CONCLUSIONS OF A POSITIVE FIRST DAY OF THE INAUGURAL #FORMULADRIVESMART

It was a bright start to the day at Silverstone Circuit where 15 of the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s Young Drivers assembled at the BRDC Clubhouse, greeted by representatives of IAM RoadSmart.  Joining forces to promote a clear message of road safety, the BRDC and IAM RoadSmart have launched the first ever #FormulaDriveSmart which, over the two day event based at the Home of British Motor Sport, will give some of Great Britain’s most talented young racing drivers the opportunity to receive advanced driver training for the public road.  It is hoped by the end of day two, the BRDC’s Rising Stars and SuperStars taking part will be at the standard required to take their advanced driving test and become fully fledged members of IAM RoadSmart.

After a welcome briefing by BRDC President Paddy Hopkirk MBE and IAM RoadSmart Head of Driving Standards Richard Gladman, the drivers were paired up with IAM RoadSmart observers before heading out onto the public road in one of the wide range of carefully selected vehicles, kindly provided by MINI UK and Drive Silverstone.  During their first driving session, it was an opportunity for the BRDC Young Drivers to practice the System of Car Control, a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is safe, methodical and leaves nothing to chance.

On the track, racing drivers will endeavour to be in the optimal track position at the correct speed with the correct gear engaged for every corner of every lap, all in pursuit of the perfect lap time.  Through the System of Car Control in advanced driving, there are similar ambitions in terms of position, speed and gears but the primary motive is always safety.

2018 GT4 class Champion in the British GT and China GT Championships, Jack Mitchell, said “After some in depth explanation of the types of observation links that we all encounter on the road every day, it has been amazing to see how many things we can actually predict about what things we might encounter in the road ahead, leading us to make safer choices about car position and speed.”

GT4 European Championship front runner William Tregurtha said “when you get back to the pit lane on a race weekend, there will be plenty of data for you to review with an engineer to optimise your performance. When considering safety on the public road, there isn’t a fancy graph to look at but I have found it incredibly useful to have my driving observed by IAM RoadSmart.  The skills that I am learning allow me to take more control of an ever changing environment on the road.”

Blancpain Endurance Series Silver Cup front runner Sandy Mitchell said “the course has reinforced elements of driving that would have been taught to us as learner drivers but then developed a more sophisticated set of skills along the way.  In making driving choices where safety is the priority but also allowed me to see as much of the picture as possible, I could knit together a smooth driving plan with minimal fuss”.

On day two, the drivers will be put through their paces when they take part in a Caterham Driving Experience courtesy of Drive Silverstone.  While the session will be competitive with a focus on speed, it will also be in a controlled environment on one of Silverstone’s fantastic facilities, with top class instruction and in a great fleet.  It will be an opportunity for the drivers to reflect on the fact our public roads are not a race track and that anybody wishing to express their love of motor sport while sat behind the wheel ought to do so in a safe environment like Silverstone.  With more advanced driver training and, hopefully, testing to look forward to, the inaugural #FormulaDriveSmart is all set up to have a very fun and successful conclusion.

ENDS

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ENDS ALL