Over the past few months, massive changes to the sport of karting have been implemented, bringing forward my plan to transition to cars. In December I had a couple of runs in the Formula Ford, improving massively between them. A couple of days ago I had another run, improving by a second since the last run.
I have also been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be the first to take part in Fastlane Racing’s Driver Development program consisting of regular Formula Ford runs, access to a simulator and a physical fitness program. It is an awesome opportunity, and I am very excited to be beginning a career in open wheel racing cars! Brett Lupton (who trained Daniel Ricciardo) and Peter Major (current WA Formula Ford State Champion) will be running the program with me, with individual driver training for every session.
So far, in the sessions I’ve had in the Formula Ford, I have learnt to ‘blip’ the throttle (which is when you tap the throttle under braking and during a gear change), I have also learnt that heavy braking is crucial to going fast, and that you need to let the clutch out as soon as possible after a gear change.
In the coming sessions I will be working on braking (I need to brake harder, instead of slowly applying the brake), and to carry more entry speed into corners.
The program also includes data analysis, which goes into details such as steering angle, throttle, brake and clutch application, g-forces, etc; which will assist me in being able to compete at the highest possible level. I will also have my own Formula Ford car for this year which will only be used by me, this saves us time because we won’t need to readjust the seatbelt and pedal lengths every time I have a run in the car.
