Sean Walkinshaw Started The Season Strongly At Snetterton - Photo Credit: Richard Leach
Sean Walkinshaw began his second season in car racing with a positive first weekend of the 2012 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Snetterton, taking points finishes in all three races for Mtech Lite.
The 18 year old faced a stern test over the weekend, with qualifying and the third race in wet conditions, in which Walkinshaw had no previous experience. The Chipping Norton-based racer started the opening race 22nd on the grid and a strong drive saw him make his way to 17th at the finish.
The second race saw Walkinshaw start 23rd, but a superb pass at the second corner saw him gain five positions in one move and climb into 18th. The progress continued throughout the race, ending up in a hard-earned 13th, a rise of ten places from the start. Race three was the most badly affected by the rain and this led to a tough race for Walkinshaw, but the Cheltenham College student battled through well to sneak into the points in 20th.
Walkinshaw said: “I was pleased with my dry performance. There was quite a bit of overtaking and my pace was quite good, in the Friday practice sessions we set some good times so it was a shame the qualifying and racing was mainly in the wet!
“I think I did make huge steps forward in the wet but I know I've still got a long way to go where that's concerned. It could have been a better first weekend of the season but it could have been a lot worse too. We scored in every race so, overall, I'm pleased but I am aiming for the next round at Rockingham to be better.”
