a second successive year. Unfortunately for him, the race stewards later assessed a 4.5-second penalty which relegated him to fifth position and handed victory, for a record-breaking fourth time, to Englishman Joey Foster (Don Hardman Racing Firman RFR20).
“Like the Festival, it was quite an accomplishment for all finalist to make it to the grid for the last race,” said Penrose. I started 13th so finishing in the top ten on track, I am very proud of the achievement given the level of competition. It was a shame to have got the time penalty as at times, like many others, you were off track to avoid an accident.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Driver to Europe programme. Without their support, none of this would have been possible. A special thank you goes to Nigel Barclay for organising the programme and to Motorsport Solutions for building the race motor. This trip was a truly incredible experience and one that I hope can be continued in the years ahead for future New Zealand Formula Ford Champions”.
Penrose, this week, heads back to New Zealand with the objective to finalise his campaign to compete in the 2023 Castrol Toyota Racing Series.
Comments