The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
| Home |
 Features |
Calendar |
News
Archive |
11/56 MotorSport | |
|
Reports |
Gallery |
Links |
Classified |
|
Provisional 2008
Ginetta Junior Championship Positions (after Rd14):
You can also follow Dan’s fortunes throughout the season by visiting www.daniellloydracing.com |
Daniel Lloyd - Ginetta Junior SNETTERTON PODIUM SLIPS FROM LLOYD’S GRASP
Although maintaining third position in the driver standings with a solid top five finish during the nine lap encounter, the Huddersfield racer was disappointed with the outcome having challenged strongly for a podium placing from the fourth lap of the race onwards. The decisive point for 16-year-old Daniel came on the final lap when both Josh Hill and series leader Dino Zamparelli managed to relegate him from third place to fifth position at the Esses by virtue of the duo’s greater engine speed down the lengthy Revett Straight. The result, however, means Daniel is still in the championship top three. “I’m quite disappointed we couldn’t be on the podium this weekend but we just didn’t have the speed down the long straight and that’s what hurt us”, said the Tockwith Motorsport racer, “We scored some average points and today’s race was good fun but we got the worst of the situation on the last lap. It’s a shame but we’ll be back!” Starting round 14 from sixth on the grid, Daniel made a great getaway and challenged title rival Zamparelli into the Esses although the latter managed to seize the position going through the Bomb Hole. On lap two though, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner fought back well and struck at the same spot to take fourth place. Immediately, Daniel began to pull away from the pursuing pack and he then moved into third on lap four as Thomas Carnaby slipped back from the lead battle. The top four soon started to run nose-to-tail with Daniel in third place and pressing Hill for second. Although Carnaby pushed the West Yorkshire star back down to fourth on lap five, Daniel was soon back into the top three on lap seven after an unbelievably brave late-braking pass into the Esses on, then third placed, Hill. Slipping behind Hill on the exit and as they ran through the Bomb Hole, Daniel fought back once again on lap eight as they headed through Riches. Clearly with a slower car in a straight-line compared to his rivals, Daniel’s skill was remarkable to compensate for the obvious lack of top-end power. The titanic tussle for third place now only allowed the leaders to pull away, it also gave the recovering Zamparelli a chance to get back on terms. Heading into the final lap, Daniel was powerless to defend both Hill and Zamparelli into the Esses and, try as he might, he had to settle for fifth place at the finish. The Ginetta Junior Championship will return to action a fortnight from now on 26th/27th July at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire – very much a home event for Daniel with the track just over 60 miles from his home in Scammonden. Daniel said: “I’m really looking forward to Oulton Park. It’s a proper driver’s circuit and I think we’ll go well there. I want to be back on the podium but, more than that, I want to win again. That’s the aim, hopefully we’ll be able to make it happen.”
LLOYD CONSOLIDATES CHAMPIONSHIP TOP THREE AT SNETTERTON
At the wheel of his Tockwith Motorsport run car, the Huddersfield 16-year-old headed into this morning’s 15-minute qualifying session confident of a good performance having earlier topped the free practice times. Unfortunately for Daniel, qualifying didn’t quite go as he had hoped and he ended the session with the sixth fastest time of 1m 29.013 seconds (78.94mph). Nonetheless, he was confident of a good race performance during the afternoon’s nine lap encounter. At the start of round 13, Daniel maintained sixth position although there was some shuffling of the order on the opening tour as Aaron Williamson got ahead into fifth place while Dominic Pettit crashed out. Drama for championship leader Dino Zamparelli at the end of lap two saw him spin out of fourth position so Daniel gladly moved into the top five and continued to pursue Williamson ahead. Into lap four, Daniel took a look to the inside as the cars passed through Riches Corner but he had to tuck back in behind his rival. Glued to the rear of Williamson’s car for the next couple of laps, Daniel was clearly quicker and managed to make a successful pass midway through lap six. Instantly pulling clear of the pursuing pack, Daniel tried to make inroads to the top three but having been held up for the first two thirds of the race he had a mountain to climb. At the chequered flag on lap nine, the West Yorkshire racer crossed the line in fourth place almost nine seconds shy of the top three but 1.5 seconds ahead of the recovering Zamparelli in fifth position. Speaking after the race, Daniel said: “I got an average start really but I caught Aaron Williamson quickly. I finally got by him on lap six and I was able to pull away as soon as I had gone through into fourth place. I was catching the three in front, and leaving the ones behind, but I made a mistake at the chicane which put me back a bit. “The leaders had too much of a gap, I couldn’t do anything about it with the time we had left so I just held on to fourth. It’s disappointing as I wanted a podium at least but we’ve scored more good points for the championship. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll make a good start and have the chance to finish in the top three.”
DREAM WEEKEND FOR LLOYD WITH DOUBLE CROFT VICTORY
Having claimed his maiden Ginetta Junior race victory on Saturday with a great drive from second on the grid, the 16-year-old from Huddersfield proved to be the class of the field once again on Sunday by converting his first career pole into a dominant win by over 11 seconds. “I didn’t expect another win today”, said Lloyd, “I said to my dad before the weekend I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular but what we have managed to achieve at Croft over the last couple of days has been unbelievable really.” At the wheel of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner car, Daniel led away cleanly from fellow front-row starter Dominic Pettit and then survived a bold passing attempt by series leader Dino Zamparelli at Tower Bend, the latter ending up sliding out of the race and into retirement on the grass. Following a short Safety Car period to recover Zamparelli’s stricken car, the race resumed on lap four – Daniel making an absolutely text-book getaway to open up a substantial margin through the first few corners. While the cars behind continued to trip over each other battling for position, Daniel coasted to a stunning win. “I got a good start initially and after the Safety Car I got a great run off the hairpin and from there just pulled away”, added Daniel, “I let everyone else battle among themselves behind me and then just concentrated on putting in good laps and trying to extend my lead which I did. “I’m so happy with the result, it’s been a great weekend for us and hopefully we’ll be able to carry on from where we are now when we’re back in the car in mid-July at Snetterton for the start of the second half of the season.” Nothing short of a perfect weekend at Croft, Daniel now heads back to his GCSE exams at Huddersfield Grammar School as the Ginetta Junior Championship takes a six-week break from action.
ROOKIE LLOYD EASES TO DEBUT GINETTA VICTORY AT CROFT
 British
Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner
Daniel Lloyd cruised to his first ever victory in cars at Croft
Circuit in North Yorkshire this afternoon during the 11th round of the
2008 Ginetta Junior Championship.
Maintaining the tremendous form he produced during pre-event practice
on Friday, Daniel qualified on the front row of the grid for today’s
race with a time of 1m 43.822 seconds (73.68mph).
The Huddersfield 16-year-old’s incredible consistency was such though
that his second best qualifying time in the 15-minute session, 1m
43.976 seconds, was good enough to take pole position for Sunday
afternoon’s 12th round of the campaign.
At the start of today’s race, the Tockwith Motorsport driver made a
great getaway from the front row and after edging ahead of pole-sitter
Dominic Pettit into Clervaux for the first time, Daniel was never
headed on his way to the chequered flag which he took on lap eight
just under five seconds clear of his closest challenger.
Lapping four 10ths of a second under the previous lap record and just
seven 100ths of a second shy of George Richardson’s new benchmark time
of 1m 43.221 seconds (74.11mph), the Huddersfield Grammar School
student was utterly dominant today and is looking to double-up with a
second win in as many races during tomorrow’s outing.
“I got a good break at the start, banged in some quick times over the
first three or four laps and then I felt comfortable through to the
end of the race”, said a delighted Daniel at the conclusion of round
11, “The car was very good, we haven’t changed a thing this weekend.
Since the first lap in practice on Friday we were quick, I’m really
happy.
“It’s a great feeling having won my first race in cars, I can’t
believe it really! I did a couple of driving days four or five months
ago at Croft and I wasn’t quick at all – the difference is just
phenomenal. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race now, it’s my sort of
track and being on pole we’ll hopefully be able to fight for the win
again. I’ll be trying hard that’s for sure.”
CONSISTENCY SEES LLOYD CLIMB INTO SERIES TOP THREE
Driving the Tockwith Motorsport-run British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow scholarship car, the Huddersfield teenager headed into Sunday’s action just six points adrift of Josh Hill in the driver standings and with a great opportunity to move ahead of the son of 1996 Formula One World Champion Damon Hill. After making a good start to Sunday lunchtime’s 10th round of the season, moving into fifth position from sixth on the grid, Daniel soon made his way into the top four after passing Fergus Walkinshaw – another young driver with F1 connections, the son of former Arrows boss Tom – on lap three. As the race progressed towards mid-distance, Daniel managed to pull away from his pursuers but having been caught up in his battle with Walkinshaw for several laps it had allowed the top three to pull out what proved to be an insurmountable gap. Nonetheless, a strong fourth place result – added to sixth position during Saturday afternoon’s ninth round of the season – means the Huddersfield Grammar School student is now seven points clear of Hill in the championship title race. Commenting on Sunday’s action, Daniel said: “I didn’t have a great start and for the first two or three laps I was battling with Fergus which allowed the top three to break away from us. When I finally pulled out a gap, it was too late to do anything about trying to get on the podium. “The best thing to come out of the weekend is that we’ve moved ahead of Josh in the championship. If it wasn’t for that then I would have been a bit disappointed as I would have liked to have been on the podium this weekend. You’ve got to look at the bigger picture though, being third in the championship is good news.”
LLOYD CONSOLIDATES SERIES TOP FOUR AT THRUXTON
Taking place at the ultra-fast Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, the quickest venue on the 2008 calendar, today’s nine-lap encounter saw 16-year-old Daniel race impressively from sixth on the grid to third position on the opening lap alone. Looking very comfortable, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner was confident of challenging for the podium to put pressure on Josh Hill’s third place in the championship standings. On lap seven though, following a see-saw battle with Jake Farndon over the final rostrum position, Daniel was pitched into a spin through no fault of his own and the Tockwith Motorsport driver had to battle back from seventh place, taking sixth on the last lap. All the more frustrating for Daniel was the fact he had just posted - at that point - a brand new lap record of 1m 36.297 seconds prior to the incident, underlining his pace. Nonetheless, the points for sixth position see him consolidate fourth in the title race on 161 points, just six shy of Hill in third. “I really thought we had a great chance to be on the podium again today”, said Daniel after the race, “Qualifying went well and everything felt good in the race. The car was a little bit of a handful through the fast turns but hopefully that will be better tomorrow and we’ll be able to finish in the top three.” Once again showing improvements in qualifying trim, Daniel produced a career best effort to take sixth on the grid for rounds nine and 10 – his best time of 1m 36.556 seconds (87.84mph) coming with his final effort of this morning’s 15-minute session. Although disappointed with today’s result considering what might have been, Daniel raced very well and can take a lot of positives from his first ever competitive outing at the super fast 2.35-mile Hampshire track. “I said before the weekend if I could be in the top eight during qualifying I’d be happy, it’s just a shame the way the race turned out in the end”, added Daniel, “I really think we had a great chance to be on the podium but it wasn’t to be. If I can make another good start to tomorrow’s race then I’m confident I’ve got the pace to challenge right at the front.” The 10th round of the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship is scheduled to take place at approximately 12.55 tomorrow, Sunday, 18th May. Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 will broadcast live from Thruxton tomorrow afternoon from 12.30 and it’s possible the Ginetta action will be screened as part of the programme. pic - Jakob Ebrey Photography
MAIDEN GINETTA PODIUM FOR DELIGHTED LLOYD
 Teenage
racing driver Daniel Lloyd produced by far his best race performance
of the year during round eight of the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship
at Donington Park yesterday, Sunday, 4th May, the 16-year-old securing
his first ever podium finish in cars after a terrific drive.
After producing a career best qualifying effort on
Saturday afternoon, hopes were high for the rookie racer to feature
strongly in both of the weekend’s races and so it proved with the
Huddersfield sensation backing up his rostrum result with a top six
finish in the earlier seventh round.
Climbing to fourth in the 2008 driver standings,
just 22 points shy of the top three, Daniel is rapidly gaining
confidence at the wheel of his Tockwith Motorsport-run BRDC Stars of
Tomorrow car and is aiming to add more podiums to his tally as the
season unfolds.
“It’s great to finally get on the podium”,
commented a delighted Daniel, “The car has been great all weekend and
it all came down to the last lap in the second race. I didn’t get a
brilliant start and I didn’t feel fantastically quick but I managed to
keep on the back of the cars ahead.
“It got a bit messy during the last few laps. I
thought where best to position myself and then when the three ahead of
me went through the Old Hairpin on the last lap I positioned myself
perfectly to pass all of them – we went from sixth to third in one
move which was great!”
Thankfully avoiding a start-line incident and more
chaos at Redgate Corner on lap two, which brought out the Safety Car,
Daniel found himself in seventh position – having started eighth on
the grid – but climbed into the top six quickly.
Passing Dominic Pettit and then Jake Farndon,
Daniel moved into fourth place but then slipped back into sixth
position as the race entered neared its conclusion..
With nothing at all separating the four drivers
battling over the final podium place, Aaron Williamson and Farndon
came together at the Old Hairpin while Daniel positioned himself
brilliantly on the exit of Craner Curves to take advantage and
catapulted himself from sixth to third in one corner, claiming his
first ever podium in tremendous style.
Sunday morning’s seventh round of the championship
saw a very promising start from Daniel, climbing into the top six, and
then moving up into fourth place with some great driving on lap three.
Bidding for third place as he ran side-by-side with
Aaron Williamson under the Dunlop Bridge, the Huddersfield Grammar
School student looked to have a podium position in his grasp but after
appearing to make the move stick, contact from Williamson to the rear
of Daniel’s car pitched him into a spin on the exit of Goddards
Chicane.
Slipping a long way down the order outside the top
12, Daniel mounted a sparkling recovery to battle his way back into
the top six before the chequered flag. He was also the only driver to
lap within a second of the pace set by race winner, and championship
leader, Dino Zamparelli.
Reflecting on round seven, Daniel said: “The race
was a big disappointment for me, I should have had a podium.
Everything seemed to be going well but when I had the spin at the
chicane it ruined any hopes of that. Thankfully we achieved the aim
during the second race though so I’m well happy.”
There is now a two week break in the Ginetta Junior
Championship calendar ahead of the ninth and 10th rounds of the season
which will take place at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on 17th/18th
May.
Before then, the first two rounds of the 2008
season – which took place at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit at the end of
March – will be screened on Freeview, digital satellite and cable
channel ITV4 as part of the Motorsport UK magazine programme at 17.00
on Tuesday, 13th May.
Lloyd survives spills and thrills with solid performance Brace of top ten places moves Daniel up the table
“It’s a big disadvantage if you’ve not been there before” Lloyd said candidly after Timed Qualifying and referring to the fact that he’d never even seen the Lincolnshire circuit before, let alone driven a car round it. Still, he managed to record the 10th fastest time which illustrates the big strides he’s already taken in this, his rookie year in cars. In the first race, the Tockwith Motorsport driver got a great start and was up to 7th place by the end of the first lap. One tour later and he was 6th but an accident brought the red flags out and the race was stopped. Taking the drivers’ track positions from the previous lap to create the grid for the re-start, Daniel found himself back in 7th place but didn’t stay there for long - “I’d got up to 6th but span at the bottom of ‘the Mountain’ and dropped to last. I got the car going again and came through to finish 10th. Apart from the spin, it wasn’t a bad drive” he said wryly. With the driver’s second best qualifying lap-time deciding their grid slot for the 2nd race, Daniel found himself a little further back, on the sixth row. As the lights went out, he rocketed off the line and sliced past two drivers – going in between them. Lloyd then passed another two cars heading into the first corner, ‘Coppice’. On lap 2, he again made up places to find himself in 6th place and bearing down on Damon Hill’s son, Josh. Suddenly, hailstones began to bounce off the bonnet and windscreen and the track quickly became slippery. “To be honest, I backed off when it started to snow and hail” Daniel explained with his customary honesty. “I’d not driven the car in those conditions before and decided that taking it easy was better than binning it.” It was a sensible and mature decision. As others began to get into difficulties, the Huddersfield teenager calmly waited for the track to dry before picking his pace up again. “Once the hail stopped, the track dried pretty quickly and I ended up matching the leaders’ times” he said with some satisfaction afterwards. Holding onto his place to the flag gave him more valuable championship points and moved him up the order to 7th overall. “I’m enjoying the experience more now. I’ve realised that, unlike karts where I wanted to win every race I entered, I’m not expected to in Ginettas. This is my learning year, so the pressure’s off. I’m quite pleased with my performance at Cadwell. Okay, it was a shame about the spin (in the first race) but the team said I did really, really well in the second race. It was a nice, steady weekend.”
Daniel and the Ginetta Junior championship rejoins the British Touring Car bill at Rockingham Speedway, in Northamptonshire this weekend. Watch ITV4 from 12:30 to see Daniel in action live on your TV.
pic Oliver Read
|
|
Daniel
Lloyd raced well in the 14th round of the 2008 Ginetta Junior
Championship at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk on Sunday,(13th July), but
just fell short of achieving a desired podium finish due to problems
with top-end speed. 
British
Racing Drivers’ Club Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Winner Daniel Lloyd
consolidated his place in the Ginetta Junior Championship top three at
Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk this afternoon, Saturday, 12th July, after
fighting his way through from sixth on the grid to fourth position
during the 13th round of the season. 
Daniel
Lloyd thoroughly dominated the 12th round of the Ginetta Junior
Championship at Croft yesterday afternoon,(1st June) to get his bid for
the 2008 title up and running during his debut season.of car racing. 
Car
racing rookie Daniel Lloyd has moved into the top three in the 2008
Ginetta Junior Championship standings after securing a brace of
consistent results at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire over the weekend,
17th/18th May – the event marking the 16-year-old’s debut race outing at
the UK’s fastest track. 
Huddersfield’s
Daniel Lloyd saw hopes of a second podium finish in as many race
meetings snatched from his grasp with just two laps to go during the
ninth round of the Ginetta Junior Championship on Saturday 17th May. 
Just
a week after his dramatic debut at Brands Hatch, 16-year old Daniel
Lloyd was back behind the wheel of his BRDC Stars of Tomorrow
Scholarship-supported G20 – at Cadwell Park –aiming to build on his
impressive start to this year’s Ginetta Junior season, where he took an
11th and 5th position during the previous
weekend’s racing.