Home Sweet Home
Wayside, New Jersey (November 10, 2011) – Ah, home at last! Even though I really enjoyed having the Dempsey’s as “parents” (they are the BEST people!) and being at Silverstone was awesome, it is nice to finally sleep in my own bed. I do have to admit I missed my family just a little bit, too! My two trips to England were definitely the most incredible experiences of my life so far. Every single moment was exciting, from the trips back and forth alone through the airports, to driving on legendary tracks, to working with 
all the awesome people at Cliff Dempsey Racing – and getting used to their accents! – and, mostly, to meeting so many new people that I am now proud to call my friends. I really hope I can go back sometime soon because the learning experience was second-to-none!
The last time I reported to you, I had the opportunity to visit Jaguar, McLaren and Lola Cars (RIGHT, with Sebastien Bourdais' multiple Champ Car title winning car, courtesy Sam Smith). Finally, on Thursday, we began testing. I got my first taste of a wet/damp Silverstone, which made it pretty challenging to learn the track. On Friday, the conditions for testing were the same as Thursday – wet in the morning then semi-dry in the afternoon. At this point, I was definitely ready for a wet race if there was to be one. Saturday morning was the first time it was not fully wet when the day started. I had my qualifying session in the morning and my first heat race in the afternoon. I managed to place myself third on the grid in qualifying, but I was bumped up to second after some penalties were given after qualifying. My heat race was off to a good start! I held my position and around Lap 3, I was able to work my way up to the lead and stay there for the remainder of the race. It turned out to be an excellent day for the Cliff Dempsey Racing team as I won my heat, Neil dominated his, and Cormac O’Neill took the checkers in his heat as well. Cliff and Andrew Jones (my mechanic/car owner) were really happy that I was finally able to get the track down. We were looking forward to a good day on Sunday.
Saturday night was amazing, too. Neil, the team and I headed to the Jimmy Brown Centre for a forum. Neil and I were interviewed along with all of the other drivers who won heats throughout the day. It was great fun! We got back to the hotel around 11:00 pm. It was a long but awesome day, as I had a chance to meet and hang out with many of the drivers I was competing against. They were a bunch of really cool guys. Cliff kept taking me around the room, introducing me to people, which was very nice of him. He’d say, “ Hi, this is Trent. He’s 12!” Ha! Ha! It was actually very funny! Once Neil and I got back to our hotel, we basically just fell into our beds. Luckily, we weren’t on track for our Semi Final until around 1:00 pm Sunday afternoon.
Sunday morning was the first bright and sunny morning since Wednesday! It was great to finally see that the sun was out and the ground was dry. That meant we would finally have a dry racetrack. I was kind of worried in a way because I did not have the chance to drive on a dry Silverstone, so I didn’t know what to expect. I guess I would have to learn fast! To make the Grand Final, you had to finish in the top 18 in your Semi Final, so the pressure was certainly on. Thankfully, my Semi Final was very good. I was up against some tough competition. I started second and stayed there for the first few laps. Eventually I fell back to fourth but I was still able to be in the fight for the lead. I felt good about that because I knew we had a good shot at being in the hunt for a podium in the Final. I lined up in seventh for the Grand Final event of the weekend. This was it, this was the race that would decide the 2011 Walter Hayes Trophy champion. It was no longer all about just “trying to get through.” This was going to be the all-out, cutthroat, take-no-prisoners racing – just like I expected it would be.
I got off to a good start but I was blocked by another driver going into Turn One and eventually lost a few positions. I slowly was crawling my way back up through the pack, but quickly losing touch with the lead six cars. There was contact. There was passing (BELOW, courtesy Jeff Bloxham). And there was tire smoke everywhere. It was insane! It was about six laps in that I started to hunt down the lead pack. I was working well with Ivor McCullough and we caught the lead pack very quickly. Catching a group is one thing, passing them and getting through it is another story... The fight for the lead was now seven cars. I found myself up to third until I had contact with another driver and fell to the back of our little pack. Again, I worked my way through it. I continued battling for the final podium spot with three other drivers until, finally, I saw the checkered flag and that was it, the race was over and I ended up sixth. I was very pleased with the result. The drivers here are so good and have so much experience. I really had a blast racing against them! But for the life of me, I cannot figure out how 
Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi managed to get wins over here in the UK when they represented Team USA, They made it look so easy! I tried my hardest to bring home the win for Cliff Dempsey Racing, but sixth was all I could do.
To be very honest with you, this whole experience has been everything I imagined it would be – and more. Absolutely fantastic! It was truly an honor and a privilege to be part of the Team USA Scholarship. To represent your country on foreign soil is like no other feeling in the world. It’s exciting, a bit scary, and humbling all at the same time. I would encourage all the Junior drivers out there in the U.S. to look into Jeremy’s program, work hard and prepare yourself for what could be your chance of a lifetime. I would give anything to go back to Europe and race again; that’s how much I personally enjoyed it! Trust me; it is not easy. There are expectations and commitments both on and off the track. But I know that because of everything I learned and experienced in the UK, I will definitely become a better, more mature driver.
My heartfelt thanks go out to Jeremy Shaw, Cliff and Michelle Dempsey, my mechanic/car owner Andrew Jones, the entire Cliff Dempsey Racing team and all of the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship. They are the people who made it all happen!
I hope you all enjoyed reading and following along. I want you to know how much I truly appreciated all of your support.
Thanks for being a great audience!
Trent
McLaren, McLaren, and some more McLaren... Did I mention anything about McLaren?
Silverstone, England (November 3, 2011) – The last time I talked to you, I was in a small pub in the middle of Corby. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to visit McLaren. As the world’s biggest McLaren fan, I’m pretty sure that my jaw was dragging on the ground when I saw the sign at the entrance to the McLaren Technology Center. I knew that the inside of the main building would be incredible after seeing the security gate building – yes, the security building! After that escapade, we finally went into the Technology Center, and when we emerged from the elevator, we walked out onto a balcony that was overlooking the collection of cars that are significant to McLaren's history. Included were Bruce’s original Austin 7, Emerson Fittipaldi’s championship winning car, the first ever carbon fiber race car, the MP4-1, three of Ayrton Senna’s championship winning cars, and two of Mika Hakkinen’s championship winning cars. As I was dreaming of driving each and every one of those cars, our “tour guide” Neil Trundle had met up with us. Neil is a gentleman who has worked at McLaren since the 1970s. He has been the lead mechanic and lead engineer at one time for the Formula 1 team.
Neil Alberico and I were lucky enough to get “full access passes” by being with Mr. Trundle. He took us through every car in the collection, brought us to the wind tunnel, gladly showed us the actual race bays where the four McLaren MP4-26 cars get prepped for their next event, let us see and hold a steering wheel from Lewis Hamilton’s MP4-23 2008 car, and even showed us the machine shop. There is nothing small about McLaren either. The building is huge, the machine shop is enormous, the wind tunnel is a building inside a building; it is absolutely incredible!! I never wanted to leave!
Aside from our amazing tour of McLaren, on Wednesday, Neil and I met up with John Hindhaugh (a Le Mans commentator and founder of Radio Le Mans) to visit Lola Cars. Lola was incredible as well! Not only does Lola build race cars, they also use their experience from racing to build the carbon fiber bodies used on UAVs for the military. It was fantastic stuff! I really enjoyed seeing some LMP cars coming together. It was phenomenal! After our excellent tour of Lola, John took me and Neil to Silverstone, where he interviewed us for a segment on his Wednesday night radio show called Midweek Motorsport, right before he left to head home. Neil and I were sitting in the hotel room later that night listening to our interviews. I always feel kind of weird hearing myself talk, but I think my interview went well and so did Neil’s.
If you are currently wondering where I am writing this blog from, I am in the Cliff Dempsey Racing trailer right outside our garage in Silverstone! Today was our first day on track. It rained overnight Wednesday and the track has been wet/damp all day today. Finally it was mostly dry in our last session at 5:00 pm! I was pleased that I did get some semi-dry laps in because the forecast doesn’t look so good for the rest of the weekend, but hopefully the weatherman is wrong!
Tomorrow is another practice day and all the action really begins on Saturday morning with qualifying. I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but I can't say enough how awesome an experience this has been for me. Every day just keeps getting better and better!
Stay tuned...
Trent
From Jersey to Jaguar!
Corby, England (October 31, 2011) – As I report to you now, I’m in a small pub right down the road from Cliff and Michelle Dempsey’s house in Corby. Neil and I are staying here until Wednesday when we make our move to a hotel near the track. I must admit, I’m spent after flying in overnight on the red eye.
Believe it or not, the time between Brands Hatch and my trip back now for Silverstone actually went by very quickly. I was kept quite busy catching up on all my missed school work from the first trip. I would like to give a quick shout-out to all my teachers, counselors and everyone at Ocean Township High School for their patience. They have been really awesome. I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to make yet another trip to the UK and miss even more school work. Without all of their help, I would never have been able to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
My first day back in the UK was great. I was able to breeze through customs this time, which was quite a surprise! Even though Jeremy Shaw will not be here for this trip, he still has many great tours planned for us before we get on track at Silverstone on Thursday. Today, after Michelle and Neil picked me up from London Heathrow Airport, we drove directly to the Jaguar Cars factory in Birmingham. It was so cool to see the brand new Jags roll down the assembly line, waiting for a proud buyer to finally receive their long awaited car. It was a lot different being at such a modernized factory compared to our last visit, which was Morgan Cars.
Over the course of the week, Jeremy has lined up some amazing places for Neil and me to visit. Tomorrow we visit McLaren, the best team in Formula One, no ifs, ands or buts!!!!! (That’s just my opinion of course; I’m sure many people have facts to prove me wrong). Anyway, I absolutely cannot wait for it!!! On Wednesday, we have a visit to Lola Cars, the company that makes many of the winning prototype cars for the ALMS and Le Mans series. Also, we may have a visit to the Status Grand Prix GP3 team! I’m really looking forward to that because I would love to drive a GP3 car one day!
Our on track activities begin on Thursday, so I still have a bit of time to get used to the time change. I will also have plenty of time to recover from the shock of actually being able to visit my favorite team in Formula One, McLaren!! Seriously, I can’t put into words how excited I am about that particular tour. There are many exciting things coming up for me and Neil, so keep track of everything by visiting http://teamusascholarship.org or my Twitter page, www.twitter.com/trenthindman.
Thanks for reading, and as always, thanks for your support!
Trent
You Don't Have to be in a Classroom to get Schooled...
Wayside, N.J. (October 24, 2011) – After our tour of the Morgan Cars factory, our adventure through London and finally getting to meet the Cliff Dempsey Racing team, it was time to get on track. I have watched races from Brands Hatch for years and now finally having the chance to drive it was unbelievable! I was relieved that I would get plenty of laps; three full days of testing. I was able to get used to the track and car within the first day. Thursday was even better because more and more people who I would be competing against were getting on track. This meant that we would soon realize how we Americans would stack up against the Europeans.
Friday was the official practice day, and I do have to admit, it was extremely difficult trying to get clean laps with over 40 cars on a 1.2-mile track! It was quite entertaining and I was happy that I was able to get some practice passing. It was also really tough with the amount of red flags in the sessions as well. At the end of the day, Cliff and I felt confident that we were ready for the races.
Since there were so many cars, there were two separate heats for the Kent class. Neil was in Group One and I was in Group Two. Neil was out first on Saturday and he drew first blood for Team USA! He qualified P1 and went on to win his heat , too, later in the day. I was happy that my qualifying session went just as good and I was able to set a decent lap early. Then as the times started dropping, things became a bit more entertaining as another car in the session dropped oil all over the track. This caused a stoppage that left eight minutes at the end of the session. Luckily I set the fast time early because the track conditions never really got back to where they were. I ended up qualifying P1 in my heat, so the Americans were two-for-two! My heat was later on in the day and I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. Here I was, starting P1 in my first race outside of North America. I knew everyone back home would be watching. You would think I'd be super-pumped up, right? Wrong. I had never done a standing start in my life! I was a nervous wreck but I figured I've watched enough Formula One that I would just do it the way Vettel does it. How hard could that be? Thankfully, I did get a good start and was able to pull out a lead. About halfway through the 14-lap race, a Safety Car period occurred. I was getting a bit anxious again because I knew that I had to get a good restart to build another gap. Everything eventually worked out and I won my heat. Saturday was just a perfect day for the Americans.
Sunday was shaping up to be a great day again. Neil stayed on top in his Semi Final early in the morning. I was in Semi Final 2 and again starting from pole. Unfortunately, I did not have a great start this time, so I fell back to P2. On the second lap going into Druid's Hairpin after Paddock Hill Bend, there was contact between me and the driver in third place. I was turned around 180 degrees and had to wait for the whole field to pass before I could continue. That, unfortunately, put me back to 24th. I needed to place in the top 14 to secure a position in the final. All I could do was put my head down and fight like heck. I drove as hard as I could. My efforts were successful and I ended up 11th. Not the best, but I was in! For the final, I was starting a dismal 21st after what happened in the semi, but there was no point in whining or complaining. I just had to drive and give it all I had again. I was able to get a good start and started climbing my way up through the field (photo left courtesy of Jeff Bloxham). The battle was getting tougher and tougher lap after lap. The battle for 15th was just as tough, if not tougher, than the battle for the lead. It was incredible! I was able to get up to ninth in the 20-lap race. All in all, not a bad finish considering what had happened. Congratulations to Neil who finished an impressive P3 - a great showing for the Americans! I'd also like to say good job to Spencer in the Duratec class. He was having a bit of tire trouble and I think we all know that Spencer is a great driver, but unfortunately the results didn't show that.
Before I arrived in the UK, I had heard countless tales of how aggressively the Europeans drive and how much blocking they do. I was expecting it and I have to say, they certainly didn't disappoint! However, I can honestly say that I truly did enjoy this type of racing. It seemed like real racing to me, where you really had to fight for each and every position. Sure, I would have loved to have been on the podium. But after driving from the back of the pack twice, I do feel like a learned a ton in the short time I was there. When you race with drivers like these, you get a sense of accomplishment just knowing you were able to do some overtaking.
After a great weekend at Brands, it was time to head home and finally go back to school. I hope these next two weeks go by quickly because I cannot wait to return to the UK for the Walter Hayes Trophy race at Silverstone. I am looking forward to working with everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing again. They are all amazing! I would like to say thank you to Cliff and Michelle and the entire team, as well as Jeremy Shaw and all of the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship program for giving me this awesome opportunity. Without a doubt, this has definitely been the coolest experience of my life!
Until next time...
Trent
Finally Here!
Brands Hatch, England (October 12, 2011) – The last time I reported to you I was in Canada. Now I’m finally in the UK! For weeks, all I could think about was how many more days, hours, minutes, even seconds until I’d arrive in England, and to actually be here now is quite amazing! Anyway, as soon as Sebastian Ordonez and I got off the plane after the 5 hour 45 minute flight from Newark to London Heathrow, Jeremy told us that we had a busy day in store! He wasn’t lying!
First we had to make a few stops from the airport, but after those were finished, we made our way to Silverstone to pick up my Team USA Scholarship teammates Spencer and Neil. After some lunch, we made the hour long drive to the Morgan Cars factory in Worcestershire. Morgan is the oldest hand built car in the world. Our tour was courtesy of Chris Witty, a gentleman with whom Jeremy used to work at Autosport magazine.
We made the two-hour drive back to Beaconsfield to have a delicious dinner. Now an adventure was about to begin as Neil, Spencer, Sebastian and I had to catch a train to our hotel, which is right at the track at Brands Hatch. After switching trains somewhere in London, we finally got to the train station near the hotel around 11:00 pm. I had been awake for what felt like forever, and all I wanted to do was jump into the nearest bed!
Tuesday was my second day in the UK and I was able to adapt to the time change fairly well. I finally got to the track and was able to meet the team, as well as Michelle and Cliff Dempsey. Everyone was super-nice and I am really looking forward to working with them. Unfortunately, my car would not be at the track until later on in the day, so the four of us Americans decided to go to the mall and see a movie. By the time it was over, my car was ready for me to have the seat poured, get fitted, and be comfortable.
Wednesday was my first time on the track, and it was absolutely incredible! Brands Hatch is one of those legendary tracks that most true petrolheads (the UK term for gearhead!) have on their bucket lists. Brands is really fun to drive, especially when I have a teacher as good as Cliff instructing me! Testing continues until Friday, so there is plenty more time to get used to the car and the track!
Even though I’m extremely exhausted right now, I’m so excited I don’t even know if I’ll be able to sleep. But...my pillow is looking really good, so I think I’ll say good night!
Stay tuned...
Trent
Getting Closer!
Bowmanville, Ont., Canada (October 1, 2011) – It’s almost time! I have been dying to jump on the plane and get over to England ever since it was announced that Spencer, Neil and I would be the Team USA Scholarship drivers this year. Even though I am incredibly excited to get to the UK, these past few weeks have been unbelievably busy. As I am writing this, I am in Mosport again for the final round of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship. I am very happy to say that I am the 2011 OFFC Champion as well as winning the Rookie of the Year award. I am so happy that I won my first car championship with such a great team in a great series. Running the OFFC this year with Brian Graham and BGR Team Grote has been an excellent learning experience for me! I definitely will use all that I have learned this season when I go to England.
This next week before I go to the UK is the finale of the Skip Barber National Championship. I’m extremely excited because it is at Lime Rock Park (photo, right, by courtesy of Kelly Brouillet/Skip Barber Racing School) , one of my favorite tracks, and it is still possible for me to win the championship. It will be very difficult, but it is very possible that it can happen. In between Mosport and Lime Rock, it would be nice if I could make an appearance at school! I do have to fit in a few days of classes before I head off to the next race. I am very lucky that my teachers and counselors have been very patient and supportive of my racing so far this season. I can’t thank them enough for that!
Since we are racing the finale in Lime Rock, we cannot race on Sundays, so everything is scheduled a day earlier whenever we race there. The final race of the season will be wrapped up on Saturday. Then it’s off to the Skip Barber banquet to celebrate a great season with all my friends and teammates on Saturday evening. I am looking forward to that! When it ends, my parents and I will make the quick three-hour drive home to New Jersey where my mom will spend the better part of Sunday washing my smelly racing gear and getting me packed up for my flight to England. I will be flying through the night Sunday and many people have told me I must try to sleep so I am ready to roll when Jeremy picks me up at London Heathrow on Monday morning. But to be honest with you, how the heck am I going to sleep? My excitement level is literally off the charts right now!
The next time I report to you, I will either be in Connecticut racing at Skip Barber or, hopefully, I will be in England! Either way, I am really enjoying writing these blogs, and I can’t wait to report on what it is like in the UK, being away from everything I am used to and being on my own. For now though, reporting from North America is the best I can do!
Until next time...
Trent
What a great surprise!
Wayside, N.J. (September 9, 2011) – Being selected for this year’s Team USA Scholarship came as a complete surprise for me! I was in Mosport for a Formula Ford 1600 race this past weekend, and when I heard the announcement that I had been selected, I was ecstatic! When it finally sunk in that I would be going to the UK to represent the United States in the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy events, I really did realize how great this opportunity is for me. I have always wanted to go race in Europe, and now, thanks to the Team USA Scholarship, I will finally be able to do so!
Being selected to represent the United States and the Team USA Scholarship is quite an honor. I have wanted to be a part of the program ever since I was a little kid and learned about what it was. I am extremely grateful to everybody who makes this great scholarship program possible! Jeremy Shaw, along with the scholarship’s many supporters, do an incredible job of putting everything together so young junior drivers even have an opportunity like this available!
Unfortunately, I could not be in Baltimore for the official announcement due to the fact that I was contesting the Ontario Formula Ford Championship with Brian Graham of BGR Team Grote (RIGHT, en route to victory in Montreal/Photo courtesy of Teresa Matkovich, Photo Arts International). Originally, I went to Canada to race Formula Fords for extra seat time in between the Skip Barber National races. I am really happy that I am racing up there now because it is good practice for when I go to the UK! Anyway, this weekend I got two poles, a win, and a second! I am really pleased with how everything is going up there.
I am super-excited to “get this show on the road!” I cannot stop thinking about what it is going to be like driving through Paddock Hill Bend at Brands Hatch or Becketts at Silverstone! But before I get too caught up with going to the UK, I have to keep thinking about finishing the year in the Skip Barber National Championship and the Ontario Formula Ford Championship!
I can’t wait!!
Trent
