"That wasn't too bad was it?"
That
was Jonathan's typically understated summary of his return to the podium, at
last weekend's (19-20 January) third round of the Association of British Kart
Clubs' Winter Series.
The Blackburn driver's achievement at the PFi
circuit in Lincolnshire - finishing 2nd behind three time British kart
champion, Mark Litchfield - was all the more impressive considering he'd not
even sat in a kart for over two months, "I found it hard at the start of the
weekend, but then got it together for the final."
Under skies greyer
than the PFi tarmac, Jonathan's day started brightly. Finishing 2nd in his
first heat and 7th in the second, the 19-year old qualified in 3rd position for
the final - on the inside of the second row, but on the vital racing line for
the first corner.
At the start, he went with Litchfield and pushed the
reigning champion through the first bend to hold onto his 3rd spot from
hard-pressing Londoner, Richard Bradley. As the pair ran down to the 3rd
corner, side-by-side, Bradley hooked a wheel on the damp part of the track and
lost grip, allowing Walker to get away. With Litchfield passing early leader
Shaun Carter, Jonathan now sensed his chance and arrowed in.
On lap 6,
the Ribchester-based driver saw his chance and took 2nd from Carter - who
responded with a hefty shove going into the second chicane. Using his superior
pace, Jonny was able to pull away and set off in pursuit of the Litchfield. But
with just two laps remaining, there wasn't enough time. Afterwards, Jonathan
said "If it had been a 15-lap race, I would've caught Mark. But I'm really
pleased (to finish 2nd) because I didn't really think I'd be in the top three
this weekend - so it's quite a good result on the whole."
Jonny added:
"I'd like to thank Ash and Kev in the team (AMT Racing) and Gordy at GFR for
their help and giving me great kit."
Jonathan now faces another long
lay-off before his next race, at the picturesque Rowrah circuit in Cumbria (9
March). From there, his season will start in earnest as he mounts an assault on
the British, European, and international Winning Series Karting championships,
before heading to Puglia, Italy in September for the World Championship.
And his goals? "Win the British, top ten in Europe, top ten in WSK and
if I'm lucky, the World Championships".
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