Jack Noble-Adams is a Formula Ford driver to keep an eye on over the next 12 months. Currently the 20-year-old Canterbury mechanical engineering student is leading the 2019/20 South Island Formula 1600 Championship and with one round to go on 7 March, it is his title for the taking.
It’s his fourth season in the category and finally Noble-Adams has made the step up to the top of the podium. This season he has notched up his first race win, his first round win and now finds himself 29-points ahead of nearest title rival Cameron Freeman. While fellow Christchurch driver Bailey Paterson is just 17-points behind, he won’t contest the final round having left for the USA to work with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport in the US Formula 4 Championship.
Talkmotorsport caught up with Noble-Adams to ask what has made the difference this season?
“Two things have made the difference, spending more time away from the track on the car (a Van Diemen Stealth) and being more organised for each race weekend.
“Pre-season, we have done a lot of work on things that shouldn’t have been there on the car. At the end of last season when we pulled the car down we found eight cracks in the chassis. Only one of them was a minor one. We have spent time stiffening the chassis up, welding the floor pan and sorting the suspension.
“We haven’t done much with the engine. Wade Henshaw has put it together for us like he normally does. There’s a new exhaust but other than that it is the same engine that we have run each season. It has certainly got pace and is not slow.”
But what about the driver? We put to him that it’s all very well to sort out the car so what has made the difference in the driver this season who has won two races and stood on the podium 11/18 times?
“Over the four seasons I have learned about car control. When I first came into the category it was a bit of hill to get over with pushing an actual race car. In a go-kart you can see everything, you know where everything is, you can feel it. In this car you with the suspension and speed you have to be comfortable with being on the limit, sliding on the rails. It took a while for me to figure it out and now I can do it anywhere.
“The competition is fantastic this season. Bailey (Paterson) is doing particularly well. The Freemans with Dyson and Cameron who were right on the money at Highlands. It’s great with Billy (Frazer) coming down for the two rounds and also having James (Penrose) at a couple of rounds.”
What about competing in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship?
“This year doing the nationals was financially too much as my brother Oscar wouldn’t have be able to compete in the South Island’s as well. The costs would also be too great with only one South Island round. The goal would be to run the national’s next season.”
Comments