After a year of following the 750MC Formula Vee season, and supporting the Vee Centre drivers we got the opportunity to sponsor the end of year finale at Brands Hatch last weekend. Here’s what happened…
The weather behaved, as much as it could for November. The sun shone, and the rain stayed away. Temperatures were great for the engines, but meant the tyres didn’t work to their optimum in the corners, leading to a number of ‘off piste’ excursions for a handful of racers.
As ever, the racing remained tight throughout the 3 rounds. The first grid decided by early morning qualifying, the second, a reverse grid of the first race, and the finale an average of the two previous placings.
Five-time winner Sam Olivera was yet to be beaten at the season-ending Vee Festival, but the multiple champion opted not to defend his title leaving the door open to a new champion.
Adam Macauley looked as though he was going to be tough to beat on Sunday, taking a dominant pole in qualifying before an equally dominant win in the opening heat. Ben Miloudi took second, well clear of a superb battle between Jimmy Furlong and Peter Belsey. Despite all his advances, Furlong held on to complete the first podium.
Race two was less clear cut, and began with a top 10 reverse grid. The safety car was scrambled early on to collect some clashing Vees but it was Ben Miloudi who came out on top, going one better than he did in the morning. Furlong added another podium and Belsey was denied a podium again by the merest of margins: just 0.1s behind Tim Probert.
Macauley was handed a drive through penalty but the chequered flag dropped before he could take it, adding a 30 second penalty to his time. That dropped the Irishman from 4th to 9th.
Belsey finally made the podium in race three, the Final; making the vital move on lap three for the lead. Macauley crashed early on and majorly dislodged his nose, but he valiantly drove on reaching as high as third before being black flagged on lap seven. That freed Miloudi, but Belsey stretched his lead to nearly two seconds to become the sixth Vee Festival winner.
Meanwhile, a host of Dub owners were enjoying themselves in the ‘Volkswagen only’ parking area, soaking up the thrills and spills of Formula Vee racing at its best.
Roll on 2014!
Andy