Rochester based racing driver Simon Rudd is looking to the future after making his debut in the inaugural Formula Four race last weekend.

However before the opportunity to join the newly launched F4 Simon was racing in Karting and he was successful at that.

In 2007 he was part of a four man team that set a world record which to date is one of his best achievements.

Talking about the record bid and his achievements so far, he said: “It was great to achieve a world record. There was so much preparation that was needed to make it all work well. We had a great team, from mechanics to the drivers. We also had rain for almost half of the attempt which made things difficult so I definitely want to try and break our own record!

“My best achievement is the World Record, closely followed by finishing 2^nd in the National Karting Association Final.”

Obviously Simon is one of a number of young drivers who have signed up to what is the ultra-competitive Formula Four Championship.

Talking about how the opportunity came about, he added: “We have been looking at different options over the years to get into cars and when this opportunity came about we were certain this was where we wanted to be. We worked all over the winter to get things in place and it has all worked out.

“I love driving the car, it’s great. Ralph Firman and MSV have done a great job in designing it. It allows the driver to make minimal adjustments and there is only so much setup work you can do, so it’s vital that the setup is right. Every time I get in it, I enjoy it even more – everyone should have a go.”

The racing got underway at Silverstone last weekend and it was a tough weekend for Simon as he got to grips with racing the car on Britain’s premier race track.

He said: “Unfortunately we had an issue in qualifying after lap three – which meant that we were nowhere near our potential quickest lap. With the way the format is, you have to make the most of qualifying otherwise it will impact your whole weekend, as we found out.

“We only just managed to get to the grid for Race three and the team did a superb job getting the car fixed from Race two. Unfortunately we didn’t have any time to set the car up so it was a case of just making it to the finish to pick up some points.

In race two there was a coming together with another car, which resulted in my rear suspension breaking.”

In race three after a race against time to get to the grid following the crash in race two, Simon brought the car home in 14^th place an impressive achievement that he was clearly please with.

He added: “Yes, it was a good result considering the circumstances. It is definitely something to build on going to Brands in a few weeks time. Some of these guys in the championship have been racing cars for years, so now having the taste of my first race weekend and with more experience in the car, we will be moving forward all season.”

As Simon said the racing now moves to his home track of Brands Hatch for the second round of the Championship, something he is clearly excited about.

He stated: “Yes, I can’t wait! It’s going to be a massive weekend, especially as we are supporting the DTM series, there is going to be a massive crowd. I have so much support from everyone so Brands is going to be such a big weekend.

“We did our first test at Brands when we got the cars, so we have already driven the track which is a huge bonus, although nothing is in the diary for testing beforehand – but I would hope we get some time there before the race weekend.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season Simon was clear that it is going to take a few races to get used to the car and then progress from there.

He said: “I think the first few rounds are to get used to the car, we haven’t had anywhere near as much testing as some of the other guys in the series so it is a big learning curve for both myself and the team.

“Clearly I want to be getting a good point’s haul at each race and I think that we will be in the mix at the next few rounds. It’s a long championship so improving every time we get in the car is the main focus at the moment.”

Finally, we asked Simon what it is like to be working with Motionsport in the debut season of the Formula Four Championship.

He added: “It’s great, I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with. The atmosphere around the team is buzzing all the time – everyone was saying that our garage was the place to be over the Silverstone weekend so I’m chuffed to be part of it all.”

Simon is also on the lookout to add sponsors for the 2013 season, if you are interested in sponsoring Simon you can email him on [email protected] or you can call him on 01634 719791.

Pictures supplied by Gary Parravani, Xynamic Motorsport Photography.