Exclusive Interview with Jordan Cane
Veneno Racing Team gets exclusive access to young racing superstar Jordan Cane as he prepares for his 1st race in the US after turning 14 a couple of weeks ago.
Jordan will become the youngest open wheel racer in the US when he takes to the track and Veneno Racing have been following and helping him all the way from his 1st step in a cadet kart.
We also get to hear from Grant, Jordan’s father and architect of Jordan’s success to date.
Follow Jordan’s exciting career at www.JordanCaneRacing.com and catch updates through the team website – www.VenenoRacing.com
Henry: "Can you take all the correct lines without anyone telling you?"
Jordan: “I think there is never just one line, I'm pretty good at working it out quickly but the line you take depends on many things such as whether you want a good exit speed or carry more speed into the corner, also where the grip is will change so the lines will change, set up, tyres, temperature, weather and how you drive will all affect the 'best line'
With my coaches we are always trying different approaches for corners, what might seem the right line might not be the quickest.”
Henry: "What was your favorite kart?"
Jordan: “that's easy Tonykart, Juniormax, but probably because it was the fastest I have driven!”
Mrs F: "How did you get into karting and who noticed you as a talent?"
Jordan: “My dad suggested it at the festival of speed because I wanted a pit bike and he said no, what about karting, it was Des that spotted I had some talent at a cadet course at thruxton and suggested doing msa racing.”
Mrs F: "Have you had any bad accidents?"
Jordan: “Not really bad, I've rolled, and I've fractured a couple of ribs.”
William: "How do you get to America, it must cost so much"
Jordan: “obviously we have to fly, yes it does cost a lot but we don't have a choice!”
Freddie "When Jordan feels himself starting to skid how does he stop himself?"
Jordan: “Freddie , everything just happens, the more times you do something the quicker you learn to correct it, but skidding/sliding is not a bad thing, it's actually the fastest way to drive in certain cars and even in some karts at certain tracks or in the rain.”
My question is for Jordan's dad: "How does a father cope knowing that his son is driving at such high speeds? Does pride overcome fear!? "
Grant: “You put it to the back of your mind, I don't mind admitting I feel sick at the start of every race and did so in karting but that's more because I'm anxious for him to get the reward he deserves rather than a fear thing. He's my son so obviously I do fear for his safety but how can you tell them they can't do what they love, we have had many conversations with him and explained the associated risks, it is his choice at the end of the day, the only time I would ever step in is if I saw fear in his eyes!”
Ethan: “how did you find the transition from karts to cars?”
Jordan: “The transition was pretty easy, I did a couple hours in a diesel van in my dads yard then I did the skip barber school, they gradually built us up and allowed us to go faster, by the third day we were doing 130mph!”
Ethan: “What has been the best car you have driven so far?”
Jordan: “Formula Renault 2.0”
Ethan: “What's the fastest you have been on a track?
Jordan: “About 145mph. ( the fun bit though are the fast sweeping corners like the last chicane at Blyton which was about 120mph)”
Ethan: “How do you think the UK karting scene helped you as a driver develop?
Jordan: “It's taught me how to cope with disappointment, how to be determined, how to be aggressive but clean, the whole karting experience is training for what you need for cars, learning how to give correct feedback, how to put into practice what your being coached to do, the data, the set up. You need to do karting before cars if you don't want to waste time learning the basics for two or three years!
Also the British karting is the hardest in the world, I think it's harder than the European or world championships.”
Ethan: “What is your favourite kart track? What is your favourite race track?
Jordan: “Kart track is Rowrah when it's dry, road Atlanta is the best car track I've driven.”
Ethan: “Who inspires you in your race career?
Jordan: “I like Lewis but so does everyone but James Hinchcliffe, he's an Indy car driver who’s just had a big accident but he's a nice guy and a great driver!
Ethan: “What has been your best moment to date?
To date racing at Palm beach, being in the lead, I got taken out but it was still the best feeling getting to race in a car at a big event! That will change this weekend though”
Ethan: “What Trophy has been your proudest achievement?”
Jordan: “Buckmore cadet winter championship! Gerrard (Project One Team Owner) said I could only enter super one if I won the championship, the championship started in October, I had only done two other races, I led every lap of every race and didn't drop a point!
Ethan: “How did you come up with the Twitter tag?
Jordan: “My dad, we were just chatting and he said to be number one! Then said that would be a good hashtag!” (#2BN1)
Ethan: “How do you find time to fit school into the mix?
Jordan: “I do miss a lot of school, but I have to catch up, I do work hard at it but I don't enjoy it,”
Ethan: “What are you ambitions/targets/dreams for your future?
Jordan: “I want to be a driver, it's not going to be easy, next year hopefully I will drive USF 2000 and from there really depends on whether I'm good enough and can get any backing”
Ethan: “If you could give one piece of advice to budding drivers now, what would it be?
Jordan: “Advice would be, learn your lessons as quickly as you can, work hard on consistency and attitude, fitness makes a big difference both food and exercise. My dad never worries about results just that I have the right attitude to learning.
Always have the best people around you that you can work with, the big teams are good if you already know what your doing but they have no time for development.”
Matt P “How the f@*** do you bankroll that?? I thought cadet karting was expensive!
Grant: “Motorsport is expensive, we are fortunate we can afford the entry level in cars but after that we will need support, wait till you do rotax if you think cadets is expensive, we actually moved to cars because it was a cheaper option than European karting!”
Matt P “Did you know from an early stage that Jordan was going to go this far, quite so quickly?
Grant: “There was never any intention of it being more than just a bit of fun when we took him to Thruxton, but he did well so we moved forward. Since then everything we've put in front of him he's just gone straight out and been fast. At times you think is it worth it? are we sacrificing too much but how do you turn it off when he just keeps on surprising us, Des will tell you I have always been very reserved in giving credit, just trying to keep his feet on the ground but the stopwatch doesn't lie and he's breaking records every time he gets in car. Where it will end who knows but we're having a great time!”
Matt P “Who has been your biggest influence when building Jordan's career?
Grant: “There have been many that I have listened too and taken a bit from each that suits our situation but like Jordan said earlier you must ensure it is the right person that you trust and relates well to both yourself and driver. I don't need to say what high regard I have for Des for his part in starting Jordan off in the right way, Chris Rogers is also a major influence on Jordan's race craft and maturity towards his racing, The team we are in now have people that work great with Jordan, more recently Cliff Dempsey really surprised us at how he got the best from Jordan.
Im very careful about who I let work with Jordan, and would add that probably my biggest influence was my own background in coaching very talented young footballers and the mistakes made by the parents in their children's development.”
Matt P “With so many different formulas, championships, etc. how did you know which was right for you?
Grant: “Choosing which way to go was fairly easy, Jordan's age! With changes in the rules in recent years, Jordan is the youngest open wheel racing driver in the world at the moment, he had to achieve certain things before they would let him race but choosing the team was based on first going and doing a test with them, it was as much about whether we were happy with them as them being happy to have such a young driver!”
Matt P “How big is the trophy cabinet at home?
Grant: “Trophy cabinet is not that big, we went straight into super one and only raced against the best, and remember Jordan only done 8 months in cadet and 14 months in rotax, I think there is about 25 trophies!”
Matt P “What has been your best moment to date?
Grant: “Palm beach with him taking the lead so quickly and the way he did it, he got taken out but I didn't care that moment proved we had done the right thing moving him to cars!”
Matt P “What would be the best piece of advice/guidance you could give to a parent of a young racer starting out today?
Grant: “If you starting out, make sure you enjoy it, put emphasis on learning rather than results, decide if it's going to be a hobby or something more, be realistic about how good they are, don't think the bigger the better in the teams, our experience is exactly the opposite. But also understand what your up against, money, engines, cheats, bullies. A good karting weekend can only be judged by your own performance too many other things happen that should not detract from where you are heading and how you enjoy it.
And like us don't ever count on making it to F1, work as hard as you can but always be realistic that it probably won't happen otherwise you will never enjoy the journey. What we are doing even now is more than we ever dreamed possible.
The biggest mistake I see is that because the sport is so expensive, parents want to see a result for their investment, this can very quickly turn into pressure on the kids, all I've ever done is ask Jordan if he was happy with his own performance, this is the time you will get the honest answers and find out if there are truly enjoying themselves.”
And lastly.....
Team: “VIP passes to the Indy 500 for the team? Just saying.....”
Grant: “I can get you tickets to an Indy car event, hospitality at some, VIP not yet but working on it!”
Good Luck to Jordan and Grant for his 1st race, the Veneno Race team are all behind you……
