Castle Combe

Round 5 of the HSCC Historic Formula Ford Championship took place at Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire on the 8th and 9th August. Having completed many laps at this circuit in various machinery over the years, Jacques was feeling confident of a strong result at his home circuit. Conditions were again very warm, with temperatures in the 30's.

Qualifying was straight forward and Jensen posted a 1:13.479 in clean air, which was enough to earn 5th position on the grid for race 1.

Race 1 saw a slow get away and Jensen dropped one position before turn one. The first few laps were a case of keeping the pressure on Oli Chapman (Lola T200) whilst keeping the lead pack in sight. On lap 5, Jacques pulled a textbook move over the “Avon Rise” on Chapman, to put him back up to 5th place, but Oli then returned the favour on the following lap. A couple of laps later and Jensen overtook Formula Ford star, Joey Foster (Crossle 16F) who was clearly easing off to manage his car’s engine temperature. From here, Jensen chased down Mads Gravsen (Palliser WDF1), and managed to squeeze up the inside into the first chicaine. A couple of laps later, a big snap of oversteer through the very fast “Camp Corner” saw Jacques lose two places to Gravsen and Foster. The following lap saw the red flags come out, meaning the results reverted back to the previous lap, Jensen eventually finishing in fifth place.

Race 2 saw another sub-optimal start for Jacques, with some gear selection issues resulting in a drop down to 6th place by turn 1. The first few laps saw a very tightly bunched pack from second to sixth position, all fighting for every inch of the circuit. On lap 4, Jacques got a great run on Joey Foster and slipped up the inside into “Tower Corner”. A few corners later and Gravsen up ahead caught the back of Chapman’s car, losing his nose cone as well as track position. Another great dice with Foster ensued on the following laps, with Jensen eventually breaking free and chasing down the podium positions. The remaining laps saw a thrilling battle between Jensen, Robert Wainwright (Elden mk8) and Chapman for the runner up spot, as Benn Simms (Jomo JMR7) was 15 seconds up the road. Heading into the final corner on the last lap, Jensen was in second place with Chapman on the inside line. A drag race to the chequered flag saw Chapman just get the advantage, by 0.083 seconds! Third place marked Jacques’ second podium in the 2026 season.

Jensen stated, “It was a great couple of races, especially race 2 where I managed to get another podium in front of my family and friends. The racing was very close throughout, at times a little too close, but overall it was a brilliant weekend and the pace was strong. My wife, Hayley and I are expecting our first baby around the time of the next round at Oulton Park, so we will miss the Gold Cup, but we hope to be on the grid at Silverstone in October for the finals.”