Ricky Collard was amongst a group of six young drivers who completed a successful five-day driver evaluation with front-running Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain outfit Falcon Motorsport in Spain.
The Faringdon-based outfit booked the Guadix circuit for the week to put the young drivers through their paces in the squad’s three EcoBoost chassis’ as they continue their preparations for the 2014 season.
Collard, son of BTCC racer Rob, was the only one of the drivers to run every day, and the 17 year old was delighted by his progress over the week.
“Harrison Scott set a benchmark time before he left for the USA, and I have been chipping away at it all week,” said Collard. “Obviously track conditions have got a bit better, and I have progressed as a driver, learning a lot about the car and the team, and I ended up a second faster.
“Really it has been one of the best tests I’ve ever had, and I’m so grateful to Falcon for the opportunity. Fantastic track, fantastic weather, fantastic team… fantastic everything.”
Collard was joined on track over the course of the week by fellow karters Chris Mealin and Harrison Wignall, Australian Formula Ford racer Greg Holloway and BRDC F4 racer Max Cornelius.
2013 Formula Ford GB runner-up Harrison Scott also rejoined the team for the first two days before heading to America for his Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 and Pro Mazda tests.
“It has been the perfect test session,” said team boss Nick Streatfield. “We have had exclusive use of the circuit every day, and the weather has been absolutely fabulous all week, like an English summer’s day – perfect for testing. We have covered hundreds of laps, and the drivers have got what they needed: time in the car.”
