Duncan got his dream 21st birthday present this weekend at Castle Combe, Wiltshire, with his first Formula Ford win, but he didn’t have as smooth a run as he would have liked to obtain his victory in his 1800cc Mygale.

His pace has picked up over the last few events and he is now decidedly in the top three. Qualifying third for both of the races Duncan was pleased with his performance. “I’m happy.” he said. “We’ve got a few improvements to make to the car, and maybe I was a little too cautious about clipping the cones, but it’s very close. Not a lot happened really. I went out on my own and got my head down. On this track tyres tend to come in later and my last four laps were my best.”

In his first race Duncan took a good start and moved into second from the lights. He managed to out-brake Joe D’Agostino and held the lead for several laps before Joe then out-braked him. After several laps of Duncan pursuing Joe, the pair tangled. Joe retired as a consequence and Duncan took the flag before being excluded from the results.

He said “I made a really good start and was racing with Joe. We were having a good battle and after he regained the lead he was weaving a bit to defend and the back of his car caught my nose. It was nothing more than a racing incident and I think it was extremely harsh to disqualify me, but I have to abide by the officials’ decision.”

Race Two was another race that didn’t quite run to plan – but this time in Duncan’s favour. Having overtaken team-mate Charlie Donnelly for second place, Duncan was again following Joe D’Agostino when on lap twelve D’Agostino’s engine blew. From there Duncan raced to his first victory.

He said “Joe’s engine blew which was quite fortunate for me. I feel sorry for him but it sort of feels like justice for me after the first race result. Today was my day and no one can take this one away from me. Definitely the best birthday present! I intend to win a few more this season starting at Brands Hatch. It’s one of the tracks that I know best so I’ll be looking for a result.”

The next round of the Formula Ford UK Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on 30th and 31st July.

•   Filed under: Formula Ford
•   Tagged as: Castle Combe, podium finishes, Team Jamun