This season is continuing to be one of frustration and even though I am 3rd in the championship it could have been so much better. I ran out of fuel at Oulton Park, I was rolled over at Knockhill, I had no brakes at Castle Combe and I had never driven a test lap of Brands Hatch in my life. Oh and at Rockingham I went from topping 2 days of testing to qualifying 1 second off the pace and I can honestly say it had nothing to do with me.

All things considered it has been a challenging season, or as my Dad would say “character building”. A snap shot of the championship standings would show I have had a poor season, well beaten by the Jamun Mygale of Scott Pye. In reality if I do eventually finish 3rd in the championship I will have done it on a third of the budget and for that I am very proud.

This season it has been very difficult to find sponsorship and as a result I have been doing very little testing, to the point where I am now doing 1 day to every 3 or 4 of the other top drivers. I am not complaining though, if I had the budget I would be doing exactly the same. All I can do is my best when I get the opportunity and I think I have done just that. I had a win at Zandvoort which was fantastic and I have run at the very front all season long, something which is difficult in a championship as tough as British Formula Ford.

I am now looking forward to Donington and Brands Hatch where I hope to finish my season with a bang. All I have to do now is find some money to get there.

Cheers

Dan

My latest race at Rockingham turned out to be a nightmare in many respects. There are so many variables in motor racing already and to then have the added issues at the weekend really made it difficult for me, and I’m sure there were others. In testing I had headed the times for the past 2 weeks. At both the pre race tests we were right up at the front if not quickest. Yet come qualifying I had a car that could barely make it through a bend without wanting to chuck me into the nearest wall. The data showed a huge loss in grip and with nothing changing from Friday to Saturday but the tires, we were sure this was the issue. We did our best and in Race 1 I managed to just hang on to 6th place from Dan de Zille. Dan drove an excellent race and I just managed to be quick enough in certain parts of the track to hold him off. I have a lot of respect for the way he handled being stuck behind me for so many laps. Many other drivers wouldn’t of thought twice about just moving me out of the way. Myself included had it been someone in front of me.

In Race 2 we made the decision to run my spare tires to try compensate for our problems. I got a great start and jumped up to 5th by turn 1 from my 6th place starting slot. I then managed to pass Scott Malvern a couple of laps later into turn 1 for 4th and that is where I stayed. The guys in front had just got too much of a jump on me and without a tow I just couldn’t make up the ground. I felt I had the pace had I of been with them to to challenge for a podium position. I consistently pulled away from Scott and was well clear at the flag. My team mate Tio Elinas won both races from pole so congratulations to him on a great weekend.

On the Tuesday after Rockingham we travelled to Snetterton for some official F3/Ford testing. The main aim for us at this test was to prove we had a tyre issue and see what we could do  about it. In session 1 I was consistently the fastest driver and was narrowly beaten in the dyeing seconds of the session by Josh Hill. In session 2 we did some back to back testing of our tires. My first set were from the Friday at Rockingham and my second were from the race. I lost roughly 5 tenths of a second when we changed them and confirmed to us there is a serious problem somewhere down the line. 5 tenths around a track with a long straight and 5 corners. It could easily be and probably was more at the twisty Rockingham circuit. Many other teams were also finding problems and it is clear that the championship could be greatly effected unless something changes.  In session 3 I ran new tires also from the Rockingham batch and set a lap good enough for P1 on the day. The tires seemed normal and showed non of the issues we had at the weekend. All very odd and certainly means all the teams will be paying close attention next time out.

We now have a a couple of weeks off until Silverstone where we will race on the Grand Prix circuit something I am very much looking forward to. 

I look forward to bringing you an update soon,
Cheers
Dan

Sunday saw Formula Fords with 2 races which would make up rounds 9 and 10 of this years championship. I got an excellent start from 4th on the grid and was up to 3rd by turn 1 at Quarry. The always fast Starting Ray driven by Scott Malvern was already up to 4th right behind me. I managed to pass Josh Hill on lap 2 When he ran wide exiting the final turn and I could out drag him up the hill to turn 1. I quickly began to catch Scott Pye who was leading the race from pole position. I got within a Couple of car lengths and was beginning to detach Malvern when I started to realise I was struggling to slow the car down. I was pressing the brake harder and harder but to no avail. On lap 3 I could barely slow down enough to even make the corner let alone the Apex and Malvern was right back behind me. Going into turn 1 on Lap 4 I braked as late as I dare but still couldn’t quite slow the car enough and Malvern gained an easy position. From there I went back a few more places as I was now driving with no brakes at all. By lap 6 I was down in 6th or 7th but with quick thinking I had managed to cool my brakes just enough and could feel the bite coming back. I managed to re-pass Dennis Lind and was closing on the group ahead. Emil Bernstorff was right with me coming out of the Chicane and unfortunately I ran slightly wide on the exit and missed a gear going over the bumps, Emil had nowhere to go but into the back of me launching into the air and clean over my car. He landed hard in front of me and both our races had come to an end. It was very disappointing to see good points disappear so quickly especially when I had dealt with my brake problems so well.

The Second race was in the Afternoon and was run in very warm and sunny conditions. Another great start saw me up to 3rd again by turn 1 where I stayed until the race was Red flagged after Chrissy Palmer crashed at tower. The speed at the front was very fast with Pye leading from Hill then me. My team mate Tio Elinas was keeping me honest with Malvern close behind him. I felt that would be the end of the race but after a good 25 minute stoppage we were back on the grid for a full restart. Something I knew would benefit the fast starting Ray of Scott Malvern. After the long run down to turn 1 he had already inched ahead of me from 5th on the grid and I settled into 4th place. We managed to pull away from Tio fairly quickly over the 5 lap sprint to the finish. I was all over the rear of Malvern but was unable to find a way past so I was 4th at the flag. I was disappointed to lose my podium position as I felt for speed I certainly deserved it and the full restart was such a big advantage to Scott who’s car always gets excellent traction.

It wasn’t the best weekend’s racing I’ve had but we always knew it would be tough with little testing at the circuit. Especially when I am new to the JTR team and Mygale Chassis. I believe at the more technical tracks of Rockingham, Silverstone and Snetterton things will be much different. I now stand 3rd in the Championship with a long way still to go, so I am confident I can get my season back on track and win some races.

The most difficult thing of all at the moment is finding the budget to continue my season. Anyone interested in Sponsorship and what I can do for you should contact myself or Chris Hodgen.
Details can be found on my website at www.danielcammish.co.uk

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and I look forward to seeing you at a race soon.

Regards

Dan

It has been a while since my last blog and there have been many changes since then. After a disappointing start to the season with KMR and the Spectrum Chassis I have recently joined my new team Joe Tandy Racing and am now at the wheel of a race winning Mygale. After a days testing at Snetterton two weeks ago we were ready to contest round 3 of the MSA Formula Ford Championship at Zandvoort. Supporting the F3 Masters was always going be a brilliant event but I was blown away by the Circuit, its facilities and atmosphere. With no prior testing at the circuit I was at a disadvantage to my close championship rivals and with only two 40 minute sessions it was always going to be difficult. I enjoyed the circuit from the first lap and as I grew with confidence my lap times tumbled. By the end of the second session I was 5th fastest only 4 tenths from Pole.

The Sun was shining hard as it had been since I arrived at the beach front circuit in Holland and Qualifying was approaching. I was very confident of a good result as I was getting faster with every lap of the circuit. With only 3 flying laps in Qualifying I managed to post a best lap of 1m44.57 which was enough for 5th on the grid now only 1 tenth from the pole time of Josh Hill. With such a long lap it was great to see so many drivers so close showing the depth in this years championship. My second best lap was good enough for 3rd overall in Sundays second race of the weekend and 2nd of the the British Championship.

With a combination of British, Benelux and Danish drivers on the grid we became part of the Formula Ford Euro cup which came with its own prizes.

I was feeling confident after qualifying closing up to be within 1 tenth after just 90 minutes of track time. The first race was midday Saturday and the sun was still beating down. Josh Hill stalled away from the grid and I was up to 4th at turn 1. The next few laps were under safety car as a couple of cars had to be moved from the start line. At the restart I held 4th before pouncing on mistakes made by Emil Bernstorff of Jamun and Dennis Lind of Fluid. I was up to 2nd and using the slipstream down the long straight managed to pull along side Jake Cook for the lead at the start of the next lap. A brave move around the outside of turn 1 saw me take the lead. Another brief safety car kept the pack close and I made an excellent re-start to hold my position in turn 1. From there I had 4 Laps of intense pressure which felt like an eternity but I held on to take my first Formula Ford Victory. It was an excellent result, at such a brilliant event. My first victory, first race in a Mygale, first race for JTR. A brilliant start to the weekend. Taking 1st in the British Race and 1st overall to take the lead of the 1 round Euro cup. Standing on the podium with the national anthem being played was without doubt a highlight of my career. Tears in my eyes with relief from the moment I crossed the line, that Win was a long time coming.

Race 2 was Sunday evening at 6pm local time. Torrential rain and wind made it very difficult. A rather uneventful race saw me finish 3rd in the British and 5th overall, missing out on the Euro cup victory by a single point to race 2 winner Dennis Lind.

Overall it was an amazing weekend, a 1st and 3rd in the British Championship saw me leave as top points scorer and second in the championship after Scott Pye’s weekend was hit with problems when he retired from qualifying on lap 1 and had to start both races from last position.

I am now looking forward  to getting back out at Castle Combe and building on the weekend. I hope to be chasing Scott Malvern’s Championship lead over the rest of the season.

Cheers

Dan Cammish

All weekend we had been expecting rain with forecasts showing heavy showers for all days bar Sunday, obviously. Gladly they never came and all our races were held in dry conditions. After qualifying 5th for the Saturday race and 4th twice for the two Sunday races I was in a good position to score some excellent points and get my Championship under way. 3rd in the first race of the weekend was a good result but a little disappointing to be so far behind the leader.
Race 2 saw me make an excellent start vaulting from 4th to 2nd by turn one. Pole man Scott Pye and Josh Hill collided which left a 3 car train of myself Scott Malvern and Antti Burri scampering into the distance. The race was going well for me and I was comfortable behind Malvern with 3 laps to go, however I knew this was my chance to get that 1st race win of my Ford Career. I made my move into Lodge corner having to drive around the outside of Scott as he took the defensive inside line. I managed to brake as late as possible and tried to cut back to the inside of Scott but he hung me on the outside. I hadn’t made it so I conceded and tried to tuck in behind once more. To my horror I felt the engine die as I hit the throttle, it came back a few seconds later but Burri had driven clean past me by this point. I knew this feeling, I had felt it before and knew what was coming. I knew I was either out of fuel or we had a pickup problem and after suffering with this for 2 tests pre-season I knew it was the latter. I did all I could on the final two laps to keep the engine alive, throwing the car from side to side hoping to get some fuel into the engine. I made it to line but I couldn’t hold onto my podium place and finished 4th. It was disappointing to have gifted away my podium not to mention the possibility of my first win. But it will come.

Between races 2 and 3 the Kevin Mills team did all they could to find the problem but like in pre-season testing it had evaded us. The only option was to add more fuel. I started race 3 from 4th again and made another good start, 3 in a row now which is unusual for me, so I’m hoping it has finally clicked. I tried to hang on round the outside of turn 1 but ended up running wide onto the grass and I lost a position or two. I quickly gained one back at the end of the lap into Lodge and settled into 5th. 3 laps in and I was struggling with big oversteer and losing the pack ahead. Then bang, I was hit from behind under braking to turn 1, I somehow kept it out of the wall and continued but I knew we had damage. The car was crabbing in a straight line and swerved under braking. I managed to finish the race in 9th position which was very disappointing but it could of been much worse. I had a fair bit of damage to my right rear corner and how I even finished was a miracle. What’s worse is that on the final lap my mysterious fuel problem returned and I lost my 8th place with only 2 corners to go, very frustrating.

But now we have 5 weeks until Knockhill, a circuit we know will suit our car and I hope my next blog will bring news of my first victory. Although its probably best to make sure we can actually make it to the finish at full speed this time.

Regards

Dan Cammish

Oh, don’t forget to follow my progress throughout the season at www.danielcammish.co.uk

It was decided my best option for some pre-season testing was to fly to Australia and get some warm weather mileage under my belt with the new Dunlop tyre. I did five days while I was there at three different tracks and there was no shortage of laps. With only a few cars, if any at times on track I had no distractions as we put new development parts to the test. I was very impressed with the Borland team and their desire to win in 2010. Their commitment to me and to winning is a key reason why I wanted to stay at Kevin Mills. The Dunlop tyre was better than I expected, not that I was expecting it to be bad, it was just very impressive whether new or old. With lap times considerably more consistent than the outgoing Avon.

Its difficult to judge our performance in Australia, the only data we had was from a year earlier on the Avon tire and we were faster at every track. But until we get to Oulton Park for the first race of the season we won’t know how good any team really is. But I am confident in the way the car reacted to the tire that we will have a stronger car than in 2009 which is very encouraging. I feel very motivated for the coming season and I believe as always it will be a very closely fought affair.

For now though I have a Dinner Suit to buy as on Saturday I have the BRSCC awards evening where I will collect my Scholarship trophy. Something I have been waiting a while to get my hands on, I hope this time next year I will be preparing to collect  the Championship trophy.

I look forward to bringing you updated blogs throughout the season and if you happen to be at any Ford meetings this year please come say hello. The first round of the season will take place at Oulton Park over the Easter Weekend. I hope to see you there.

Having just returned from a weeks holiday in Tenerife I feel re-juvinated and more importantly slightly tanned and ready for the 2010 season. Plans for next year are well underway but nothing is yet set in stone, the biggest issue for me now is to find the sponsorship I need to continue my racing not only next year but in years to come. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it and wish you all the best for the New Year.

Whilst my Kevin Mills Racing team mates were at Brands Hatch over the weekend I was a few hundred miles away at the Sachsenring (Germany) preparing for my second taste of ADAC Masters. Having never seen the circuit before Friday testing I had just 40 minutes to get myself up to speed. Sachsenring is a brilliant venue and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of this high speed circuit. The opening part of the lap is very technical with some slow and medium speed corners. It is easy to lose a lot of time here and it took me the whole weekend to get fully on top of this sector.  The circuit then opens up in to a series of very fast left hand corners which are taken flat out in my ADAC car. It took me a few laps to build up the confidence not to lift through this section but the data showed it could be done and therefore it must be done. In qualifying I was 0.5 seconds off the ultimate pace and this left me down in 7th on the grid and 8th in race 2. I just couldn’t extract those final few tenths quick enough to pose a threat in qualifying but I was getting faster each and every lap.

In the first race I started 7th and after an unfortunate spin at the first corner due to a nudge from behind I was left in last place. I was determined not to stay there though and I set about quickly catching the field. 10 seconds down on lap 1 I took advantage of the clear track ahead of me to post some competitive lap times and caught the pack to eventually finish 8th. A Disappointing result but we showed good pace for Sunday’s second race and I was confident of a good result. Starting from 8th I managed to survive the first lap and held position. After being held up for the first few laps I managed to eventually pass 7th place man Christian Wangard and set about catching 6th. The first few laps had left me 4 seconds behind the leaders but it wasn’t over yet. I quickly began to take time out of the cars ahead of me posting new fastest laps on the way and caught up with 5 laps to go. I moved up into 6th before passing Adrian Campfield, Saturday’s race winner and fellow Brit for 5th. This is where I would stay for the final 2 laps coming within a few tenths of 3rd position.

It was a great weekend and I was happy to come away with 5th and a fastest lap. I couldn’t help thinking things would of been different had I of had the chance to test but unfortunately there was just no possibility. I think I did a good job considering the lack of time I had to improve and coming away with 3 of the 4 fastest laps of the race fills me with confidence for the final round of the series at Oschersleben in October. I look forward to reporting on my final 2 races of the season in both Formula Ford and ADAC Masters which I hope will be a fantastic end to a so far fantastic rookie season.

Cheers

Dan Cammish

Qualifying was my worst of the season giving me two eighth place starts. I was only two tenths from being in the top three but as usual in Ford the grid is so close. My team mate Daniel Erickson did an excellent job to take a double pole position.

In race 1 Erickson headed off into the distance whilst I calmly drove my way up to fourth place and the Scholarship victory.  Alex Jones was also on the podium in third which meant Kevin Mills Racing had all three drivers on the podium. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed to not win the first race of the season for KMR but I was still having a good season, having taken pole in only my second ever qualifying at Rockingham and still running fourth in the overall championship.

Race 2 saw me start eighth once again and I made a poor start and dropped down a few places. I was back up to seventh with a few laps to go but when Jamun’s Patrick Mckenna span on the way out of Old Hall hairpin I had to take to the wet grass to avoid him. I almost caught the spin but at such speed on the wet grass I had no chance and did a full 360!  Luckily I had spun back onto the track so I grabbed second gear and dropped the clutch to get myself going again. I only lost one place in the melee but it was to Fabio Gamberini who was also in the Scholarship class. I caught him quickly over the next lap but it was all too late, I had lost for the first time in the Scholarship class.

Race 3 saw the first wet race of the season for Formula Ford. Starting eighth once again I made an excellent start and was up as far as fourth at turn 1 but I was a little tentative and was swallowed up by Chris Palmer and Josh Hill. This was my first wet race and I was doing ok, we had good pace but it was just too difficult to pass especially with my lack of experience. I was later passed by my far more experienced team mate and I finished eighth once again with the Scholarship victory.

All things considered this was far from my greatest weekend. I struggled all weekend for outright pace, the nature of the track really helped the more experienced drivers who had mastered the traditional Formula Ford slide. I’m sure I will get my championship back on track at Silverstone in two weeks time where I will be pushing harder than ever for that first victory.

Formula Ford is no longer my only focus for the 2009 season however. I have recently signed to race for Austrian based team Neuhauser Racing in the ADAC Formel Masters championship. I tested at Eurospeedway Lausitz around a month ago and last week had my latest test ahead of the Nurburgring race in which I will be competing. The test was held at the Nurburgring circuit using the shortened Grand Prix track and it went very well indeed. For the first time I tested alongside team mate Dominik Baumann and we were both quick enough to feature right at the top of the time sheets. I found the circuit to be a great challenge and a joy to drive. There’s a definite atmosphere about the place and I couldn’t help but enjoy myself. I posted the fastest time of the afternoon just a few hundredths shy of the quickest lap of the day set in the cooler morning session. Many other drivers were also present including championship leader Daniel Abt.

The race will take place on the 22nd of August and we will be supporting the ADAC 1000km for the weekend. This is one of the biggest events in Germany and will be a great experience once which I look forward to telling you all about.

Cheers
Dan Cammish

Hello everyone and welcome to my second blog of the week, this one all about my recent visit to Germany for a test at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Formel ADAC.

On the Monday night after Snetterton I travelled down to Stanstead in order to stay in the Holiday Inn Express. My flight was at 6.25am Tuesday morning and would mean a very early start if I was to drive down from Leeds so it was easier to stay over. On arrival at Berlin airport we picked up the hire car – A Volkswagen Golf, very smart I must add, it would later be put through its paces. The track was 70 miles from the airport straight down the A13 motorway. Not fully understanding the speed limits we wait to be passed by a big BMW or Mercedes doing some silly speed before we get our foot down.

The Eurospeedway is a brilliant track. Very similar to that of Rockingham, just with a much better infield section and atmosphere. I would be testing for Neuhauser Racing, an Austrian race team who had competed at the track that very weekend so it made sense for the test to be here. The car itself is very smart indeed and a definite step up from the tubular Formula Ford I was driving. The car featured a Carbon Fibre tub, sequential gearbox and front and rear wings. The engine is from Volkswagen, and is a lot slower than what I am used to with the Ford. But the brakes and downforce mean the corning speeds are much higher and the car handles brilliantly. The sequential gearbox and the grip make the car very easy to drive. The time is really gained on the brakes and also keeping up the rolling speed. With the lack of power it is important you carry as much mid-corner speed as possible.

The team also run in German Formula 3 and have a brilliant setup. Hannes Neihuaser oversees the ADAC operation. Despite his young age he has a lot of experience, having raced in both the F3 Euroseries and Porsche Supercup.

We spent much of Tuesday setting up the car to my liking, making a seat and adjusting all the pedals. We then walked the track to see the lines and get a general feel for the place. The track looked like a good challenge with some wide open corners meaning various different lines could be used.

Wednesday morning rolled around and we were on track at 9am. We had time for a quick few laps in a road car to see the track at speed. We opted that the best vehicle would be the hired Golf and Hannes was at the wheel. A few slow laps at first before being passed by a Seat Cupra. Things got a lot quicker from here, in England they are very strict on the speed of the cars when doing these sort of things. If anything the marshals were cheering us on, lots of tyre squeal ensued and we almost visited the gravel at turn 2 but still all good fun.

I was rather nervous I have to admit. I had only competed in four car races in my life, yet here I was being strapped into a totally different car with a different team and surroundings. Not to mention I was here after being invited, I was feeling the pressure to perform. Left foot braking was a must in these cars, something I had left behind in Karting and the gearbox was also new to me. It took me about a lap to figure the car out, the gearbox was very simple, pull back on the stick when you hit the limiter going up, and blip the throttle going down. Straight out of the pits I could feel the difference in the grip to what I was used to. The car doesn’t slide around underneath you like the Ford and just wants to be driven deeper and deeper into the corner, using the downforce to pull you round.

It was a great experience and by the end of the day I posted a very good time on my new tyre run. Hannes seemed very pleased with my performance, and despite my lack of experience with the car by the end we were testing setups and wing angles for his own knowledge.

So that was Germany, thank you to Hannes for the opportunity and also to my Uncle, Phil who accompanied me on my trip. He has spent the last seven years following me all over Europe Karting and he continues to do so now in cars, for that I say a big thank you.

Will I be racing it?…I will let you know.

Cheers
Dan