Kent-ish - The Formula Ford Podcast

I doubt this is the latest pause between podcast episodes of a podcast. But, this is it. The return of Kent-ish.  Brad Newman is a longtime FF racer, and before that was an avid karter. Brad also worked at All American Racers during their dominant IMSA GTP days and is just an all around good guy.  

If you are going to talk to a racer who methodically looks at chassis setup and what could be, rather than what is assumed to be, look no further than Virginia's own Scott Fairchild. Fairchild runs one of the fastest Club Fords in the East coast, that being a 1978 Zink Z10, and has been active in Club Ford and Vintage Formula Ford for more than a decade. A stellar interview, and a great episode to...

Perhaps better known for his driver coaching, team managing and vintage sportscar racing exploits aboard some of the most legendary prototypes around, Doug Smith first made a name for himself running a Hawke DL2A in his native Florida before working up the Formula car ladder, first with a small family-run USF2000 team. Last year, Smith debuted a supremely refined RF97 Van Diemen, and explains in t...

Gary Hackbarth was one of the top Formula Ford drivers of the late 1970s- he qualified 2nd at the 1979 SCCA Runoffs, and won the June Sprints in '79 and 1980- back when the field was filled at 80 cars.   His 1979 Sprints win might be the most impressive- his right rear shock became disconnected during his race, and yet he somehow still managed to win by a big margin, driving one of Carl Haas' team...

Peter and Brian Hampsheir were the duo behind Elden Racing Cars- a firm that built over 250 cars during its time as a racing manufacturer- they built F4, FF, FA, FR, S2000, FSV, FF2000, Sports Racers and even F3 cars for a period of four decades.   On July 29, I caught up with Peter- the designer of Elden cars via Skype, and he recounted a bit of the Elden history, as well as his own personal life...

We've had a break in the action as of late- but Kent-ish has four podcasts coming in the next few weeks, starting today with California's Todd Gerstenberger. Todd is a front-runner in FF with his Titan Mk6, but has also dabbled in Production racing, as well as Formula 5000. Like many of our guests, Gerstenberger is a helpful racer who is out to help grow the sport, especially in the ranks of Formu...

Time is an enemy to us all. There are a many individuals I want to have on Kent-ish, but I'll never be able to get everyone's story around the world. That is where you come in- do you have an old interview file laying around starring a FF alum? Do you have someone you think would be a great interview, or has a story of FF competition worthy of being documented? Take a listen, I have an opportunity...

'Back on September 1, 1975 I did a taped interview with Chip Mead at the old Steak & Ale restaurant and bar in Kettering, Ohio. It was done shortly after I had met Chip (I had seen him at a couple of Formula Atlantic races) and the purpose of the interview was to get Chip's feelings about his racing career and racing in general for an article I was going to do for a magazine. Don't recall if the s...

It is one thing to race a Formula Ford. Its another to have a guiding hand in organizing and running an event while doing so. In the case of Steve Beeler, he's helped put together some of the biggest FF events in North America- all to help promote FF competition and the legacy of the class. Steve began racing Formula V in the 1970s, and spent a great deal of time in the auto industry in the years...

Episode 7 stars one of my favorite individuals, a man who is larger than life, fun loving and quick to help those at the track. Tony made his start in a 1983 Reynard and later raced a hybrid Swift in his native New Zealand. He also competed in Europe for a season and now runs Horizon Racing and Performance - a restoration and prep shop in Puyallup, Washington. He debuted a restored Caldwell D9 in...

On February 1, 2005, 20-year-old me had the opportunity to sit down with Sir Stirling Moss. It was on a night in which the Madison Sports Car Club held 50th anniversary celebration – "A Night with Sir Stirling Moss." Stirling sat with me for five minutes and we recounted his time being Johnson Wax's ambassador with the Can-Am Series and his thoughts about some of those who competed.   It took me t...

They say don't meet your heroes. I'm not sure who 'they' are, but they obviously don't know Jimmy Vasser. The 1986 SCCA Runoffs National Champion and 1996 PPG/CART IndyCar champ was a pleasure to interview on VERY, VERY short notice, and his love for the sport comes out crystal clear after all these years, so much so that it looks like you may see him back in a Formula Ford very soon. In this epis...

Bryan Cohn has done it all. He's raced Formula Ford, prepped Formula Fords for others, rented FFs for others, worked on the other side of the fence running races, and even was one of the select few that raced a Peugeot 505 Turbo in SSB. All-the-while, Bryan has understood what the sport is all about, and has done it all with the best intentions in mind. Enjoy, -JD

Steve Nickless well-and-truly wrote the book on Formula Ford. His 1993 book 'The Anatomy and Development of the Formula Ford Race Car' chronicled the history of FF going back to its roots in England in the mid 1960s and is considered by many to be the 'FF bible.' Nickless also spent some time behind the wheel of FFs and has written for such motorsports publications as Formula, On-Track, SportsCar,...

Whether it is his tremendous writing at Road & Track magazine, his previous work at Jalopnik (and many, many others,) or his on screen persona via NBC Sports Network's 'Proving Ground' - Sam Smith has a way of bringing out his love of all things motorized. In 2014, Smith stumbled upon a 1968 Alexis Mk14, and thus became a FF racer. It was a short tenure, but his love of FF and the various principl...

It is really hard not to like Ethan Shippert. Like my first guest Reid Hazelton, he not only works on his own FF, but also does a lot to try to change the sport for the better while also maintaining client cars with his prep shop, Shippert Racing Services. I hope you enjoy this one- it clocks in at 90 minutes in length, and it is filled with a lot of great FF content. Enjoy, and let me know your t...

The long-awaited episode #1 with Mr. Monoshock- Reid Hazelton. Reid was one of the first FF racers I met back in my debut season a decade ago, and I've always enjoyed debating where things are in the sport. There were sound issues: three dogs I failed to put away. Regardless, for a first go to it, all the wheels stayed on. Enjoy! -JD

A brief overview of what is in store in the realm of this FF themed pod. We hope to give Formula Ford drivers, tuners, manufacturers and even those behind the scenes a place to share their personal history of the sport, as well as their outlook as to the future of FF as a worldwide class. Our first proper episode should be out in April. ...stay tuned.