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The 2008 British Formula Ford Championship reaches
its half-way mark at Rockingham next weekend (25/26
May) with Ulster teenager Wayne Boyd riding high in
the points standings and with no serious rival to his
dominance in sight.
Boyd, 17 and from Templepatrick, has won nine of the
11 races so far in his Jamun Racing-prepared Mygale
SJ08 and few would bet against his taking further wins
at the motor speedway in Northamptonshire, the venue
for rounds 12, 13 and 14 of the Ford-backed series.
One man out to try to get as close as he can is Adrian
Campfield, a star of recent races who scored his maiden
podium, and the first of the season for the Kevin Mills
Racing team, last time out. He is rapidly getting to
grips with the Australian-built Spectrum: "We've
made a lot of changes to the car and have some new development
parts which should make a big difference to us at Rockingham,"
said 18-year-old Adrian. "Really I am just now
getting used to the car and the team is learning about
it all the time. It's a good car, a great team and there
is plenty more to come from us."
Campfield and his regular team-mate, Aussie Glen Wood,
have been joined at KMR by young Welsh driver Alex Jones,
who is hoping that a switch to Spectrum will boost his
hopes in the Scholarship Cup.
Only two other drivers have won races this season:
Boyd's Jamun team-mate, Australian Champion Tim Blanchard,
who took the third round, at Oulton Park, when Wayne
slithered out of the lead, and Dutch driver Chris Maliepaard,
who profited from Boyd's post-race technical exclusion
from the results of round nine. Blanchard, Maliepaard
and Chris's Mygale-driving Getem Racing team-mate Linton
Stuteley are sure to be near the front of the action
next weekend.
Alas Boyd's chief rival at Brands Hatch earlier this
month, Westley Barber, has elected to sit out the rest
of the season. The 2002 champion, having helped the
Comtec team develop its new chassis, is handing over
what is now a potential race winner to another, as yet
unnamed, driver. Jamie Jardine and young Brazilian Francisco
Weiler will continue to fly the Comtec flag.
Rockingham is home circuit for Bedford-based Joe Tandy
Racing, and the JTR trio of young Brit Matt Hamilton,
fast Frenchman Philippe Layac and flying Dutchman Rogier
de Wit will be hoping to put on a strong showing, as
will the other Jamun team drivers, Brazilian Victor
Correa and James Cole, both of whom are steadily improving
their pace.
There should be a strong Van Diemen challenge also
in the shape of the two semi-works Fluid Motorsport
cars of Scotsman David Brown and Dane Marco Sorensen,
plus the 4D Motorsport machine of last year's Scholarship
Champion, Matt Dobson.
Dutch team Vuik Racing will be joining the field at
Rockingham with Mygales for Henk Vuik Jr and Rogier
Jongejans.
There will as always be a battle royal in the Scholarship
class, which has seen four different winners already
this season in Jones, Mygale driver Garry Findlay -
who leads on points - Van Diemen man Callum Holland
and impressive Ray racer Chrissy Palmer. They will be
joined on the grid by three further Scholars, Ray man
Peter Daglish, Spirit driver Felix Scott and Mygale
pilot Daniel Walker, son of truck racing champ Richard.
Provisional points standings after round 11 (of
25)
1, Wayne Boyd, GB/Templepatrick, Jamun/Mygale, 300 points
2, Tim Blanchard, AUS/Victoria, Jamun/Mygale, 255
3, Linton Stuteley, GB/Hitchin, Getem/Mygale, 209
4, Westley Barber, GB/Saffron Walden, Comtec 176
5, Victor Correa, BRA/Sao Paulo, Jamun/Mygale, 173
6, Marco Sorensen, DK/Sudbury, Fluid/Van Diemen, 151
6, Matt Hamilton, GB/Hemel Hempstead, JTR/Mygale, 151
etc
Scholarship
1, Garry Findlay, GB/Eye, Findlay/Mygale, 214
2, Alex Jones, GB/Anglesey, KMR/Spectrum, 173
3, Peter Daglish, GB/Chester-le-Street, Daglish/Ray,
152 etc
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