F1 POLECAT INTERVIEW:
(Jan 2025)
Innes Hickman
FORMULA FORD DRIVER FOR MINITRON
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Innes Hickman, a seasoned driver making waves in the world of Formula Ford racing. From his early days in motorsport to competing at some of the most prestigious circuits, Innes shares his insights surrounding the challenges and triumphs of his racing career. We explore the skills, mindset and determination required to excel in a series known for its fierce competition.
Whether you’re a motorsport enthusiast or someone curious about the journey of a high flier and his team, Innes’ story offers an inspiring look into the world of single-seater racing.
Syd: Can you walk us through a typical race weekend setup and preparation for the RF89?
Innes: We'll usually arrive at the circuit in the afternoon on the day before the race and set up our awnings in the paddock. We have one awning per car and it takes a while to get everything set up before we even think about unloading the cars from the trailers. Our awnings are our home for the duration of the event so it's important to make sure everything is properly secured and stored. Once that is done and the cars unloaded we start to relax and little and if anything needs to be done to the cars it will get done that evening. We aim to have all the prep done at the workshop before we leave as there's nothing I hate more than last minute jobs!
Syd: The Formula Ford series is known for its close racing. What do you think is the key to success in this highly competitive environment?
Innes: Formula Ford provides excellent racing and the cars are very well matched. The rules have been pretty much the same since it's inception in the late 1960s and I think this is what helps to provide such close racing. Everything that can be tried has been tried and so no one really has a demon mod that lets them run away on track. Also the cars don't carry any aero devices so there is minimal turbulence coming off the cars so we can run nose to tail without compromising grip.
Syd: How much of a role does the car's setup play in your race results, and how do you fine-tune it for specific tracks or weather conditions?
Innes: Although a typical Formula Ford chassis is fairly forgiving its handling, there is always a benefit from having everything spot on. The suspension is completely adjustable so we can tweak wheel angles to get as much grip as we can from the tyres. We can also change the gear ratios in the gearbox and this affects the performance of the car hugely. For example, for a short twisty circuit like Lydden Hill, we are not looking for ultimate top speed so we gear the car more for quick acceleration than top speed. The opposite would be true of somewhere like Silverstone where the fast corners and long straights mean that top speed is important. Everything is a compromise though so we have to be mindful of the fact that we can't have everything we want and we have to decide the best path to follow. This is where testing comes in as it allows us to experiment with set up away from the pressure of a race day. When it rains, we have to alter the car to reflect the loss of grip and to try to get the tyres to cut through the water and there a few ways to do that.
Syd: What makes Minitron Racing unique in the Formula Ford Championship, and what do you look for when building your team?
Innes: I'm not sure Minitron is unique, but we are slightly different from the top teams in that we run cars for the club level driver, whereas the big teams tend to cater for the young, upcoming career drivers who have different needs and budgets to us. There's a lot of focus on the front few cars but we have the same engineering and technical ethic as the big outfits. Where we differ the most is that we have always tried to help those that are trying to break into motorsport. When I started out I found it very hard to get anyone to help me and racing was a fairly closed shop. I'm very proud to be able to offer an opportunity to young student engineers and technicians and to give them the benefit of my experience and some kind of opportunity. Students that we have had work for us have gone on to work for such companies as McLaren and Caterham. We have also had students go on to work in BTCC and GT racing and one went on to form his own racing team, so I think we're able to offer a good grounding. We can't give everyone a try so we look for a strong work ethic, respect, a conscientious approach as well as a technical bias.
Syd: What has been the most memorable race or season of your career in Formula Ford so far, and why?
Innes: Hmm, most memorable season... I had a great year back in 2009. I was racing in the SEMSEC Championship which back then was based around the two Kent circuits, Lydden Hill and Brands Hatch. I had a great battle all year long with a chap in Reynard FF89, and it was ding dong between us every race with each of us winning on different occasions. Eventually I managed to beat him in the final race at the final round and this gave me just enough points to win the championship. I've had other good races over the years but that certainly was a highlight. I would say that some of my best races have been races where I have been nowhere near the front, but have just had good wheel to wheel racing. It's important to remember that not everyone can win and sometimes the battle is just being there and competing and that can feel like a win!
Syd: I’m sure it’s awful when you have a spin or a crash. Have you had any particularly memorable crashes in your career?
Innes: I've been fortunate enough to only have had two big accidents in my 33 year career as a driver. The first was at a sprint at Goodwood in 1993 when I was racing a Mini. I made a mistake and spun the car but as it spun it clipped the end of the tyre wall and rolled over. It wrecked the car sadly. The second was about 3 or 4 years ago at Brands Hatch when the car ahead of me on the grid stalled and I hit the back of him when the lights went out. Sadly there was more damage to my car than his and he went on to finish the race whilst I was sat on the side-lines contemplating the repair bill.
Syd: When you were a teenager, what did you do that helped you get to where you are today in Formula Ford?
Innes: I was completely absorbed by racing as a kid and I used to go to watch as many races as I could with my Dad. It was at one of these races that I saw my first Formula Ford race and I knew that one day I wanted to do that. I was 14 or 15 at the time I think. Even back then I knew I'd never have the money to race and get anywhere like F1, so it was like a bit of an impossible dream. I left school and trained to be a mechanic and sort of parked the idea of racing until I had a job and my first road car which I modified and took sprinting. It was this car that I crashed at Goodwood!
Syd: Who were your racing heroes when growing up and what inspired you to pursue a career in motorsport?
Innes: Growing up there wasn't much racing on TV other than F1 and I used to follow Nelson Piquet in that. In those days he drove for Brabham and I also liked the look of the car with it's dark blue and white livery.
I used to read Motorsport News every week and keep up with racing that way and loved reading the race reports of various races and dreaming about what it must be like to drive a racing car. I was also fascinated by the technology and would seek out as much info as I could. This was all pre-internet though so it was a case of reading books and magazines.
Syd: Would you like to see more girls competing in Formula Ford or would they be better off in their own series (like F1 Academy)?
Innes: I'd love to see more girls in Formula Ford, whether as drivers or team members. We have seen a few girls race in recent years, with people like Megan Gilkes and Logan Hannah doing well and we even saw Jamie Chadwick at a couple of races in her early days.
Sadly they are still too few and far between. I think F1 Academy is great but there always seems to be nowhere to go for drivers after that so I think it's appeal is limited. I think women should compete in open races alongside men and there are some ladies doing really well in sportscars with initiatives like Iron Dames producing great drivers such as Dorian Pin, Lilou Wadoux and Sarah Bovy, to name just a few, who are able to compete and win against men.
There you have it folks, the wise words of Innes Hickman! Some truly interesting insights to what goes on behind the scenes of a championship team and its great to hear so much passion about motorsport and its future. Biggest of thank you’s to Innes for his inciteful answers and unwavering support of F1Polecat.
I would like to publicly display my gratitude to Innes for his help and encouragement and everything in between. I am especially thankful to have the honour of supporting Innes with my emblem on his car for the 2025 season ( picture very soon!).