Formula Ford Festival 2017
27th October 2017
Formula Ford Festival - Weekend Report 🏁
A weekend which had the prospect to be so great, turned to disappointment.
Amazing job by the KMR team, the car was awesome and we had the pace to easily finish in the top 10 which had been my goal from the start.
We tested from Wednesday through to Friday, in varied conditions and learnt a lot on setup and my preferences in the car.
We Qualified P3 for our heat, missing out on pole by 0.06 of a second.
I drove a sensible Heat Race, we were fast, but I focused more on playing the long game and making sure we were in a good position for the following race given the changing conditions. Being the festival I knew how crucial position was, although we dropped two places I would be in a great position going into the semifinals. Unfortunately on the last corner of the last lap, the driver behind drove into the back of me, sending me in a spin and into the gravel. I fortunately managed to get the car going again, and despite losing over 30 seconds I finished 13th.
Had I have kept the 5th position I would have started the semifinals 7th, a perfect place to qualify high for the finals. But instead I would start 19th and with only the top 12 guaranteed a position in the final, everyone defended like crazy. Despite nearly being knocked off the track again, I gained 5 places, but not enough for a place in the final.
This then meant we were thrown into a last chance race. I had to finish in the top 6 to guarantee myself a place in the finals. I started 3rd and finished 3rd with fastest lap of the race. That part of the job done ✅
We started the Finals in 27th place. Lap one I gained a few positions before I got driven into the back of again! This sent me around into a spin, but managed to rejoin in last place. I fought through making up 12 places to finish 18th. I guess about the best I could have hoped for given all that had happed.
On the positives, we learnt a lot, I had a fastest lap, easily potential to be top 10 and I have a great team and a great group of friends/family who support me. That part I couldn’t ask for more and I hugely appreciate you all being there for me and doing your best to cheer me up when the times got rough. 🙏🏻
Despite the misfortune this past weekend, I learnt a huge amount. I believe it was one of those weekends that I’ll look back on and realise it has actually been instrumental in making me a better racer for the future, and I actually feel much stronger for it going forward.
At this point I turn my absolute full attention to the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone in two weeks time. Nothing is guaranteed, it’s a similar format to the festival and anything can happen. But I will be looking to repeat our form there earlier this year where we finished on the podium. Bring it on! 💪🏻
A big thank you once again to Kevin, the whole Kevin Mills Racing team and my mechanic Alex for a great car.
Mum and Dad for your constant support!
Jim, so pleased you could make it down again, great to have you there and I hope you enjoyed it despite the end result. Many thanks as always for the photos.
