DEMPSEY SNATCHES HISTORIC VICTORY
Peter Dempsey took a breathtakingly dramatic win in the first round of
the revitalised UK Formula Ford Championship at Oulton Park, only
claiming the lead on the final lap, and then holding off challenger
Nathan Freke in a virtual dead-heat at the finish line.
The national FFord series had dwindled in popularity in recent years, but
the switch to the new, lighter, Duratec engine for 2006 has already
catalysed a revival. The 25-car field that lined up at Oulton was the
largest UK FFord grid seen for several years, and that increase in
quantity was matched by a commensurate rise in the quality of the driving
talent in the field.
Having graduated to FFord's senior level as a multiple FF1600
champion and Ireland's Young Driver of the Year, Dempsey was among
the pre-season favourites. He duly put his Irish Ferries/Cliff Dempsey
Racing Ray GRS06 on pole position for the first round, although he was
mildly peeved to be only 0.2 seconds faster than second-placed Freke.
The first race start for the new generation of cars was bound to be
something of voyage of discovery. Dempsey did not judge it quite as well
as Freke, using too many revs and having to relinquish the lead at the
first corner. He immediately counter-attacked and put Freke under
tremendous pressure, but then a minor slip at the start of the third lap
proved costly.
"I just missed a gear and went into the first corner in
neutral," Dempsey explained. "The guy behind couldn't
help hitting the back of my car and knocking me wide."
By the time Dempsey had rejoined the racetrack he was down in sixth
place, and the incident had allowed Freke to build a substantial lead
over the chasing pack. Most drivers would be out of contention for
victory in such circumstances, but spectacular recovery drives are
something of a Dempsey speciality. Within two laps he had already passed
four cars and retaken second place.
"I was quite lucky in a way because people kept making mistakes as
soon as I got up behind them," said Dempsey. "It
didn't take long to get back to second, but I could see Nathan was
a long way ahead, and I never thought I could catch him."
Freke had a four second advantage when Dempsey reclaimed second place.
Although Peter was sceptical about his chances of catching the leader, he
still put on a charge, repeatedly smashing his own lap record as he tore
0.7-1.0s per lap out of Freke's margin. Yet with two laps
remaining, it looked like he would just fall short. Then Freke made a
slight error at the first chicane, and suddenly Dempsey was right on his
tail. As they began the final lap, Peter surged down the inside at Old
Hall and snatched the lead, sending the crowd wild.
"I honestly would have been happy with second after making that
balls-up, but when I had a chance to go for the lead I wasn't going
to say no," said Dempsey. "If Nathan hadn't made that
mistake, I couldn't have caught him. I think he just lost
concentration a bit when he saw how close I was getting."
The race wasn't quite over, though.
"Freke got a really good run through Druids so I had to defend the
inside at Lodge," Dempsey recalled. "He braked very late and
I probably braked a bit too late, because he was able to cut back in and
go up the inside as we went onto the straight. I tried to squeeze him a
little, and luckily I just pipped him over the line."
Dempsey's final victory margin was a tiny 0.034s. The thrilling
race - and its rousing conclusion in particular - got the revised UK
FFord Championship off to the best possible start, but Dempsey is hoping
to make round two on Easter Monday a little less entertaining.
"I really couldn't have driven any faster than that,"
he said. "I didn't want to have to work that hard!
Hopefully in the next one I can just get away in front and not make any
mistakes."
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