Photos: Ida Wood
Italiaracing’s Mattia Tremolada has tested several single-seater cars in the name of motorsport journalism, and this summer he took that to the next level by going wheel-to-wheel with FF1600’s top talents in Britain
There is a category that over the years has never changed its regulations, remaining faithful to the guidelines drawn up in the 1960s and maintaining a strongly formative character, especially in England. The latest student of this category is Max Esterson, who was 21st in this year’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. He headed to F3 after two years in GB3, but before that was an ace in the nimble cars of Formula Ford 1600, which he competed in as an alternative to slicks-and-wings in Formula 4.
A curious choice for a Formula 1 aspirant, but Esterson triumphed in the FFord Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy, FF1600’s marquee events that close the year at Brands Hatch and Silverstone. If in the eyes of the public these may seem like second-rate successes compared to winning an F4 title, know that in both cases the challenge is anything but simple. Both events run over five days, with plenty of test action followed by qualifying, heats, semi-finals, last chance races and the final.
This is because the number of entries varies between 80 and 100 each year, including drivers from all over the world and from every category.
In recent years, the likes of Keith Donegan, who runs Formula Regional European Championship team Race Performance Motorsport, 2023 Pau Grand Prix poleman Kevin Foster and Indy Nxt’s Jamie Chadwick have taken part. Professional racers have joined in, and ex-F1 stars Jan Magnussen and Roberto Moreno. Magnussen has already signed up for the 2024 WHT.
FF1600 occupies an ecosystem almost completely overlooked by motorsport insiders elsewhere in Europe, who focus on the FIA’s series when structuring their training and racing en route to F1. F4 and GB3 fit that bill in the British Isles, but their popularity has – unlike in other nations – not pushed a category that is in many ways “old school” into non-existence. The cars in FF1600 are built on a tubular chassis, with grooved tyres and a four-speed H-pattern gearbox with clutch. Visually what distuinguishes them from the carbon fibre creations of F4 and higher categories is the lack of front or rear wing. That creates a very different challenge, but enables incredibly close racing and helps the category to continue churning out talent.
Round-Garrido & Tremolada
The first approach
While work has brought me to the most prestigious racing paddocks, my passion for single-seaters and motorsport has instead brought me closer to FFord. So, this April I took a flight to Northern Ireland to visit the small Kirkistown track and discover the world of wingless single-seaters. Waiting for me were 1989 British FFord champion Bernard Dolan and wife Tracy, who manage Team Dolan, USF2000 podium-finisher and FF1600 driver coach Matt Round-Garrido, and a Van Diemen RF99.
On this first day of testing I got to learn what was a fast and complicated car, which requires an old-fashioned driving style. Not being able to take advantage of aerodynamics, it’s essential to trigger slight oversteer when entering a corner to be fast, maximising the trail-braking technique, a style that allows you to bring the braking up to the apex. A sharp downshift, with an equally quick release of the clutch, is a further tool to accentuate the rotation in the entry phase and ensure you can return to the throttle early. The five corners of Kirkistown, where the Northern Irish FFord championship takes place, are perfect for starting to get the hang of this driving style and are an almost obligatory stop for those who want to approach this type of car.
The next step
The encouraging results of the first test, which followed F4 tests you can read about here, led me to not delay any longer. So I signed up for my first car race, a round of England’s United FFord championship in August on the short Indy layout at Brands Hatch which is used for the Festival. Accompanying mt adventure was Team Dolan, now faithful in my driving abilities.
The experience of Dolan and Round-Garrido was fundamental in the first approach to the intimidating and undulating track. Seeing the legendary Paddock Hill Bend, that opens the lap, live for the first time had a certain effect. The idea of having to take it with the throttle wide open aroused a little apprehension in me. After navigating the entire pit straight next to the pit wall, you have to move to the left and brake hard, going down from fourth to third gear. It’s essential to release the brakes early and once you reach the apex, get back on the throttle. The shape of the track leads towards the gravel on the outside and only in the compression at the foot of the descent does the car find the necessary grip to turn and stay on the asphalt.
Attacking Paddock Hill Bend (Photo: Tremolada)
Then you go back up towards the legendary Druids hairpin. The uphill braking allows you to brake very late, which makes the rear light. Then you go down again towards Graham Hill Bend, where in contrast the braking area is located at the end of a steep descent and the downshift into second gear always engages a small drift, which is useful for corner entry.
Next comes Surtees and McLaren, which cut off the circuit’s Grand Prix loop that goes through the woods, then leading inti Clark Curve which connects to the pit straight. Surtees has to be taken by partially accelerating, and with the car slightly sideways while the inside kerb is attacked. Once finished and the steering wheel straightened, you must then hit the brakes with force, downshifting and turning the car the opposite way to tackle Clark Curve. The Indy layout may only have five corners, but each requires a lot of practice before being taken like a pro.
Practice
Fortunately, I had four 40-minute sessions on Friday. A golden opportunity to familiarise myself with the circuit and the car, picking up the pace step-by-step. And that’s what I managed to do, after a limping start on asphalt still damp from overnight rain which immediately put me on guard and caused me to spin after stepping on the throttle on a wet patch.
In the first session I took it easy, stopping the clock at 52.5 seconds, 2.3s off pace-setting team-mate Jason Smyth. Red flags denied me the opportunity to set a new personal best in session two, but I began to experiment, trying to induce slight oversteer on corner entry. Little-by-little I started to get the hang of it, improving to 52.0s and then 51.9s in the next sessions.
In the few occasions in which I had the fortune of driving racing cars up to this point, I had always felt intimidated by the speed, remaining far from what could actually have been my limit from a technical point of view. Finally, during the practice day at Brands Hatch I began to feel those sensations that in karts and on the simulator allow me to drive at the maximum of my possibilities. I understood that it is a process that takes time, but by focusing on the technique, proceeding in small steps and listening carefully to the advice of those who have experience in the field, the results and confidence arrive.
Dolan and Round-Garrido’s advice proved to be fundamental. Starting from the gear changes, which were far from trivial, up to the final braking technique, which is essential to exploit the mechanical grip in FF1600. Having fast drivers in the team allowed me to study their telemetry and onboard videos, providing me with a very useful reference during the debriefs.
Qualifying
My 51.9s was only 1.2s off the pace in session four, the slowest of the day due to rising temperatures. A very promising result looking ahead to qualifying the next day.
One of the ways FF1600 keeps costs low is the grooved tyres, which are used in all conditions and which make the car slippery on dry asphalt and very difficult to control in the wet. And since we are in England, it is not uncommon for it to rain.
After a few laps in qualifying, time enough to get the tyres up to temperature and set a first benchmark of 51.8s, light rain began to fall. Sensing the fleeting nature of the precipitation, I tried to stay on track as long as possible, but after a few laps it became too slippery and I opted to return to the pits. My intuition proved correct, and when the rain stopped after a few minutes all 21 drivers in the field returned to action. After completing my first lap back on track I saw that there were five minutes left of the session, and I immediately understood that only on the last lap would the track be dry enough to improve.
So I let an opponent pass me, and stuck to his slipstream. Together we found space, but unfortunately on my final flying lap a slower driver decided to let my rival past but not me, holding the racing line at Surtees and ruining a good last lap for me. And here is the first excuse as a driver, I am now completely in character. I ended up qualifying 14th, 1.2s off pole. Not bad for a debut, but if I could have used the full 20 minutes of qualifying I could certainly have gone faster. More excuses as a driver.
Qualifying results
1 Andrew Rackstraw KMR Sport [Spectrum] 50.657s
2 Jason Smyth Team Dolan [Van Diemen] +0.053s
3 Tom Nippers [Van Diemen] +0.070s
4 Isaac Canto da Silva Team Dolan [Van Diemen] +0.133s
5 Morgan Quinn Team Dolan [Van Diemen] +0.139s
~~~
14 Mattia Tremolada Team Dolan (Van Diemen) +1.209s
Race 1
So here I am. On the starting grid of a real race. At Brands Hatch. In the days before, the euphoria gave way to doubts and questions, often trivial, such as ‘what am I going to do?’. Doubts that have no place during the weekend, and fortunately even less on the grid. There, instead my energy was concentrated on the launch, which I’ve never tried before. And which is not a walk in the park since you have to press all three pedals at once. The straight is in fact a curved slope, so to prevent the car from moving while waiting you have to hold down the brake with your right foot, while trying to bring the engine to 5800rpm.
A first attempt at the start of the formation lap is not very successful and I almost get stuck on the grid. A quick analysis of what happened and then my mind immediately flies to the next objective, warming up the tyres. Right, left, right, left, and so on for the whole lap. Then a downshift to first gear just before I positioning myself on the seventh row.
Green flag. I try to get the revs back to 5800rpm. The red lights come on. When they go off I release the clutch and to my surprise the start is great, I manage to hold the position and I stick to the leading group.
The pace in the first laps is not wild, as KMR Sport’s Andrew Rackstraw and Smyth fight for the lead. I am then able to follow Oldfield Motorsport’s Ben Cox, and ahead I see the whole group of 13 cars. It’s only at this moment I realise: I am in a real race. The last timid warning of apprehension leaves my head and I finally find in its entirety the instinct of the racing driver.
Soon I start to get serious, showing myself in Cox’s mirrors and eyeing an attack, but a few laps later the safety car appears.
At the restart I sleep, shifting down to first gear just as others accelerate. I lose the lead pack, and soon they’re two seconds up the road, but having them as a reference and at the same time a clear track helps me to push and improve my pace to 51.4s, consistently lapping sub-52s. I end up 0.667s off the fastest lap, beyond my rosiest expectations. I catch up with the group in the last two laps and at the last corner Cox tries a desperate attack on Ammonite Motorsport’s Connor Willis. They touch, Cox ends up in the gravel and I inherit the position.
Race 1 results (21 laps)
1 Smyth 20m28.962s
2 Rackstraw +0.438s
3 Quinn +0.621s
~~~
13 Tremolada +10.545s
Fastest lap: Quinn, 50.781s (Tremolada, 51.448s)
Cox & Tremolada
Race 2
Race one was fun, but I didn’t take full advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves. But the doubts, fears and uncertainties were starting to give way to competitive nastiness and I show up to race two’s determined and fired up.
The start is not bad, but Cox (who started behind as the race one results set the grid) immediately manages to get alongside on the outside of Paddock Hill Bend and pass. He also manages to get ahead of Willis on lap one, but has no rhythm and keeps Willis and myself behind him like a cork in a bottle.
Willis makes a small mistake at Graham Hill Bend and I go. I dive inside and he closes, pushing me onto the grass. We are side-by-side and he has sent me too far inside, so to avoid an accident I lift off the throttle early at the entrance to Surtees.
He quickly recovers from the mistake and reaches Cox again. I also join the train. The two swap positions and at that point Cox is all mine. I take the slipstream on the pit straight, fake an attack on the outside then change direction at the last moment to try to take the inside. But he brakes hard and I can’t get past.
The following lap I’m closer, and with the slipstream manage to get alongside on the outside of Paddock Hill Bend. I brake late, try to cross the line, but he protects well. I take the outside again at Druids, and thanks to great braking carry a lot of speed in. But he leaves little room and I go wide on the kerb and have to give up. When we arrive at Graham Hill Bend, I’m angry at having missed a good opportunity, I brake late, shift down hard and lock the rear. I manage not to end up spinning with a great save, but by then Cox is gone.
Light rain also starts to fall and I decide not to take any risks. My rivals now have a couple of seconds in hand and I limit myself in the final laps to bringing the car to the finish. The rain falls more and more heavily, catching out several drivers and meaning I finish 11th. Once again I am six tenths off the fastest lap, this time set by Smyth who is unlucky to retire with a technical problem after an authoritative drive.
Race 2 results (24 laps)
1 Rackstraw 20m48.056s
2 Quinn +4.562s
3 Brandon McCaughan Oldfield Motorsport [Van Diemen] +8.553s
~~~
11 Tremolada +33.570s
FL: Smyth, 50.773s (Tremolada, 51.468s)
Conclusions
This brings to a close a wonderful weekend, where I was finally able to fulfil the dream of a lifetime. A dream that has been awaited for 28 years. But every single moment spent behind the wheel this weekend was worth every minute of waiting. The problem? I enjoyed it, too much… and so this can only be the beginning.