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Teenage motor racing star Daniel Lloyd produced by far his best race performance of the year during round eight of the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship at Donington Park yesterday, Sunday, 4th May, the 16-year-old securing his first ever podium finish in cars after a terrific drive.
After producing a career best qualifying effort on Saturday afternoon, hopes were high for the rookie racer to feature strongly in both of the weekend’s races and so it proved with the Huddersfield sensation backing up his rostrum result with a top six finish in the earlier seventh round.
Climbing to fourth in the 2008 driver standings, just 22 points shy of the top three, Daniel is rapidly gaining confidence at the wheel of his Tockwith Motorsport-run BRDC Stars of Tomorrow car and is aiming to add more podiums to his tally as the season unfolds.
“It’s great to finally get on the podium”, commented a delighted Daniel, “The car has been great all weekend and it all came down to the last lap in the second race. I didn’t get a brilliant start and I didn’t feel fantastically quick but I managed to keep on the back of the cars ahead.
“It got a bit messy during the last few laps. I thought where best to position myself and then when the three ahead of me went through the Old Hairpin on the last lap I positioned myself perfectly to pass all of them – we went from sixth to third in one move which was great!”
Thankfully avoiding a start-line incident and more chaos at Redgate Corner on lap two, which brought out the Safety Car, Daniel found himself in seventh position – having started eighth on the grid – but climbed into the top six quickly.
Passing Dominic Pettit and then Jake Farndon, Daniel moved into fourth place but then slipped back into sixth position as the race entered neared its conclusion..
With nothing at all separating the four drivers battling over the final podium place, Aaron Williamson and Farndon came together at the Old Hairpin while Daniel positioned himself brilliantly on the exit of Craner Curves to take advantage and catapulted himself from sixth to third in one corner, claiming his first ever podium in tremendous style.
Sunday morning’s seventh round of the championship saw a very promising start from Daniel, climbing into the top six, and then moving up into fourth place with some great driving on lap three.
Bidding for third place as he ran side-by-side with Aaron Williamson under the Dunlop Bridge, the Huddersfield Grammar School student looked to have a podium position in his grasp but after appearing to make the move stick, contact from Williamson to the rear of Daniel’s car pitched him into a spin on the exit of Goddards Chicane.
Slipping a long way down the order outside the top 12, Daniel mounted a sparkling recovery to battle his way back into the top six before the chequered flag. He was also the only driver to lap within a second of the pace set by race winner, and championship leader, Dino Zamparelli.
Reflecting on round seven, Daniel said: “The race was a big disappointment for me, I should have had a podium. Everything seemed to be going well but when I had the spin at the chicane it ruined any hopes of that. Thankfully we achieved the aim during the second race though so I’m well happy.”
There is now a two week break in the Ginetta Junior Championship calendar ahead of the ninth and 10th rounds of the season which will take place at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on 17th/18th May.
Before then, the first two rounds of the 2008 season – which took place at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit at the end of March – will be screened on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 as part of the Motorsport UK magazine programme at 17.00 on Tuesday, 13th May.
Provisional 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship Positions (after Rd8)
1st Dino Zamparelli, 250pts; 2nd Thomas Carnaby, 175pts; 4th Daniel Lloyd, 143pts
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