Rd's 19 & 20 Oulton Park
Race Report: Paula Hamilton
Photo's: Jakob Ebrey

Qualifying - Rd 19 - Sat 20th Sept 

Sadly I was not able to personally attend the final two rounds of our team's first season in the 2003 UK FF Championship. However both our drivers did the team proud and at one point in qualifying, we were heading the times in both categories. In fact Tony Rodgers was on his way to pole position on the penultimate lap of the session only to "mess up his last lap" as he regretfully said to Jeff Harris later that morning. Joey Foster took pole with a time of 1:28.859 in damp conditions and Tony was 10th overall and 9th in Championship class with a time of 1:29.959. James qualified in 16th place overall and 4th in 
Scholarship class with a time of 1:30.858. 

Round 19 - Saturday 20th September 

The weather had not improved by the time that the cars lined up for Saturday's round at 3.27pm and there was drizzle and a wet track for the competitors to contend with. Lucky me for I was sunbathing on the patio of my flat back here in sunny Weybridge and enjoying the 82 degrees heat of possibly the end of our superb summer. Sorry team but I am sure that you will forgive me!! It's actually rather difficult to write a Race Report when you are not there but both of our drivers had a good first race. At one point James made up eight places 
to duck in behind team-mate Tony who was lying in 7th place and even thought of 
overtaking him but thought better of it. By the time that the race ended Tony had climbed four places to finish in 6th place overall and 5th in class. He was only 10.377 seconds behind winner Joey Foster. James had a few "moments" but still finished in 18th place overall and 6th in class. James Walker came first in the Scholarship class. Ex Team Jato Motorsport driver and the team's current 2002 Winter Series Champion Alx Danielsson drove a blinding race from 21st on the grid to finish in 4th place overall as well as in class. Well done Alx. 

Round 20 - Sunday 21st September 

The final round of this year's championship started at 12.11pm and fortunately the weather was dry but cloudy which are ideal race conditions. Speaking to Jeff Harris after the meeting he was very impressed with Tony Rodgers's drive and racecraft after he finished in 5th place and was only 1.052 seconds behind race winner for the second time at this meeting, Joey Foster. I gather that there was some controversy between Joey and Alx Danielsson after the race because of an incident between the two of them during the race which resulted in a DNF for poor Alx. James did not fair so well but still kept his Ray on the black stuff to finish in 17th place overall and 7th in class. Congratulations to Tom Kimber Smith of Panasonic Batteries Team JLR for becoming the 2003 UK FF Champion and well done team-mate James Walker for winning the 2003 Scholarship Class. 

Looking back over the season 

I have really enjoyed my first full season with Jeff Harris's new team. It has been a sharp learning curve for me and better still Jeff wants me to "stay on" with the team, I am delighted to say. We are a very friendly team but an extremely professional outfit which is highly dedicated to the sport that we all love and enjoy. The Harris family have a long and successful history in motorsport but all of us at Team Jato Motorsport know that we will not rest on our laurels but will continue to improve all aspects of our operation. 

Earlier in the season, I compared Tony Rodgers to Alain Prost ' The Professor.' The 1999 Irish Formula Ford Champion has an incredible racing brain and as Burt Ray said to me recently, "You can actually see him thinking and sizing up a situation when he is out on circuit". He has a perfect temperament and even when Marko Asmer punted Tony off at Druids during the last Brands Hatch meeting, he kept his cool. Like Alain Prost, Tony is very fast but because his driving style is so smooth, it does not look as if he is going that fast but in reality he is mega quick. He also has that ability to keep out of trouble which in Formula Ford racing is essential. I tip Tony for great things to come. He is very highly respected in the Paddock and together with his uncle Tom, they are simply delightful. 

James overall has actually had a very good first season in single seater racing. He has learnt much from his mistakes and is incredibly quick at times as he used to be in karts. He is also much liked in the Paddock and has a great personality. He also has a growing female fan club but does not let that interfere with his weekends. You never see James stationary for long but he gets that from his parents and he is always busy doing things to either his or Tony's car. He is a very hard worker but also a quick learner. Like Tony, he has had podium finishes which is excellent and again he is developing a good racing brain which can only improve with more experience. I think that Jeff can be a little hard on him at times which father's always tend to be with their sons. Sorry Jeff but I am not one for mincing my words as you know and you have admitted that one to me anyway!! I believe that James has an excellent future as a driver and he would also make a very good team owner. I believe that Motor Racing will see great things from James Harris in the fullness of time but he is still learning his craft and in a couple of years time, all other competitors watch out. 

Assistant Mechanic Mark Gunton and more recently Chief Mechanic Ted Hawkins have worked very hard for the team this season and are to be congratulated for all their hard work preparing the cars during the season. 

Lesley Harris our Team Secretary never stops and I know that all of us in the team would like to say "a very special thank you " to her for all her tireless work behind the scenes back at base and at meetings. Weekends will not be the same this winter Lesley without your excellent cups of tea and lunches! 

That leaves me with team owner Jeff Harris. Well what can I say!! He is an inspiration to us all. I have know Jeff for 4 years now and he is just a delight to work with. He does not suffer fools gladly but when you get it right, he is the first to congratulate you. In other words an excellent boss. Even when 
you are a little bit down, he gives you a smile and a pep talk and off we all go again. He is always smiling even after falling off the ladder at Rockingham. Speaking to Jeff about his thoughts on our first season, he is very pleased with the progress that the team has made and feels that the other teams have realised that we are " a force to be reckoned with " in the future. Jeff is often seen chatting to the other team owners and team members which is good to see because overall our sport is a pretty friendly one. We might be arch rivals on the track but off it, we are all good pals. 

I personally would like to say a big thank you to David Munns for producing the team's excellent brochures and driver's postcards. 

My thanks to Nicky Carter and her colleagues at the Race Meetings for keeping us updated on events and also thanks to Clerk of the Course Ray Sumner and his fellow MSA Officials in keeping us on " the straight and narrow ". 

Jeff and I are delighted with this superb website produced by Esprit Web Design, which is run by Andrew and Mike Hayden. Also our appreciation to Jakob Ebrey for supplying photographs at meetings that I was unable to attend.

Finally, I know that Jeff and all the team would like to say thanks to all our supporters and friends for coming to the various meetings this season and cheering us on. You are an inspiration to us all. 

I believe that the most amusing postcript to this whole season were the words said by Tom Gaymor to Jeff Harris at the end of the final race at Oulton Park. " Thank God this f------ season is over ". But that's Formula Ford racing for you and it has always been the same. Very competitive, very exciting but also very frustrating. Roll on the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in October, The 2003 Winter Series and next season.