Scott Huffaker: From Track to Track

Ah, actually this is Maranello, not Brigstock!

BRIGSTOCK, England – Late Tuesday night Josh and I arrived back in England from our trip to Italy. We had a great time visiting the Lamborghini factory on Monday and the Dallara factory Tuesday. It was incredible to gain a first-hand insight into how the road and race Lamborghinis are hand-built, one at a time, and all of the precision, technology and preparation that goes into producing Dallara’s huge range of race cars from Formula 1 to Indy cars, Indy Lights cars, sports cars and small-formula classes. On our way to the airport we stopped by the Ferrari museum in Maranello to complete our memorable journey. It was so cool to see another country for the first time and sample some great Italian food!

Donington Park has so much history.

Wednesday we left the Dempseys to go to Donington Park, the track I was most looking forward to. First thought that comes to mind about Donington is Ayrton Senna’s incredible start at the 1993 Donington Grand Prix, where he started from fourth and progressed to the lead by the end of the first lap. It could be argued to be the best lap ever in the history of F1.

Arriving at Donington, the track was dry which was good as we had little running in these conditions during our previous visit to Oulton Park and it would allow us to get a good feeling for the car. The track was immediately one of my favorites with a great mix of corners and tons of elevation change. The test day was fairly standard; we accomplished everything we needed to on the basis of pace and consistency. Next up was Snetterton.

A typically eclectic British open test session!

The drive to Snetterton, in Norfolk, was the longest journey we had to make this month and it was only two hours away! There are so many tracks within such a small distance it makes traveling so much easier than back home! When we arrived at the hotel it took us forever to figure out how to turn the lights on. We turned every switch on and off, but nothing worked. After getting frustrated we decided to go ask the front desk but on our way out we stumbled upon a small box by the door. We tried pressing on it and opening it until we decided to press the key to the room against it. All of the lights lit up at once. Finally we could work on getting to sleep.

How do you like the British style?

The first session on Friday was damp. The track was very long so it was difficult to get up to speed. The second session was completely dry so we had to change all of our references that we had learned in the first practice, but I unfortunately got a puncture so was unable to make the most of the session. Third practice was in full wet conditions which was something we had not driven in yet. The final session was damp but it got cut short because of a big storm that rapidly took over the track. When I approached Turn One (Riches) the track was almost completely dry and when I got to the middle of the corner I was hit with a wall of water. At the end of the day it was a success, we got to drive the cars in all conditions which leaves us ready and feeling well prepared for anything the Formula Ford Festival can throw at us.

The unmistakable London Eye.

Today we ventured to London to do some shopping and to go sightseeing. Michelle dropped us off at the train station so we could get the full experience by ourselves. First, we walked around the London Eye and Big Ben. Then we decided to walk to Buckingham Palace where we found a street parade going on. Something that was new for us was the bells that rang when the time reached noon; they made it extremely hard to talk. We then decided to go shopping to get some clothes to help keep us warm during the windy day. Finally, we headed back to the Dempseys after a relaxing day in the city.

Next, we plan on taking a tour of Ilmor Engineering on Monday, and then finally we get to leave for the Festival on Tuesday and take on the two big events we’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait!

Scott