Colin Mullan: First Impressions

Written by Team USA. Posted in Colin Mullan, Driver Blogs, Feature

Published on October 11, 2018 with No Comments

It was cold out there!

DERBY, England – I arrived at Gatwick Airport on Tuesday feeling well rested after a 10–hour flight from Northern California. Jake arrived a few hours afterward, whereupon we were met by Michelle Dempsey, who was kind enough to drive us from the airport to the race shop in Corby.

The quaint village of Brigstock, home to the Dempseys.

There, we met Cliff for the first time. The cars were still in the process of being wrapped but looked fantastic already. Just a quick look around the cars and shop shows that Cliff takes a great amount of pride in his work. From there, we headed to the Dempseys’ house to get unpacked and settled into our rooms. Later, Michelle treated Jake and me to a meal at the pub right across the street. We also got a quick look at some video for Donington Park. It looks like a great track with lots of elevation changes and high-speed corners. I’m very excited to be getting out there tomorrow.

The next morning, after getting caught up on sleep, we headed back to the shop for the seat fittings. We were able to get a better feel for the shop and cars. The livery was stunning once complete, and I’m happy to get some of my supporters, the Parkinson’s Institute and Gripple on the side as well!

I was able to use an existing seat with some small modifications and got all the belts sorted easily. My only experience in an F1600 was in a Mygale chassis with Rice Race Prep at Summit Point this year. Although the cars look similar, they are a quite different fit. The Mygale was much more snug, while the Ray has a bit more room on the inside. It’ll take a little getting used to, but I’m very curious to compare how the cars drive over here with the Ford engine and different tires.

We leave early tomorrow morning from our hotel for testing at Donington. Competing in the final round of the BRSCC FF1600 National Championship will be a great experience to prepare for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch next week!

Colin

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