HHC Motorsport narrowly missed out on the Ginetta Winter Series after clutch failure struck Charlie Robertson at Snetterton at the weekend.

Having finished second in the Ginetta Junior Championship, school pupil Robertson was expected to be the pace-setter for the four-race mini series and so it proved as he took pole position for both races on Saturday. Charlie won race one easily and was leading race two before a clutch problem intervened. As the pace of the Ginetta G40 ebbed away, Charlie lost the lead and had no option to park the car. That cost him a good points haul in the championship where all points counted and it meant that Charlie went into day two needing to win both races.

Despite the speed of the HHC Motorsport-run car, Charlie struggled to find a clear lap in qualifying but took third on the grid for both races. A blistering start in the opening race allowed Charlie to take a second win of the weekend along with a new lap record, while he was in similarly feisty form in race two by pulling a great move at the Esses and nipped into the lead. However, rival Max Coates fought back and retook the advantage and George Gamble became involved in the mix as well. Charlie tried to keep ahead of Gamble but ran off the road at Hamilton and fell to fourth place. A typically gutsy recovery meant that Charlie narrowly missed out on a podium finish, and he finished the weekend third in the championship.

HHC Motorsport’s Charlie Kemp said: “It was disappointing that we couldn’t translate our speed from the weekend into a championship win. With the need to score points in every race, that retirement in race two was costly but Charlie again proved his ability and reflected the pace of the HHC Motorsport car by taking two wins and a new lap record in a season that has been exceptional for a rookie and we look forward to more success together in 2012.”

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