Jacob Douglas returns to US for single-seater testing
By : Samantha Hine
December 1, 2021
Jacob Douglas has returned to the United States for the second time this year to take part in single-seater testing, with the aim to race in the US in 2022.
Douglas travelled to the States over winter for testing in the US Formula 3 and 4 series. While there he also competed in Formula 4 at Laguna Seca, which saw him stand on the podium twice, despite it being his series debut.
This trip will see Douglas taking part in several tests in the USF2000 category.
“I can’t wait,” Douglas said.
“I’ve heard the difference between the USF2000 car and what I have already driven there in F4 is speed. They are a lot faster with similar downforce.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on the race-simulator preparing for a couple of different tracks that we will test on. All seem to have quite a lot of elevation, are very fast and very American in style with quite a lot of camber in the corners, quite a bit wider and different than here in NZ.”
Douglas will test with Exclusive Autosport, who currently competes in the USF2000 series as well as in Indy Pro 2000, the team has also announced they will join the IndyCar Lights series in 2022.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the team. I’ve heard a lot of good about them. The aim is to get as many laps in as possible to learn the car and the Cooper tyre.”
His previous trip to the US saw Douglas spend three months on the road with Kiwi Motorsport, which is run by New Zealanders’ Garry Orton and Teena Larson. While there Douglas has the opportunity to test at Buttonwillow Raceway in Southern California.
“That was a great insight into the US motorsport scene and what their tracks are like, especially at Laguna Seca.
“They have lots of elevation and camber, especially at Laguna Seca which has some really fast corners. There was heaps to learn about car setup, cornering speed, use of brake pressure and giving feedback to the engineers.
“We did two races there in which I only had a ten-minute practice session to quickly learn the track before qualifying. I was able to get comfortable both with the car and track and ended up finishing the two races in second and third.”
Douglas travelled to Indianapolis last week to meet the team, and take part in pre-season testing while also starting negotiations towards racing in 2022.
“We are really committed to racing in the US in 2022,” said Douglas.
“There is still a lot of work to do to put this all together so want to thank all those involved so far.”
It is unlikely Douglas will return home before Christmas due to current Covid and MIQ requirements in NZ.
