South Africa’s KC Ensor-Smith’s Silverstone debut got underway in dry conditions, and the youngest competitor at this year’s Walter Hayes Trophy, an international Formula Ford event, consistently placed in the top ten during practice. The weather, however, changed ahead of Saturday’s qualifying heat with early rain, seeing all drivers out on wet tyres around the 1 600-metre circuit.
As the rain slowed and the circuit grip improved, so did Ensor-Smith’s lap time, ending with him second quickest ahead of several more experienced drivers. Starting from the front row of the grid in his Spectrum 011C chassis, the 2024 Investchem Formula 1600 Vice Champion finished second in his race, promoting him to the semi-final, where he’d start from third.
Following a less-than-ideal start, Ensor-Smith dropped down the field to seventh before arguably putting in the weekend’s best performance. The multiple national karting champion staged an astonishing comeback drive to challenge for the lead towards the end of the 12-lap race but had to settle for the runner-up position.
With that result, Ensor-Smith secured a second-row start in the Grand Final. However, the Witbank teenager made another slow start, something which hampered him throughout the weekend. As a result, he dropped back to sixth and eventually seventh before challenging for the off-podium places in a hotly-contested 15-lap final. While making up a few positions, Ensor-Smith did well to avoid an incident ahead of him before slotting into third, where he finished, capping off a phenomenal weekend at Silverstone.
“It was a great experience, and to be honest, to finish on the podium is fantastic. The team provided me with a strong car; they have been phenomenal this weekend. Coming from the “slicks and wings” brigade in South Africa, it took a little adapting, but I soon found my groove. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible. I would love to return in 2025, and who knows, we could stand on the top step,” said Ensor-Smith.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: KC Ensor-Smith
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