As he shifts his career up a gear in 2011 with a step-up in class, Jay Goodwin is endeavouring to steal a crucial march on his rivals by recruiting the services of a driver regarded as one of the very best in the business as his dedicated mentor – multiple British Champion Mark Litchfield.
Jay has graduated from Mini Max level to Junior Max this year, and in preparation for the more aggressive nature of competition that he is likely to encounter there – not to mention the fact that at just 13 still, he will almost certainly be one of the very youngest contenders in the field – he has teamed up with the ultra-successful Litchfield in a partnership that it is hoped will bear rich rewards in terms of on-track results.
As a five-time British title-winner, Mark knows better than most just what it takes to triumph in the sport, and over the course of the coming months he is aiming to visit every circuit on the national calendar with his promising new protégé. He is confident he can bring Jay on in leaps-and-bounds – and in so doing unleash the Ashton-upon-Mersey hotshot’s phenomenal untapped potential.
“I’ll be doing as much as I can to help Jay out this year,” affirms the 28-year-old. “It’s mainly about trying to rectify the things he does wrong on-track, in terms of speed, braking, acceleration – just a general overview, really – and what we’ve done together so far seems to have been quite beneficial for him.
“I’ve been going round with Jay in another Junior Max kart, driving in front of him and behind him so he can see how I do things compared to the way he does them. We do a bit of racing together, too, and place-swapping. I get him to try to overtake me as much as possible and vice-versa, to teach him the best way of passing and avoiding crashes and how to give a corner up whilst losing the least time. The amount of overtaking we get through in just one afternoon is probably the equivalent of about four race meetings’ worth!
“I just want to spend time in the seat with Jay to teach him as much as I can and as much as I know; there will be no holding back on anything, and that way, I’m convinced we can make him a better driver and a better racer. This is his first year in Junior Max so he is inevitably on a learning curve, but from what he has learned so far, he’s off to a good start.”
That much has been proven by Jay’s brace of Junior Max outings to-date, with impressively feisty and assertive performances at Shenington and Whilton Mill – the latter being the stage for the curtain-raising round of the rapidly-approaching national Super 1 Series.
The North Cestrian Grammar School pupil has won at every level in Britain except the absolute pinnacle, and if he has always been supreme at fighting his way through the pack, what still needs some work is his composure when leading from the front. He is optimistic that under Litchfield’s expert guidance and tutelage borne out of years of experience, before long he will be very much more the complete package.
“Mark is one of the best karters in the country, and I can pick up a lot of racecraft from him,” acknowledged the J Davidson Scrap Metal Processors-backed ace. “What I hope to learn is how to win races at national level, and if he can teach me some sneaky little moves, too, all the better! It’s such a big boost to have him helping me, and I know I need to listen to Mark, because he knows everything there is to know about karting!
“I’m feeling confident for Whilton Mill Super 1. I’ve got an excellent team behind me in Strawberry Racing and I’ve settled in there really well, and in the last meeting at Whilton we were fast. I’d really like to come away again with a top five finish – that would be amazing. It’s going to be very tough, I know that, and it is still a learning year for me at the end of the day – but that doesn’t mean I’m not aiming to do well...”
