Jordan King crowned Sportsman of the Year at local awards ceremony

Jordan King has been crowned Warwick District Sports Awards Senior Male Sportsperson of the Year for his ‘impressive’ performance in 2013 that yielded the British F3 laurels, leading rookie honours and a top six championship finish in Europe and fastest lap in the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix.

Having clinched the Under-18 Male Sports Personality of the Year gong in 2010, King finished runner-up at senior level last year, beaten only by reigning World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes. The highly-rated young Stoneleigh single-seater ace earned his nomination this time around for his stellar achievements during what was a magnificent maiden season of Formula 3 competition.

King triumphed on four occasions as he followed in the wheeltracks of the likes of Ayrton Senna and Jackie Stewart in lifting the British Formula Three International Series trophy, and tallied a brace of hard-fought podiums and no fewer than 20 top ten finishes in the fiercely-contested FIA Formula 3 European Championship for good measure.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) SuperStar and MSA Team UK member proved himself to be, moreover, nip-and-tuck in terms of outright pace with Carlin team-mate and new Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 recruit Daniil Kvyat, and he concluded the campaign by annexing a tremendous fifth position on his first visit to Macau’s notoriously punishing Guia street circuit.

King was subsequently selected as runner-up in the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ category at the inaugural Birmingham Sports Awards, and at the annual Warwick District Sports Awards – held at Leamington’s Royal Spa Centre and celebrating the indisputable crème de la crème of local talent – he went one better.

“I was shortlisted for the Autosport Awards National Driver of the Year accolade in December, but whereas there, I knew the strengths and weaknesses of the guys I was up against, at the Warwick District Sports Awards, it was a whole different ballgame – literally, in the case of some of the other contenders!” confessed the 19-year-old Hugo Boss brand ambassador, who is in the process of finalising his 2014 racing programme and currently enjoying a Team UK training camp in the French Alps.

“The evening really highlighted the incredible breadth of sporting pedigree and gifted athletes in Warwickshire and I was thrilled and really proud to win. It’s another trophy for the cabinet and a great addition to my CV.

“Local recognition like this really does mean a lot to me, and it’s always encouraging to get support from people in your home region and establish a positive relationship with them. I received a lot of nice messages on Twitter afterwards, which was a pleasant surprise – and next year, hopefully I can return and win the overall Sports Personality award as well!”

The former McLaren Autosport Award finalist’s success saw him defeat a number of rivals who had represented not only their county but indeed their country in international arenas, and he admitted that the event gave him a fascinating insight into different sporting disciplines. Warwick & Leamington Courier sports editor Paul Okey revealed that King was a deserving recipient.

“There were strong candidates in the senior male category, but the panel felt that because of his impressive performances on the global stage, Jordan was the obvious choice,” he explained.

“As he continues his rise through the ranks, we look forward to welcoming Jordan to many future sports awards – and, who knows, he might have a chance of winning the outright Sports Personality of the Year award in the future, too...”


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