Sensational Smyth wins from 13th in 2025 Walter Hayes Trophy

Jason Smyth Walter Hayes Trophy 2/11/25

The best motor race of the year? That was the consensus flying about after the final of Silverstone’s annual Formula Ford showcase, the Walter Hayes Trophy. Celebrating its 25th year, James Beckett’s WHT is well-established as a highlight of the ‘clubbie’ calendar and these days – dare we say – it’s considered at least a match for the Formula Ford Festival, which takes place the weekend before at Brands Hatch.

This year, Jason Smyth joined the select club of three to do the FF double by winning both the Festival and WHT in the space of a week. He’d dominated at Brands but was made to graft in the 15-lap final at Silverstone, climbing from 13th but only after shaking off a penalty-induced funk after the semi-final that almost led him to sit out the climax in protest. Just as well he got over himself.

After endless jousting, happily without the need of a safety car interlude, the outcome was decided at the Brooklands left-hander on a nail-biting last lap, when Jordan Dempsey tried a last-ditch dive bomb for the lead. His Medina tapped into Smyth’s Team Dolan Van Diemen, and Dempsey spun (a 5sec track limits penalty would have ruined his day anyway, had the move come off).

Smyth shrugged off the contact, kept his composure through Luffield and sprinted to the line 0.2sec ahead of Andrew Rackstraw’s Spectrum. Phew!

Smyth was ecstatic when commentator Ian Titchmarsh caught up with him in the pitlane. He’d been “steaming” after the semi-final 10-place grid penalty for a clash with 2024 winner Rory Smith and Anthony Amato, but starting so far back set up a demonstration for his talent. “I showed everything: overtaking, defence, my pace,” he said. But what a shame winning Formula Ford races is no longer the ticket it used to be to a bright future. “I have no money to go any further,” shrugged Smyth, “but if you’re looking at that race and you can’t back me I don’t know what I can do.”

Driver briefing notes

Toyota WEC win, Manthey magic and next-gen McRae 

• The days of Toyota domination in the World Endurance Championship are a fast-receding memory. But at least it ended a year-long win drought at the Bahrain 8 Hours, – scene of its last previous WEC victory in 2024. Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries led a team 1-2.
• Porsche’s final WEC race in Hypercar went flat, but Manthey Racing secured back-to-back GT3 titles for the marque in Bahrain. Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera finished fourth. ASP’s Lexus took its second win of 2025 with a crew anchored by ex-Toyota ace José Maria Lopéz.
• Spines tingled on the last British Rally Championship round of 2025. Max McRae, son of Alister, nephew to Colin and grandson to Jimmy, added a new chapter to the family’s illustrious dynasty with his first outright victory in the series on the Cambrian Rally. He saw off Estonian Romet Jürgenson to snatch victory in his Skoda Fabia.