When Sarah Playfair made the jump to the National Formula Ford stage in 2005, few in the Scottish Club Racing community who had watched her go doubted she would do anything other than make an impact. Over the course of her debut season she took some Scholarship Class podium finishes (leading the class early in the year), some overall top tens and despite missing a couple of rounds, placed third overall in her category and seventh overall. Happy with what she had achieved in that time in what was one of the oldest cars in the Championship by a long way, she looked at her options for 2006, getting a Formula Renault test at Knockhill for Russell Racing.

It was hoped that the successful test would lead to a drive with the team in the BARC Formula Renault feeder series to the full National Championship, but the funding wasn't quite there and she found herself looking at Formula Ford again. Having been stymied by the old car she had raced with Marque Cars the previous year, she elected to go down the path of making less starts but in a brand new car. A brand new Mygale, run by the 2005 Champions Jamun, no less.

By the time the deal had been put together and all the necessary parts had arrived from France, she had missed the first four rounds of the Championship, but she arrived at Snetterton at the start of July to get properly set up in the car and to get some testing done prior to the races at the track in the following weeks. A succesful test confirmed that she was very happy with her machine and the team were happy with her, so all parties arrived back at the track for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Championship full of enthusiasm.

Qualifying 14th of 31 for each race was a promising return to action and in the first race she got straight down to business, mixing it with the other drivers and despite a scare when another car almost squeezed her off track at the fastest part of the track, she came home in 10th place. The second race saw her jump from 14th to 9th in two corners, however an off to avoid a spinning car and another incident on the same lap dropped her to 20th as the field started lap 2. A great recovery drive to 13th was then thwarted by her engine cover working loose. As she retired in the pitlane and watched her team-mate Nathan Freke take the race win, she could reflect on a good return performance.

A couple of weeks later it was off to Thruxton for more testing followed by a timesheet topping test at Knockhill a month before the track held two rounds of the Formula Ford Championship in support of the British Touring Car Championship. This had been the focal point of Sarah's year as it gave her best opportunity to have a really good showing in front of the live television cameras at a track few people know better. Qualifiying 8th for the two races maybe wasn't quite what she had hoped for, but in the soaking conditions of the first race, she quickly made her way through the order, making a number of passing moves on her way up to 4th. Indeed, on the last lap she was right behind James Nash in the final podium slot, but she just couldn't get by. General concensus was that if the race had been one lap longer then she may well have made it by, though she could take pride in setting the fastest lap of the race.

Hoping for more of the same in the second race, she sadly lost control on the second lap after attempting an inside overtaking move on the run up to Clark, spinning into the gravel and retirement. Thankfully both car and driver were undamaged and in retrospect she wasn't too disappointed, especially following the great result in the first race.

For Sarah, the struggle to come up with the funds to compete in top class National competition continues, despite the excellent results at Snetterton and Knockhill and we wish her the best of luck for any further races she attempts this year.

Sarah has a website at http://www.bwr-spiderweb.com with lots of news and information as well as all the info required with regards to sponsorship opportunities as well.