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Spa-Francorchamps, Achel (Belgium), 12 October 2023 – In spite of its reputation, there were no low hanging clouds or rain at the famous Spa-Francorchamps track when the FFR-FOR and HRA met for their final racing weekend of 2023 as part of SUPERSPA.

After two qualifying sessions that were unfortunately cut short due to minor accidents and an oil slick on the track, the race director decided at the last moment to have all HRA and FFR-FOR cars in a single start group. With some cars having had only a few qualifying rounds to set a good time, the starting grid for race one was a bit of mix. In race two the start groups were separated, with the FFR-FOR cars starting 30 seconds behind the HRA group, as originally planned. This allowed the two leaders from the HRA, the F3s from Stephan Lechine and Valerio Leone, both with the same number of points, to determine who ultimately wins their championship.

In Race 1 the Formula Opels from David Schneider (#12), Maxime Lebreton (#129), Pascal Monbaron (#96), Ralf Goral (#9) and Jochen Thissen (#28) occupied the first start rows together with the F3s from Stephan Lechine, Valerio Leone and Louis Henkefend from the HRA. Unfortunately Lebreton and Pascal Monbaron suffered a collision at la Source and had to pull out, while Jochen Thissen suffered from technical difficulties and drove into the pit in round 4. Both Goral and Schneider kept up well with the F3s, with Schneider managing to overtake Goral on the outside in Bruxelles and thus winning the Formula Opel class ahead of Goral and Alan Williamson (#60).

In race 2, Goral and Schneider started from pole position and initially it was David Schneider at the head of the FFR-FOR group. However, when they caught up with the rear HRA cars, Ralf Goral was the first to get through in the ensuing mêlée and take the first position. In the last round Schneider succeeds in passing Goral again but when Schneider is blocked by a slower F3, Goral passes him again and wins the Formula Opel class, with Schneider second and Jochen Thissen third.

Henk van der Spoel (#59) and Onno Zuidema (#69) were the first FF2000s on the 7^th row of the grid with Geert Wynants ((#95) and Jannik Sadolin (#46) not much further back. Van der Spoel was quick to gain the lead, with Zuidema closely behind, when they briefly touched at Fagnes causing both cars to spin. However, Van der Spoel was able to continue through the gravel, with Zuidema having to join at the rear, only to lose the car when overtaking some slower drivers in the Les Combes chicane. Jannik Sadolin (#46) was able to profit and finish second in the FF2000 class. His Danish compatriot Lars Clasen (#15) had a great race as well and finished third, only 5 seconds behind.  

In race 2 Van der Spoel was the first of the FF2000 class to go through La Source but battling it out with one of the Formula Opels at Bus Stop, he was braking too late and spun, with Sadolin and Wynants profiting. Thanks to a safety car situation Van der Spoel was able to catch up and after another safety car situation, was able to slipstream past Wynants. Jannik Sadolin (#46) was able to secure his first class win in the FF2000 class, with Van der Spoel second and Wynants third, less then a second apart.

With two cars the FF1600 was the smallest class at Spa-Francorchamps. FFR-FOR veteran Roel Mulder (#22) won both races. Bob Scanlon (#146) who came all the way from Ireland to join the FFR-FOR at Spa-Francorchamps, initially wanted to start in his FF 2000. But, when it broke down in the 1^st qualifying session, he was allowed to change into his FF1600, ending the race as second in his class, even though his wasn’t able to finish in race 2.

Thus ended the 2023 racing season for the FFR-FOR, with an exciting racing weekend at one of the greatest race tracks in the world. The FFR-FOR will be back next year with another interesting programme with races in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Assen (Netherlands), Achel (Belgium), 12 September 2023 –  With clear skies and lots of sunshine, the conditions were perfect when the FFR-FOR came to the TT race track at Assen to give the many visitors of the TABAC Classic GP a taste of the excitement of classic formula racing in the weekend from 8 to 10 September.

It was Ralf Goral, in his yellow Formula Opel (9), who had the best lap time in both qualifying sessions and thus started from pole position. His dominance continued when he outpaced the competition and lead both races from start to finish in both races. Jochen Thissen (28) was able to keep up initially, but never posed a real challenge to the race leader. The third Formula Opel, driven by Alan Williamson, unfortunately suffered from a malfunctioning oil pump halfway race 1 and had to give up.

 In the FF 2000 class Henk van der Spoel in his Reynard SF86 (59) ruled supreme in Race 1. Coming from the region, he knows Assen like the back of his hand. Phillip Menzner (6) however, in his first race at Assen, was able to cross the line less than a second behind the class winner. Brian Steen crossed the line as third in the FF 2000 class, securing his a place on the podium.

In Race 2 Van der Spoel initially lead the FF 2000 class again, but with his tyres worn out, lost too much grip in the fast corners at Assen. It was then Phlllip Menzner, who had a new set fitted, to gain the lead in round 6 and cross the line first to win the FF 2000 class. Van der Spoel still managed to finish second, with his team mate Onno Zuidema (69) crossing the line as third.  

In the FF1600 class Roel Mulder was doing his rounds all by himself, after two competitors had to pull out due to an engine failure in the qualifying. The Assen Classsic GP also saw the debut in the FFR-FOR series of Randall Lawson, who joined the FFR-FOR for the first time in the Open class with his classic Crac MT14.

“The Assen Classsic GP organizer LDP has to be congratulated for setting up a great event for both participants and the many visitors that flocked to the TT Circuit,” says Wilco Ibes, series coordinator of the FFR-FOR. “Although the track was originally set up for motorbike racing, Assen has plenty to offer for race cars as well, with its mixture of superfast flat-out and slow corners, and great accommodation. And we were very happy with the warm reception our series received.”

Next up for the FFR-FOR and HRA is the season’s finale at Spa-Francorchamps, where they will join the SUPERSPA event in the weekend from 6 to 8 October.

Nürburgring (Germany), Achel (Belgium), 5 July 2023 –  The weather at the Nürburgring is famous for its unpredictability and this certainly was the case for this weekends first combined race of the FFR-FOR and HRA. For the three qualifying sessions on Saturday, the participants were anxious about whether or not to fit wet tyres, but in the end most choose slicks as the best choice on a drying track.

On Sunday morning in Race 1 the HRA had the first start group with Sergio Leone and Stephane Lechine in their F3s on the first row. However, when Leone spun at the end of the straight, the whole field got mixed up. Stephane Lechine and Elio Coccarelli then took the lead, while the Formula Opels from Pascal Monbaron (CHE), Jochen Thissen (DEU) and David Schneider (CHE), having started at the back of the grid, quickly passed through the field and settled behind the two leaders.  When Leone’s car was scuffed from behind in the chicane and spun into the nose of Christine Reichshuber (DEU) in her Sports 2000, the safety car had to come out. After the restart the F3s from Lechine and Coccarelli, as well as the Formula Opels from Monbaron, Thissen and Schneider increased their  lead, with only Daniel Hornung in his F3 being able to follow.

In his Van Diemen RF91 Klaus Dieter Häckel (DEU) did very well. Having started from position 24, he moved through the field quickly and finished 13^th overall  and first in the FF1600 class, only just behind the FF2000s from Toni Krumbach and Jürgen Meyer, and the Sports 2000 from Harald Schmeyer. Roel Mulder (NED), Gerhard Hausschulte (DEU) and Frank Roser (DEU) finished 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th in the FF1600 class.

In race 2, after an early safety car situation due to Brian Steen (DEN) sliding into the gravel, it was Ralf Goral (DEU) in his Formula Opel who dominated the track from start to finish. Starting from pole position he lead the race from the beginning, with Pascal Monbaron (CHE) hot on his heels. Valerio Leone (MON) finished 3^rd in his F3, closely followed by Jochen Thissen (DEU) and David Schneider (CHE) in their Formula Opels. The F3s from Daniel Hornung (DEU), Elio Coccarelli (ITA) and Pierro Tenconi (ITA) ended the race as 6^th, 7^th and 8^th. The 9^th position was for Philip Menzer, in his first race in a Formula Opel ever, securing a 4^th place in his class . In the FF2000 class Henk van der Spoel (NED) and Geert Wijnants (BEL) finished as 1^st and 2^nd, while Simone Busch crossed the line as 3^rd in her class and 17^th overall.

In race 3 all fell into place for an unleashed David Schneider. Taking the lead right from the start, Schneider wouldn’t give an inch and it was now Ralf Goral who had to chase, with Pascal Monbaron in third and Philip Menzer in fourth position all the way to the finish line.

In the FF2000 class Henk van der Spoel and Onno Zuidema (NED) were evenly matched, but with Van der Spoel ultimately gaining the upper hand finishing 1^st in his class and 5^th overall, with Zuidema 2^nd and 6^th overall. Simone Busch crossed the line as 8^th, thus securing third place in her class. Klaus Dieter Häckel won the FF1600 class unchallenged, finishing 10^th overall, ahead of several of the Sports 2000s in the competition, while Roel Mulder and Gerhard Hausschulte crossed the line as 2^nd and 3^rd in their class.

The FFR-FOR and HRA now have a break for the summer and will reappear for the Classic GP at Assen, on 9 and 10 September.

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.

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.”

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 1^st 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 2^nd 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 3^rd and Elio Cocciarelli’s Sports 2000 (#601) in 4^th. 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 4^th because of a 30-second penalty Thissen who ended 5^th.

With his 6^th 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 16^th 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 3^rd 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.