Rapid Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance racer Jake Hill claimed pole position for rounds five and six of the 2009 season during qualifying at Donington Park this afternoon, Sunday, 16th May.
The Tollbar Racing youngster, who is still seeking his long-awaited first win of the year, just shaded series leader (and girlfriend!) Sarah Moore by a mere 0.032 seconds to claim pole for the first of Sunday’s races with just seven 100ths of a second splitting their second best times too to determine the grid for round six.
Hill’s quickest lap of all was 1m28.608 seconds (79.52mph), compared to Moore’s time of 1m28.640 seconds (79.49mph), while their second best laps were 1m28.714 seconds and 1m28.782 seconds respectively.
Speaking after the session, Hill commented: “I’m really happy with that. My first lap was mega, I managed to get some clear space and from the second lap on I started my run. From there it all went really well. It’s great to be on pole for both races, hopefully I can take my first win this weekend.”
Actually the top six grid order is identical for rounds five and six with Hill lining up on the front row with Moore alongside, row two sees Aaron Williamson and local Nottingham-based driver Chris Swanwick in third and fourth spots respectively while on the third row, Max McGuire is fifth ahead of Brands Hatch double race winner Jake Cook.
Championship front-runners Thomas Howard, Tom Ingram and Ashley Craig each had patchy outings in comparison to their chief rivals, Howard in particular struggling with the 14th quickest time. Pippa Coleman, meanwhile, impressed with the eighth best lap for the round five grid and the 10th fastest time for the round six starting order.
During the build-up to the weekend, Cook was the fastest driver in Friday morning’s rain-affected three and a half hour test session, a mere 0.078 seconds ahead of Hill, while during Saturday morning’s free practice Williamson was the pace-setter a shade ahead of Moore and Hill.
The Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, 17th May, with round five of the 2009 season taking place at 11.10 and round six following at around 17.50. Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 will be broadcasting live from Donington Park throughout the afternoon – please check listings for details of any Ginetta Junior coverage.
Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd4):1st Sarah Moore, 104pts; 2nd Alex Austin, 103pts; 3rd Jake Cook, 102pts; 4th Tom Ingram, 72pts; 5th Thomas Howard, 72pts; 6th Ashley Craig, 62pts
