BriSCA F1 Semi Final Victory for Jack France
04 Aug 2023
A brilliant performance from NAPA Racing UK’s Jack France in his Semi Finals for the World Championship has secured him a front row start for the biggest BriSCA F1 race of the year.
The x2 Semi Finals, where the top 10 finishes of each proceed to the World Final were were being held at Mildenhall (29/07/23) and Buxton (05/08/23). The NAPA backed driver had secured a 6th row start at Mildenhall Stadium and knew he would be in with a good chance of qualifying for the World Final but a dream performance awaited fans at the Suffolk venue.
Semi Final Build Up
The team knew preparation was key for this race and have been continuously developing the car since it’s full rebuild in the off season. The NAPA stock car team had learnt which areas could be improved upon and invested long hours in the workshop adjusting settings and adding strength to key areas. Jack commented “the car felt unbelievable, the best it has ever been” on the weekend.
Jack’s father Graham won his Semi Final in the 1986 season and a running joke within the family had been that if Jack ever won the same race; Graham would never mention his Semi Final win again. The challenge had been set!
The Race
Of the two Semi Finals, many had commented how many well accomplished drivers had been drawn into Mildenhall Semi Final that Jack would compete in, compared to the Buxton Semi Final. The blue #216 would face x9 ‘Super Star’ grade drivers and the reigning World Final Champion; Charlie Sworder.
The race got underway and was as competitive as everyone expected with position changes throughout the field. With cars tangling together or spinning, the leading cars soon began to lap cars who had fallen behind. However, with a full field of excellent drivers running at full pace it became increasingly challenging to keep track of who was on the leading lap. France kept a cool head and was soon running inside the top 10; the requirement to make it into the World Final. A full course caution gave him chance to check his position, “I wasn’t going to sit here and give people chance to catch me so I’m going to have to go for it” recalled Jack after the race referring to the overtakes he was about to pull off, “it’s risky, of course, but I knew how I’d have to make the moves without risking the car” he added. They were brilliant overtakes at that too.
As the race reached it’s closing stages, the NAPA machine had caught race leader #16 Mat Newson and was ready to make to make a move. It was the final lap that move came securing a fantastic win. Mat graciously commented afterwards that he hadn’t realised Jack was there, unexpecting his pace.
A Dream Win
Speaking to Jonathan Abbott of BSCDATV immediately after the race Jack commented “It hasn’t sunk in yet”, it was a dream win for the West Yorkshire driver – following in the footsteps of his father some 37 years earlier.
When asked whether he would have settled for 2nd, it was dad’s words that made him push for the victory. “I want to thank everyone at NAPA and the team, the car is going to be on the front row of the World Final!” Jack exclaimed.
The 2023 BriSCA F1 World Final takes place at Northampton Raceway on Saturday 9th September. Tickets are available from: https://spedeworthtickets.co.uk/2023-brisca-f1-world-687-c.asp
Photo Credit: Ian Bannister & Colin Casserley
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