Memories from Formula Ford Festival greats
Ahead of this year’s 50th edition of the legendary contest, we speak to some of those involved in some of the best contests over the years
Marcos Ambrose - 1998
The Supercars champion and NASCAR race winner has a unique link to Formula Ford. The Van Diemen brand was co-founded by his father Ross, the name a nod to the family’s home state of Tasmania in Australia. A fairytale Festival win in a factory Van Diemen beckoned for Ambrose in 1998, only for Jenson Button and the slightest of tactical miscalculations to intervene.
“I knew Jenson would have car speed on me. I had the lead and I was covering my lines really tightly. On that short Brands Hatch layout, you can basically hold the inside line the whole way around. It was a tense race and he was trying everything to get past, but I could check every move. I was being pig-headed, I was defending about as hard as you can defend.
Share Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.