HMD Kontro is delighted to be sponsoring Neil Jessop in this season’s Modified Ford Series. Neil was ready and almost on the starting grid for last season’s series when you could say the pandemic literally threw a ‘spanner into the works’. Not surprisingly, there was no racing last year, but Neil is more hopeful that there will be meetings this year as the UK begins to open up. He is prepared and raring to go and race in the Modified Ford Series in his Ford Escort sporting the HMD Kontro logo and brand.
HMD Kontro Branding Doing The Circuit
The series was established to provide ‘the place to race’ for the huge variation of modified Ford (production) cars that have been developed over the last fifty years. The classic Ford cars which must be pre-2010 race in various categories determined by their engine size. Neil and his Ford Escort will be racing in the 2.0 Litre class B, which also features Ford Sierras and Capris. The shiny black Escort is a 1978 Mark 2 classic car. However, Neil points out that all that remains of the original car is the shell as it has been completely refitted with modern racing components. The shiny black Ford Escort certainly stands out with its new livery including red and yellow stripes and orange HMD Kontro branding.
Modified Ford Series
The Modified Ford Series will comprise eight races at famous racetracks including Lydden Hill in Kent, Donnington Park and Mallory Park, both in Leicestershire, the Cadwell Park circuit in Lincolnshire referred to as the ‘Mini Nurburgring’ and Brands Hatch. Neil intends to go to as many as he can although distance sometimes dictates that this is not possible. Although the cars do not have speedometers, they can reach speeds of up to 140mph. Races involve fifteen minutes of qualifying to establish a grid position followed by two fifteen-minute races.
A racing love affair that started at Arlington race track
Neil Jessop joined HMD Kontro in 1998, just over twenty-two years ago and today he runs tests on the sealless pumps once they have been produced. Coincidentally, his love affair with cars and racing started at this time. It was at Arlington race track near Eastbourne where he first started racing stock cars and then went on to hot rods, racing on different tracks in the south east. A progression to circuit racing from the oval racetrack followed some ten years later. It was then that Neil started building his own cars including a Silhouette, based on a Peugeot 206, which is all pretty technical stuff involving a tubular chassis with fibreglass panels. However, for a pump test engineer, it’s just what comes naturally!
Opportunities with HMD Kontro
HMD Kontro is delighted to sponsor Neil in the forthcoming season of racing and demonstrates another way of how we help our staff. If you are looking to work for a progressive company that manufactures sealless pumps, please see www.hmdkontro.com/recruitment.
