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September 2007
Repeat record for Frank at Croft
2007 Havoline Ginetta Championship Round 7 - Croft Circuit
Another new circuit to Frank provided a father and son challenge in the Will Hoy Scholarship/Dynojet UK backed formula Ginetta car. The gauntlet was thrown down by Frank Snr who held the lap record in the sidecar class at Croft some 20 years previously.
In fine weather conditions during qualifying, Frank set consistently fast times. He placed the car 3rd on the grid for both races of the day.
In race one, Frank made a good start to battle with the leaders, but still struggling to master the circuit slipped to fourth. His race craft lead to altering his lines through the first sector, and he found an extra boost of speed which lead to an amazing last lap challenge to finish on the podium. Frank made a fearless passing manoeuvre on the current series leader, to not only finish third but firmly stamp his mark on the lap record of 1m.34.621secs. a very creditable .6 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
The second race of the day saw Frank make a rocket start to gain the lead, but a small error on the first lap saw him slip back to fifth, with a lot of work to do. Frank set about closing down the leaders putting in a string of fastest laps to pick each car off, until he was on the leaders tail. In a great position to win the race, Frank moved up the inside to challenge for the race lead, but contact between Frank, the race leader and the third place car, culminated in a damaged car and effectively the race over for Frank. A separate incident on the next lap brought out the red flags, and Frank was declared fourth, as he had managed to cross the finishing line before retiring.
Frank commented: 'We have had our best set of results of the season this weekend, but I am really disappointed not to come away with a race win. Once I adjusted my driving style to suit the corners I was struggling with, the lap times came down rapidly. The car was absolutely spot on and I was quickest in both races which is a great credit to the Team who have worked so hard on set up and preparation.
Frank Snr commented: 'This was another promising performance from Frank and the Team. This demonstrates the progress we have made as we learn more about the car, and Frank continues to learn the tracks and improve his driving skills, which bodes well for the future. It was great to see him get a very well deserved lap record!!'
Next round: Rockingham 29th/30th September
Highlights of the Thruxton round will be broadcast on Sky TV:
18/09/07 at 19.00 on Sky Sports Extra
19/09/07 at 01.30 on Sky Sports Extra
19/09/07 at 09.30 on Sky Sports 2
19/09/07 at 14.30 on Sky Sports 3
--ends--
Dynojet UK
Lower House Barn
Strickens Lane
Barnacre
Preston
Lancashire
PR3 1QJ.
Tel: 01995 600500
Fax: 01995 604724
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