Dickerson, Stephens Ready to Race at Brands Hatch

WEST KINGSDOWN, England – Team USA Scholarship representatives Dakota Dickerson and Michai Stephens are ready to showcase their skills this weekend among a high-quality field of over 70 competitors entered for the 44th Formula Ford Festival at the famed Brands Hatch “Indy” circuit.

The pair have just completed three days of testing at the short but challenging 1.2-mile road course situated some 25 miles southeast of London in their Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GR15s, resplendent in a patriotic red-white-and-blue color scheme, and have shown a promising turn of speed. Dickerson and Stephens have encountered a wide variety of track conditions, ranging from wet to dry, which should stand them in good stead with continuing unsettled weather forecast for the weekend.

Dickerson, 18, from San Diego, has enjoyed considerable success in this year’s Skip Barber Racing Summer Series during his initial campaign since switching from karts to cars. Meanwhile, Stephens, 23, from Evanston, Ill., has raced only sporadically since carrying the Team USA colors one year ago, but he impressed an illustrious panel of judges, including 1996 Team USA recipient and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice, two-time sports car champion Alex Gurney and current factory Mazda sports car racer Joel Miller, among others, during a recent shootout.

Both drivers will be looking to emulate the feat of current Verizon IndyCar Series star Josef Newgarden, who in 2008 became the first American driver to win the Formula Ford Festival, also aboard a Team USA Scholarship Ray.

They will face a stiff challenge, with the Festival having drawn a significantly larger field than in recent years. Among the favorites for top honors will be defending champion James Raven and Canadian F1600 champion Michael Adams, both of whom also will drive for Cliff Dempsey Racing. Joey Foster, who won the event in 2003, Wayne Boyd (2008) and Niall Murray (2013) also are among the entries, each of them seeking to become the first repeat winner since the event moved to Brands Hatch in 1976. (The only driver ever to have won the Festival more than once is Donald MacLeod, who triumphed at Snetterton in 1973 and then at Brands Hatch in 1979).

Stephens (left) and Dickerson debrief with Cliff Dempsey Racing driver coach James Theodore.

“After three very productive days of testing, I am absolutely thrilled to start the race weekend,” said Dickerson. “I have become more and more acclimated to the car, learning each time I go out, and feel as though I am within reach of the top guys. Tomorrow will be a good day of qualifying and racing and I can’t wait to represent the United States over here at Brands Hatch!”

“As we conclude on our final day of practice, I am curious, anxious and excited to see what tomorrow will bring,” added Stephens. “Having developed through the week and improving on little bits here and there, it’s time to put it all together in qualifying and let that rhythm flow throughout the races! Having faced mixed conditions all week, I feel prepared for anything.”

About Team USA Scholarship:
The program has been providing opportunities for talented American race car drivers at an early stage in their careers since 1990. Supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club and SAFEisFAST.com, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Team Penske, Mazda, Chip Ganassi Racing, Basecamp.com, Afterburner Autosport, Honda Performance Development, Robertson Racing, Masters HGP, Allen Berg Racing Schools, CXC Simulations, Auto Club Speedway, Ellis Clowes North America, PitFit Training, RaceCraft1, Sparco USA, RACER Magazine, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group.