ON TRACK WITH HENRY SURTEES
2007 UK Formula BMW Championship
Brands-bound Surtees eager to add to first win
by John Surtees
18 to 19 August 2007
 Henry Surtees prepares for rounds 15 and 16 of the UK Formula BMW Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend (18/19 August) with the conviction he can compete for top honours and, in doing so, add to the first race win he enjoyed at Donington in July.
Racing like life always raises its 'ifs' and 'buts'. So it is perhaps fair to say that but for the heavy hand of officialdom Henry was denied the opportunity of challenging for a win in round 14 at Snetterton - the race in which he overcame a back-of-the-grid start, plus a further 10 second penalty, to finish seventh, breaking the lap record in the process.
Brands Hatch was the scene of Henry’s first single seater races in rounds 1 and 2 of the championship. Back then he finished a close second in race one, won the Rookie Cup and was ready to capitalise on the confidence gained from that performance in the follow up race.
But a repeat performance was not to be. Starting from the downhill-sloping third place on the grid, he was in a strong position to challenge fellow rookie Marcus EEriccson. He considered he had the pace to pass but was called in for a drive through penalty for being out of position on the start line. He had not jumped the start but, due to inexperience, inadvertently moved forward a fraction from his grid position as he selected gear.
This year’s Clerk of the Course deemed the error sufficient for Henry to merit the same penalty as Henry Arundel who had blatantly jumped the start from the third row to take the lead into Paddock Hill. But that is all part of the learning curve and also realising you can’t afford to make such mistakes.
European series
These are the penultimate two rounds in the series for both this year and for the UK Formula BMW Championship, as it is set to become a European series in 2008. Personally I think this is a pity as I do not think that the Grand Prix circuits of Europe are the place for youngsters of 15 - often newly transferred from karts - to learn their trade.
Perhaps 2009 with over 200hp - and aimed at second year drivers - it will have more to offer. But my preference would have been for the European series to have been an additional one with higher powered cars, certainly over 200hp, leaving the national races as the catchment areas where youngsters could gain valuable experience of all sorts of corners, conditions and mileage that racing on their national circuits would offer them. It would also give them the opportunity for out-of-season testing with their teams on the circuits involved.
But, for whatever reason, BMW have decided to make these changes. This in no way takes away from the fact that BMW have been one of the main supporters of bringing youngsters through their BMW class all the way to Formula One opportunities. And that is to be applauded. But I cannot help but think that they have, in turn, now inadvertently handed a major opportunity to Renault to dominate the driver development programmes - at least here in the UK.
Picture: Henry Surtees engaged in battle at Brands back in the spring
13 August 2007
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