The Formula Junior scene is phenomenal ... active groups racing in Europe, Australia/NZ, US and a few in South Africa. So many of the group are happy to travel, with their cars. It makes a very cosmopolitan crowd ... during the final two weekends of the championship I ate meals with the Portuguese, Australians, Italians, Americans, the Scottish contingent, Belgians, Swiss and various different groups of Brits, etc. It's a very sociable group of people anyway, add into that the fact that we were all overseas in the autumn sunshine having some playtime, and it becomes very convivial!
The weekend after the Algarve some of the crowd were going to be joining the US contingent racing at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. As soon as Kim gets home to Australia, he'll be out racing again at Sandown and then Eastern Creek. In early December there is a race for FJ at Bahamas Speed Week in Nassau. It really is amazing, an FJ racer with time on his hands and the finances to suit, could probably race somewhere in the world on maybe 40 weekend of the year - I've guessed at that, but you'll get the point!
FJ is routinely on the race programme of the biggest historic race meetings in the World ... Goodwood Revival, VHRR Phillip Island, Laguna Seca, Oldtimer GP at Nurburgring, GPAO Dijon, Silverstone Classic... At many of these events it actually produces the biggest grids and the best racing on the entire programme.
By my reckoning we had 77 competitors in Lurani this year, from 15 different countries.
The very same weekend as we were turning out 30 cars to race in Algarve, another 36 were lining up to race at Silverstone in the final round of the UK Championship - 126 drivers took part in that Championship!
Oh, and 39 competitors ran in the UK-based Front-engined FJ series too!
The cars are fun to drive, the front-runners are seriously quick and talented drivers, but there is good competition right down the field, and the guys racing the older front-engined cars have just as much fun. The Class structure, whilst perhaps a little 'clunky' in some regards, does mean that everyone has something to shoot for. We drive these old cars quite hard so they let us down occasionally, but they are usually pretty simple bits of kit to repair - as you've seen from my experience this season, a 'proactive' and preventative approach to maintenance can reward you with a constant stream of chequered flags!
I won't be able to come back and have another full tilt at Lurani - at least for some time - but I do expect to retain an FJ - if there's one in the garage ready to go, then I know that I'd be able to find somewhere to go and have fun with it whenever the time and opportunity presents itself!
No comments:
Post a Comment