Ok guys, pinch me. I'm sitting on the start line of one of England's fine tracks in a proper race car. I said that I was nervous at Knox right? Well, my newly acquired Formula Ford has seen almost no seat time by me, and the bugs are far from being worked out. My new Sparco suit will definitely need a wash after today!  Having been accused of being a bit of a sell out for not getting into a sports sedan, I figured there might have to be an apology made here. Not! For anyone who wants to learn chassis prep and how to drive properly, I thoroughly recommend spending a season or two in a Formula Ford. It's a bit of a dying class in Canada, but here it is comparable to drag racing a Camaro. There are cheap parts available off the shelf and lots of competition.    Last November, attending the Formula Ford Festival at Brands hatch, I found a team with two Van Diemen RF85s for sale. One of the cars was totally sorted out, with the driver ranking third in the championship. The other driver was happy just to get in and go. Thinking that set up is mostly down to the personal preference of the driver, car number two (being cheaper) seemed to be the better choice. Or was it? The car wasn't terribly tatty, but visually there were quite a few things, which could be improved. Working on the thing kept me busy most of the year.  It wasn't until February 18^th that I got to drive it for the first time. Renting out Brooklands Airstrip, we set up a traction circle. As soon as we got the tire pressures right, the ignition started cutting out. Hmm, I guess that's what testing is all about. Vibration was twisting the coil (and leads) in its clamp.    Getting back on the traction circle, we found it over steering going right, and under steering on left turns. We found the front anti-roll bar was so bent, it was throwing the corner weights out by over 100 lbs.! Before we managed to sort that out, the transmission stuck itself in third gear. Crap! It was getting dark, and we were out of holy water to chuck at the 'Diemen', so we pushed it on the trailer and headed home.   March 12, Lydden Circuit. This is the first event of the Guilford Tires 2000 Championship. This awesome 1.1-mile circuit is extremely technical, with lots of elevation changes.   For the practise we got to drive around the circuit 2 ¾ times. Then we got two timed runs at 1 ¾ laps each. The faster of only the two timed runs count as final result. All I cared about is just getting through it all without making a fool of myself.  As soon as I took off I noticed there wasn't a lot of traction at the back. Lots of wheel spin. As you turn in to the first corner, the track goes into a big dip, and crests again at the apex. That portion of the track is called ' Chessons Drift'. Coming over the crest for the first time was a real surprise. Half a second ago I was on the right side of the track, and now I'm on the left. Yup! Drift City. After a bit of a straight, the track turns left at Devil's Elbow. I got a bit flustered in the braking area, and didn't get my downshift in. My classic mistake was shifting in corners, but I always got away with it in the 510. As soon as I released the clutch, whoop! Can you say three sixty? It doesn't work in a Formula Ford!  The rest of the day was spent coping with major oversteer. One of my fellow competitors suggested I look at the spring rates, thinking the back was a bit stiff. Van Diemen suggested 90 lbs. should be a good rate at the back. Testing my springs showed 290 lbs.! No wonder it felt like Byron's 510 on Barnes lake!  April 1, Werrington Hillclimb. This is, without doubt, the scariest event I've ever done. Like typical British hill climbs, it uses a private driveway on an estate for the course. It's only eight feet wide, and there are lots of solid objects right next to the road. Rain overnight left the course a bit damp as well.  With the nice soft squishy springs in the car, it felt lots better from the start. Having real traction was much more confidence inspiring. Van Diemen had also suggested that my anti-roll bars were softer than recommended. Perfect for rain though, which is exactly what happened during lunch. Just what I needed, as the organisers amalgamated me into another Formula class. This was putting me against another Van Diemen with twice the horsepower and wings. Prayers were said to Bert Vorgon on the last run, when I terrified myself with a bad tank slapper in the braking area following the cattle grid. I finished with a mess in my pants and a trophy in my hands. Getting first in class and third fastest time of the day left me with enough points to lead the championship overall alongside John Phillips who is tied with me.   Finally, the bugs are being worked out of the car, and I'm feeling a lot more confident and comfortable in the car.
Next event is Wiscombe Hillclimb on April 29^th and then Wethersfield Sprint on May 1^st. I'll give you an update then. See you all soon. - Sean Kearney