Tom Mills finally secured the Walter Hayes Trophy as the KMR Sport driver won a dramatic Formula Ford final at Silverstone on his return to the event. The 21-year-old led home a closely fought race, finishing 0.333 seconds ahead of Chris Middlehurst.
Mills started from pole and controlled most of the final in his KMR Sport Spectrum 011c. He had previously been a leading contender in the 2022 edition, but a clash with Max Esterson at Luffield ended his challenge. Mills had not entered the event since then and had raced only sporadically after winning the 2023 GB4 title.
Five former winners started inside the top 12, but none could deny Mills victory. Last year’s winner Jason Smyth began alongside him on the front row, while 2019 champion Jordan Dempsey moved ahead of Smyth at the start and became Mills’ principal challenger during the opening stages.
The race was interrupted when Stephen O’Connor and Ricky Simpson became stranded in the Copse gravel. The safety-car period also ended the hopes of Josh Fisher and 2024 winner Rory Smith after Fisher hit the back of Smith at Becketts. Fisher was later given two penalty points for failing to slow sufficiently.
After the restart, Anthony Amato passed Dempsey around the outside at Copse and later took the lead from Mills at Becketts on lap 13 of 19. Dempsey then moved past both drivers on the following lap. Mills regained first place two laps later with a pass on Dempsey at Brooklands and held on through the closing stages.
Middlehurst produced one of the drives of the event to finish second. A brake master-cylinder change and a faulty transponder during the second heat resulted in a 30-second penalty, dropping the 2023 winner to 19th in the classification. After winning the Last Chance and Progression races, he climbed from 26th on the final grid to fifth in his semi-final.
Middlehurst initially lost ground in the final after missing a gear, but recovered during the closing laps to reach the podium places. Amato finished third, while Tom Nippers took fourth after successfully appealing a 30-second penalty received earlier in the weekend.
Dempsey’s race ended on the final lap following contact with Smyth at Luffield. Smyth finished sixth in his attempt to defend the trophy, behind Hugh Esterson. Mills’ victory completed a long association with the event, having attended since 2013 and watched KMR Sport win it five times before finally taking the trophy himself.
Sources: Autosport.