More points for Buri at Brands Hatch

As the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain enjoyed another spell of excitement, Finnish racer Antti Buri romped to a brace of podium finishes.

Eager to enhance his already strong performance in this year’s championship battle, Buri arrived at Brands Hatch with success at the forefront of his mind. Qualifying was the first order of the weekend, as Friday 2^nd September played host to some fast laps, to see who would top the times.

A seventh place start for race one gave Antti some work to do, however it was a challenge he relished until the chequered flag fell. A storming drive towards the front of the field saw the LMS-Geva Racing navigator hassle the front runners for much of the outing.

As others fell by the wayside, Antti was able to wrestle third place from his fellow challengers, to score yet another podium finish.

Sunday 4^th September began with the second of three races for the British Formula Ford troop. As the sound of engines filled the Brands Hatch arena, the field thundered towards Paddock Hill Bend for the first of 23 times.

After recovering from a leisurely getaway, Antti soon found himself hassling those in front of him. As leader Scott Malvern was forced to serve a penalty for a jump start, Antti took full advantage to progress up the order.

A hard charge from sixth on the grid saw Antti hold third place as the field swept towards the end of another race. With his second podium finish of the weekend, the Finnish racer was keen for the arrival of race three, as he hoped to complete a trio of podium finishes.

A superb start saw Antti launch from sixth place to third almost immediately. As the 18 minute duration counted downwards Antti found himself locked in a fierce battle with his rivals once again.

As previous front runners came charging through, Antti was forced to relinquish his third place, however still secured a strong fourth place.

Despite narrowly missing out on his third consecutive podium finish of the weekend, Antti was pleased with his weekend’s efforts. “Overall it has been a good weekend for us, and we collected good points towards the championship,” said Antti.

“I was slightly disappointed with our qualifying performance, but it was so close. We made up for it during the races to collect a decent points score,” he continued.

Before the next round of the British Championship, Antti is returning to his Finnish motorsport roots. After becoming Finnish Formula Ford Champion in 2010, Antti has returned to the championship this season, and despite missing the first three rounds he is well on his way to stealing championship honours in the closing stages.

This coming weekend (10^th-11^th September) will see Antti embark upon the final round of the championship, as he strives to make up the small points deficit between himself and the current leader.

Antti will return to action in Britain in just a few short weeks, as Formula Ford heads to Donington Park for another triple header. The weekend of 24^th-25^th September will see the penultimate round of the 2011 season take shape in thrilling form. “I’m looking forward to Donington,” said Antti. “It’s a good track. It always seems to be wet when we’ve been there, so we will see what’s in store for us there,” he concluded.