Ralf Goral dominates both FFR-FOR races at Oschersleben

Oschersleben (Germany), Achel (Belgium), 16 May 2023 – After a successful weekend at Hockenheim in April, Ralf Goral from Germany again won both FFR-FOR races for the series second event, at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. With his biggest challengers from Switzerland unable to attend, Goral controlled both races in his Formula Opel, with Jochen Thissen (GER) taking second place twice. George Tomsen (BEL) finished third and Alan Williamson (GBR) fourth in Race 1, only to swap places in Race 2.

The FF2000 class had 8 contenders at Oscherleben, making it the most competitive of the FFR-FOR series. Andreas Menzner (GER) was the fastest in Race 1, with Janik Sadolin (DEN) crossing the line less than half a second later, and Phillip Menzner (GER) finishing as third. In Race 2 Sadolin showed he had paid attention in the first race and took the lead in the FF2000 class right from the start, with Brian Steen (DEN) and Phillip Menzner (GER) finishing as second and third respectively.

In the FF1600 class Klaus Dieter Häckel (GER) was unbeatable in his Van Diemen RF91. Häckel won both races throughout, lapping both Gerhard Hauschulte (GER) who finished second and Roel Mulder (NED) who crossed the line in third position twice.

“For many of our drivers the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben was a new track,” says series coordinator Wilco Ibes. “That meant finding the best set up and gear ratios was a bit of a challenge. However, the weather at Oschersleben was gorgeous and we saw two immaculate races with lots of action and no incidents. The FFR-FOR was even complimented by the race director for the very disciplined driving!” This was confirmed by guest driver Lutz Crackau (GER), who normally competes in the GLPpro. “I had a super weekend with the FFR-FOR. I felt very welcomed by the other drivers. On the track they are very competitive but always with respect for the other contenders. This tastes like more,” Crackau said after Race 2.

“Race events are not just made by the drivers,” continues Wilco Ibes. “Without the race organizers, time keeping, scrutineers, track stewards, as well as fire and ambulance crews, there would be no racing possible.” Therefore the FFR-FOR presented a special trophy for all volunteers that make events such as the City of Magdeburg Trophy possible. The trophy was handed to one of the fire fighters on duty, a gesture that was very much appreciated.

Next stop for the FFR-FOR is the famous Nürburgring, where the series will participate in the ADAC Racing Weekend from 30 June till 2 July.

Double FFR-FOR win for Ralf Goral at Hockenheimring

Hockenheim (Germany), Achel (Belgium), 25 April 2023 – As has become tradition, the FFR-FOR kicked off the 2023 racing season with two races on the famous Hockenheimring last weekend. In both races it was Ralf Goral from Germany who ruled supreme in his Formula Opel, on his return to the FFR-FOR series after a two years’ break. The only driver that was able to challenge him was Pascal Monbaron from Switzerland in his first races ever in a Formula Opel, finishing twice as 2nd.

David Schneider from Switzerland initially closely followed the two leaders in race 1, but later fell back due to engine trouble and finishing the race as fifth. George Tomsen from Belgium beat Alan Willamson from the UK for third place, while Jochen Thissen from Germany had to give up after only five laps.

In race 2, after a fierce battle for third and fourth place, Georges Tomsen ended the race only 2.241 seconds ahead of Jochen Thissen. Thissen had a great start, beginning the race from the back of the grid. Alan Williamson crossed the line as fifth, while David Schneider ended sixth, again due to engine trouble.

In the Formula Ford 2000 class, Dutch drivers Henk Van der Spoel (Reynard SF86) and Onno Zuidema (Reynard SF84) dominated the field, with Van der Spoel winning the first and Zuidema winning the second race. In race 1 Geert Wynants from Belgium in his Royal RP27 fought fiercely for third place with reigning VFV GLPpro champion Simone Busch in her Reynard SF84, with Wynants ultimately crossing the line ahead of Busch. Stefan Schroyen, also from Belgium, finished fifth in his Royal RP27. In the second race Simone Busch’ car unfortunately stalled on the pre-grid and wouldn’t restart, meaning Wynants could take third place, with Stefan Schroyen finishing as fourth.

In the Formula Ford 1600 class Klaus-Dieter Häckel from Germany in his Van Diemen RF91 drove to first place uncontested, even besting the times of some of the Formula Ford 2000s. Roel Mulder (PRS RH02) crossed the line as second and Gerhard Hauschulte (Van Diemen RF87) as third in both races

“Unfortunately we didn’t have a full grid this time around,” says FFR-FOR series coordinator Wilco Ibes. “Due to injuries and illness we missed four drivers, while three more regulars had to cancel as they couldn’t get their cars ready on time. A big thank you though to the drivers that did make it to Hockenheim. The track conditions were perfect and we saw two nice clean races without any incidents. For our next event the FFR-FOR will move to Oscherleben Motorsport Arena, for the City of Magdeburg Trophy, on 13 and 14 May.”

Final race of the 2022 season at Nürburgring for the AvD Historic Race Cup

Nürburg, 17 October 2022 – The saying goes that you can have all four seasons in a single day at Nürburgring. When the AvD Historic Race Cup descended onto Nürburgring with the 36 participants from the HRA and the FFR-FOR series for their final racing weekend of 2022, track conditions started wet on Friday but they improved over the weekend to see some very attractive racing.

During the 1st qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon an ongoing drizzle caused the track to be wet and even though the weather improved somewhat on Saturday for the 2nd qualifying, track conditions caused a few spins due to a lack of grip. Luckily no damage was done and all cars were ready to line up for the start of the first race on Sunday morning.

With the track still moist due to the cold night, the HRA drivers were the first start group to go out for Race 1, followed 30 seconds later by the Formula Fords and Formula Opels from the FFR-FOR. Stephan Lechine in his F3 (#189) started the race from pole position, with Stefan Krämer’s FF 2000 (#333) in second position, Peter Schmitz’ F3 (#111) in 3rd and Elio Cocciarelli’s Sports 2000 (#601) in 4th. David Schneider (#12, Formula Opel), Marvin Brandl (#26, Formula Opel), Pascal Monbaron (#96, FF Zetec) and Jochen Thissen (#28, Formula Opel) were on the first two rows of the second starting group.

Race 1 started with a battle between Roberto Cocciarelli, Stephan Lechine and Stefan Krämer for the lead. After one lap Krämer was heading the race, when Friedhelm Stolzer (#188) parked his F3 on the curb after a spin. This caused a Safety Car situation with the whole field closing in. After the restart Krämer initially gained the lead, but he was quickly overtaken by Stephan Lechine, Marvin Brandl and David Schneider, until Lechine spun and dropped back to third position behind Schneider. In the following laps he first caught Schneider and a little later Brandl as well, winning the race, with Brandl and Schneider second and third overall, followed by Pascal Monbaron 4th because of a 30-second penalty Thissen who ended 5th.

With his 6th place overall Cedric Baeten (#40) took his first win in the FF 2000 class for the FFR-FOR, with Phillip Menzner #6) second and Andreas Menzner (#8) third. Henry Clausnitzer (#89) ended as 16th overall, but took second place in the FF Zetec class, with Martin Walter (#81) in third. Klaus-Dieter Häckel (#47) won the FF1600 class, followed by Jeffrey Thiesen (#63) and Carly Meskes (#128).

The second race started under near perfect conditions, after the autumn sunshine had dried the track. From the get-go Marvin Brandl and David Schneider were in a fierce fight for the lead, until a spin by John Westenberg in his F3 (#104) right after the Mercedes curve caused the safety car to come out. After the restart, some 4 laps later, the duel continued until Schneider spun and touched Brandl’s rear tire, causing the later to drop out of the race due to a flat. Beneficiaries of this collision were Jochen Thissen who dominated the rest of the race, followed by Pascal Monbaron and Philipp Menzner, who took 2nd and 3rd place overall and winning their respective classes. Andreas Menzner and Cedric Baeten, in their FF 2000s, crossed the line as 4th and 5th overall. The winners in the FF1600 class were Klaus-Dieter Häckel (#47), Roel Mulder (#22) and again Carly Meskes (#128) in third place, while Henry Clausnitzer and Martin Walter won 2nd and 3rd respectively in the FF Zetec class.

The FFR-FOR also used the occasion to honour the overall winners of the 2022 championship. In the FF1600 class Klaus-Dieter Häckel was the overall winner with 81,56 points, followed by Roel Mulder (56,19) and Matthew Dean (41,43). First place in the FF 2000 class was for Philip Menzner (87,32), Andreas Menzner (65,74) ended as second, while Onno Zuidema (40,65), who wasn’t at Nürburgring, still secured 3rd place in the championship. Although a close finish, ultimately Pascal Monbaron (69,84) won the FF Zetec championship ahead of Henry Clausnitzer (65,99) and Eric Heudicourt (27,17). Marvin Brandl dominated the Formula Opel class with a total of 96,01 points. Jochen Thissen (66,15) came second and Alan Williamson (33,17) third.

With the 2022 season now ended, the FFR-FOR organisers are working hard to secure a great programme for the 2023 racing season.

Wet weekend at Hockenheim for AvD Historic Race Cup

Hockenheim, 4 October 2022 – Usually weather in the early autumn is fair at Hockenheim. This year however, when the FFR-FOR and its sister association the HRA came to participate in the ADAC Racing Weekend, track conditions were quite different.

While the first qualifying session on Friday was driven under near perfect conditions, the weather changed for the worse overnight and it just didn’t stop raining. Track conditions for the second qualifying on Saturday were poor, resulting in a few minor collisions due to the slippery track and poor visibility and some cars sliding off the track into the gravel, although luckily there were no injuries apart from a few drivers’ egos.

Conditions hadn’t improved by the time of the start of race 1, with the FFR-FOR drivers in the 1st start group and the drivers from the HRA in the second. Again heavy rain caused a slippery track and poor visibility, but that didn’t stop Jochen Thissen (#28) to quickly gain the lead in the first round with his Formula Opel. After two rounds though, as Jochen hit the brakes to avoid a collision due to an unconsidered action by one of the stragglers, Marvin Brandl (#26) succeeded in overtaking him and take the lead instead.

In the FF 2000 class Andreas Menzner (#8) had a better qualifying result than his son Philip Menzner (#6), but this was soon reversed in the race with Philip gaining distance in spite of the conditions, and Simone Busch (#807) in third position. In the FF Zetec class Pascal Monbaron (#96) and Eric Heudicourt (#84) did better in the qualifying then Henry Clausnitzer (#89), but the latter managed get in front in the poor conditions and go for first place in the Zetec class. And with Heudicourt sliding off the track in the Sachs curve, it was Patrick Rausch who secured the third place. In the FF1600 class Klaus Dieter Häckel (#47) in his ‚new‘ VanDiemen RF87 quickly gained the lead, with Hararld Dorfbauer (#53) coming second and Tim Roser (#857) in third position.

Then disaster struck, as Peter Schmitz’ F3 (#119) and Christine Reichhuber’s Shrike P15 (#615) from the HRA collided in the 4th round, catching Dirk Hochhold in his Merlyn Mk30 (#562) as they spun into the tire wall. With debris strewn across the track, the safety car was brought out to lead the 1st start group past the site of the collision. However, the second start group had meanwhile been stopped on the finish straight, to allow the track to be cleaned and secured. With the 1st start group then stopped behind the 2nd and race time running out, the remainder of the race was cancelled.

On Sunday morning the weather still hadn’t improved, so Race 2 started behind the safety car. After only two rounds however, because of even heavier rain, race control decided conditions were not safe and cancelled the remainder of the race.

Luckily a third race was already planned for the weekend. After a brief delay the FFR-FOR was out on the track again in the afternoon. Track conditions were reasonable, thanks to a slight improvement of the weather, resulting in a nice clean race without incidents. In the Formula Opel class Marvin Brandl (#26) won again, followed by Jochen Thissen (#28) and Alan Williamson (#60). In the FF 2000 class Philip Menzner (#6) was the winner before Andreas Menzner (#8) and Simone Busch (#807). Pascal Monbaron (#96) won the FF Zetec class, followed by Henry Clausnitzer (#89) and Eric Heudicourt (#84). Klaus Dieter Häckel also won race 3 in the FF 1600 class, with a good showing from Gerhard Hauschulte (#41) who came in second, and Harald Dorfbauer (#53) taking third.

Next event for the FFR-FOR and the HRA will be the Westfalen Trophy at Nürburgring, on 14, 15 and 16 October, which will also be the final race of the 2022 season.

The leaders in race 3, Marvin Brandl (#26), Jochen Thissen (#28) and Alan Williamson (#60) in their Formula Opels.
The FF 1600s of Harald Dorfbauer (#53), Gerhard Hauschulte (#41) and Frank Roser (#890), with Eric Heudicourt’s FF Zetec (#84) caught in the middle.

AvD Historic Race Cup celebrates classic formula racing at SUPERSPA

On the first weekend of August the AvD Historic Race Cup, jointly organized by the Historic Racecar Association (HRA) from Germany and FFR-FOR from Belgium, celebrated historic formula racing. They did so with three packed starting grids at SUPERSPA, on the spectacular Formula 1 track of Spa-Francorchamps.

In Race 1 on Sunday morning Stephan Lechine (#189) and Valerio Leone (#80) in their F3s (GO1) dominated the field, closely followed by Marvin Brandl (#26) and Jochen Thissen (#28) in their Formula Opels, crossing the line as 3rd and 4th respectively. Elio Cocciarelli (#1) was the best in the GO2 (F3 Pre-1985) class , after struggling with his clutch for much of the race. Onno Zuidema (#69) was the fastest FF 2000, ending the race as 7th overall, while Stefan Kramer (#10) won GO3, crossing the finish line as 10th. In the Sports 2000 (GO6) class Roberto Cocciarelli (#601) was the winner while Winfried Kornmeyer (#222) won the GO7 class.

In Race 2 the HRA GO1, GO2, GO5 and GO7 were joined by the FF Zetec and FF 1600 from the FFR-FOR. After Valerio Leone (#80) dropped out of the race due to ignition problems, Stephan Lechine (#189) had to slog it out with Dirk Kornmeyer (#222) and Elio Cocciarelli (#1) in their pre-85 F3s. In the GO5 and GO7 classes, Toni Krumbach (#555)) and Winfried Kornmeyer #2), as solo starters, had no competition. The FF1600 class though was heavily contested with 15 cars on the grid. David McArthur (#15) won this class, closely followed by Pascal Monbarron (#96) and John Svensson (#135), while Christophe Hansoul (#21) was unbeatable in the FF Zetec class.

In Race 3 the FF 1600, FF 2000, FF Zetec and Formula Opels from the FFR-FOR shared the track with the HRA GO3 (FF 2000), GO5 (FF1600) and GO6 (Sports 2000). After leading the race in his Formula Opel from the start, David Schneider (#129) dropped out of the race after 4 laps. This left Jochen Thissen (#28), Alan Williamson (#60) and Marvin Brandl (#26) to compete for the podium. Behind the trio, Henk van der Spoel (#69) and Stefan Kramer (#333) fought for a long time for 4th and 5th place, with Van der Spoel ultimately beating Kramer and winning the FF 2000 class. Cristophe Hansoul (# 21) and Thomas McArthur (#17) crossed the finish line in sixth and seventh place, winning the FF Zetec and FF 1600 classes respectively. The race between Roberto Cocciarelli (#601) and Harald Schmeyer (#692) competed till the very end in the GO6 class, with Cocciarelli having a lead of only 0,441 seconds when they crossed the line. In the GO5 class it was Toni Krumbach (#555) who took the laurels.

“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is very popular with racing drivers, which is why we had the biggest number of AvD Historic Race Cup participants since quite a while,” says FFR-FOR series coordinator Wilco Ibes. “With 41 FFR-FOR entries and 33 from the HRA we booked 3 races and split up our series in such a way that all drivers could compete twice.” HRA series coordinator Marcel Biehl agrees: “Spa is simply a track that every motorsport enthusiast likes and where everyone loves to race.”

The HRA and FFR-FOR drivers now have a few weeks off before the last two events of the season. From 30 September to 2 October the AvD Historic Race Cup will participate in the ADAC Racing Weekend at Hockenheim, followed two weeks later by the Westfalen Trophy at the Nürburgring.

With 41 FFR-FOR entries and 33 from the HRA SUPERSPA saw the biggest number of AvD Historic Race Cup participants since quite a while.
In Race 2 Christophe Hansoul (#21) won the FF Zetec class, crossing the line as 7th overall.
Jochen Thissen (#28) in his Formula Opel was the winner of Race 3.

Marvin Brandl ‘rains’ supreme at Zandvoort ‘Pinksterraces’

Marvin Brandl (#26) in his Formul Opel about to lap Stig Bjerring (#11) in his FF2000.

Zandvoort (Netherlands), Achel (Belgium), 15 June 2022 –Marvin Brandl reigned supreme in his Formula Opel in both his races during the ‘Pinksterraces’ weekend at the Zandvoort Formula 1 track. Not only was he the fastest of the FFR-FOR drivers on Saturday on a dry track, playing catch up with the more powerful F3 cars from the HRA, he was unbeatable on Sunday, when pouring rain made it one of the wettest FFR-FOR races in years.

For the Pentecost weekend the FFR-FOR and HRA joined forces again under the AvD Historic Race Cup banner, fielding almost 50 single seaters on the 4,259-kilometre track at Zandvoort. Because of limit of the number of cars allowed on the track simultaneously, as well as to accommodate the FF1600 drivers that were also participating in the Marcel Albers Memorial Trophy, the HRA and FFR-FOR classes were split over three races, with all participants competing twice.

Philip Menzner (#9) chased by Henk van der Spoel (#59) and Alan Williamson (#60).

In Race 1 on Saturday afternoon the HRA classes GO1 (F3 from 1985 onwards and F2), GO2 (F3 with 2000 cc engines from 1974 to 1984), GO3 (FF 2000) and GO6 (Sports 2000) started first, followed 30 seconds later by the Formula Ford 2000s and Formula Opels from the FFR-FOR. Patrick Andriessen (HRA GO2 class) finished first, Michael Ringstrom (HRA GO2) second and Elio Cocciarelli (HRA GO2) was third. Marvin Brandl in his Formula Opel was the first FFR-FOR driver to cross the line, with an impressive 5th place overall, closely followed by fellow Formula Opel driver Jochen Thissen (6th). Onno Zuidema was 9th overall but won the 1st place in the FF 2000 class, with Philip Menzner, the youngest driver of the FFR-FOR group, hot on his heels.

In Race 2 on Sunday morning it was the turn for the FFR-FOR Formula Ford Zetecs and FF 1600s. They started 30 seconds after the HRA GO1 (F3 from 1985 onwards and F2), GO2 (F3 with 2000 cc engines from 1974 to 1984), GO5 (FF1600) and GO6 (Sports 2000). Ringstrom (HRA GO2) and Elio Cocciarelli (HRA GO2) finished 1st and 2nd respectively, with Stephan Lechine (HRA GO1) winning 3rd place after he started without his front wing which was damaged in the previous race. Pascal Monbaron in his FF Zetec was the first FFR-FOR driver with his 9th position overall, while Roel Mulder took the laurels in the FF 1600 class.On Sunday afternoon, the sky turned more and more cloudy, turning in a pouring rain just before the start of Race 3, in which the FFR-FOR Formula Opels, FF 2000s, FF 1600 and Zetecs started on the track first, followed by the HRA GO3 (FF2000) and GO5 (FF1600) classes. In spite of the very wet track, Marvin Brandl was not deterred and drove his Formula Opel to a clear victory. The only one to stay close to him was Onno Zuidema in his FF2000, but as he drove on non-regulation tyres, Zuidema wasn’t competing for the prizes. That meant Jochen Thissen in his Formula Opel was 2nd on the podium and Philip Menzner in his FF2000 3rd and also the winner in the FF2000 class. Pascal Monbaron (5th) was fastest in the FF Zetec class, while John Svensson (9th) won the FF 1600 class. HRA drivers Stefan Krämer was first in the GO3, while Tony Krumbach repeated his class win in the GO5.

The teams and drivers of the AvD Historic Race Cup now enjoy their summer break before heading to the famous track of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in the first weekend of August.

FFR-FOR drivers leave their mark at the Historic Tour Dijon

Dijon-Prenois (France), Achel (Belgium) – Although only a small number of FFR-FOR drivers travelled to the capital of Burgundy, to participate in the Historic Tour Dijon event at the Dijon-Prenois race track, they left quite an impression.

After the qualifying session on Friday, the FFR-FOR Formula Ford 1600 and Zetecs drivers started in their first race on Saturday morning as part of a grid of no less than 37 classic Formula Fords. This included drivers from Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland, in cars dating from 1970 till 1992.

In the race the Zetecs of Eric Heudicourt (#84) and Maxime Libreton (#15) were quick to take the lead. A large group of FF1600s, including those of FFR-FOR drivers Dieter Häckel and Mattthew Dean, was in hot pursuit and never lost sight of the race leaders. However, due to several incidents the safety car had to come out twice, and with time running out, the organisers decided to bring all cars in after only five laps and arrange for the remaining 7 laps to be driven on Sunday morning.

The Formula Opels and FF2000s had their 1st race on Saturday afternoon, in a field that also included classic F3 and Formula Renault single seaters. With their superior performance four F3s quickly pulled away, with the Formula Opels from Marvin Brandl (#126) and Jochen Thissen (#128) mixing it with the remaining F3s and crossing the finish line as 5th and 6th respectively. Alan Williamson in his Formula Opel crossed the line just ahead of Philip Menzner’s FF2000 and Georges Tomsen’s Formula Opel, making them 13th, 14th and 15th. Andreas Menzner in his FF2000 crossed the line as 21st, after starting as last car on the grid, due to mechanical problems in the qualification.

At 8:35 on Sunday morning it was still chilly when the FF1600s and Zetec went back on the track for the remaining 7 laps of their 1st race. Initially it was a close fought race between the Zetecs of Eric Heudicourt (#84) and Maxime Libreton (#15), but after Heudicourt slid off the track, Libreton took 1st place. FFR-FOR drivers Dieter Häckel (#147) finished 10th in his FF1600, with Matthew Dean (#145) as 13th, but winning the podium in the pre-90 class. Julian Labitzke (#188) in his Zetec crossed the line as 18th, while Georges Tomsen (#18) and Gerhard Hauschulte (#141) finished as 22nd and 27th respectively.

The FF1600s and Zetecs were out again at 14:30 for Race 2, which after another safety car situation, was won by by Maxime Libreton in his Zetec. In the Pre-90 Class Matthew Dean won the podium after crossing the line as 15th, together with Georges Tomsen (22nd) and Gerhard Hauschulte (23rd) . Rookie Julian Labitzke in his Zetec crossed the line as 16th, but this made him the 2nd best Zetec driver in race 2.

Race 2 for the Formula Opels and FF2000s was pretty much a repeat of race 1 with Marvin Brandl and Jochen Thissen juggling for position with the F3s, finishing impressively as 3rd and 4th. initially Alan Williamson was in position to take another FOL-FF2000 podium, but after a spin in the ‘Gauche de la Bretelle’, it was Philip Menzner in his FF2000 who took 3rd place in the ‘Invité’ class after finishing as 9th, beating his father Andreas in his FF2000 (14th), Georges Tomsen in his Formula Opel (18th) and Alan Williamson who crossed the line as 22nd.

Next stop for the FFR-FOR drivers will be the ‘Pinksterraces’ event at the Zandvoort F1 track, on 4 and 5 June.

The FFR-FOR Formula Opels and FF2000s in a field that also included F3 and Classic Formula Renault single seaters.

FFR-FOR kicks off 2022 racing season at Hockenheimring

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Marvin Brandl in his Formula Opel after lapping Gerhard Hauschulte (#41) and Bernardo Meyer (#33) in their FF 1600.

Hockenheim (Germany), Achel (Belgium), 25 April 2022 – Under perfect conditions 21 FFR-FOR drivers and 3 guests from the HRA kicked off the 2022 season with two races on the famous Hockenheimring. The field saw several new drivers joining the FFR-FOR, as well as a welcome return of some old hands.

In race 1 the Formula Opels from Marvin Brandl (DEU) and Bernd Suckow (DEU) dominated the field, with the FF Zetec from Pascal Monbaron (SUI) and the Formula Opel from Georges Tomsen (BEL) hot on their heels. The four cars slowly pulled away from the rest of the field, until a suspension problem forced Monbaron to abandon the chase. Falling back, he just managed to cross the line half a second before the second Zetec, driven by Henry Clausnitzer, with Rookie Julian Labitzke (DEU) finishing third. The FF 2000 class was fiercely contested, but ultimately saw Andreas Menzner (DEU) take the lead and cross the line before Onno Zuidema (NED) and Henk van der Spoel (NED). In the FF 1600 class Dieter Häckel (DEU) won first place, initially closely contested by Roel Mulder (NED), even though the latter’s car is a decade older. Third place in the FF 1600 class was taken by Tim Roser (DEU).

For the second race on Saturday a few cars were missing due to technical problems. That didn’t mean it was any less interesting, even though in the end the same winners made it to the podium. After admiring ‘his’ race cars on the track earlier, the trophies were handed at the award ceremony by Peter Hass, who in his former role as chief of Opel Motorsport was involved in the founding of the Formula Opel race class.

One of the new FFR-FOR drivers this weekend was Wichard Theunissen from the Netherlands. He recently switched to a Van Diemen RF82 (FF 2000), after having raced classic touring cars for a number of years. ‘I dropped out in the third lap of race 2 due to a technical problem, but I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed the experience,’ Wichard said. ‘The FFR-FOR drivers are very competitive on the track, but on the paddock they and the series organizers have been very helpful. For me personally there is still a lot of untapped potential and I look forward to join more racing weekends.’

For the next event the FFR-FOR will move to France, for the Historic Tour Dijon, on 6, 7 and 8 May.

FFR-FOR celebrates 2021 class champions at Nürburgring

After a joyous racing weekend at the Nürburgring, the 2021 class champions of the FFR-FOR were announced on Sunday, 17 October. Klaus-Dieter Häckel from Germany, the most consistent driver throughout the season, won the championship in the Formula Ford 1600 Class, after winning 9 out of 10 races in his VanDiemen RF91. With a total score of 85,67 points he also won first place in the AvD Historic Race Cup, beating Elio Cocciarelli from the HRA who scored an equally impressive 81,80 points.

In the Formula Ford 2000 class Max Wuttke, also from Germany, won the 2021 championship with his Reynard SF86, while Eric Heudicourt from France secured the Formula Ford Zetec championship in his Mygale SJ03, thanks to his two wins at the Nürburgring. Marvin Brandl from Germany won the trophy in the Formula Opel class, also winning 9 out of 10 races in his class.

Starting in two separate groups, the FFR-FOR and HRA brought 36 single seaters on the track for two exciting races. With the HRA and FFR-FOR starting in two separate groups, Marvin Brandl took first place in the Formula Opel class in race 1, benefitting from a 35-second time penalty given to Bernd Suckow, for overtaking behind the safety car. In race 2 Marvin set the pace, with the best overall result, closely followed by Bernd Suckow and Jochen Thissen. In the FF 2000 class Max Wuttke was a clear winner with 2 wins, Klaus-Dieter Häckel dominated the FF 1600 class and Eric Heudicourt won twice in the FF Zetec class.

The last racing weekend of 2021 for the FFR-FOR confirmed the reputation of the unpredictability of the weather at the Nürburgring, one of Germany’s greatest and oldest F1 circuits. The free training on Friday was driven in heavy rain, resulting in several small incidents. On Saturday however the two qualifying sessions were driven under chilly but dry conditions, while the races on Sunday were performed under perfect conditions that even saw a little sunshine.

Press Release PR005 – Three wins for David Schneider in FF Zetec class at FFR-FOR debut at Hockenheim

Hockenheim (Germany), Achel (Belgium), 21 September 2021 – David Schneider from Switzerland made an impressive FFR-FOR debut last weekend in his Mygale SJ01. He won three times in the Formula Ford Zetec class at Hockenheim during the ADAC Racing Weekend.

Photo: Frank Richter

Under the banner of the AvD Historic race Cup the FFR-FOR had joined forces again with the HRA, bringing 34 classic single seaters on the track. With the HRA and FFR-FOR starting in two separate groups, Marvin Brandl (GER) took first place in the Formula Opel class, with an impressive fourth lap time behind three HRA Formula 3 cars. In the FF 2000 class Max Wuttke (GER) was a clear winner while Klaus-Dieter Häckel (GER) dominated the FF 1600 class, followed by Matthew Dean (GBR) and Roel Mulder (NED).

The second race on Saturday, which unfortunately had to be terminated early as track time ended, saw plenty of action. In the Formula Opel class Jochen Thissen (GER) claimed second place behind Marvin Brandl, starting from the 14th place on the grid after suffering mechanical issues in the first race. Equally impressive was Jo Zosso (CHE) in his Ray GR Z98. Coming from the 15th place on the grid after his throttle cable broke in race 1, he was a close second in the FF Zetec class behind David Schneider. Alan Williamson (GBR) won the FF 2000 class after Max Wuttke, who was in the lead, decided to pull into the pit due to spongy brakes, while Klaus-Dieter Häckel scored another win in the FF 1600 class.

Race three was offered as a race without championship classification and 24 drivers took the chance to complete another 20 minutes of racing at the Hockenheimring. This time, both the HRA and FFR-FOR participants started in a single starting group. HRA driver Elio Cocciarelli managed to secure first place with a Formula 3 car, after beating Marvin Brandl in his Formula Opel. Bernd Suckow and Jochen Thissen, also driving Formula Opel cars, finished in third and fourth position. Klaus Dieter Häckel (FF 1600), Max Wuttke (FF 2000) and David Schneider (FF Zetec) were able to celebrate another class victory on Sunday. The next racing event, the last of the 2021 season, will see the HRA and FFR-FOR again at the Nürburgring during the Westphalia Trophy from 15 to 17 October.