From Lloyd's Grasp

Daniel Lloyd raced supremely well during the 14th round of the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk this afternoon, Sunday, 13th July, but just fell short of achieving a desired podium finish due to problems with top-end speed.Although maintaining third position in the driver standings with a solid top five finish during the nine lap encounter, the Huddersfield racer was disappointed with the outcome having challenged strongly for a podium placing from the fourth lap of the race onwards.The decisive point for 16-year-old Daniel came on the final lap when both Josh Hill and series leader Dino Zamparelli managed to relegate him from third place to fifth position at the Esses by virtue of the duo’s greater engine speed down the lengthy Revett Straight. The result, however, means Daniel is still in the championship top three.“I’m quite disappointed we couldn’t be on the podium this weekend but we just didn’t have the speed down the long straight and that’s what hurt us”, said the Tockwith Motorsport racer, “We scored some average points and today’s race was good fun but we got the worst of the situation on the last lap. It’s a shame but we’ll be back!”Starting round 14 from sixth on the grid, Daniel made a great getaway and challenged title rival Zamparelli into the Esses although the latter managed to seize the position going through the Bomb Hole. On lap two though, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner fought back well and struck at the same spot to take fourth place. Immediately, Daniel began to pull away from the pursuing pack and he then moved into third on lap four as Thomas Carnaby slipped back from the lead battle.The top four soon started to run nose-to-tail with Daniel in third place and pressing Hill for second. Although Carnaby pushed the West Yorkshire star back down to fourth on lap five, Daniel was soon back into the top three on lap seven after an unbelievably brave late-braking pass into the Esses on, then third placed, Hill.Slipping behind Hill on the exit and as they ran through the Bomb Hole, Daniel fought back once again on lap eight as they headed through Riches. Clearly with a slower car in a straight-line compared to his rivals, Daniel’s skill was remarkable to compensate for the obvious lack of top-end power.The titanic tussle for third place now only allowed the leaders to pull away, it also gave the recovering Zamparelli a chance to get back on terms. Heading into the final lap, Daniel was powerless to defend both Hill and Zamparelli into the Esses and, try as he might, he had to settle for fifth place at the finish.The Ginetta Junior Championship will return to action a fortnight from now on 26th/27th July at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire – very much a home event for Daniel with the track just over 60 miles from his home in Scammonden. Daniel said: “I’m really looking forward to Oulton Park. It’s a proper driver’s circuit and I think we’ll go well there. I want to be back on the podium but, more than that, I want to win again. That’s the aim, hopefully we’ll be able to make it happen.”Provisional 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship Positions (after Rd14):1st Dino Zamparelli, 395pts; 2nd Thomas Carnaby, 340pts; 3rd Daniel Lloyd, 296pts