The official start of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy got underway yesterday with 3 rounds of practice at Brands Hatch.  My goal was to progress every time I went out on the circuit.  I knew the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch was going to be tough, but I did not let that stand in my way.  Every session was progress, and by the end of the day I was happy where I finished up.

Saturday morning came early with a short warm up.  New tires went on the cars this morning which would remain the only set for the whole weekend.  With all of this in mind Pat and I only did a few laps to warm the cars up before the first round of qualifying.  The key to a fast time was trying to get a clear lap.  With a fast lap being in the 44 second range, circuit length at 1.2 miles, and 22 cars gives a very congested qualifying session.

In Q 1, I had a lot of traffic and my fast lap was done avoiding another car at the apex of a corner.  During Q 2, I was right on pace with series champion Tim Bridgeman.  A small handling issue hampered my overall speed, and I ended up 8th when the session ended.  Temperatures cooled down for Q 3, and I made a small set up change trying to improve the handling.  In the end, the change was not what I hoped for and came into the pits to put the set up back to the original position.  When I went back out on the circuit, a red flag appeared due to a car in the sand trap.  This ended up being the conclusion of the session and the day. 

Both Pat and I qualified in the top ten only a few positions apart from each other.  I gained a whole second today in my overall lap time which showed that I am coming to grips with the circuit and car.  Tomorrow’s races are looking to be under wet conditions and will present a new challenge.  Even with that, this has been a great learning experience so far because the situation makes a driver go out and get the job done right away.  Since the program got under way, I have to thank all the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship for giving me this opportunity.  Driving in this different environment presents a new level to raise my game.  The competition this season is very good, and I would have it no other way. 
Joel Miller