Off the back of an impressive car racing debut in the 2010 Formula Renault UK Winter Series in November, talented Warwickshire motorsport star Jordan King has re-pledged his commitment to Manor Competition for the serious business in 2011 – and he already has the podium in his sights.
Jordan graduated to cars following a tremendously successful karting career, during which he had firmly established himself as one of the very best not only in Britain but indeed internationally. As he took his first tentative steps in Formula Renault UK’s Winter Series, the Stoneleigh-based speed demon overcame a run of ill-fortune to swiftly slot straight into the upper midfield, with a highlight of a superb sixth place at Pembrey in Wales, only his seventh-ever car race.
Having spent the subsequent three months pounding around the test tracks – setting an eye-catching third-fastest lap time at Brands Hatch last week, a scant five hundredths of a second shy of the benchmark despite eschewing the opportunity to run with new tyres, unlike many of his rivals – the recently-turned 17-year-old acknowledges that he is learning every day and has come on in veritable leaps-and-bounds.
“Everything feels a lot easier now, which is all down to spending more time in the seat and having more experience of the car,” revealed the Princethorpe College student and newly-appointed BRDC Rising Star. “We’ve made a big leap forward over the winter, and it’s really encouraging to be up there on lap times with drivers who are going into their fourth year of car racing, and ahead of other drivers with a lot more experience than me. If I can stay in front of them for even half of the races this year, I’ll be happy with that.
“Our speed in testing has been really good, and I’m very happy with how it’s all been going so far. We’ve found a few things in terms of set-up, and now we just need to optimise the performance of the package. It’s looking quite good.”
That much is no idle boast, and Jordan is quick to underline that he owes a great deal of his improvement to Manor, the ‘winningest’ team in Formula Renault UK history, one that was responsible for nurturing the formative careers of future F1 World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen – and one that now benefits from a tie-up with grand prix outfit Virgin Racing to-boot.
“We got to the stage where everything had gone well with Manor,” reflected the Hugo Boss brand ambassador, pointing to the team’s enviable expertise in the sport, its drivers’ title triumph in 2009 and its runaway entrants’ glory in 2010. “We had made good progress together and I know all the people there, so once we decided to stay in Formula Renault for the full UK championship, it was quite an easy decision to re-sign with Manor, too.
“They’ve got a good background, obviously, and have done really well in the past – and for a young driver like me, that’s really confidence-inspiring. We didn’t really have a second thought about which team to go with.
“I get on really well with the other three drivers in the team and we all have a laugh together, and I’ve developed a good relationship with my engineer and mechanic and the driver coach, too. The team has been really welcoming and supportive, and I feel very settled there now. I feel confident everyone is behind me, and that’s a good position in which to be going into the season.
“I don’t know how many drivers will be competing in total yet, but I would like to end up as the top car racing rookie, and to win the Graduate Cup as well. For the opening round at Brands Hatch, I’d love to get a podium finish – and from the speed we’ve shown in testing, I think that’s achievable.”
The curtain-raiser at Brands Hatch is scheduled for April 2/3, followed by meetings at Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park, Croft, Snetterton, Rockingham, a return to Brands and a brace of outings around the celebrated ‘Home of British Motor Racing’, Silverstone. Manor team principal Tony Shaw is similarly optimistic that his highly-rated protégé can make a big impact right from the word ‘go’.
“We are very happy to have Jordan at Manor for his first full year in Formula Renault UK,” he affirmed. “He showed in the short Winter Series, and in subsequent testing, that he has a healthy appetite for the competitive nature of ‘slicks-and-wings’ single-seaters. His grounding and success in karting has set him up very well for the future, and we look forward to enjoying success with Jordan as a Manor driver.”
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