Welcome to Future Star Friday, the bi-weekly series looking at some of the best young and upcoming talents on the road to Formula One.
This time on #FutureStarFriday we look at this year’s Henry Surtees Challenge winner, Piers Prior. The 18-year old has beaten some incredibly talented young drivers in identical machinery and is making quite a name for himself, having tested for teams such as Carlin, Manor Motorsport, and Falcon Motorsport.
Just over a month after his big win, I caught up with Piers to talk about his victory, his various tests for high-profile teams, sim racing and learn more about the man affectionately known as “Pink Lid”. Piers Prior.
Jake Callaghan: So Piers, it has been just over a month since you won the Henry Surtees Challenge, has it sunk in yet how big of an achievement that is?
Piers Prior: “Hi Jake. Yes, it has begun to sink in a bit. When I look back at the event, it has just been reduced to a blur in my mind. The rain in the morning on slicks, then the crazy races, both in drying conditions.
In the pre-final I managed to make a place or two from my 6th place start and I was in second for most of the race until Jake [Dennis] passed me, I finished 3rd.
For the final I started 3rd, right at the pointy end. I took a risk at the start, I decided to move from the safe inside line to the outside at turn one where the grip was on the damp track. I could have potentially lost 5 or 6 places there if I had misjudged it as I would’ve been hung out to dry. However the risk paid off big time, is got the lead on the switchback out of Henry’s (turn 2).
From there Jake [Dennis] was in second and had a bit more pace than me in the early stages so I let him through so he could tow us away from everyone else; it worked, although he did pull nearly a second gap on me. I found some pace in the second half of the race and caught him with about 5 minutes to go. I had a bit of a reality check just then, I was thinking in my mind ‘you are about to pass Jake Dennis, of all people. You shouldn’t be here, you’re just some kid from Essex who has been watching Jake on TV in F3 all year and you are about to pass him!’ I passed him at Hairpin 2 and held on for the win.
When I came over the line I was completely ecstatic, elated, relieved. I knew immediately the enormity of what I had done. I couldn’t contain my emotions, I waved to everyone on the balcony, trying to see my Mum and Dad. I was so happy, not only because I had just won the HSF challenge, but also because of the race I have just had. I am a racer and having taken the risk at the start, then being passed, and then to re-pass for the win. It was no doubt one of the best races and proudest moments of my life. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life. It was just such an awesomely fun race, the competition I was up against was just the icing on the cake.”
JC: Sounds like a thriller of a race. You were up against some very strong drivers such as Jack Aitken and Scott Malvern. How important is it for your fledgling career that you managed to beat them on equal terms?
PP: “Jack and Scott are both immensely successful in their own right, on the British and world motorsport scene and this showed after qualifying. Jack hadn’t participated in any of the morning practices as he had a seat fit elsewhere that morning. He rocked up for qualifying and put it on pole alongside Scott! That is a true show of how good they and almost everyone else in the field are. Almost every driver on the grid has been a champion at some point, including a couple of world champions!
It is very important for my career to show that I can race at the same level as these guys. It’s important because teams, sponsors, the media, and everyone now knows I can do what these guys do and that if someone helps me get to where they are racing, I will hopefully be able to do the job as well as they have done.
It’s not only important that everyone else is now more aware of the level I can race at, but it’s also important for me, and my confidence going forward. Any negative thoughts I had in my mind that maybe I couldn’t hold my own against these guys as I don’t race in F3 or whatever are now answered. It will hold me in good stead in whatever I do in the coming years. Also racing against these awesomely quick drivers forces me to raise my game and extract the best from myself which is a great personal challenge; it’s why I keep coming back to race at the event.”
JC: How important have the test sessions for Manor Motorsport been as a reward for winning the Henry Surtees Challenge?
PP: “Having Manor MP offer me the test as my prize for winning the event was a real honour. It’s an experience I may never have otherwise had. It really is incredible for me. I race in club hire karting events and then to be handed a test in FR2.0 car in Spain, having not paid for it is something most people in my position can only dream of. It was really a ‘pinch me’ moment, and one of the best experiences I’ve had. I am genuinely so thankful to the Henry Surtees Foundation, and Manor MP for allowing me this incredible experience. I can’t express the gratitude I feel towards them for their generosity.”
JC: How important is it that the HSC exists, and it can be used to help young aspiring racing drivers?
PP: “For drivers in my position with very small budgets, but very big dreams and aspirations I think it’s essential in a way. Without the HSF I would to this day probably never driven a racing car, never been able to showcase what I can do on a racetrack, and would never have this much media attention which will hopefully allow me to raise the budget to race next year. Thanks to them and the HSF challenge, I have now tested in F3, MSA formula, and a FR2.0, and plans are currently underway for me to race next year. The HSF and the HSC have played a huge role in my career so far and I can’t believe I have been fortunate enough to be where I am now, and it’s mostly thanks to them.With the costs of racing ever-increasing, it is becoming harder and harder for less well-funded talented drivers to show what they can do, and make their way to where they maybe deserve to be racing. The Henry Surtees Challenge is, in my opinion, the only current opportunity for a driver from any background, regardless of budget, to race on equal terms with the ‘big guns’ who maybe do have the budget to race at the highest level, and prove they do have the necessary skills to race at that level.”
JC: It isn’t the first time you have won a test with a top tier team through an event at Buckmore Park, as you were the first winner of Lets Race 2 Reality. How did the idea to enter that come about?
PP: “I saw an advert at Buckmore Park about this competition in January 2014 when I was 16 that said “get your chance to drive and F3 car, join our competition”, that was all the invitation I needed. The Lets-Race-2-Reality competition was a competition run by simulator centre in Horley called ‘Lets Race’ where all entrants set times on their sims, the top 40 of which raced at Buckmore for a top 5 slot which would qualify them to got the final round, held at top racing team Carlin’s headquarters. The final round was an evaluation on Carlin’s in-house sim, and an interview with a panel of judges who were John Surtees (of the HSF), Carlin team principal Trevor Carlin, Carlin engineer Matt Ogle, at that point current F1 driver Max Chilton. I was chosen as the winner and my prize was a test in one of Carlin’s F3 cars at Pembrey in Wales. It was my first big win and the test would be the first time I would ever drive a car. It was actually 4 days before my first driving lesson on the road!The test was probably the most incredible day of my life. It was an incredibly intimidating, fun, and informative day as my first time in a racing car. Carlin were so helpful and understanding. Now I think back they must have been mad, letting an only just 17-year-old me loose in their very valuable F3 with no prior experience. Most people take years in other cars to build up to the incredible speed, grip, and downforce of an F3 car, and I was chucked in very much at the deep end (haha). I managed to get within a second and a half of their championship driver who was testing alongside me on the day. It was still only my first day in a car, ever. I was nearly as surprised at that as they were, I just felt at home in the car, although a part of me thought it was trying to kill me at every other corner (haha).”
JC: How did the Carlin F3 car compare to the Manor Formula Renault 2.0 you have tested at Jerez recently?
PP: “With there being more than a year between the tests it’s hard to draw a direct comparison but the main thing I have found when I compare the F3 car to both the FR2.0 and the MSA formula cars I have driven, is the immediacy and directness of the turning. I found that the F3 car just has so much aero grip that it just goes where you point the wheel with no delay. The car felt stuck to the road, it didn’t move around in the corners a lot, if at all, and if it did it was quite sudden. In the MSA formula car, and to an extent the Formula Renault, they both moved around quite a bit mid-corner when you are near the limit. You can feel the tyres move and flex more in them as there is less force ‘squidging’ them into the surface. The Formula 3 had the most power of the 3, but all 3 cars I have driven weren’t massively different in the way the felt they accelerated, the F3 just had a bit more punch out the slower corners.”
JC: How do you feel you have transitioned from Karting to Cars?
PP: “I think got the hang of all the cars I’ve driven pretty quickly, but each time I have to re-remember what I learnt last time I was out as there was over a year between my first and second time out, and then a couple of months between the second and third. I’m really looking forward to eventually getting the chance to test a couple or three days in a row as then I won’t have that wasted session in the morning where I am remembering what to do again. When I get that opportunity I think it will cement the transitioning process in my mind and I won’t have to do it again which will be an important step in my development as a racing driver. My transition has been eased by the amount of sim racing I do at home on my computer. I have a steering wheel and pedals set up and I have most cars and tracks. I will before each test use the same, or as close as possible, car track combination to get my eye in to reduce the time it takes me to learn at the track. I think it is a very important tool for me and my current budget, and with how accurate the commercially available sims are nowadays I think it really does make a difference.In a way, I’m still transitioning as I still race karts mostly, and I haven’t raced a car yet. It is quite funny, though, every time I have tested a car, the next time I am on a circuit I’ve been in a kart and I nearly spin on the brakes. In a car, you have to really smash the brake pedal at nearly full force to get enough braking force to slow the car, but in a kart you just press the pedal, so inevitably I lock up and end up arriving at the first corner sideways or backwards (haha).”
JC: How much did you have to adapt your driving style when you were testing the single seaters?
PP: “As I said before the braking is quite a bit different, you really have to hit the brake pedal hard in a formula car compared to a kart. Also, the brake trace is quite different, you have to ease off the brakes much more carefully in a car as the braking distances are usually longer. Cars are also much more sensitive to longitudinal loading differences due to braking and accelerating which means often you aren’t using the brake to just slow the car as you do in a kart, but you also use it to get the car in the correct attitude in the corner. This takes a bit of getting used to. I haven’t really felt 100% confident on the brakes yet in cars as all 3 felt slightly different. I’m sure I’ll be fine once I drive one a couple more times as I’ve always felt good on the brakes in karting.I have also found you tend to have to turn into corners a bit sharper and quicker in cars than karts. Karts don’t usually respond well to sharp movements and hard steering, I sort of coax a kart into the corners gently building the cornering load. In a car, especially the MSA formula car I drove, to get the best from the car a later, harder turn is often required. Again this took me a little while to conquer, but I am getting there.”
JC: Which of the three cars you tested did you find the most enjoyable?
PP: “This is a tricky one for me because the cars I’ve driven have all been quite different and I have learned so much from each car. The car I felt most comfortable in quickest was the MSA formula car which I drove 2nd. It has the least aero and moves around the most, so in some ways is the most similar to a kart. But having really enjoyed the Formula Renault because of the speed, I think I would now enjoy the F3 car the most with the experience I have gained since I last drove it because it is just that much quicker, and the amazing speed you can carry through the corners.”
JC: Which track would you most like to race on?
PP: “People always wax lyrical about Spa being an incredible circuit so I’d love to have the opportunity to race there one day. Also, the Nordschleife is hailed as one of the places you need to drive, so I’d love to do that someday too. Brands Hatch GP circuit is an iconic circuit and a favourite of mine as a fan of motorsport. When I think of Brands GP my mind is instantly taken to the incredible end of season Finales in the BTCC, especially Andy Jordan’s title-winning race a couple of years ago, and let’s not forget the awesome final race this year when Gordon Shedden drove possibly one of the best races ever to clinch the title; what a legend.
I have driven most top circuits in the virtual gaming world on my home computer. I have driven Brands GP actually and I have to say it is something quite special, so fast, the elevation change, narrow in places, really makes it a tremendous challenge which is what you look for as a driver. Another place I always seem to go well at online is Watkins Glen in America, I have done quite a few races there in a number of cars and I’ve always enjoyed the racing it produces if I could emulate that in real life I’d be incredibly lucky. Road America and Road Atlanta, and Bathurst are also favourites of mine from the online world. I can’t talk about tracks without bringing up Le Mans. Doing the 24 hours there is definitely on my bucket list as a racing driver, not to mention how awesome the track would be to drive.”
JC: Which track has been your favourite to drive on so far?
PP:“Which track has been your favourite to drive on so far?I have only driven on 3 tracks, well 4 including my ARDS test I did at Brand Indy circuit, but I don’t count that as I haven’t yet driven it in anger. I drove the F3 car at Pembrey, Wales, the MSA formula car at Rockingham, and the Formula Renault at Jerez in Spain.
Pembrey was a very technical, flat, short circuit which I enjoyed quite a lot actually. Its back section of flowing medium-high speed corners that all link up well is quite satisfying when you get it right. Rockingham is even more technical, lots of slower around 90-degree corners with different cambering makes it quite tricky to get right, but even more satisfying when you do. And the thrill of flying around turn 1 of the oval at over 200kph adds to the fun. Jerez would probably be my favourite of the ones I have driven properly so far as it is so much longer and faster than the others. There is actually quite a lot of elevation change too at that track. It feels like a proper international circuit, well I suppose it is really, but the atmosphere and quite spectacular surroundings of the circuit coupled with the fast flowing nature make it a really special to drive. Also, the knowledge that even the smallest mistake will see you end up in one of the many seas of deep gravel that surround the circuit means mistakes are punished heavily which adds to the effect.”
JC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years in terms of racing?
PP: “I see myself racing in a premier championship, whether that be in F1, Sports cars, Touring cars, I have no idea, but I would hope to be fighting for wins and championships in whatever I’m racing. My goal in racing is to develop myself into the best racing driver I can be, and then race at a level that allows me to considered one of, if not the best driver in the world. I have had karting experience in solo and team, sprint and endurance racing so I know what is needed to be successful in all of those areas. I’ll give all my time and effort to put myself in a position to get to the highest tier of racing and once I’m there hopefully I can be successful, however, I know a large proportion of whether I get there is out of my control. I think if I concentrate on being the best I can be there is no reason why I shouldn’t get there, and when I do get there I’ll be in the best position to be successful.”
JC: Finally, what are your plans for the 2016 season?
PP: “Currently my plans are to race in MSA formula next year. I have had a test in the car with Falcon Motorsport already and I got on with it very well, also it’s a great chance to race in front of a Live TV audience on ITV4 and larger crowds than any other junior series being on the Touring car package. It’s a great championship as it gives us drivers the chance to get maximum exposure for our sponsors and investors without whom we would not be able to go racing. It also has the added bonus FIA super license points for the winner which you need to get to F1. I’m not saying I think I’ll win the championship in my first year of car racing, I’d be a fool to think it’s going to be easy, but it is nice to have that carrot dangling in front of you to spur you on, and knowing you are on the right path.”
This has been an insight into one of the friendliest drivers in motorsport, and any sponsor willing to take a risk on Piers would be greatly rewarded with a fast, talented driver who will go the extra distance to ensure every media or sponsorship commitment is completed to the highest standard.
We at Read Motorsport would like to wish Piers the best of luck in finding a drive for the 2016 season.
