Nolan Allaer: Bring on Donington
Hello all!
As this is my first blog, I believe an introduction is in order. I am Nolan Allaer, an American from the state of Michigan. This is my first year racing in the UK. It is an honor (not honour) to be doing it under the Ammonite tent and driving alongside my incredible teammates.
Having now completed two National Formula Ford rounds and three United Formula Ford weekends, I have a solid grasp on the level of myself, the field, and what it will take to be successful. Before entering the British racing scene, I’d heard many rumors (not rumours) about the competition, aggression, and prestige of the Formula Ford series. These rumors have lived up to their reputation. The field is unlike anything I have ever seen. I have learned more in the past few months than ever before.
As the first national round is ancient history, and drivers are only as good as their last race, we will look back on our recent round at Snetterton Circuit in Norwich. Unfortunately for me I was tasked with writing a blog on a weekend I’m not entirely proud of.
Coming off an efficient day of testing on Friday, we went into qualifying with a plan. Due to the length of the track and straights, Snetterton is one of the most important tracks on the calendar for drafting. Therefore my teammate and fellow Michigander Elliott and I set off to work together and tow to a quick lap. Unfortunately for us, our single car draft was no match for the pack draft of the other cars on track. With the field being incredibly tight on raw pace, we were outgunned in qualifying by our competition drafting together. Resulting in a 6th for myself and 5th for Elliott.
In short, race one was a frustrating battle with the 5th place car while the front running pack slipped out the draft range. While my pace was faster than the 5th place car and enough to contend in the lead pack, a poor launch and bad timing on overtakes ruined my momentum. My biggest take away was learning the importance of making overtakes at the right moments, while not losing too much time on the exits. I may have beaten the rivalling 5th place car, but I’d given up my chance with the lead pack. Fourth place after a DQ.
Race two was also a race to forget (or remember in my opinion). Due to a DQ in the race before, I’d been promoted to 4th place and would be starting on the second row. An “adequate” launch left me running in the top 4 for the majority of the race. I was happy to stay with the pack and was shaping up to move forward when I fell under pressure from a car behind. A lock up while defending on the inside of the track led to contact with the 3rd place (at the time) car, and resulted in a DNF for myself. It was time to reassess my mindset when it comes to pressure from chasing cars. A shame to be out of the race when a podium was up for grabs, but I feel better for it. More on that later…
Race three was a lonely one. Having DNF’d in the race before (which then turned into a DQ that didn’t change much), I started from dead last. After clearing as many cars as quickly as possible, the race ended early due to delays throughout the day. Resulting in a sixth place finish.
Photo: Jake Potter Photography
Coming off this round I had time to digest the outcome and put together a strategy for the future. After a change of mindset while under pressure, practice with standing starts, and becoming more comfortable with the level of aggression, I was able to secure my first podium (without promoting penalties) at Snetterton this past weekend for the United Formula Ford round. I am very happy with what we learned from the National Championship round and I greatly look forward to this coming weekend at Donington Park Circuit. I’m a new driver and I can’t wait to hit the track.
Of course none of this would be possible without the support of the Ammonite team, and my incredible sponsors Martini and Lochmoor Promotions. We are getting better every weekend and I know it will pay off soon.
Here’s to more paperweights, silverware, hardware, and some low resolution podium pictures,
-Nolan