To say that Jordan King took a giant leap forward at Snetterton in the sixth round of the 2011 Formula Renault UK Championship would be something of an understatement, and despite being cruelly denied the breakthrough triumph he so palpably deserved, the talented young Warwickshire star proved that he is indubitably ‘ready to win now’.

Whilst Snetterton revived Formula Renault UK from its summer slumber, Jordan had kept himself race-sharp and fighting-fit over the long seven-week hiatus with appearances in the FIA Formula Two Championship – stunning with a top five finish as the youngest driver ever to compete in the series’ modern era – and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup.

Although he might have benefitted from less testing than his rivals around Snetterton’s super-fast new 300 layout due to a ‘hare-raising’ incident there several weeks earlier – one that did for the hapless hare, and did Jordan’s Manor Competition single-seater few favours, either – the highly-rated Stoneleigh-based speed demon arrived in optimistic mood, and promptly lapped sixth and second-fastest during Friday’s two practice sessions.

“It was good to keep my eye in during the break, and the Northern European Cup in particular had helped me to get my mind back into driving and understanding a Formula Renault again,” he reflected. “Snetterton is a lot longer now, and more of a challenge because of that. I enjoyed the 300 layout; there’s a lot more to it than there used to be, and that makes the lap time harder to come by. The goal was definitely to come away with two podium finishes, and I felt confident we could do that.”

That extra challenge evidently posed few problems for Jordan during qualifying for race one, and with his car on-form, so too, clearly, was he. Outwardly targeting a top five starting spot but secretly eyeing the top three, the BRDC Rising Star exceeded his expectations with second place – and then when the pole-sitter found himself demoted to the rear of the field after his car transpired to be underweight, P2 became P1.

“I was already pretty pleased with second,” he confessed. “There was still more time to be found, so we knew the speed was certainly there – but to be promoted to pole position was a real psychological boost. With it being so difficult to overtake in Formula Renault, starting from pole is a massive advantage – you can control the race so much more easily.

“I wasn’t really thinking about anything whilst I was sitting on the grid; I was concentrating on getting a good start and doing a good job, so I just blocked everything else out and remained focussed on what I needed to do. I got a good start when the lights went out, and after that, I was able to manage the gap throughout the race.

“There were a few times when Alex Lynn behind got close enough to perhaps have a think about doing something, but I always felt in control; he definitely put me under pressure, but I was comfortable in what I was doing and towards the end, I actually began to edge away a little bit – without even having to push 100 per cent.

“I was thinking, ‘we can really do this’, and I was just concentrating on hitting all my braking-points and doing everything right – but then I think Lynn’s exhaust broke, which gave him more power and therefore more performance and he was able to get back onto me again.

“He was more than 3mph faster down the straights and towed up behind me, and on the penultimate lap, he decided to go for a bit of a lunge. Just as I was about to turn in at the end of Bentley Straight, I had a quick glance in my mirror and saw him diving up my inside. He was partly on the grass, so I delayed turning to give him a little bit of room to back out of it, but he didn’t and his front wheel hit my back wheel and spun me round.

“I was really surprised that he had tried to pass me into that corner, particularly with such a half-hearted attempt. Given he has such a big lead in the championship, he could have settled for a safe second place and still gained points on the two drivers chasing him.

“I was so disappointed that we didn’t get the result we should have done. We were the quickest on the track, and we should have won. The only consolation was a new lap record, which was certainly an achievement and at least proved we had the pace and are making real progress.”

That much is indisputable, and whilst stewards agreed with Jordan – fining Lynn for his indiscretion and putting points on his licence – that did not give the Princethorpe College AS-level student back what had so cruelly been snatched away from him as it was right within his grasp.

On the positive side, the manner in which the 17-year-old car racing rookie had led throughout like a seasoned veteran, maturely soaking up relentless race-long pressure – with Lynn never more than a second behind and on occasion breathing right down his neck – was encouraging indeed, as Jordan betrayed no nerves in the slightest, controlling proceedings beautifully and never looking in any danger of cracking. Unfortunately, the weekend’s second encounter would similarly end in disappointment – and again, through no fault of his own.

“I made a decent start and held position in sixth,” he recounted, with incorrect tyre pressures for the lower track temperatures in the second qualifying session having left him down on the third row of the grid, “but then on lap two, Olly Rowland came up the inside of me from a long way back. He didn’t make the corner and went straight on – and he took me with him.

“I lost four places through that, and because I had gone off the track, I had lots of dirt on my tyres, too, so I ended up in a fight and dropped to 12th. I managed to battle my way back through to eighth, but the general driving standards over the weekend were pretty appalling, to be honest – there were some crazy overtaking moves being pulled out there.”

A better fastest lap time than race-winner Lynn once more went to underline what might have been, and Jordan’s final tally bore no reflection on his pace. Had he won race one, the Hugo Boss brand ambassador would be up to sixth in the championship; as it is, he is eighth, but he will carry his confidence through to the remainder of the campaign.

After offering a glimpse of what he is capable of by running second at Thruxton and subsequently claiming his maiden podium finish at Croft, Snetterton has now has concretised that promise. Jordan King is unquestionably a Formula Renault UK race-winner in-waiting.

“The potential is there,” he concluded. “We just need the cookie to crumble slightly more our way next time – but we’re definitely ready to win.”