Member Characteristic: Residing the Racing Dream

We sit down with SCD member and racing driver Ed Acres to debate his racing journey to date, the highs, the lows and the way one specific model received him into the world of motorsport.

Yorkshire based mostly race automotive producer Ginetta Cars, are famend for producing among the most interesting race vehicles and aggressive championships within the UK. With a well-established racing ladder over the previous 60 years, Ginetta has a wealth of expertise in its historical past together with among the world’s most interesting drivers like McLaren’s Lando Norris. Ginetta is the go-to motorsport model, attracting new drivers to begin their journey into racing via a novel entry degree package deal. The Ginetta GT Academy championship launched in 2020 and has since remodeled racing lovers into championship profitable drivers. The G56 GT Academy automotive boasts a 3.7 litre V6 engine with paddle shift and auto blip and weighs solely 1100 kg. On a street tyre, this mannequin offers the proper transition from monitor days to racing with uncompromising efficiency and capabilities.

At this years Secret Meet, Ginetta Automobiles will likely be providing Take a look at Drives or Passenger Sizzling Laps within the GT Academy automotive. To pre e-book your slot please click on right here or contact [email protected].

Please be aware, you need to have a sound admission ticket to attend Secret Meet. These with no ticket will be unable to check drive or take part within the scorching lap’s session. VIP Tickets might be bought here.

The place did your love of vehicles and race start? 

Considering again, it’s very tough to outline the precise second in my childhood when my ardour for vehicles started.  I did every thing I might at a younger age simply to drive.  I had a Go Pedal go Kart which I might spend hours driving up and down the drive at residence even within the soaking moist practising my moist traces. A lot in order that my dad noticed this as a chance to alleviate himself of mowing the garden and permit me on the age of simply 8 years outdated to mow the garden on our little single cylinder yellow experience on mower. To me it was a rocket ship it was my favorite Saturday exercise.

How did you go from monitor days to racing?

It wasn’t till 2017 that I lastly went on a monitor day by probability with a good friend who had two experiences booked at Silverstone. As his girlfriend was not his girlfriend, he wanted a fellow petrol head to step in and make good use of the expertise. And so, the habit started. I used to be completely hooked and over the next months I used to be researching probably the most price efficient methods to get into motorsport. Like many, I used to be hesitant to make that leap from monitor day fanatic to precise racing driver with money and time restrictions it simply didn’t appear possible. Little did I do know that an opportunity encounter in 2018 when buying a brand new automotive would embark me on my very personal motorsport journey.

The gent and I chatted through the check drive, vehicles, racing and private lives. At first it hadn’t clicked who this beautiful man was however into the journey I realised it was none apart from Rick Parfitt Jnr. The rockstar and just lately topped British GT GT3 champion racing driver (later to be British Touring Automotive competitor). Some months later and after a number of drinks on the pub, he advisable I contact a Yorkshire based mostly firm known as ‘Ginetta’.  Who on the time I solely knew of from a number of traditional automotive exhibits I had been to, not appreciating what that they had been doing since being acquired by Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005.

I initially booked a check day of their GRDC automotive with Want2race at Donington Park, however in summer season 2020 Ginetta launched an much more thrilling prospect for novice racers. One check drive at Silverstone and I used to be hooked, inside weeks I had put a deposit down and I used to be absolutely dedicated to racing the next 12 months within the GT Academy Championship. In Could 2021, I used to be sat on the grid at Manufacturers Hatch with 18 others able to kick begin my racing profession. You possibly can watch our second race of the weekend here.

How did you discover your first 12 months racing?

My first years of racing was total completely fulfilling. As a Rookie I used to be run by Ginetta’s inhouse race crew and monitor day organiser Want2race. The W2R crew managed every thing from driver coaches, automotive storage, testing, upkeep, and transport with one essential level of contact which on the time was Lauren Robinson, SCD’s now Partnership Supervisor. On a race weekend we had our personal personal drivers hub the place we and our friends might relax, socialise and look via session knowledge. It truly felt like residence from residence and the drivers began to rearrange social evenings on the Thursday of every race weekend. Drivers took turns to rearrange a get collectively, fairly shortly I realised this was way over racing, it was a group sharing the identical ardour for vehicles and racing. Fairly often a few of my finest reminiscences are the night meals or occasions that Ginetta lays on and offers throughout a race weekend the place all of the drivers round you might be on the bar reminiscing concerning the scramble into flip 1!

The 2021 season consisted of 5 rounds, every spherical had one qualifying session and three races, outcomes have been blended, and most Rookies managed to gather come silverware over the season. In truth, certainly one of my fellow Rookies was giving the general championship chief a run for his cash. I learnt lots, had a number of shunts however nonetheless bagged P3 within the Rookie Championship.

What are your plans for the longer term?

Since graduating from Rookie to Racer, I signed with Professional Staff Century Motorsport.  It was fairly daunting stepping away from the comforts and other people of Want2race however they provided the proper stepping stone into professional racing. Century Motorsport have been a no brainer of a choice as I might see a ladder to British GT and past.  Sadly my second 12 months of racing was dropped at a holt after breaking my wrist in a freak accident at Donington Park. This 12 months I’m completely loving getting again on the grid, you may watch all of the Ginetta GT Academy rounds reside on Youtube.

It’s regular to start out scoping out your choices for the subsequent season in direction of the tip of summer season, I hope that subsequent 12 months I’ll proceed to race in a UK championship. My subsequent steps are understandably finances and sponsorship dependent, however I undoubtedly don’t have any intention of hanging up my racing boots anytime quickly. The GT Academy package deal has to date been good worth for cash, offering a superb stepping stone into motorsport with like-minded people. The expertise goes to be tough to beat however who is aware of possibly in the future I’ll be again within the LMP3 seat.

What recommendation would you give to an aspiring racing driver?

Ask questions – I noticed many people (who I received’t title) on the grid with me in 12 months 1 and 12 months 2 who merely thought they knew every thing. Form of comprehensible, as a grid we have been all profitable in our personal proper. The fact was that this was new territory, all of us had lots to study and its straightforward to imagine you already know higher. Belief within the professionals, that is there bread and butter. As a rookie, it takes time to study the craft and the way the business works.

Get pleasure from it – Do not forget that your first 12 months particularly within the Ginetta Academy you might be competing with different novices and everyone seems to be in the identical boat, it will probably typically be as a lot about luck as it’s expertise. Everyone seems to be studying to a point so don’t put the stress on your self to be on the entrance day one. Even if you’re stone lifeless final it is best to nonetheless be having fun with it or what’s the purpose. A few of my favorite races ever have been spinning out on lap one and having to struggle my means again via the grid and nonetheless solely coming in 12^th!

In abstract, I would like everybody to know that motor racing shouldn’t be unattainable, no matter your age or expertise. While it prices greater than a golf membership membership, I’m positive it’s going to present rather more of a thrill and alternative for a brand new problem. In case you are a automotive fanatic like me and you’ve got the means, I might encourage taking the wheel even only for a visitor spherical.

The group in motorsport actually is like household. You turn out to be so acquainted seeing the identical faces and fairly often these individuals turn out to be lifelong mates.  Some even enterprise associates. There’s a big quantity of networking and enterprise alternatives that come up from being across the paddock that I had not anticipated earlier than. Taking the leap to affix the grid actually has modified my life in additional methods than I might have anticipated, there actually is nothing prefer it and with out Ginetta I don’t imagine I might have ever been in a position to obtain my childhood dream of changing into a racing driver.

You possibly can observe my racing journey on my Youtube channel here.