HILL TAKES LONG-AWAITED MAIDEN WIN AT CROFT
Tollbar Racing’s Jake Hill finally broke his duck at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire Sunday, 14th June, by taking his long-awaited maiden Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance race victory during an entertaining 10th round of the 2009 season.
Quick at every venue the category has visited during the first half of the campaign, the first year driver hadn’t previously been able to convert his raw pace into a win but today saw a different outcome for Hill as he headed off the challenge of pole-sitter, and team-mate, Chris Swanwick.
“I can’t believe I’ve finally won a race”, said the elated 15-year-old, “All year, for one reason or another, it hasn’t quite happened for us but now it has I’m hoping we can take a lot more wins during the second half of the season.”
For championship leader Sarah Moore, the Croft weekend wasn’t too fruitful and although a problematic 10th round saw the multiple race winner only manage a 17th place finish – having made an enforced pit-stop following a puncture – she still clings on to the top spot in the title race by just a single point from Alex Austin.
At the start of today’s encounter, Swanwick made the best getaway of the front-row drivers and led through Clervaux while Jake Rattenbury rocketed into third from sixth on the grid to tuck in behind Aaron Williamson. Hill, meanwhile, slipped to fourth but moved back into third place at Tower Bend.
At the complex on the opening tour, Moore was caught up in a moment involving Rattenbury and Tom Ingram which saw all three cars take to the grass. The result for Moore was a puncture while Rattenbury rejoined in 17th place, one spot ahead of Ingram who later retired.
Back at the front, Swanwick and Williamson ran side-by-side through Tower but the leader held on through the Jim Clark Esses. Shortly after, the complex was again the scene of problems when Belgian driver Anthony Sauvan had a spin out of the top six.
At Clervaux on lap three, Williamson moved ahead into first place but Swanwick hit back soon after and Hill then demoted Williamson to third at the hairpin, where he looked particularly strong, before the latter got back ahead. Lap five then served up the move of the race by Hill as he passed Williamson for second at the hairpin and also grabbed the lead from Swanwick on the exit.
Round nine winner Williamson slipped to fourth on the run from the chicane to Tower as Austin went through into the top three but worse was to follow for the Muzz Racing driver on the final lap when a costly spin at Clervaux dropped him out of the reckoning – he finished in seventh place.
On lap six, Hill ran wide at the complex to give Swanwick the opportunity to move through once more and the top five then closed up dramatically. Hill dived up the inside at Tower on the seventh tour to get the lead back and over the last couple of miles he managed to extend his advantage to just over a second as he took his first win of the year.
Swanwick capped a good weekend with another second place finish, Austin finished in third and Mitchell Hale just held fourth position from a charging Jake Cook. David Moore was sixth, minus one of his doors, ahead of Williamson and Carl Stirling.
Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance will take place at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk some seven weeks from now over the weekend 1st/2nd August.
Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd10):1st Sarah Moore, 231pts; 2nd Alex Austin, 230pts; 3rd Aaron Williamson, 209pts; 4th Jake Cook, 175pts; 5th Mitchell Hale, 155pts; 6th David Moore, 150pts
