Jamie Chadwick clinched a deserved Rookie Trophy victory during the latest rounds of the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship at Knockhill, while brother Ollie Chadwick found himself in the fight for the overall podium positions across the weekend.
The weekend didn’t start well for the JHR Developments team-mates however, a disappointing qualifying session seeing both qualifying in the back half of the grid.
The bad luck that has dogged their seasons so far continued into the opening race. Ollie enjoyed a blistering start from sixth, getting up to second at one stage before running in fourth when a front damper sheered and the suspension collapsed, forcing an immediate retirement. Jamie meanwhile was running well until she was tipped into a spin at the final hairpin, resigning her to a ninth place finish.
The 2013 Ginetta Scholarship winner had a much more positive second race, moving up to sixth on the opening lap before gaining another place en-route to a deserved fifth place finish and top honours in the Rookie Trophy.
“We really needed a good result to make up for so many recent disappointments,” said the 15 year old “The JHR Developments team had worked hard and the wisdom shared by my newly-appointed driver coach, Jonny Adam, all came together in Sunday’s race. That and the Scottish hospitality made my first visit to Knockhill really memorable. It’s a great circuit, with great crowds, and I’m already looking forward to racing here next year.”
Ollie meanwhile was in the thick of the action throughout the race, avoiding the almost traditional first lap incidents to rise into third. A tussle with Keith Donegan followed, with a slide into Clark Curve late on allowed the Irishman past, with Ollie settling for fourth.
“I was disappointed not to get on the podium – that’s my target in every race,” he said. “But I’ve had so much bad luck this season – Saturday’s suspension failure just adding to my frustration – that to just get to the end of the race fighting for top places is a big relief. Rockingham is next, and I’ve had wins there, so I’m feeling positive.”
