A Delighted Charlie Robertson Atop The Thruxton Podium Once Again - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Charlie Robertson mastered the treacherous wet conditions at Thruxton to take victory in Round Six of the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship and pick up the championship lead.
After a couple of laps under the safety car to start, the racing got underway on lap three, with Robertson leading away from Niall Murray and Harry Woodhead. Championship leader heading into the race Sennan Fielding started fourth, however the JHR Developments man received contact from William Palmer at the middle of the complex. This dropped Fielding down to eleventh, while Palmer himself fell to sixth behind Oliver Chadwick and Nathan Harrison.
The leader meanwhile was beginning to edge away at the front, with the top two being in a league of their own over their rivals. Robertson continued to set quicker and quicker lap times through the nine-lap encounter, but a determined Murray continued to attack as he tried to close up to the leader.
Murray wasn't able too though and Robertson crossed the line two seconds ahead to cap off a perfect weekend and take the championship lead. Murray took second, his fifth podium in the first six races, while rookie Woodhead ran a lonely third throughout to round out a great weekend with a second podium.
Chadwick took fourth from Harrison, with Palmer first holding off Pepe Massot and then Fielding to take sixth on the road, though post-race Palmer was given a two second penalty after the duo's earlier contact.
This promoted Fielding, the only driver to be able to match the pace of the front two, to sixth, with Palmer seventh ahead of the Spaniard Massot. Irishmen Keith Donegan and Andrew Watson rounded out the top ten. Oliver Basey-Fisher and Tom Jackson completed the finishers to make it a weekend with no retirements in either Junior race.
Robertson said: “This weekend definitely makes up for the disappointment at Donington. I was praying for wet weather and it came, so I was really pleased with that. In qualifying I got two poles and I converted them both into wins, so it's fantastic.”
Murray commented: “I'm happy to get two seconds this weekend, it's better than nothing and it's better than last year when I got two DNF's. I'm up to second in the championship now, only a couple of points behind Charlie, so I'm fairly happy.”
Woodhead added: “Two podiums this weekend, it's not too bad is it. I came into this weekend not too confident, I wasn't that quick in pre-event testing, but I got a couple of thirds, so am delighted. I'm a bit surprised the podiums have come this early in the season, but I knew they'd come.”
Full results can be found at: http://tsl-timing.com/?loc=major&season=2012&series=BTCC&event=races&source=ed_TOCA&eventid=121703&table=121703rc2gij&tabletype=gif
Provisional 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship standings (After Rd.6):
- Charlie Robertson – 144 points
- Niall Murray – 139 points
- Sennan Fielding – 134 points
- Andrew Watson – 109 points
- Harry Woodhead – 102 points
- Nathan Harrison – 92 points
- Ollie Chadwick – 91 points
- Keith Donegan – 79 points
