Summarize

Team South Africa were the stars at Silverstone, England over the weekend, when two of the six man squad powered onto the podium of the prestigious Walter Hayes Formula Ford Trophy. Andrew Rackstraw climbed up a step of the podium to second this year, after ending third in ’23. Teammate and Hayes Festival rookie sensation, KC Ensor Smith fought up to a splendid third in the sensational Final.

Every member of the team comprising a trio of former South African Investchem Formula 1600 champions, starred against leading Formula Ford drivers from around the world through the trying annual knock-out weekend at Silverstone. SA Investchem Formula 1600 rookie Mikel Bezuidenhout was one of the heroes of the heats, from which he emerged seventh in his Semi Final. He finished between two former Investchem Formula 1600 champions, Julian van der Walt in sixth, and Robert Wolk eighth.

It was a fraught lead-up for another former F1600 champion Andrew Rackstraw, who won his Semi Final in a splendid South African 1-2 over KC Ensor-Smith, to qualify on pole position for the all-important final from with Ensor-Smith third on the grid. Andrew was however handed a ten-second penalty, which the team disputed. Luckily, they won the argument to see the South African back on pole position just before the field set out to the final. Sixth team member Andrew Schofield narrowly missed the cut for the final.

With the order restored, Rackstraw was in the thick of the tight battle for the lead from the get-go as he occasionally led the way in his fight up front. Initially a two-car battle, it grew to a multi-car fight, as KC Ensor-Smith, among others, joined the wild fray. Rackstraw slipped as far back as fifth in the melee but kept his head to fight back and chase winner Rory Smith home, just three-tenths of a second adrift at the flag. 

Ensor-Smith meanwhile drove a race well beyond his tender years to third. He too kept out of the considerable trouble around him to come home a further five-hundredths of a second behind teammate Rackstraw. Robert Wolk and Mikel Bezuidenhout found themselves on the fringes of that fraught lead battle as they fought home twelfth and thirteenth. Julian van der Watt had made his way well into the front bunch, only to be ejected in one of its many incidents with just a lap left to race.

The entire team was on hand to celebrate two South African flags proudly flanking the Jack on a very happy podium. “We have brought a South African team of our finest young and old racers to the Walter Hayes Festival for several years now,” Team patron Ian Schofield concluded. “2024 was once again our best result as we now added a second place to last year’s third. So let’s see what next year brings! Congratulations one and all to our team on another truly spectacular effort!”