After taking part in the first FIA Young Driver Academy workshop, Jack has walked away with a wealth of experience and this was only the beginning of what the program has to offer throughout 2012! The workshop was predominantly fitness based and gave Jack and the rest of the crew a good understanding at what level they need to train at to achieve the required fitness to race in Formula 1. After taking part in several tests across the three days which included a heat chamber test, lactic acid build up in the blood testing, circuit training and many other gruelling sessions it gave Jack even further feed back as to his fitness levels.

“I have completed six fitness camps back in Australia through the CAMS Rising Star program and what we completed in the circuit training is very similar to what I have done before. It was very interesting though to see a few more ideas on how they train and the different methods they use. There was the heat chamber, core strength testing and also the lactic acid build up test which was very interesting and I have never completed anything like that which was a great experience!”

“The heat chamber was very interesting and they took a measurement on how much fluid you lose out of your system through weight and with one of the drivers losing over 2 kgs worth of fluids it just showed how gruelling the heat can be on the body! There were 8 of the drivers chosen to take part in this while the rest recorded the heart rates of the drivers who were training in the +40 degree heat with the humidity as high as 60% for an hour straight.”

Jack also sat through lectures in Sponsorship, Media, Nutrition, Psychology, Career Planning and a few team challenges which were conducted at the Edinburgh University. The next camp will be based at Chamonix, France where they will focus on those subjects again and give all the drivers a much better understanding on what they need to do in those aspects of Motorsport to achieve which some would say are the hard parts of being a professional driver!

Jack also stayed over in London for the 4 ½ week period between this camp and the selections in Austria and tried to get a better understanding of what will be involved in racing in the UK in the 2012 season. Jack had the chance to Test drive the new Ecoboost Turbo Formula Ford at the Brands Hatch circuit and also at the Formula Ford Sampler day at the Silverstone Stowe circuit. He also experienced the Snetterton circuit in a Duratec car which helped him learn another circuit and get further experience under his belt.

“The New turbo formula ford is quite a good car and is going to be very quick when it is developed by the Teams! It has close to 20hp more than the Duratec model over there and topping 220nm of torque it is a quick car! The Car has wider tyres front and rear which also offer more grip and allow you to carry more mid corner speed which is quite good. It’s also great that they have now gone to a sequential gear box and have made a step closer to what all the cars are going towards these days which is great!”

Also while Jack was in the UK he travelled around the countryside having meetings with many teams from different categories and also had the chance to catch up with Anne Neal, Alan Docking , Mick Kouros and Marcus Koch who have helped many young drivers over the years. Jack was also invited by Marino Franchitti to attend the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race which was held in Milton Keynes and this gave Jack the opportunity to meet many of the top drivers from around the world!

Jack is now back home and assessing his options for the 2012 season and is very close to making a decision on what direction the young Australian will go down.

Jack was proudly supported in the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport, the Australian Motor Sport Foundation, the Australian Sports Commission, Minda Motorsport, Mygale, Penrite Oils, OAMPS Insurance Brokers, Boylan Group, Relux Slabs, Revolution Racegear, AMSF Patron, Mark Webber, Blugreen, JHB Shopfitting, Sensorsafe Electrical Contracting, Smith McCarthy Wilson Accountants, Printbound Pty. Ltd., Viking Windscreens, Trevor Barnes Signwriting, Blackwell Bodyworks, Warpaint Racingrafix, Leisure Pools-Melb South East, Earthcrete Pty Ltd, Body Mechanics Personal Training, Beaconsfield Chiropractic Clinic and Newhaven Mechanical.