Fenton to Challenge for the Walter Hayes Trophy

Ireland’s Cameron Fenton has inked a late deal with Oldfield Motorsport that will see him challenge for the famous Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone this weekend.

The 19 year old Property and Economics student  will compete at the blue riband event with the intention of emulating fellow countryman Jordan Dempsey’s victory in 2019.  Having competed successfully in Ginetta Junior, GT Lights and Irish Supercars, Cameron has racked up plenty of FF1600 miles in a elderly Mondiale back at home and is convinced the time is right to step up to more competitive machinery.

The Wicklowman tested Oldfield Motorsport’s Van Diemen JL 13 just ahead of the event and, having discovered a down on power engine, the team have elected to change engines ahead of today’s heats.

Cameron Fenton: “I’m really looking forward to it. It is a hugely competitive event  but the team are great and we have McLaren Driver Development driver Josh Smith as a driver coach this weekend, I’ve been working closely with him over the past few days.”

The Walter Hayes Trophy annually boasts some of the busiest grids, and closest racing witnessed at Silverstone all year, and this year’s event will see the trophy presented for the twentieth time. Formula Ford began in 1967, and since then has been creating champions including drivers such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Ayrton Senna, Johnny Herbert, David Coulthard, Mark Webber, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson and Josef Newgarden. Joey Foster (2003, ’04 and ’05) and Peter Dempsey (2006, ’07 and ’10) have both won the Walter Hayes Trophy three times. The current holder of the trophy is Jordan Dempsey , the young Irishman just pipping Northamptonshire’s Michael Moyers to the chequered flag last year to prevent Moyers becoming the racer to complete a Hayes hat-trick.

Walter Hayes was a marketing executive and public relations guru who worked for the Ford Motor Company. Hayes was instrumental in the formation of Formula Ford, the famous Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 and was responsible for Ford’s association with the Ford-Cosworth DFV engine – the most successful F1 engine of all-time. Sir Jackie Stewart OBE won three F1 World Championship titles (1969, 71, 73) all using cars powered by Ford-Cosworth DFV engines, and the 27-time Grand Prix winner  recognises Walter Hayes’ contribution to the sport and his career, saying, “Without Walter Hayes, there would be no Jackie Stewart.” Walter Hayes passed away in December 2000, and the Walter Hayes Trophy was created the following year to celebrate his life and career.