A GAMBLING experiment run at last weekend's Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch has been declared a success by Jonathan Palmer, managing director of circuit owners MotorSport Vision.

More than 300 visitors to the classic end-of-season event put their money where their mouths were and placed a bet on the outcome of the blue-riband Festival event with bookmakers totesport, who set up a stall outside the Kentagon restaurant.

The exercise was being used as a taster by MSV with a view to running similar initiatives at other events across the company's group of circuits - Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Cadwell Park - next year. Having seen the good results from the weekend, Palmer is now keen to introduce betting facilities to more race events in 2005.

"Betting at the Festival was a big success," said Palmer. "It gave a new dimension of interest to the race meeting not just for those who placed bets, but also those who weren't because there was always the changing odds on drivers to talk about.

"I was very pleased with how it went and we will be looking forward to extending the initiative to other events and other circuits in the future."

Briton Daniel Clarke won the FFord Festival Grand Final, scooping one of the most prestigious titles in UK junior single-seater racing. The event has previously been won by Formula 1 drivers Jenson Button and Mark Webber.