Ratoath man Browne delivers at Brands Hatch

Success continued to flow for Ratoath last week as Jonathan Browne won the 2019 Formula Ford Festival in dominant style at Brands Hatch.
Browne became the latest name to be added to the roll of honour of the AIMSHOP.COM Formula Ford Festival after clinching a commanding victory in the final of the 2019 edition, the 48th running of the historic event.
After taking pole for his heat, winning the subsequent race and then going on to win his semi-final, Browne started the Grand Final from pole position with fellow countryman and double Festival winner Niall Murray lining up alongside. 
Getting the jump on Murray, Browne led the opening lap before a safety car briefly disrupted events. 
Once racing was back underway, a great restart from Cliff Dempsey Racing’s Browne helped him build a small advantage over Murray. 
Despite closing the gap to less than a second, the pair were evenly matched in pac,e but in the end Browne had enough of a lead to remain untroubled to the flag.
Browne’s victory means he adds his name to the Neil Shanahan Trophy, 20 years after the accolade was first commissioned in honour of Jonathan’s fellow Irishman. 
That wasn’t the only prize Browne would receive as he was also provided with the prize from title sponsors AIM Technologies of AIMSHOP.COM, a SmartyCam GP HD onboard camera.
Not only that, he was also the best-placed teen driver (16-19 years old) and won the British F4 Scholarship day prize, meaning he will join the rest of the drivers taking part at Silverstone next week, courtesy of Racingline and Fortec Motorsport.
Both Browne and Murray, along with Jordan Dempsey, helped the Republic of Ireland to clinch the World Cup.
“This has been one of the best weekends of my life,” commented Browne.
“To not only win the Aimshop.com Formula Ford Festival but to dominate the whole event is just crazy to think about. I couldn’t even dream of ever winning it like that. To win in a field of such talent and experience just makes the feeling even better.
“As an added bonus I received a place on the British F4 scholarship day. This is an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to pilot an F4 car with Fortec Motorsport.”
BRSCC’s Competitions Director, Dominic Ostrowski, hailed Browne as a deserving winner of the prestigious Festival – past victors include the likes of Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Eddie Irvine, Johnny Herbert and Nick Tandy – and expects the Irish racer to demonstrate his talent at Silverstone.
“Jonathan Browne is a very deserving winner of the British F4 Scholarship prize,” added Ostrowski.
“He had a strong season in the BRSCC Avon Tyres National FF1600 Championship, scoring his first win earlier in the year.
“He dominated the Festival in a mixture of tricky conditions in one of the strongest fields we have had in recent years and we hope that Jonathan enjoys this inaugural Scholarship Day on the 5th November and also shows just how talented he is.
“We would like to thank the British F4 Promotors, RacingLine, along with Richard Dutton and his Fortec Team for giving our Aimshop.com Formula Ford Festival winner this fantastic opportunity and strengthening the ties between our championships.”