Keith Donegan made it four wins for the season with a hard-fought second win of the weekend in Round 18 of the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone.
Jack Mitchell led the way in qualifying for the race, however a slow getaway for the poleman allowed fellow front-row starter James Kellett to storm into the lead, with Mitchell also losing out to Donegan into Copse.
Ollie Chadwick, who had started fifth after a three place grid penalty for a race one incident with Will Palmer, looked to challenge for the podium positions around the outside of Becketts, however the JHR Developments racer was pushed wide, slipping to sixth behind Palmer and Harry Woodhead.
Kellett’s time in front lasted two laps until a great exit out of Luffield allowed Donegan to draw alongside, the Irishman making the move stick into Copse at the start of lap three, with Mitchell following through to grab second.
Kellet fought back through and regained second from Mitchell at Copse a lap later, with the privateer losing further ground to Woodhead, Chadwick, Palmer and Jackson as the lap progressed.
Woodhead, desperate to return to the top step of the podium and beat Seb Morris’ championship record of eleven wins in a season, snatched second from Kellett on the run out of Copse on lap five.
The top three had by that stage broken away from a fierce fight for fourth. Chadwick headed it, with Palmer and Jackson switching fifth between themselves a number of times over the next few laps before Palmer made the position his own, with Jackson and Mitchell finding themselves behind Ben Pearson after a great move on both into Copse on lap ten.
As the race headed into its final lap, Chadwick and Palmer made it a five car fight for the lead, however Donegan was able to fend off all advances to take the victory. Woodhead took second, continuing his 100% podium run this season, with Kellett taking his third rostrum finish in third.
“I came here very confident with the aim to try and beat Will Palmer for second in the championship,” said Donegan. “But when I got here I realised that the reason I come here to race is to win and to do the double this weekend is amazing. I am now more hungry than ever for more wins heading to Brands Hatch.”
Chadwick maintained fourth, while a spin for Palmer at Brooklands dropped him ninth at the finish, with Pearson benefitting to take a seasons-best fifth from Mitchell, Jackson and Ryan Hadfield.
William Taylforth took a first series top ten finish ahead of Jonathan Hadfield, while Tom Brown took an impressive twelfth place finish on his first ever car-race weekend. Jack Rawles and Jamie Chadwick, the latter finishing with front end damage after a late incident with Webb, who himself finished fifteenth ahead of Josh White.
Full race results can be found here: http://tsl-timing.com/toca/2013/133903gij.pdf
