2023 GB4 champion Tom Mills secured another accolade last weekend, as he won the coveted Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.
The competition for Formula Ford machinery is one of the biggest events of its type in the world, and the British driver emerged on top of an entry of over 100 drivers to win one of the UK's most prestigious motorsport trophies.
Mills qualified on pole for his heat with a margin of just over a tenth of a second, and then won every race he entered in the knock-out format.
With increasing tension, he won the first heat with a tiny 0.035s margin across the line, and then triumphed by 0.036s in a tight semi final, in which he battled with multiple cars before a showdown with Anthony Amato.
He then controlled a thrilling 19-lap final on Sunday afternoon. From pole, he led the majority of the contest but had a swarm of up to 10 cars tucked in behind him at various points. Despite a safety car period and plenty of challenges and contact from his rivals, Mills was only passed once, and was able to swoop back into the lead with a daring move at Brooklands late on.
Even with plenty more drama, Mills' eventual winning margin of over three tenths of a second proved his biggest of the event. His victory is KMR Sport's sixth triumph in the Walter Hayes Trophy.
"I think I had someone hassling me on every lap of every race this weekend!" Mills joked afterwards. Pressure in the heat, pressure in the semi and pressure in the final, so I was pretty used to it at the end and I was more comfortable in the lead than I was in second. I was only having to look backward rather than forward, rather than forwards and backwards, so it was pretty nice. When I lost the lead it was imperative to get back to the front as soon as possible, which I managed to do, nice and brave going into the last sector.
"You can't plan a Formula Ford race, I can barely remember what happened, there were cars everywhere! I just kept trying to forwards as much as I could. So no plan, I was just keeping it clean."
