Fastest at Indy Test
Indianapolis, Ind. (October 30, 2011) – I had planned on attending the two-day Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to talk to some teams about 2012 but was not expecting to get a chance to drive. When I got off the plane in Indy I had a voicemail from AJ, my mechanic from last season, saying one of the drivers was sick and they had a seat open. I then quickly called Kyle Moyer at Andretti Autosport and he said that I could drive my USF2000 car from last season in the test! I was very surprised and excited that I was going to get a chance to drive around the Speedway; it was on the Formula One track but was still an amazing experience. I brought all my gear just in case something like this happened but I knew it was a long shot. I’m glad I did! By the time I got to the track on Friday I had missed the morning session but was in the car for the afternoon (ABOVE RIGHT, courtesy Chris Jones/www.indycar.com).
We started the session on old tires that they had used at a private test a while ago just so I could get a feel for the track and car again. I was P1 for most of the session until everyone started putting on new tires. The same thing happened in the morning session on Saturday. We ran another set of old tires and kept on making changes to the car trying to fine-tune the set-up. For the final session on Saturday afternoon we put on some tires that only had a few laps on them and the car was good. I worked a lot with Stu, my engineer for the test, and we improved the car every session. We were quick and I set the fastest lap of the session and the weekend. It was a great way to start the off-season. I have to thank Andretti Autosport for giving me the opportunity to get back in the USF2000 car and drive this weekend. I am working very hard to try and get a budget together to compete next season.
Thanks again for all your support!
Spencer
Tough Week at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch, England (October 20, 2011) – We arrived at Brands Hatch on Tuesday morning to help the guys at Cliff Dempsey Racing set up the awning and cars. Most of the Duratecs had already begun testing Tuesday morning! We weren’t scheduled to start until Wednesday so I went to watch at a few different corners to get some tips on the track. Even though I was at Brands last year, the Duratec is a lot different than the Kent car so there were things I had to learn. We had four test sessions on Wednesday and we improved every session. By the end of the day we were within three or four-tenths of the quickest guys. We knew what we needed to gain to be competitive and kept working on Thursday to close the gap. By the end of the day we were within a tenth so I was pleased with that. Throughout the two days we made adjustments to the car and to my driving style, and each time we went out onto the track we improved on both. Friday wasn’t used for more testing; it was used to bed in brake pads and our two new sets of tires for the weekend.
I was really looking forward to qualifying on Saturday morning because I thought we had a chance to be in the top three based on our pace in practice. After the first few laps of qualifying I knew something was wrong. The car had lost a lot of front grip overnight and the only thing we did was put the new tires on. With the field being so close, losing just a few tenths can cost a lot of spots and we qualified a disappointing 12th. Cliff and I were talking a lot about what could have been the problem. We thought that it could have been a bad set of tires that we were given. We went around to some different teams and it turns out we weren’t the only ones with this problem. There were a few other drivers that had been very fast in practice and off the pace in qualifying with the only change between sessions being the tires. Then we found out that during the week of testing several drivers had big time differences between brand-new sets of tires. But we couldn’t do anything about it because we had already registered our tires for the weekend. In the first heat I was only able to climb a few spots to 10th position.
I had three races on Sunday and the first one was the Quarter Final. I started 10th and had a really good first few laps. On the third lap I was passing for fourth going into Druid’s. The driver I was passing had gone off the track and when he re-entered the racing line his front-right wheel hit my left-rear and it destroyed that corner of my car. So instead of potentially starting the semi-final in the top five I was set to start in 15th. I was put into the first Semi Final originally but we weren’t finished repairing it so they switched me to the second. I was able to move up through the field to 7th in the 15-lap race. That would mean I would start on row 7 in the final, which after all we had been through, wouldn’t have been too bad. Then we were told that since I had switched to the second Semi Final, I would have to start dead last (24th) for the final.
Still, I made a pretty good start and was able to get a few people by the first corner. I worked my way up to 16th (above right photo, courtesy of Jeff Bloxham). My tires were completely shot and I was really struggling with the back end of the car. Overall it was a very disappointing weekend because we had a lot of potential that we didn’t get to show. These past two weekends were definitely some of the toughest of my career; I went in with no experience of the Duratec car and not much time to get used to everything. I learned a lot though and I have to thank everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing, Jeremy Shaw and the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship for giving me the opportunity.
Thanks for reading,
Spencer
Ready for action!
Silverstone (October 7, 2011) – After spending a few days at the Cliff Dempsey Racing headquarters in Corby, we made the short trip to Silverstone yesterday afternoon. I had anticipated a lengthy seat fit for the Duratec car at the shop, but it only took about 15 minutes because the seat they had for another driver proved to be a perfect fit for me. It was the quickest seat-fit any of us had ever done!
I spent a few days at the Dempsey's house with Neil Alberico, who has been driving for Cliff all year long, and one of the mechanics, Sam. Since the cars had been prepped before I arrived, we spent most of the time playing ping-pong at the shop! We had a great time and Team USA got off to a great start with Neil and I winning all the matches against the British guys!! Let's hope this trend continues!
On Wednesday the graphics guy, George Holroyd, arrived at the shop to start working on my car. It started out completely red but you would never know that now. After a day and a half of hard work the car is back to the traditional red, white and blue Team USA Scholarship livery. We spent most of today putting all of the stickers on. I'm glad to say that I managed to put them on pretty straight this time!
When we got to Silverstone the first thing Neil and I wanted to do was go to get our new Team USA Scholarship suits that had been waiting for us at the track. They look great! Of course we wanted to try them on and they fit perfectly as well -- thanks Sparco!! The weather has been reasonably nice the past few days but unfortunately now it's back to the normal gloomy cold weather that the UK tends to produce. It was difficult putting up the tent because of all the wind but eventually we set everything up and we're all ready to go. Our first practice is at 10:50am this morning.
I'm really looking forward to driving on the full Grand Prix track here at Silverstone. Everyone tells me it's a fantastic circuit. We only get two 25-minute sessions today before qualifying on Saturday, which isn't ideal so I'll have to learn as quick as I can!
Thanks for reading and look for another blog in a day or two!
Spencer
Pre-Trip Thoughts
Orlando, Fla. (September 23, 2011) – For the second year in a row I’ll be making a trip over to England to race a Formula Ford car at Silverstone and Brands Hatch as a part of the Team USA Scholarship. This year is going to be a bit different to my time there in 2010. First off, being nominated for a Scholarship came as a complete surprise; it was only toward the end of summer when Jeremy told me about his plan to introduce a third prize for the Duratec class. I was extremely excited to know that I was a candidate and possibly get a chance to go back to the UK. It was announced in Baltimore that I had won the Duratec prize and that two good friends of mine, Trent Hindman and Neil Alberico, had won the Kent class prizes.
Going back over to England, I’m definitely more prepared than I was in 2010. I didn’t know what to expect last year. I learned how different the European driving style is. I had heard about the high level of aggression but in order to really understand it you have to experience it for yourself. The rules are a lot different over there – and sometimes it seems like there are no rules! I got the chance to drive a Duratec Formula Ford last year in between our two race weekends so I have a taste of what to expect in regards to how the car will handle and the driving style I will have to use to get the most out of it. Last year we didn’t get the results the car was capable of after being involved in incidents at both the Festival (where we finished fourth) and the Walter Hayes (finished seventh) so I’m even more determined to do well.
I can’t wait to get in the car at Brands Hatch. I really enjoyed the track last year, especially Paddock Hill Bend. It’s no doubt one of the best corners in the world; it’s a fast third gear corner that feels like you’re falling off a cliff at the exit (above right, photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham). This time my first race will be at Silverstone for the final rounds of the MSA British Formula Ford Championship and it will be on the full Grand Prix circuit. Last year we only did the national course so I’m really looking forward to doing some laps around there; I’ve heard it’s a fantastic track.
I’m leaving at the beginning of October for England and my first race is the weekend of the 8th and 9th. My grandparents live not too far from Silverstone in Manchester so I’ll spend a few days with them while I get over the jet-lag and then off to the Cliff Dempsey Racing shop to get fitted for the practice sessions on Friday. It seems like forever ago since my last USF2000 race in Baltimore, not being around racing for over a month is never a nice feeling!
Thanks for reading,
Spencer First week at PitFit
Indianapolis, Ind. (August 13, 2011) - Normally after a race weekend in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda I head home to Orlando, Fla., but not this time. After the races at Mid-Ohio last weekend I drove to Indianapolis, the home of IndyCar racing. There are so many things in Indy that revolve around racing. The majority of IndyCar teams are based here in Indy like my team, Andretti Autosport. Not too far from the AA shop there is a place called PitFit Training, which specializes in training racecar drivers. Guys like Scott Dixon, Will Power and former Team USA winner J.R. Hildebrand train there.
I'm able to train here between my races at Mid-Ohio and Road America thanks to the partnership between Jim Leo from PitFit and the Team USA Scholarship that I won in 2010. I arrived in Indy on Monday afternoon and was in the gym a few hours later. As soon as I walked in I noticed all of the unique machines and workouts they have created. There's stuff hanging from the ceiling and things all over the walls to target the parts of your body that are worked the most in the car.
I was pretty knackered after the first night of training and I didn't get much of a rest because I had to be in at 10:00am the next morning! Each day we have done something a little different from circuit training to boxing to strength training. It's a lot harder than my usual workouts at home but it's also fun because you're always doing something different.
Another cool thing about PitFit is that they make you put on a heart rate monitor for every workout. They are wirelessly connected to the TV so you can see how your heart rate increases and decreases throughout the session. Jim puts a lot of emphasis on how quickly the heart rate recovers to resting rate because you can conserve energy when it's not beating as fast.
It's only been a few days but I have already learned a lot about fitness and where I can improve. I will finally get a day off on Sunday and then back in the gym early Monday morning! Thanks for reading and make sure to look for another blog from my time at PitFit next week!
Spencer
Hi Everyone,
Windermere, Fla. (May 31, 2011) -- I have just returned home from a very busy week in Indianapolis. It started on Wednesday with the Mazda Road to Indy Summit which carried over to Thursday. Friday I was practicing for my race at Lucas Oil Raceway, the race was Saturday night with more practice and qualifying earlier that day. And of course, Sunday I went to the Indianapolis 500. Overall the Summit was very interesting. We listened to James Hinchcliffe talk about how to use social media to our advantage and we were given a tour around the museum and Chip Ganassi Racing’s shop. It’s great for us to have the support from IndyCar and Mazda that organize these events, I have learned a lot over the course of the Summit in St. Petersburg and Indy.
Friday morning I was on a television segment with Johnny Unser on Fox59. We talked about the Night Before the 500 event as well as Cooper Tires and the importance of tire safety. From there I went over to the Speedway to watch the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race. Wow, it was amazing, they were going three wide almost every lap! Unfortunately I had to leave half way through the race to go to Lucas Oil Raceway to prepare for my practice session. We had a three-hour session Friday afternoon, which was great because we had a lot of things to try on the car. We made lots of progress throughout the session and ended up running very competitive times.
On Saturday we had two 30-minute practice sessions to prepare for qualifying. We made some small changes overnight but nothing too dramatic and when I went out for practice it felt like a completely different car. Unfortunately it felt different in a bad way, the car had lost lots of grip and I was working hard just to keep it out of the wall. We tried many things throughout the practice but couldn’t find the balance we had on Friday. Qualifying was more of the same and I could only manage fifth. For the race we changed a few more things hoping that we could settle the car. Just as we were about to pull out onto the track to start the race it began to rain! Eventually it stopped but the track had to be dried. The race was delayed over two hours and we started around 9:30 pm! I made a very good start and got up to second in turns one and two and tried to pass for the lead going into turn three but I couldn’t make it stick. When we caught lap traffic I was held up very badly and fell back to fifth. After 70 laps I finished fourth. I was running the same times as the guy who finished second so we know we had a competitive car. My engineer Andy and I spent a long time discussing what to do to the car and we made big improvements for the race. I am still second in the championship and our next race is at the Milwaukee Mile June 19.
Sunday was the first time I had ever gone to the Indy 500 and what a one to go to. The last 10 laps were incredible and one of the most exciting ends to a race I have ever seen. Overall I had a great week in Indy, I learned a lot about racing on ovals and we will be even stronger in Milwaukee.
Big thanks to all of my sponsors: MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Skip Barber, Andretti Autosport, California Scents, Parathyroid.com, RaceLite Protection, Sparco, Illinois Anesthesia, Eye Health Partners and Silver Knight Racing.
Spencer
Fantastic experience
Silverstone, England (November 7, 2010) – The Walter Hayes Trophy and the Team USA Scholarship are unfortunately over. My time here in England has been a blast and not only have I had a lot of fun but I have learned a lot as well. Overall it has been great, but the final day didn’t go quite as well as it could have.
I started the Semi Final in fifth position. It was a very difficult group; I was in the faster of the two Semis. I got a pretty good start and maintained my position. After a few laps I was up to fourth. It’s a lot harder to pass here because there is so much blocking allowed. The leader had gotten a big lead early on in the race so it was a battle for second between five of us. Felix and I were working together but it took a few laps to get to the front of the group. The next lap we were drafted by; it was a lot like a Skip Barber National race. Going into the final two corners on the last lap I was fourth and Felix was fifth but then the two in front out braked each other and I went through into second! Then they touched and spun and Felix came through to finish P3. It was great to both be on the podium at the same time!
For the final we didn’t make any big changes to the car, other than new tires, which everyone was putting on. I lined up third for the final, which was a great spot. I knew that I needed to keep in touch with the leaders and not lose the benefit of the draft. I kept third on the start but got passed before the end of lap one. I was still right behind the lead group in a good position for the rest of the race. Unfortunately the next lap a driver put a late out-braking move on me and it didn’t work out. He locked his rear tires and spun right into me. I only lost a few positions but there was something bent in the front of the car where he hit. The car was still handling OK but not as well as it was. But it gets worse. A few laps later I caught back up to the group that was battling for fourth position when the driver in front of me went off the track and then came back on and hit my rear wheel which made me spin and come to a complete stop. I fell back to about 11th and worked my way back to seventh at the end of the race. It was a disappointing result because I had the pace to run right with the leaders if it wasn’t for the multiple collisions.
I want to thank Jeremy Shaw and everyone involved in the Team USA Scholarship and everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing, I have learned so much and had so much fun this month in England and I couldn’t thank them enough. It has been a fantastic experience and I will bring everything that I’ve learnt back to America and be a better driver.
Spencer
Bad start, weird start - and then a good start!
Silverstone, England (November 6, 2010) – We started testing on Thursday for this weekend’s Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone. Most of the time the weather has been very normal for England at this time of year – wet and cold! On Thursday, I went out for the first session and after just a few laps the engine started to lose power and we couldn’t figure out the problem so we decided to change engines. That took a while and caused me to miss the next session as well. Overall it wasn’t a great start to the weekend because we didn’t get much track time in the dry to work on the setup or for me to work out my lines.
Friday was much better; although it was wet, I got quite a lot of seat time and we were able to find a really good setup for the rain and I was the fastest in my group.
On Saturday, we had qualifying and a heat race. There were six separate sessions for both the qualifying and heat races because there are over 120 entries! I was in the first group and at the time of my qualifying session the track still hadn’t dried from all of the Friday rain, so it was very tricky to find the grip! There was a red flag a few minutes from the end, and when we got going again, we only had enough time for two laps. My first lap I braked a bit too deep going into Luffield and went off the track which ruined that lap so I was only left with one lap to get pole. I improved my time by almost a second but the track was getting better all the time and I was just beaten on the last lap by a few tenths. I was really hoping for pole but at least we were on the front row.
The heat race got off to a weird start. We have always been told that races are started with lights, like they were at Brands Hatch: When they all go out, the race begins. But when I was sitting on the grid this morning, waiting for them to come on, a guy raised a British flag…and I wasn’t quite sure what was happening! However, I remember seeing the start of old races done with the national flag so when he dropped it, I went. I didn’t really know if it was the right thing to do, but thankfully it was. (Later I found out that there had been a problem with the lights which is why they weren’t used).
I made a really good start and was able to take the lead by the first corner. The race was like the Skip Barber Nationals – five cars all nose-to-tail. One lap I was leading (above right, photo by Jeff Bloxham), the next I was third, all down to the draft. I fought my way up to second again but by that time the leader had already pulled out a small gap. I stayed in second for the rest of the race. My times were right on his pace but I still felt we could find more from the car, so Cliff Dempsey Racing is changing my engine tonight to a freshly rebuilt one and making other changes to the car; hopefully that will find us a few more tenths.
On Sunday, we have a semifinal and final. With the changes we’re making, I’m very confident of a strong result and continuing the Team USA Scholarship winning streak!
Spencer
What An Experience!
Woking, England (November 2, 2010) – Today we visited the McLaren Technology Center and I was absolutely amazed! I have seen plenty of pictures of the facility in the past but it was completely different in person. When we signed in at the front gate we were given a special keycard that gave us access into the gate and the doors to get to the lobby. After you walk in through the visitor doors and descend on a spiral staircase, you have to walk down a very long, all-white hallway that goes underneath the building and then take an elevator to the lobby. The elevator puts you right in the middle of the building, and there are F1 cars on display everywhere! Prost, Senna, Lauda, Hakkinen and Hamilton all have their championship-winning cars displayed in the lobby. From there all of the work bays are glass so you can see everything! Well, almost everything; there were quite a few places we weren’t allowed to see and a “secret” floor that only a few people are allowed on. Our ‘tour guide’ was Jenson Button’s head engineer, Jakob Andreasen.
First we saw the gym – probably the nicest gym I’ve ever been in! We got to try out the “F1 Trainer” which is a machine used to work the neck muscles. It was very cool! From there we got an explanation of how the brake dyno works and got to see them doing tests on different rotors. That was really interesting; the brakes were glowing bright red and were way over 1000 degrees! Right next to the brake dyno we got a sneak peek of the wind tunnel – not the inside, just an outside view, but it was still pretty cool and, like everything else, absolutely spotless. Then we went to see some old cars being prepared to go out on the track soon. There was one of Alain Prost’s cars and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship-winning car that will be out at Silverstone later on this week at the same time we will be testing on the opposite side of the circuit. From there we went to lunch. Yes, there is even a restaurant inside the factory. The food was great! After lunch we saw the room where all the engineers that don’t travel to each Grand Prix sit and watch the telemetry and even make calls about strategy and setup – directly from the factory. There were about 25 computers and five televisions in this room! Jakob then took us around the office areas. There must have been over 50 people in the two sections we saw working on different components of the car, probably 20 just on aerodynamics alone! There are over 1000 employees working at the McLaren Technology Center everyday, and 500 of them working on the Formula One cars! It really was an amazing experience.
We have a few more tours and an interview on Wednesday with Midweek Motorsports, which you can listen to on www.radiolemans.com, and then we begin practice at Silverstone for the Walter Hayes Trophy race this weekend. I’m really excited to get back into the car.
Special thanks to Jeremy Shaw and Jakob Andreasen for organizing our tour.
Spencer
Fun and variety
Corby, England (October 29, 2010) – The past few days have been a lot of fun. We have gone to a football (soccer!) match, raced go-karts, and visited Lola Cars as well as iSport International. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to do anymore testing in the Kent cars to prepare for the Walter Hayes Trophy Race in a few weeks time. The tracks have changed their schedules for the days we were planning on testing. Thankfully, we will have quite a lot of practice time at Silverstone during the days leading up to the event.
I was able to find tickets to go see Manchester United play a Carling Cup match earlier on this week. I am a huge fan and so is Peter Dempsey so we got four tickets and Felix, Cliff, Peter and myself all went. The first half was a little boring and there were no goals but the second half was great! In the end United won 3-2 with a very late goal and the stadium went crazy! It was an awesome way to end the match. The next night we did a charity go-kart race for 21&CO Charity. Our team comprised Felix, Emma Dempsey and me.. The kart we were assigned was a little slow but it was still a lot of fun. We ended up finishing third and were able to help a charity so it was a good night.
On Thursday we went on two tours, one of Lola Cars and then GP2 Championship- winning team iSport International. When we got to Lola there was one of Sebastien Bourdais’ Champ Cars and a very old Lola that ran at the Indianapolis 500 sitting in the lobby.
Sam Smith who is in charge of the marketing side of Lola took us through the entire factory. We got to see the 45 percent-scale wind tunnel, the shaker rig, the ovens where they cure the carbon fiber, and we also got a quick explanation of CFD which is a program on the computer which allows the designers to test new aerodynamic pieces much quicker and cheaper than testing them in the wind tunnel.
It was really interesting and I learnt a lot of new information about how cars are built and a lot about the company in general. Not only do they build race cars but the also unmanned aircraft for the government which was really neat to learn about.
In the afternoon we went to see iSport. The team principal Paul Jackson showed us around the shop and we got a chance to check out their simulator, which looked a lot of fun to drive. We also saw bits and pieces of the new 2011 GP2 car, awaiting to be assembled. We are heading over to Ireland tonight to spend a few days at the Dempseys’ house before we fly back over to England next week for some more tours.
Thanks to Lola and iSport for taking us around their facilities and the Team USA Scholarship for organizing everything. This trip continues to be a great education outside of the cockpit as well as in it!
Spencer
Duratec Test!
Corby, England (October 22, 2010) – I arrived at Cliff’s shop in Corby late Thursday afternoon. I had to take five different trains to get here! It took almost all day but eventually I found my way after almost missing one of the trains because I was getting some lunch! I just caught it before it started to pull away. Once I arrived we started to load the Duratec car and all of the tools into the truck. It didn’t take long since there was only one car and then we left for Brands Hatch. It was nice to be back at Brands with no pressure and just go out and have fun. All five of us slept in the trailer that night and there was quite a lot of snoring going on! Ha-ha. Peter Dempsey decided he couldn’t take it anymore and left the main area and went to the driver’s cabin to sleep!
When the morning finally came around we topped the car with gas and got it ready for Felix who did the first two sessions. It was horrible to sit there and watch since it seemed as though I had been waiting to drive the car for so long but that’s all apart of the deal. I didn’t really know what to expect out of the Duratec other than a lot more power but after the first session I realized just how different they were compared to the Kent car. There was virtually no grip on cold tires; it was like driving on ice! They took about five laps to get up to temperature where in the Kent cars it only takes about a lap. The other major difference was how patient you had to be with the pedals. If you pick up the throttle too early it will cause the front to understeer. Because of this, in the first session I was driving the car wrong. I was driving it like I drove the Kent, which worked for those cars but not the Duratecs. After going over the data and talking to Scott Malvern, who drove the car all year, I learnt a lot about how to adjust my driving to improve my times.
For the second session I made the necessary changes and gained about three tenths of a second. Overall the car was a lot of fun; I just wish I had more than two sessions!
I am going up to Manchester tomorrow with Cliff to drop some engines off at Bold Race Engines so that they will be fresh for the Walter Hayes Trophy race at Silverstone in a few weeks. I can’t wait to get back in the car!
Spencer
The Ups and Downs
Brands Hatch, England (October 17, 2010) – The Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch is now finished. Overall it was a great experience and I really enjoyed every part of it. There were ups and downs during the weekend but in the end I learnt a lot and had fun, which is the main thing.
I knew it was going to be a tough day, starting from the back in the Semi Final and having to work my way up. There isn’t really a rule on blocking so it is much harder to pass here and I really had to fight for almost every position. I started on the outside of the grid in 22nd. At Brands Hatch starting on the outside is actually better because the straight is slightly banked so you are pointing downhill from the outside and can get a better start. Standing starts are new to me but I got a pretty good one and was able to gain a few spots before Paddock Hill Bend.
I was working my way through the field and never had any real trouble passing anyone until I was fighting for P6. He was determined not to let me by, putting my into the grass, weaving down the straight, and doing everything possible to keep me behind. Eventually I got alongside him going into Graham Hill Bend, but he still turned in on me, hit my rear tire and flew in the air. Thankfully my car was fine and I kept going but I got passed by another car behind me. I finished the Semi Final in sixth, which gave me an 11th position starting spot for the final. In the Final I was up to eight when there was a red flag about halfway through the race. After the restart I gained a few more spots but by the time I got to sixth the next few cars were about a second ahead of me. I put my head down and really pushed to catch them and when I did they were both extremely hard to pass. There are not many passing spots at Brands but after a few laps I had passed them and gotten into fourth. There were only a few laps left and I was pushing really hard to catch the leaders. I set fastest lap of the race in the process but there just wasn’t enough time and I finished fourth.
In the end it was a good result considering where I had to start and it was a lot of fun to come from the back. The car was handling fantastic and I learnt a lot about the car. We will take that information to Silverstone and try again there. I’m going to visit my grandparents in Manchester tomorrow for a few days before we are back here at Brands to test a Duratec Formula Ford, which is about four seconds quicker than the Kent! That will be very exciting!
Thanks to everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing for the great car this weekend and all of the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship for giving me this opportunity!
Spencer
Testing done, now onto the races!
Brands Hatch, England (October 15, 2010) – Today was the final day of testing before the race weekend begins. We only did a few sessions because it’s not necessary to wear out the equipment for the weekend. Yesterday we were able to find a little bit more speed in the car, which was really encouraging because we thought we had gotten all that we could. Today we didn’t get to do much more development on the car because the first session was damp. It was good in a way because it gave us a chance to learn about the car and the track in difficult conditions just in case it is like that for the race even though it is supposed to be sunny for the rest of the weekend. The second session wasn’t very beneficial either because there was a lot of traffic and a lot of red flags due to other cars being stuck in the gravel traps.
The experience outside the car is just as good as what has been happening on-track. I’m having a lot of fun and everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing is great to hang out with and we’re always having a laugh. They’re teaching me a lot of British words and sayings, which I probably can’t repeat here! It’s also cool to see that a lot of people remember my dad [Barry]. He raced Formula Ford back in the late 1970s and there are still people that are involved with the races now that were around then. Several people have come up and asked me if he was my dad and told me that he was actually pretty quick. I never thought he was!
This week is also my first time really working with an engineer, which is a really cool process. When I get out of the car we go over data and talk about what exactly the car is doing and how we can make it better for the next session. We have strategies for every session to accomplish a certain time or work on a specific area of the circuit.
On Saturday we have one qualifying session and one heat race. Felix and I have both been assigned the same qualifying and heat group along with a lot of other fast drivers. I’m very confident for qualifying; we are both very competitive compared to all of the other drivers.
Spencer Pigot
Another Great Day of Testing!
Brands Hatch, England (October 13, 2010) – We just finished our second day at Brands Hatch getting prepared for the Formula Ford Festival this weekend. The first day I was lapping in the low 50-second range, which we think is a fast time compared to the races that have been run recently.
In the first session this morning I was determined to break into the 49s. At the beginning of the session I was doing low 50-second times and thought we might need to do a few changes to the car to make it that much better. Then I saw a 49.9 on my dash. I knew it was a good lap but I wasn’t sure it would be that fast. The following lap I did a 48.8! After doing a few laps in the 49s the tires started to get a bit hot which made the car slide around so I pitted for the rest of the session. The team thinks that these times will put us right at the front so it’s very encouraging.
It seemed like we had hit a bit of a wall in terms of improving the time so for the second session we decided to try changing the tire pressures just to see how the car reacted. It was good for the first few laps but the tires overheated much quicker and I started to slow down. I came in and we dropped the tire pressures to what we had set them at in the first session and continued to do low 50-second times, but no 49s. For the final session my mechanic and I decided just to try something extreme so we went really stiff on the front and rear anti-roll bars, just to see what would happen. The car generally lost grip so I came in within a few laps. When I was in the pits I asked to go back to where we had it on the rear bar and to full soft in the front. The car felt much better instantly; the changes gave it a bit more balance and a lot more front grip and I was able to get back down to a 49.8-second lap. We didn’t go out for the last session because we put in a different engine that will hopefully be a bit quicker.
Overall the day went very well. The car was handling great at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to trying out the new engine; hopefully it will give us a few tenths. Tomorrow is another full day of practice. We get four sessions on track and they are each about 40 minutes long, which gives us plenty of laps. Quick thanks to everyone that supports the Team USA Scholarship and the Cliff Dempsey Racing Team; it’s a great experience to be here racing in England.
Spencer
Finally Here!
Brands Hatch, England (October 11, 2010) – Just over a week ago I was at Road Atlanta for the final rounds of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Series Presented by Mazda. I won one race and the championship! I was also awarded the Team USA Scholarship award along with my friend Felix Serralles. It is a prize that is given to two of the best up-and-coming American drivers and allows us to race in the British Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy Race at Silverstone in a Formula Ford 1600 with Cliff Dempsey Racing. It’s a great honor to be over here representing my country and being apart of a list of drivers that have won the award that have gone on to win major championships and races such as the Indianapolis 500. I am really looking forward to this experience and trying to continue the winning streak of the scholarship drivers in the recent years!
We have finally arrived at Brands Hatch after a long trip from Orlando, Fla., to London. I had been extremely busy the previous week with getting caught up with the schoolwork I missed while I was at Road Atlanta and I had to take the SATs the morning I left for England.
Felix and I were both on the same flight since we live relatively close to each other in Florida. It was a really long flight through the night and I didn’t manage to get much rest. We got to England on Sunday morning at about 6:30am and the lady at customs almost didn’t let us in! She didn’t believe the fact that we were in England to race so I had to explain to her all about the Team USA Scholarship and she eventually let us in after about five minutes. From there we went straight to Brands Hatch to watch the final rounds of the British Touring Car Championship, which was really cool! There was a huge crowd because it was the final rounds of the BTCC and the championship was between a few drivers. The races were very exciting and it gave us a chance to see the track up close. I got to hang out a lot with the winner of the Ginetta Cup races, Carl Breeze, who gave me some hints about the circuit.
Then I finally got to catch up on some sleep. I slept from 8:00pm to 9:30am! I’m all over the jet lag and really excited for the first day of testing on Tuesday. Today we went to the gym in the morning and then over to the paddock to help the team set up the tent. Once we had finally finished with the set up we went on a track walk with Peter Dempsey which was very helpful because he has driven around the track many times in the Formula Ford. He gave us a lot of good tips. My car didn’t arrive until about 9:30pm. It looks great, I can’t wait to drive it! We got back to the hotel at about 11:30pm after both of us got the seats and belts all sorted out of the cars. We start testing early Tuesday morning!
Spencer Pigot
