Highs and lows for Caroline and Pirtek at Silverstone

Uncategorised,Racing

It was a weekend of highs and lows for Pirtek Racing’s Jamie Caroline in the KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship during rounds 17 and 18 at Silverstone over the weekend (26/27 September).

Caroline, 16 years-old, has been selected by Pirtek Racing and Andrew Jordan for support in the series for young racers and is racing with the HHC Motorsport squad. After a commanding victory in the opening race, he was knocked out of contention in the second race and finished down in 16th place. Jamie now takes a slender six-point lead into the final race weekend of the season at Brands Hatch.

On Saturday, Jamie qualified second fastest in the incredibly closely-matched field but took control of the race immediately and was the first Ginetta Junior driver in five years to score a lights-to-flag victory at Silverstone. “I got the jump at the start and broke the tow in the early laps,” said Jamie. “It is easy to get reeled back into the pack but I got away and was able to watch the track limits, as that was quite an issue for some drivers. It was a really important result for the championship.”

Sadly, things were far from straightforward in the second race on Sunday morning. Jamie slotted into second place on the opening lap but was pushed back to fourth before a safety car period. He then battled back up to second place but disaster struck with two laps to go when heavy contact from behind pushed the bodywork onto a rear tyre. With the tyre overheating, Jamie struggled for grip and dropped right down the order to limp home in 16th place.

The result has cut Jamie’s championship lead to just six points heading for the final two races of the season at Brands Hatch on 10/11 October.

Pirtek is Europe’s number one provider of hydraulic solutions and mobile hose replacement, with over 170 centres supported by over 700 mobile service workshops throughout Europe. Offering solutions to a number of business sectors, including the automotive industry.