Ginetta JuniorOllie Chadwick Blog

Ollie Chadwick Blog: Damage Limitation

1 Mins read
Problems in qualifying left Chadwick fighting back on the season opening weekend (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

Firstly, I’d like to say a big hello to all of my readers!

This year I have re-joined the Ginetta Junior Championship – my second full season of racing the G40.

I am again with the successful JHR Developments team for 2013. My sister Jamie, who won the 2013 Ginetta Junior Scholarship, at just 14, also joins me to complete its two-car line up.

I have to admit to being slightly disappointed with last season, but I feel I redeemed myself in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series where I narrowly missed out on the title.

I had hoped to carry some of that momentum to Brands Hatch for the opening round of the 2013 campaign and I think going quickest in both free practice sessions was a clear indication of my and my team’s ability and intentions for the forthcoming season.

However, that glory was short-lived as a clutch failure in qualifying robbed me of any times so I had to resort to ‘damage limitation’ – starting at the back for both races. That’s never easy but, strangely, the conditions played into my hands in the opening race.

Round 1 was held in treacherous, sleety conditions. From the back of the grid, it was an extreme case of not losing touch with the front runners, and a determined, white-knuckle drive through the field resulted in an acceptable third place finish.

I thought a repeat performance was on the cards for Sunday’s Round 2. However, this time it was dry, so we took a risk by increasing our tyre pressures and, although this helped my pace in the early stages, getting up to 4th, the car became more of a handful as the laps wore on and I eventually slipped back to a disappointing 6th.

But lessons were learned and I know I have the pace and race-craft to close in on the Championship lead at Donington Park this coming weekend (20/21 April). This historic  circuit poses a completely different challenge to Brands Hatch’s short Indy configuration and, while outright race wins have to be the target, the key to achieving this year’s title will be putting the whole package together and having a consistent season. I’m confident about our chances at Donington but, as we found at Brands Hatch, nothing is certain in motorsport!

Avatar photo
641 posts

About author
The Checkered Flag was set up in August 2009 and is dedicated to providing independent daily news and features from around the world of motorsport.
Articles
Related posts
British GTBTCCGinetta GT ChampionshipGinetta GT4 SupercupGinetta GT5 ChallengeGinetta Junior

Ginetta announce series restructure with SRO, ending TOCA partnership

2 Mins read
Ginetta set to leave the BTCC/TOCA package in 2023 as they bring three championships under one package alongside the British GT Championship.
FeaturesGinetta JuniorMaurice Henry Column

Maurice Henry Column: Winner!

4 Mins read
Maurice Henry talks about his journey through the 2022 Ginetta Junior championship, including a climb to the top step of the podium at Knockhill.
Ginetta JuniorMaurice Henry Column

Maurice Henry Column: I Have Surprised Myself

4 Mins read
Maurice Henry continues to work his way up the grid in his second season of Ginetta Juniors