Oliver Basey-Fisher performed well in his first wet race - Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Oli Basey-Fisher declared himself “happy enough” after scoring points in both rain-lashed Ginetta Junior races at Thruxton.
The rookie was one of many drivers making not only their circuit debut, but also experiencing wet-weather running for the first time.
The 16-year-old, from Great Finborough, Suffolk, survived his trial-by-water and secured two eleventh place finishes after practice, qualifying and both races were affected by poor weather.
Basey-Fisher, the Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner, admitted it was his steepest learning curve yet.
“Obviously, Thruxton is the fastest circuit in the UK so to race there for the first time under the conditions we had was a really tough challenge”, said the Century Logistics-backed driver. “It's been the most difficult weekend so far but we scored points in both races so I'm happy enough with that.”
Fitted with wet-weather tyres on a drying track, Basey-Fisher ran in the top ten during Round Five on Saturday but ultimately settled for eleventh and sixth in the Rookie category. He repeated the feat in drenched conditions on Sunday but went one better in the Rookies, finishing fifth this time.
He said: “It was absolutely tipping down all weekend, Saturday was more changeable – wet in the morning, followed by a greasy session and then a dry session – while on Sunday it was nothing but rain all day long.”
“Every session was a different challenge for me, a hell of a learning experience that's for sure!”
Basey-Fisher is now ninth in the championship after Rounds 5 and 6, and believes the experience gained from the weekend is the most important thing.
“I was lower down the order than I expected to be, or wanted to be, but I've certainly learnt a lot from it and it's definitely been a worthwhile weekend,” he said. “I learned so many things. I took a lot of advice from my driver coach Malcolm Smith – he's helped me so much – and it was just a case of trying to remain as relaxed as possible, whatever the weather threw at us.”
