News Article
King fights back to claim seventh place finish
Jordan King bounced back from race one disappointment to claim a spirited seventh place in round 16 of the CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK series at Rockingham this afternoon (Sunday).
Starting from 11th on the grid, King fended off a brief challenge off the line from team-mate Alice Powell, before he set about attacking those ahead of him. Running around the outside of Deene Hairpin for the first time proved profitable as it enabled King to get the run on Dan Wells and Alex Walker – he eventually made the impressive double move stick into Yentwood.
King had to remain vigilant as carnage then ensued ahead of him when Josh Hill and Oscar King made contact exiting turn one on the second lap. Hill lost his front wing and was subsequently unable to slow his car down when he reached Deene and the son of Former F1 World Champion Damon went straight on – hitting the unsighted Oscar King in the process.
Jordan weaved his way through the debris and was now up to seventh, applying pressure on Mitchell Gilbert ahead of him. The gaps between the drivers began to stable in the latter stages however, and King settled for seventh as the chequered flag waved, having made up four positions from his grid position.
King had earlier endured another luckless race after spinning away fifth place in race one at the slippery Pif Pak left-hander. The 17-year-old had maintained position for much of the opening race, before spinning in the closing stages after pressure from championship leader Alex Lynn. In a strange sequence of events, Lynn then spun the following lap at exactly the same corner, suggesting that oil may have been dropped at the tricky section of the Rockingham road course.
It was another cruel moment in Jordan’s rookie season, which has included some incredible highs and lows. The race started in consistent fashion for the Hugo Boss Brand Ambassador and he soon dragged himself up behind fourth placed Dan Wells. Before he could really mount a challenge however, he had the sight of championship leader Lynn looming in his mirrors.
King began to drive a little defensively in trying to consolidate position, and in a split second he was facing the wrong way down the circuit after the high speed spin. The only real plus for King was that he managed to claw his way back to ninth place at the finish, ahead of Lynn and Josh Hill, who had earlier retired after clashing with Jack Hawksworth on the opening lap.
A full report on Jordan’s double-points finish will be published on his official website tomorrow afternoon.
