Team USA Drivers Bickers, Eidson Chase More Walter Hayes Trophy Glory

Jake and Joey side by side into Druid’s (photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham)

Silverstone, England (November 1, 2013) – The next phase of this year’s Team USA Scholarship will unfold this weekend at Silverstone, the home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, which will host the annual Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford extravaganza. The popular end-of-season event, held in memory of the founding father of Formula Ford, has attracted well over 100 entries, including talented young Americans Joey Bickers and Jake Eidson who will be among at least 20 contenders considered as potential winners.

The pair have some big shoes to fill. Conor Daly (2008), Connor De Phillippi (2009) and Tristan Nunez (2012) have all claimed victory for Team USA in the Walter Hayes Trophy within the past five years.

Bickers and Eidson have had a busy week since the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. On Monday they enjoyed a guided tour of RML Group, which among many other projects has dominated the FIA World Touring Car Championship in recent years with their in-house developed Chevrolet Cruzes and ran the revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing prototype in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours race. Tuesday saw the two Team USA drivers spend an intense afternoon at Base Performance Simulators, followed by an interview with Radio Le Mans host John Hindhaugh for his popular Midweek Motorsport show. The past two days have been spent at the wheel of Cliff Dempsey Racing’s pair of Ray FF1600 cars, gaining more experience of the 1.64-mile Silverstone National Circuit in preparation for this weekend.

“It’s definitely different to Brands Hatch,” said Eidson, 18, from Littleton, Colo. “Silverstone doesn’t have any elevation change but I think this track will be a lot more fun for passing because you have some longer straightaways and you get quite a big draft so I’m looking forward to having some good battles with other cars. Also, it’s a very historical track so to be able to race here is absolutely amazing. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

Eidson hopes to build upon his strong performance in Kent, where he won his Heat race, posted fastest lap in his Semi Final and finished a fine fifth in the Grand Final after being shuffled outside the top 10 at the start. Teammate Bickers, 21, from Moorpark, Calif., is upbeat after finishing second in his Heat race at Brands Hatch.

“Testing has been mostly wet, so I’ve got some more experience in the wet which I think will help because rain  is predicted for Saturday, but Sunday should be dry,” said Bickers. “We tested here a couple of weeks ago in the dry and I know the pace is going to be there, so we’re looking forward to tomorrow. There’s going to be a lot of competition – everybody from the Festival is going to be here plus a whole lot more, so it’s not going to be easy but me and Jake are going to do our best.”

Full results from the weekend, including live timing and scoring, will be available at www.mstworld.com.