Silverstone Blog Rd 14/15 & 2017 Review
sonic photography
Going into Silverstone I knew we had a (small) chance of taking the championship. All it needed was a 0 score from my main competitor in race one and we were in with a chance for race two.
Friday practice was a positive start to the weekend as we were on the pace, where we should be and in a good position going into Qualifying. Unfortunately, however, during Qualifying we suffered a throttle issue which restricted the power output and ultimately the acceleration and top speed; This meant we started 6th for race one and 8th for race two.
Despite the issue in qualifying I remained upbeat for the races and looked forward to the challenge ahead as the team did a great job to rectify the problem. In Race one I got one of my better starts of the season and moved up to 5th by turn 2, then going onto the Hanger straight I went side by side with two other drivers (also my teammates) where I just managed to outbreak them going into Stowe corner slotting into 3rd place after lap 1. My focus then turned to the leaders who were a couple of seconds up the road.
sonic photography
Despite my efforts on Lap 6, the throttle issue returned and that was it, it was impossible to close the gap. Luckily, I managed to build a gap to the cars behind me and nursed the car home in 3rd. A good recovery, but I was gutted not to have the chance to fight for the Win. And with that, I was out of the Championship fight.
knowing that I was guaranteed 2nd in the Championship, I was looking forward to a fun last Race of the season starting 8th. Again, I made a good start up to 6th by the end of lap 1 and had a good battle with four cars for 3rd place, which turned into two cars as two others made contact going into Stowe corner. After battling for 3rd for 2/3 laps I eventually got through and pulled a gap until the end of the race where I would end up, achieving my 14th Podium of the year. The car felt good once I got into clear air and I was just happy the car performed as well as it should for the last race of the year!
2017 Reflection
Overall, the past season has been a positive one for me personally. Having had a full season racing at the front, fighting for wins and podiums has only made me a better driver. Finishing Runner-up is definitely something to be proud of and without the efforts and hard work of the Westbourne team and my race coach Ed Pead, I certainly wouldn't be in that position, so a massive thank you to them. Also a huge thank you to all friends and family who travelled around the country to support me throughout the season.
With 4 wins and 14 podiums this year, I am more motivated than ever to continue the success in 2018 and the aim is to raise the funds to race on one of the highest motorsport platforms in the UK. Hopefully we can provide some good news soon... Watch this space!