Racing driver Tom Jackson has told KSN he is relishing the chance of racing in the BRDC Formula Four Championship this season.

The Maidstone driver graduates from the Ginetta Junior Championship and today he talks exclusively to Kent Sports News about making that step-up.

He said: “During last year is when we started thinking about BRDC F4, because what I want to drive in the future are LMP1 cars. We thought that F4 would be the best route for me to get on the way to becoming a Le Mans driver.

“Also, with the BRDC support, if you do well in the championship it’s good to be linked and getting noticed by the BRDC is a great thing to have on your racing CV. Also because F4 last year was so competitive, I hope that this year it will be more competitive meaning that the top guys will be regarded as very talented drivers and I hope to be one of them.”

Tom and Chris Dittmann are no strangers to each other with the fact that Tom tested with the team in November, but did it help him to earn the drive for 2014.

He added: “Doing the test was to mainly prove to my dad that I could be competitive in it and justify him spending money on me, so it must have gone well for my dad to put the money in now. It was also for me to see if it was something that I liked doing, if not I would go into a GT championship, and down another career path.

“I can’t wait to get in the car and get my season going, it’s been nearly four months since my last race and about three and a half months since I was last in any type of racing car. So I am very eager to get in the car, and get some laps under my belt and prepare for the first race and be competitive from the start.

“My aim for the first round is learn the format, and learn the different race craft for single seaters – because when right behind someone, you have no front aero helping with grip.

“Then after that just progress my way up the field, preparing myself ready for a 2015 title hunt. So to finish in the top six this season would be a good result and position me well for 2015.”

Tom is making the move from Tin Tops to single seaters for the coming campaign and that change is bound to take some getting used to.

“From changing from Tin Tops to single seaters, initially it will take some time in trying to change my driving style from the Ginetta compared to the single seater which requires a lot more aggressive style of driving with the aero. A lot harder and later breaking and very positive steering inputs help get it turned quickly and on the power as soon as possible, all this will take some time.

“Bringing aerodynamics and the wings into it, brings a whole other concept to get your mind around and master – that’s why we have a chief engineer. I have a basic understanding of it, and have gone to the team with ideas on setting up the aero differently to help with my driving style. It does take a little longer to work out and setup but if you get it right it can benefit you by such a large margin. Also at tracks like Silverstone GP and Snetterton where you have some longs straights, it’s hard to find a compromise between good straight line speed and also enough grip through the corners.

So far Tom is impressed with what he sees from Chris Dittmann Racing and is confident that he and the team can work well together during the season.

He said: “Only having one day of testing with them so far, we haven’t had enough time to see everything that they can bring to the table, however but we did see there enthusiasm and professionalism in trying to help progress me throughout.

“By working with the mechanics and engineers in trying to find time with the cars setup, to help suit me – allowing me to improve and adapt with the car.”

Finally we had to ask Tom what his dad will be doing this season, having been his mechanic during his career in the Ginetta Junior Championships.

He added: “In Ginetta’s my dad was the mechanic on my car, so for this year to have 2 mechanics for my car in which my dad isn’t one of them, his main role now is to help get investors/sponsors onboard and take more of a overseeing approach at the race weekends.”