Alan van der Merwe, South Africa’s brightest prospect for a future drive in Formula One, scored an impressive victory at a wet Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on Sunday. It was Van der Merwe’s first win of the year and the third win out of the last four festivals for the Mygale chassis.
Alan van der Merwe, South Africa’s brightest prospect for a future drive in Formula One, scored an impressive victory at a wet Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on Sunday.
It was Van der Merwe’s first win of the year and the third win out of the last four festivals for the Mygale chassis. He is the first South African to win the event.
Van der Merwe, a pre-season favourite for the British Formula Ford Zetec championship, and team-mate Ronnie Bremer out-dragged the works Van Diemen of pole-sitter Richard Goransson at the start, and then drove off into a race of their own. Bremer initially led the battle, but Van der Merwe took the lead with a bold move down the inside at Graham Hill Bend on the third lap.
"It hasn’t sunk in yet," Van der Merwe said. "This is wonderful for my career. The conditions were tough. There were streams across the track and it was very greasy at Paddock Hill Bend, but it was the same for everyone.
“Ronnie was pushing me hard and every lap I had to be cautious. This is a good end to the year," he added.
Next year Van der Merwe will fill the Carlin Motorsport British Formula 3 seat vacated by new Jordan Honda F1 signing Takuma Sato.
UK Formula Ford Zetec privateer Stephen Simpson, from Cape Town, took his Trevor van Rooyen-run Van Diemen to seventh in his semi-final race, but disappeared from the action in the main event.
