18 year old Yorkshire youngster Daniel Lloyd suffered heartbreak during the latest rounds of the 2010 BF Goodrich/Skip Barber National Series presented by Mazda at Sebring, in support of the ALMS 12 Hours of Sebring.
Lloyd, whose single seater debut came at the previous round of the Championship at the Homestead Miami Speedway, had taken a superb pole position for the second race of the weekend, round 4, having set a best time of 2m23.020s in the final minutes of Friday mornings qualifying session.
What looked like a great result for Lloyd soon went, as a loss of power soon meant that the Yorkshire based youngster started slipping down the pack, but instead of stopping, Lloyd completed the race and claimed an 11th place finish.
The loss of power than Lloyd encountered was down to a badly overheating engine, due to a clogged up radiator. If it hadn't had been for this, concedes Lloyd, he'd have had his maiden Skip Barber podium: “I'm really disappointed we had the engine problem as a podium at the very least was on the cards and, realistically, I think we could have won that race.”
“Taking my first pole position was great and showed what I'm capable of in this championship. It's just very unfortunate a problem with the car stopped me challenging for my first win – that's motor racing though!”
Lloyd proved that he has the pace and ability to run with the front runners when he set the fifth fastest time during the first free practice session, which took place on the 16th March.
The opening race of the weekend, which took place on a Thursday, the 18th March, was a different story for Lloyd, having qualified 12th on the grid, Lloyd had a storming drive which put him in the top 3, and on course for a maiden podium finish, until the final corner, where the two drivers behind him used the slipstream to pass him on the run down to the chequered flag.
Even with the disappointment of missing out on a podium and a win, it was still an enjoyable and rewarding race event for the Huddersfield based racer. Lloyd is currently in joint eighth position in the Championship, with 89 points.
Lloyd's next race will take place in just under five week's time, at the Virginia International Raceway in Virginia, on the 24th and 25th April.
