Langford racing driver Roger Orgee had to settle for second place in the Formula Ford Championship after he was hit by a back marker.

RACING driver Roger Orgee’s bid to win the Formula Ford Championship was sent spinning after he was hit by a back marker.

Qualifying went well and Roger put the Weston College car on the front row with his rival behind him. The rain had stopped around half an hour before the start, but the circuit remained damp so the team gambled on half wet settings.

As the race started, Roger’s wheels spun on an oil patch and only got away in third, behind the championship leader.

There followed an intense three-car scrap for the lead, but Roger was starting to struggle as the track dried. The three leaders approached a back marker, two went through but as Roger was nearly past, the lapped driver hit Roger’s rear wheel, pitching both cars off the track and into a spin.

Roger was able to struggle on with bent rear suspension and staggered home in seventh place to retain second position in the championship.

Later that day, there was an end of season carnival race, where the same drivers, plus a few more, fight it out in a non-championship race.

In the race, Roger flew off the line into second spot and soon led the 27-car field. The next 12 laps were a blur with Roger and his team- mate Nathan Ward inches apart. The final run to the last corner was a show stopper with Nathan trying to pass on the outside, but Roger kept his nerve to win by a quarter of a second.

The next race is the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 1-2.