A great addition to the latest season of iRacing, alongside the Jerez – Ángel Nieto circuit, is the new Ray FF1600, also known as the Formula Ford. This vehicle, lacking wings and any type of aerodynamic load, can be a real challenge for drivers who are not very familiar with a sliding car and only propelled by the power of its 1.6-liter engine, which provides approximately 110 hp. But this makes it a very evenly matched series on the track with lots of overtaking opportunities.
Max Esterson, one of the best drivers of this vehicle in the world, tells us in detail how driving this vehicle works and how we should handle it in the simulator, as it is replicated perfectly.
Regarding drifts, we don’t want to be too lenient or it will turn against us. “A little bit of sliding is good, but don’t overdo it. The back of the car should never be fully settled, but it should be quite forgiving when catching drifts.” It will probably take us some time to get used to the sliding of this car, although if we come from Formula Vee, we can get an idea quickly.
Once the drift is over, we move on to the brakes. “The car’s behavior on entry depends quite a bit on how you brake. You’ll need to hold the brake longer than in a car with aerodynamic load to keep the weight on the front tires. Once you drive it, you’ll realize how much control you have over the car with the brake pedal.”
Now, with the most important lessons learned both outside and inside the simulator, it’s just a matter of refining our times. Max tells us how to achieve optimal driving with this vehicle. “With the accelerator, you’ll want to be aggressive. The car doesn’t have much power and has an open differential, so you’ll generally have some power understeer. I think accelerating quickly instead of gradually helps fight some of the understeer. The car has a 4-speed H-pattern gearbox. It’s not necessary to use the clutch on upshifts and you only need a small lift. And on downshifts, you can use the clutch, but I choose not to, as I only brake with my left foot and accelerate. Without any blip, the rear can become quite unstable.”
These are all the tips that Max Esterson provides us with this new addition to iRacing. Now it’s time to put them into practice
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