With the opening round of the Autumn Trophy this weekend, Snetterton was open for a number of different cars before the main event. However; it wasn’t pleasant conditions that met the drivers on Wednesday morning, with minimal running being done throughout the day.
Despite this, the BRDC Formula 4 drivers who did turn up were sure to make the most of it. The Checkered Flag collected the thoughts of Harrison Scott as he tried to take advantage in the lead up to the pivotal two weekends of racing.
With few drivers signed, not many teams decided to make the trip, with HHC Motorsports fielding two drivers. Douglas Motorsport and Fortec Motorsport also showed up.
As their only publicly signed driver, Scott had the garage all to himself, with the Douglas team deciding to split their efforts between him and the Ginetta Junior team car that also made an appearance.
Unfortunately for the Eurocup Formula Renault driver, he was largely left on the sidelines for the majority of the day, after issues with the car.
“Obviously, a lot of rain came down this morning so we didn’t want to be the first ones out for sure, there’s a lot of standing water. Then we had a few problems with gear selection, but we’ve got over it now. No real dramas at the moment, we’ve still got another 5 days here.”
“I think we can give it a good go, and hope that we can be in the title fight. Keeping on the podium is going to be important, and a string of strong results.”
As well as Scott, two other names have been on everyone’s lips as the teams build up to this weekend with Sennan Fielding making a return to the series and his former BRDC F4 rival; Struan Moore will also making an appearance.
Scott admitted that they were his biggest threat, saying; “They’re going to be quick and they’ve done a lot similar to me. But also Ameya Vaidyanathan, he’s in the car a lot now, especially on test days, so I’m sure he’s going to be on the pace, but it’s going to be tough, it’s never easy.”
Being one of the title favourites, many would have predicted Scott to land a drive at one of the top teams, but admitted his decision was based on personal reasons.
“We’ve been in contact with them, I’ve always been in touch ever since I started my car racing career. They’re good family friends of ours, [the boss] rung me up and said ‘do you want to do it’ and I want to do well for them and myself, looking forward to it.”
Unfortunately for the 19 year old, he was held back after a gearbox problem meant he wasn’t able to get moving much before the engine stalled.
“It’s only Wednesday. It’s still early doors, it’s all about, running around getting use to the car and try different things engineering wise. It’s about keeping the car on the track, not pushing too much. They assured me car was fine.”
While the Fortec team kept their car behind close doors, it was clear that they were pushing themselves more. Tarun Reddy made an appearance for them, however; an off track excursion saw the team cleaning the car down between red flags.
Although no official word has been posted, rumour suggested that Reddy had a contract for the forthcoming racing series. A deal that would see him race alongside Omani driver Al Faisal Al Zubair, who made his debut in the car on Thursday.
If true, this might keep the Indian driver busy as he’s also focused on the MRF Challenge this winter. Having picked up a podium last week.
