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The conditions at Donington Park, my first meeting of the UK Formula Ford Championship, looked as though they would be the same as when I last raced there – very wet. Rain just before the start of testing caused a bit of a panic as we had no wet tyres and no rims to put any on. But Avon quickly solved the problem by swapping over some of our slicks to wets. It turned out we didn’t need the wets after all though – the track was dry within three laps!
Qualifying was a different story. Although it wasn’t raining, it had been, so I got my first opportunity to drive the car in the wet – and really enjoyed it! There was so much more grip with proper wet tyres than in anything I have ever driven before, but with so many cars on the track it was difficult to get a clear lap. I guess that this is going to be an even bigger problem on a short circuit like Brands Indy, so I’ll have to learn to make myself more space. On top of this, there was a big problem with lack of visibility, and I got hit from behind going into Old Hairpin towards the end of the session, just as my lap times were improving.
With the car fixed for a dry race one, I lined up on the grid in 19th place. But I only managed one and a bit laps after I got caught up in someone else’s accident. I arrived at Redgate to find a car stationary in the middle of the track and facing the wrong way. With cars either side of me there was nowhere to go and I was eliminated on the spot.
Luckily, the damage to my car was only minor and it was repaired in plenty of time for race two, on Sunday, for which I lined up 23rd. Much like my race here in T-Cars in 2004, it was raining heavily and had been for some time, meaning the track was extremely wet and slippery. I made a really good start but was far too cautious into the first corner. From then on I overtook a couple of cars but the visibility was so poor that it was hard to get close enough to the car in front to offer much of a challenge. I finished 20th and was pleased to have the 14th fastest lap time in conditions that I would normally hate.
Overall, although my finishing positions weren’t great, I was pleased with the weekend. It was only my fourth time in the car, my first in the rain and my first away from Snetterton. I learned a lot and did better than I was expecting after very limited preparations. I also found a new love for the rain (although not to camp in!)
Another highlight from the weekend came after the race on Sunday. Leaving the car in park ferme, I rushed off down the M1 to Loughborough University to compete in the Loughborough International athletics match. In my first steeplechase of the year I knocked 22 seconds off my personal best from last year to record a time of 10:30, only 5 seconds outside the qualifying time for the World Junior Athletic Championships, which are in Beijing in August. Fingers crossed I’ll find those extra seconds with a bit more training and water-jump practice, and be jetting off to China in the summer!
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