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Cool-head Luke takes 2nd in Spain
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
In temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, Luke Wright kept his cool to
take a superb 2nd place in the second round of the Spanish Open championship,
last Sunday (22 June).
Despite never having raced at the Cartaya circuit before, Luke
quickly got to grips with the track and the hot conditions – recording the 3rd
fastest time during qualifying.
In his first heat, he finished 2nd - and followed it
with 5th in the second race, despite being forced off the circuit at
one point by French professional racer, Armand Convers.
Starting the pre-final from 6th place on the grid, the
15-year old from Dorsetth place – giving him the vital inside
line for the start of the main final. drove a canny race to
save his tyres and finish in 5
“I started from 5th and that gave
me the (racing) line into the first corner. I got a wicked start and
was straight into 3rd. I managed to slip into 2nd but
couldn’t quite take Convers.”
Describing the conditions, Luke said, “It was ridiculous –
seriously hot! We were also running special tyres, called Vega Whites, which
are monumentally grippy. The two finals were both run over 22 laps, so towards
the end they did get quite physically draining. You have to make sure that your
driving is very precise and as smooth as possible.”
With the temperatures forcing mechanics to empty bottles of water
down the back of drivers’ suits to keep them cool, Luke explained that his
training regime gave him the edge.
“The key was fitness – big time. I’ve been
training a lot with a personal trainer and sports psychologist, going to my
local gym and getting up stupidly early – at 5:30am – with my school swimming
team to swim for 3km and do different exercises.”
This and the fact that he’s been competing in races throughout
Europe is now paying dividends, he says -“I’m making good progress in the
various Championships I’m competing in (Italian Open Masters, Spanish Open
and Winning Series Karting) and gaining lots of experience. I’m in good
shape, mentally and physically, so it’s all coming together at the right time.”
Luke and his JRP team are now concentrating on testing in
preparation for the European Championship qualifying race at Alcaniz in Spain on 13
July.
