16 August, 2009: James Cole enjoyed a 21st birthday weekend to remember at Silverstone, the season-long MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain points leader returning to the winner's circle after a three-month absence and increasing his championship advantage. Cole's Jamun Racing team-mate Chrissy Palmer claimed a race win on Saturday, with Josef Newgarden taking a victory also.

Race 1
A first-lap accident involving front-runners Newgarden, Daniel Erickson and Ben Barker, and another involving mid-fielders Fabio Gamberini and Dan de Zille, not only wrecked the podium hopes of those involved but also put paid to much of the promised excitement of the 16th round of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.

A lengthy safety car period was required to clear the track of debris and, by the time the race restarted, only seven minutes of track time remained…

The first of the incidents came at Abbey, where the Fluid Van Diemen of Barker tagged the rear of Newgarden's JTR Mygale. "I locked up under braking," said Ben, "and tapped the back of Josef's car. It was completely unintentional." Barker made it back to the pits with a puncture while Newgarden limped in to retire with rear suspension damage. Pole-sitter Erickson emerged unscathed but badly delayed. A little behind this, Barker's team-mate Gamberini tapped de Zille into a spin, and Dan's Minister Mygale and Mark Harper's Inter Motorsport Van Diemen then tangled and came to rest in dangerous positions. While the carnage was sorted out, another Van Diemen man, Garry Findlay, was revelling in his good fortune, for he found himself unexpectedly in the lead after starting from fifth on the grid. Also pleased was championship leader Cole, who started from a lowly 13th after braking issues in qualifying and found himself promoted to fifth on the dramatic opening lap. Findlay's hold on the lead lasted only the one lap after the restart, Chrissy Palmer's Jamun Mygale demoting Garry to second spot. Findlay fought back with gusto but within a further lap found himself under attack from Patrick McKenna. The Irish Jamun driver was enjoying his best outing of the season, snatching third from the Spectrum of Alex Jones soon after the restart and then popping past Findlay for second two laps from the end.

Palmer held on for his third win of the season with McKenna just seven-tenths behind to record his best result. "It was a good race," said Palmer. "A shame about the long safety car period, but it helped me out a bit to be honest." Findlay was able to fend off Cole to retain the final podium slot while Erickson recovered well, from ninth after the first lap, to fifth, ahead of Jones. Josh Benson placed seventh in his Mygale to claim not only his best result of the year but also his maiden Scholarship Class victory. Benson's GV Racing team-mate Jordi Cunill was eighth, ahead of Daniel Cammish, Josh Hill, Kieran Vernon and Gamberini.