Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship at Croft produced mixed results for JHR Developments pairing Ollie and Jamie Chadwick
Ollie started the weekend well, going fastest overall in the two Friday practice sessions, before taking third on the grid in qualifying.
A three-way tussle for the lead quickly developed in race one, with Ollie battling Harry Woodhead and Tom Jackson. Ollie briefly led the race on two occasions, but broken mirrors hampered his attempts to fend off those behind, leading to a slightly disappointing third place finish.
In treacherous wet conditions in race two, Ollie made a blistering start to take an early lead into a safety car interval. At the restart, Chadwick aquaplaned on standing water going into Clervaux, leaving him beached in the gravel and out of the race.
“I felt I was a front runner all weekend,” said an upset Ollie. “Race one was satisfactory, as under the circumstances, I had limited rear visibility, but I was really looking forward to the wet conditions in race two and felt confident I could hold first place to the flag. But the car hit some standing water and, despite my best efforts I couldn’t control the slide into the gravel. So, again, not a great weekend and the championship still doesn’t reflect my true standing.”
Jamie arrived at Croft targeting two mid-pack finishes after some frustrating recent meetings, with the 2013 Ginetta Scholarship winner qualifying ninth for both races. Bunched out wide at the start of race one, Jamie then found herself the victim of contact at the high-speed Jim Clark Esses. Josh White moved across heading into the bend, hitting the front of Jamie’s car and taking them both out of the race on the first lap.
Jamie bounced back with some good progress in race two, getting herself up to sixth place until the tricky conditions caught her out too, a spin at the Esses dropping her to an eventual ninth place finish.
“Another difficult weekend, but I’m still determined to get this season back on track,” added a resolute Jamie. “Race one was frustrating. Josh (White) moved across and there was nothing I could do. But race two felt good; I made some really satisfying moves and overtakes and towards the end I was eyeing a fourth place. But conditions were unpredictable and I clipped a kerb going into the Jim Clark Esses and the pirouette cost me several places. I’m looking forward to the summer break, and will be aiming to recover my championship standing.”
