Tarling Seals The Crown As O'Brien's Bid Is Punctured

The Historic Formula Ford Championship ended as it had spent the entire season: locked in wheel-to-wheel combat. Richard Tarling was mighty under pressure to win both the second race and the title, but race one winner Michael O’Brien did everything right, only to be put out of the picture with a puncture.

- Paul Lawrence

“That was so close: I knew I had to win, whatever,” said Tarling after winning the second race following an intense battle with Cameron Jackson. In the opener, contact with Jackson sent Tarling spinning back to sixth. With O’Brien winning from Callum Grant, the pendulum swung away from Tarling with just one race to go.

O’Brien did everything right and was strongly placed when debris pierced a rear tyre and his pace dropped away before retirement. It was a bitter end to a fine 2017 campaign. However, Tarling still needed to beat Jackson and worked the tow down the national straight to perfection to be in just the right place when the flag came out.

An epic performance from Michael Lyons, on slicks on a damp track, cut through gathering gloom on Saturday afternoon and netted himself an implausible Derek Bell Trophy victory.