The History Of Formula Ford

The UK Formula Ford Championship is, incredibly, entering its 40th consecutive year of operation. The drivers who have started their car racing careers in Formula Ford reads like a who’s who of motorsport. This heritage is what makes Formula Ford such an incredible championship to take part in. Nothing is a certainty in motorsport, but it always has been and always will be a good bet that any driver who excels in UK Formula Ford is on their way to great things in their driving career.

The strictly enforced technical regulations are one of the mainstays of the Championship over the years. Ford Motor Company are behind these regulations, with staff at Boreham, and now the Dunton Research Centre writing and updating these, and providing the vital expertise of the Championship Scrutineer and Electronics Experts.

It is interesting to note that Formula Ford, unlike all the other single seater series that have come and gone in the UK over the past 20 years, is not a one-make championship. By allowing freedom of chassis design, engine build and numerous technical items of specification on the car, this drives the technical standards to exceptionally high levels from both teams and drivers.

Contrast the fixed specification of rival cars with the engineering freedom permitted for Formula Ford, and you will rapidly appreciate why Formula Ford drivers leave the series with exceptional levels of understanding of car set up and the implications of each chassis variation they try. This tends to be the reason that their careers progress so far thereafter. If you are serious about your driving career, missing the crucial learning experience that Formula Ford provides might just be the biggest mistake you make.

There is only two other single seater racing formulae in the world that work on this freedom of chassis and engine build; they are Formula Three and Formula One.

This is why Formula Ford continues to resist wings and their resulting downforce. This allows drivers the only chance in their careers to master the mechanical grip that a car and tyre will produce when driven and set up properly. If a driver misses this crucial stage of learning (such as by choosing a one-make junior series with aerodynamic downforce), then they may never get a chance to regain this critical learning.