British 750MC Formula Vee racer, Alex Jones, was at Silverstone International for the latest instalment of the championship on 22nd August. The Radlett-based youngster overcame issues with traffic in qualifying to make progress through the field and improve on his grid position in both of the days' races.
In qualifying, despite getting out on track as early as he could, Jones struggled to find a gap in the traffic to allow him to get into a rhythm and go on full attack. At the close of the session, he had managed to get his Bears Motorsport-prepared #23 Storm in the mid-pack, on Rows 11 and 10 for Race 1 and 2 respectively.
Race 1 saw Jones make a solid start and he made his way through the field, until he was boxed in at Turn 1 and forced to hold station.
Dicing for position with two other competitors as the cars came along the Hangar Straight, Jones braked late and carried too much speed into Stowe, causing him to spin and he narrowly escaped being hit by the following pack. Once the dust had settled, Jones quickly got the car straight, albeit at the back of the pack...
Determined to make up for lost time, Jones immediately went about hunting down the rest of the field and quickly managed to place himself in a fight with Nick Brown before eventually taking the flag in P20 after 11 laps.
In Race 2, Jones made the perfect start but again he got closed in, this time by reigning champion Martin Farmer. However, Jones took his opportunity to make a move and get passed at Village later in the opening lap.
Although struggling with a loss of power on the straights as the race progressed, Jones enjoyed a race-long battle with team mate Ed Lowndes, swapping positions lap after lap, before Jones made the definitive move to get by, launching down the inside with a sensational pass on the penultimate corner of the final lap at Vale, to snatch 17th position.
Alex Jones:"That has to be one of the most eventful race weekends that I've competed in; but it was so much fun! And there's plenty I can take away to learn from and continue my progress.
"I was maybe a bit too ambitious going into Stowe in Race 1 and I took too much speed through the corner, and before I knew it, I was facing the wrong way with 14 cars coming at me! Luckily everyone made it through but it was a scary moment, not just for me I'm sure.
"From there, it was just a case of putting it behind me, getting my head down, and doing what I could to pick up some places.
"In Race 2, I was losing power on the straights and lost time battling with other cars so I think we could have finished higher up.
"Once again, Bears Motorsport have done a great job. It's disappointing that the results don't really reflect our efforts but I hope we can make up for it in the final two races."
"I'm really looking forward to Snetterton next weekend and really hope we can show how competitive we can be."
WHAT'S NEXT FOR ALEX?750MC Formula Vee Championship, Snetterton 300, 12-13 September
