Bicester, England – Each month I spend in the UK seems to be busier than the last. As our season has reached its midpoint, we begin looking towards next year, which means juggling the current season with the preceding one. Amidst this chaos, one of my best friends, David, texted me Tuesday morning saying he had a flight to Heathrow for the day after, and asked if he could come see me. Of course I said yes, but I warned him I was racing that weekend and that he would have to come along.

While well traveled, David had never seen England before, so I was lucky enough to be his tour guide and show him the secrets this country has to share. Living so close to Oxford, it was a no-brainer to take him there for his first day. Earlier in the year I brought my sister to England, and while sleep deprivation helped, she told me how much of being there felt like a dream. The architecture, the culture, everything is similar, but simultaneously so different. It has quickly become one of my favorite activities, to show an American around England, take them to places that would never exist in America, like castles, war bases, palaces, gardens, and of course, race tracks. Yes I know some of those exist elsewhere, but not ones so profusely English. Throughout the day, I took him to some of my favorite sights in Oxford, different cafes and markets, and of course we finished off the afternoon with the impulsive decision to watch Despicable Me 4. I was impressed with the price of the popcorn. Finally I then took him to Westgate mall. Those reading this from America might be confused, as mall culture has taken a serious dive in the past few years in the states. However, malls in England are still very much alive. We finished off the day with dinner on top of Westgate, then took the train back to Bicester for the night.

Day Two began with cream tea and a full English breakfast. As I’ve been living in England for long enough, it was my duty to ensure he got to have a full English. We went to one of my favorite places in Bicester, The Bicester Avenue Garden Center, where we sat in a giant sun room and had brunch. For those of you who don’t know cream tea, it is what I would argue to be one of the best creations England has to offer(that is a compliment). It features a scone – your choice of plain, fruit, or cheese – clotted cream, your choice of jam, and your choice of tea. It is an amazing way to start the day. I chose Earl Grey of course, and even while I write this, I am drinking Earl Grey tea. The second half of the day was the drive to Brands Hatch Circuit. But first we needed to pick up a new team member from the airport. After some reshuffling within the team, we were able to bring Cliff Dempsey, one of the most successful formula ford team owners and engineers, on board.

The weekend was itself a diamond in the rough. Friday saw us as the dominant car in testing, and the team was working together better than ever before. That night Gary Ward introduced David and I to Radjani, the greatest curry I have had to date. Those who know Brands hatch know Radjani, as it is the most popular dinner spot for teams at the end of the race day. As we were there, we saw at least 30 racing drivers and team members shuffle into the restaurant. After some good curry, we headed back to the hotel to continue the tradition of watching Rush the day before my race. This would be the first time a track I was racing at was featured in the movie.

Disappointingly, the results were not there to show the pace we had. After qualifying in tricky conditions I was set to start in 8th, a precarious position around Brands. Race 1 saw tight battles and close margins where I finished 5th, giving me a better starting position for Race 2. Our pace really shone in Race 2 but despite our best efforts, a broken drive shaft took me out with only a few laps remaining.

Accepting the past and moving on is an important skill in racing and in life, thus I turned my mind away from the race, and focused on what I could control. That being, I still had a guest to take care of, and I had plans for his final day in England. After the race, we went to Bluewater Shopping Center, the second largest mall in England, and explored the literal miles of mall this place was. David gathered some gifts to take to the rest of our friends in the US before we headed home, and then he headed home.

As I’ve been here in England, I’ve learned that changes aren’t bad, so long as you make the most of the opportunities they provide. I’ve been enjoying my time in England, but having a bit of home to come over to spend some time with me was much needed, and re-energized me moving forward. Our next event will be in just over three weeks time at Castle Combe on 26th, August. The team will remain the same as this past weekend, with Cliff staying with us for the next event, providing us with some much needed data to tackle yet another brand new track for myself this season.