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JESSICA HAWKINS'  2007 KARTING SEASON

JESSICA HAWKINS WINS 2007 BUCKMORE PARK HONDA CADET TITLE 

Jessica Hawkins capped off her 2007 karting season in perfect style yesterday, Sunday, 16th December, by winning the Buckmore Park Club Honda Cadet Championship, the Kent venue where Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton started his racing career. 

Producing a true champion’s performance by taking victory in the final race of the season to wrap up the prestigious title, 12-year-old Jessica heads into the Christmas period delighted to have claimed her first ever championship win after just two full years in the sport. 

Jessica, who away from the track spreads her time equally between bases in Farnham, Hampshire, and Twickenham, South West London, headed into the final round of the season needing a top six finish to secure her maiden title crown. If one thing is certain where Jessica is concerned though, she’s never satisfied with anything less than victory. 

After finishing third in the opening Heat, she went on to record a top three result in the Pre-Final, along with the fastest race lap, before going on to claim an outstanding win in the Final to seal the championship ahead of 21 other competitors. 

Starting third on the grid for the Final, Jessica held fourth position at about half distance before mounting a stirring charge into second position. But rather than settling for the points she knew were enough for the title victory, Jessica was determined to end the year with another race win and she duly delivered after a terrific battle at the front. 

“It’s been a brilliant year with some great races and it’s fantastic to have become the Buckmore champion by winning the last race of the season”, said Jessica, “I could have settled for any position in the top six but I always want to win races, so that’s what I did!” 

Competing, potentially, for the last time in her Project One kart as her RPM team look to placing Jessica in an Intrepid manufactured machine for the 2008 season, the exciting young racer can reflect happily on 2007 as a whole having also ended the Super 1 Dunlop Honda Cadet British Karting series as Vice-Champion back in October. 

Receiving some support from Twickenham-based Pomepure Ltd throughout the year, the start-up pure juice drinks company is planning to increase its involvement with Jessica in 2008 and her performances in both the Buckmore Park Club Championship and the British series have certainly done her chances of further backing no harm at all. 

Along with continued interest from local and national journalists, Jessica also appears on the front cover of the latest edition of the British Women’s Racing Drivers’ Club (BWRDC) magazine ‘Racing Vogue’. Having taken outright wins at her last three race meetings, coupled with the Buckmore title success, the future looks extremely bright indeed for Jessica Hawkins!

 

Hawkins succeeds in becoming Honda Cadet Runner-Up

Jessica, who also has a base in Twickenham, South West London, has enjoyed a superb year in Honda Cadet and also the Buckmore Park Club Championship and Formula 6 series, the latter two categories both with races yet to run.

Honda Cadet though, with its British Championship status, is certainly the most prestigious of the three and to have ended her first season in the category in second position against some tough and experienced opposition is superb.

Lining up fifth on the grid for Sunday’s Heat One at Shenington, Jessica battled through to second position at the flag and then finished second again in Heat Two having just lost out to Daniel Vaughan by a mere 0.09 seconds at the chequered flag.

In Heat Three the young superstar started from the back of the grid but came through impressively to finish in third place, just 0.56 seconds shy of victory. Into the last lap Jessica was in second position and challenging for the lead three turns from home, but contact at the hairpin from a rival pushed her down to third.

Starting the Final from second on the grid, Jessica wasted no time in hitting the front less than halfway through the opening lap and after being knocked down the order and fighting back to the lead on more than one occasion she had to settle for third in the end, nonetheless a good result and one which confirms her as 2007 Honda Cadet runner-up.

“It’s good to end the year as runner-up”, said a very happy Jessica at the end of the final round of the Honda Cadet season, “I wanted to be the champion but I’m happy as we’ve done well in our first year. Hopefully next year we can win the championship!”

With her Project One kart now looked after by the highly successful RPM team, and with Twickenham-based start-up business The Purejuice Company seeking to become a fully-fledged sponsor for Jessica in 2008, things look very promising indeed for Britain’s most exciting young female kart racer.

Although the 2007 Honda Cadet series has now reached its conclusion, Jessica still has plenty of racing left this year with appearances in Formula 6 and the Buckmore Park Club series.

 

HAWKINS BIDDING TO END MAIDEN BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IN COVETED RUNNER-UP SPOT

 
 
Hoping to conclude her maiden year at British Championship level as runner-up to the 2007 champion Harrison Scott, Farnham-based Jessica can"t wait for the season finale to get underway just a week from now, 29th/30th September, at the renowned Shennington kart track near Banbury, Oxon.
 
She has certainly prepared well for the most important event of the campaign, having enjoyed success this past weekend with victory during the latest round of the Formula 6 Championship at Lydd in Kent on Saturday, 15th September.
 
Having qualified on pole position for the opening Formula 6 Heat ahead of 15 other competitors, Jessica went on to win the race and then finished second during Heat 2. For the all-important Final, she set the fastest race lap en-route to a dominant and faultless victory.
 
The following day, Sunday, 16th September, Jessica travelled cross-county to Buckmore Park for a club meeting where she emerged from qualifying at the head of the timings once again, snatching pole position to outpace her 27 rivals on her very last lap.
 
Unfortunately, Jessica"s weekend was compromised during the first Heat after contact from another front-runner saw the 12-year-old starlet hit the barriers heavily. Although shaken, she rejoined the track and eventually came home in 13th place.
 
With the starting order for each subsequent race determined by the finishing positions from the previous encounter, Jessica began Heat 2 in 13th spot and managed to climb through the order to finish in seventh position, setting fastest lap in the process. During the Final, Jessica set the fastest race lap again en-route to fourth place.
 
Although disappointed with Sunday"s outcome after the Heat 1 accident, the Farnham racer, who also has a base in Twickenham, South West London, is brimming with confidence ahead of the final round of the Honda Cadet season at Shennington and especially since her recent switch to the highly regarded RPM team.
 
"I"m really looking forward to the final round and I"m sure I can end my first season in Honda Cadet as runner-up", said Jessica, "It"s been a great year so far, with lots of exciting races. Now I want to end the British Championship season with more wins!"

KARTING STARLET HAWKINS RACES INTO SECOND PLACE IN HONDA CADET BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP

 
Jessica Hawkins produced a series of outstanding drives at Buckmore Park in Kent over the weekend, 23rd/24th June, during an action-packed fourth round of the Super 1 Dunlop Honda Cadet British Karting Championship to move into second position in the title standings, just 11 points shy of the outright lead.
 
The exciting 12-year-old talent, who spends her time equally between bases in Farnham and Twickenham, was in scintillating form in the three Heats and the Final and now has 623 points in the title race, edging ever closer to series leader Harrison Scott.
 
With inclement weather apparent throughout the race meeting, Heat 1 started in wet conditions and saw Jessica race superbly from fifth on the grid to second position, setting fastest race lap in the process. In Heat 2, she started from the back of the grid and once again set the fastest lap en route to another fine second place.
 
Heat 3 proved to be something of a highlight with Jessica defying all the odds. As the heavens opened once more, it was too late for Jessica's Prokart Engineering team to alter the dry weather set-up on her machine but she worked absolute miracles to claim third position in the wet.
 
The Final, which she started on the front row, saw another third place finish but Jessica had to fight incredibly hard to achieve it after a rival ran into the back of her kart at the second corner, the incident dropping the young starlet down to the back of the pack quite some distance from the next runner.
 
In true Jessica Hawkins style though, she wouldn't be defeated and in treacherous conditions she not only caught the front-runners but carved her way through to third position at the chequered flag, almost sneaking second place too on the final corner.
 
Her confidence has sky-rocketed of late as has her profile, a recent live interview on BBC Radio London 94.9 FM followed by an appearance on the BBC 2 programme ‘Sportsround', where she raced (and soundly defeated!) presenter Jake Humphrey.
 
Jessica's next race action will come as part of the Formula 6 Championship just over a week from now on Saturday, 7th July, at Bayford Meadows in Kent with a return to Buckmore Park a week later, Sunday, 15th July, for the latest instalment of the club's own series.
 
Her next British Championship race, the penultimate round of the Honda Cadet season, will again take place in Kent, this time at Lydd on 28th/29th July. With just two more race meetings to go in this prestigious championship, Jessica has an outstanding chance of winning the title in her first season.
 
 

 

 
Britain's hottest new female karting prospect Jessica Hawkins enjoyed her best national level results to date in the latest round of the 2007 Dunlop Honda Cadet British Championship at Rowrah in Cumbria on 19th/20th May, the youngster capping an excellent outing by claiming her first race win of the campaign at the mid-season point.
 
The 12-year-old sensation, who attends school in Hindhead on the Surrey/Hampshire border and also has a base in Twickenham SW1, is currently in the midst of her first full season of racing at British Championship level and is already making a big name for herself in the highly competitive karting fraternity at the wheel of her Project One kart.
 
During the third round of the Honda Cadet series at Rowrah, Jessica finished second in Heat One and third in Heat Two before going on to claim victory in Heat Three. Starting the Final from pole position, she went on to finish in third place after an eventful run.
 
There is currently some conjecture regarding the Heat Two result due to the fact on the timing screens at Rowrah Jessica was credited with second position by just 0.001 seconds. This was then changed, however, to third place in the final classification so the erroneous situation is currently being appealed by her Pro Kart Engineering team.
 
The season opening event at Llandow in South Wales saw Jessica claim a third place finish in Heat One, second in Heat Two, sixth in Heat Three and then fourth in the Final.
 
At Whilton Mill in Northamptonshire for round two, the young starlet unfortunately failed to finish the opening race but went on to take sixth place in Heat Two, third position in Heat Three and then seventh in the Final. Combined, the results from the opening three meetings see Jessica a highly competitive third overall in the Honda Cadet standings.
 
Alongside her British Championship commitments Jessica is also taking part in selected rounds of the Formula 6 and Buckmore Park club championships this year having finished runner-up in both series in 2006, her debut season of competition.
 
Jessica's next outing will be in the Formula 6 Championship at Whilton Mill this coming Saturday, 2nd June. Her next run in the Honda Cadet British Championship series will come at her ‘home' venue, Buckmore Park in Kent, on 23rd/24th June.