The task of making the next step up the racing ladder began two weeks prior to making my "World Series by Renault" test debut at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the South of France. It actually started with a trip to Barcelona to see the last round of this year's Championship. This was the first time I had seen the cars in action and I have to say that I was impressed. With crowds as big as 150,000 at some races, Barcelona showed me that these are world-class events.
The racing was fantastic, with two races over the weekend, and a pit-stop in the second race - something we never had to do in F3. The car itself is a huge step up from the Dallara Formula 3 car that I am used to: the 425bhp six cylinder engine alone was going to be a new experience for me but with carbon brakes, left foot braking, a hand clutch and paddle shift gears, which are all similar to that on today's Formula 1 cars, you can see I had a lot to learn on my first day behind the wheel. That day came sooner than I expected, just a week later.
On Friday 3rd November, five days before the test, I visited the factory of the 2006 Championship-winning, Comtec Racing team, for a seat fitting. This involves having a seat moulded to the exact shape of my body so I don't move around through those fast corners. While I was there the team ran me through all the systems on the car before loading it onto the race truck so it could be taken to Paul Ricard for the test. Paul Ricard's full name is "Paul Ricard: High Tech Test Track" and that's exactly what it is. It is an astounding facility; exactly what you'd expect of a circuit owned by Bernie Ecclestone!
I travelled down to Nice the day before the test, making sure I had plenty of time to go and see the track. I think I forgot to mention that not only had I never driven the car, but I'd never even seen the track before, so I knew I had a challenging test ahead of me. I love a challenge though so after a light meal I had an early night.
I woke up the following morning wondering what the next 2 days had to offer. The plan was for me to be with Comtec Racing on day one, before switching to another team, called KTR, on the second day. This would give me a clear picture of the series, ready for decision-making time for 2007.
The only other question left unanswered was, how was my body going to cope with the physical nature of these cars. I know that I couldn't have trained any harder in the previous 12 months. I work with a company called Formula Fitness which is based at the Oxford University, close to where I spend most of my time when I'm not racing. We'd put a lot of work into strengthening my neck and upper body to be able to stand up to the G-Forces created by these cars; up to 5G in World Series cars at Paul Ricard where top speeds reach around 280kph (175mph). Nothing else was left but to get suited up and climb into what was going to be the most amazing experience I'd had so far.
PART TWO
The first thing that hit me about driving the car was the noise. The sound of the Renault engine was so loud and powerful compared to what I was used to. I selected first gear, released the hand clutch behind the wheel and ventured out of the garage. As I exited the pit lane I took the pit lane speed limiter off and I was out of there like a bullet out of a gun!
I started with a four-lap run in order to get a feel for the car, then I was sent back out to go for a time. After spending two laps generating heat in the brakes and tyres - if you don't do this you'll soon be going off - I pushed for the first time. I couldn't believe how much downforce the car had and was able to push the limits under braking and in the corners. My first 'flying lap' was only 4 seconds off the pace. By the end of the eight-lap run I was down to 2.3 seconds off. Another eight laps and I was only 1.5 seconds off. It was going well!
As the day went on the times came down even more and I was given the opportunity to do a run on new tyres. As any driver will tell you, this is the time to put all your fears aside and go all out for that ultimate lap time. The tyres only run at maximum grip for maybe two lapsso it would be a short run. The team told me over the radio 'James, we're only putting five laps of fuel in, so we can run as light as possible, so you'll have to push straight away'. I didn't need telling twice. I went out and drove as close to the cars limit as I could, braking even harder and later than I had before. The grip in the new tyres was unbelievable and by the end of the run I'd managed a lap only 0.6 seconds off the pace. I was really pleased with how the first day went. Getting used the car as quickly as I did was encouraging and, as for the car, well, I was speechless. It was everything I'd thought it was going to be and more.
I still had the second day to think about so once I'd debriefed with the team it was time to get back to the hotel for some food and some much needed sleep.
The next morning I woke to the same sunshine that had blessed us the day before. I was at the track by 8.30am and in the car by 9.30am. It was going to be a tough day, but one that was going to teach me more about the car and also a different team. The KTR team, which I was driving for on the second day, are based in Belgium but with mostly English-speaking engineers and mechanics, the atmosphere was excellent and I felt right at home. Again we spent time making sure I was comfortable in the car because even the slightest pain gets a lot worse when you add G-Forces. I'm 11 stone, so in a 5G corner it's pretty tough to have 55 stone pushing on a problem!
Day two went just as well as day one. I spent the whole day working hard with the engineers and trying to evaluate the team to see if it was somewhere that would help me achieve good results the following year. The Comtec Racing car from the first day was more driveable as it suited my driving style but that is by no means a criticism of KTR as they gave me a fantastic car too.
I learnt more about how to drive the World Series cars on day two, for example, getting used to the different braking technique from the Formula 3 car and the forces that come with it. At the end of the day, I was disappointed that it was all over but I'd enjoyed it so much and was so lucky that I was given the opportunity to drive such an amazing car. The next World Series by Renault test is planned for the 29th and 30th of November in Valencia. Between now and then it's back to Oxford and lots of training for the next time I'm back in the car.
After that we will be working hard to get the sponsorship we need to make sure I'm on the grid at the start of next season. The series races at some of the world's best circuits including Monza, Spa and Istanbul and the really exciting part is that we race on the streets of Monte Carlo during the Monaco F1 Grand Prix weekend! So, for now, all I can say is watch this space!