Autosport Plus

A 30-year wait for FF Festival revenge

Bernard Dolan's hopes winning at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in 1989 were dashed by rain and an error in judgement from his team. Now, 30 years later, he has a shot at redemption as a team manager

Stefan Mackley Oct 25, 2019, 2:08 PM

This weekend, one of the best events on the national motorsport calendar takes place at Brands Hatch - even if, despite being highly anticipated, it isn't as big as its heyday.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Formula Ford Festival attracted future Formula 1 stars from the UK and abroad, sometimes with as many as 200 drivers battling it out from the heat stages. Past winners include Johnny Herbert, Mark Webber and Jenson Button.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Stefan Mackley

A proud Yorkshireman, Stefan Mackley is Autosport's National Deputy Editor. Having graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a degree in sports journalism he spent nearly four years working on local newspapers in Wiltshire - during which time he became an NQJ-qualified journalist and cut his teeth covering club racing at Castle Combe in his spare time.

Making the jump into motorsport journalism full-time, he joined the national desk for both Autosport magazine and Motorsport News in 2017 before becoming National Deputy Editor for the former in 2020.

His passion for motorsport stems from watching Formula 1 as a child with his father and is matched only by his love for Star Wars.

A better journalist than racing driver, he has so far competed in the Citroen C1 24 Hours and 116 Trophy with hopes of racing more machinery in 2021 and beyond.