The Grid.co.uk    the national & club motor racing website - est1998          

  ^News

Continued from News

mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk

Wright clinches 2nd place in Spanish Championship 

Luke Wright’s developing reputation received further plaudits after he took the fight to his Spanish Open Series rivals and left Zuera with the runner -up spot in the Championship on Sunday 26 October. 

Fresh from finishing 3rd in the final round of the Industrial Trophy at Parma last week, Luke knew that he would need to deliver another gritty performance if he was to improve his points position in the Spanish series. 

In qualifying, he guided his Maranello/Maxter to the 10th fastest time - but felt that he could’ve been quicker, “I had a few set-up problems and was unlucky on my quick laps, as I got caught up in traffic.” 

Starting from the 5th row of the grid for the first heat, the JRP driver had started well - but a tap from behind meant that it “all went a bit Paris-Dakar” and, once he’d rejoined the circuit, Luke found himself down in last place. A characteristic charge saw him finish in the mid-pack, showing that he’d got the necessary race pace to mount a challenge in the following races.

He finished 3rd in the following race to give him P7 on the grid for the first final.  

“I worked my way up (the order) and after four or five laps, I was in 4th. Ahead of me, the three leaders were battling one another and this allowed me to catch them. Three corners from the end, the driver in 3rd lunged down the inside of the guys in 1st and 2nd. I followed him and got alongside (Luis Miguel) Villalba (in 2nd). We ran side-by-side into the next corner and he held me wide. I ran over the ‘marbles’ but as we entered the last bend, a stone lodged itself in my sprocket and threw the chain. I rolled across the line in 12th”. 

Despite his obvious disappointment, Luke was given hope when it emerged that Championship leader, Jose Cautela had seized and therefore dropped vital points. If he failed to finish the following race and Luke beat Dani Simon, then Wright had a mathematical chance of snatching the title in the second race. 

“I got an average start, but it was good enough as a base from which to work my way through. Despite having old tyres on, I still had a lot of speed and so chased down and caught (Dani) Simon within four laps. By the time I was on his tail, we just had two laps to go. I made a good, clean pass down his inside at the hairpin and held him on the wider line. From there, I just brought the kart home safe and sound.” 

Behind them, Cautela finished in 12th, to deny Luke the title by just a handful of points.  

“It was a bit of a blow” Luke said. “But I’m very pleased to finish the year as runner-up and the team is happy too. It’s been an exciting Championship and the standards have been very high. I think I’ve also shown a more mature side to my racing and the results are there to see. Experience helps a lot. It’s all pointing in the right direction for next season.”

Luke takes 3rd in historic race at Parma 

Last weekend (18/19 October), the Kartdromo di San Pancrazio on the outskirts of Parma hosted the 38th - and last ever - running of the Industrial Trophy, and Luke Wright put his name in the record books with a superb drive in the final. 

The demanding and evocative circuit has in the past hosted World and European Championships, and seen the likes of Ayrton Senna, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton (who won the event in 1999) compete there. 

The two-part Industrial Trophy (held over consecutive weekends) traditionally attracts a mix of Europe’s best drivers and local aces, keen to try their hand against the international stars. 

During qualifying, Luke was baulked by another driver who appeared to be intent on racing him, rather than going for the fastest possible time. This proved costly for the JRP driver as he could only record the 18th best time. 

However, a terrific drive in his first heat saw Luke climb from 9th on the grid to 3rd at the finish. In the following race, he finished 2nd to put his Maranello/Maxter 4th place on the grid for the main final. 

As the pack crossed the line, Wright pushed Matteo Vigano forward and ahead of Nikolaj Moller-Madsen into the first corner. As the front-runners approached the chicane that feeds into the corner leading onto the start/finish straight, Andre Hauke pushed Luke off the track. Bringing the kart back on the circuit, he had only dropped one place and was still very much in the hunt. 

However, Moller-Madsen repeated Hauke’s move at the same spot – forcing his way into 4th. At the front, Jordon Lennox-Lamb and Vigano tangled sending both onto the grass and the Italian out of the race handing Hauke the lead  and Luke  3rd place.  

As Luke looked for a way past Moller-Madsen, Marc Moretti joined their battle. In a daring manoeuvre, the Italian slid his kart up to 2nd place, with Luke intelligently following him.  

As the race ran to its conclusion, the lead quartet was now nose-to-tail. Hauke re-took the lead from Moretti under braking for the hairpin and held the advantage to the flag, whilst a resurgent Moller-Madsen launched a last-minute bid to wrest 3rd from Luke – only to find the door firmly shut, leaving the Englishman to take a hard-earned place on the rostrum. 

“I’m pleased to have taken another top 3 finish. It was nice to finish the last ever Industrials race on a high note. The race was very physical and I had to keep cool and calm throughout. I had a few ‘issues’ (with other drivers) in the race but plugged away.” 

This weekend sees Luke aiming for another podium in the final round of the Spanish Open Championship, which he could win. He says, “I’m going to go out there and do what I can. I know it’s going to be a high pressure weekend but that suits me fine. I know what I’ve got to do and will give it my best - we’ll see from there.”

Double podium moves Wright into Spanish Championship contention 

The Spanish Open Championship title-fight is now down to a two-way affair, following last weekend’s race at Campillos (28/29 September) - with Luke Wright now believing that he has a good chance of snatching the trophy from Jose Cautela’s grasp. 

In testing conditions - that ranged from dry to torrential rain - Luke took the fight to the talented Portuguese. 

In the close Qualifying session, the JRP driver posted the 3rd fastest time – (just two one thousandths of a second behind the 2nd-placed driver, Kevin Ceccon also on a Maranello kart). Luke then took a 3rd and 4th in the following two heats, promptly earning himself P2 on the grid for the first final. 

“The start was a bit hectic. Ceccon (on pole position) slowed down and everyone bunched up as we went into the first corner. I cut across and several bends later took the lead,” Luke explained. “Ceccon, Dani Simon and I got away from the rest of the pack. I was pulling away from the others, but as the race progressed Cautela had come through into 2nd and was catching me. He was very, very fast and took the lead. Towards the end of the race I was catching him, and had we had a few more laps, I probably would’ve caught him.” 

Luke and the team were still pleased and encouraged by his strong performance and return to the podium. 

“Mark (Berryman, the JRP team boss) complimented me on my good start and for taking the lead. We weren’t quite fast enough to hang on to it, but we did what we could - which is fair enough.” 

Luke revealed his straightforward plan for the second points-scoring final. “Go for the lead and drive away.” This mirrored Cautela’s – who did exactly that. “I was chasing Jose, but my tyres went off. Ceccon came through and we had a bit of a battle. This allowed Mario Farnbacher to close whilst Kevin and I fought for 2nd.” 

With Luke fighting both a forward and rearguard action, something had to give. “Kevin put in a great move and this gave him the room he needed to edge away. Farnbacher tried overtaking me – I’d found a good line on the outside of a corner - and Mario went for the inside. I had better drive out of the bend and held onto the position.  He then put a move on me at the chicane, but he overshot the apex and from there I held it to the line. It was a good last lap effort that didn’t come off – thankfully.”

He added, “It was a really good weekend. The two podiums have moved me into second place in the Championship now, with one round remaining. Cautela hasn’t put it beyond reach, despite his two wins. We’ll have to see what we can do at the last round at Zuera - but we’ve closed the gap and with a little bit of luck, it could come off quite nicely.”

Cool-head Luke takes 2^nd in Spain 

In temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, Luke Wright kept his cool to take a superb 2^nd place in the second round of the Spanish Open championship, last Sunday (22 June). 

Despite never having raced at the Cartaya circuit before, Luke quickly got to grips with the track and the hot conditions – recording the 3^rd fastest time during qualifying. 

In his first heat, he finished 2^nd - and followed it with 5^th in the second race, despite being forced off the circuit at one point by French professional racer, Armand Convers. 

Starting the pre-final from 6^th place on the grid, the 15-year old from Dorset drove a canny race to save his tyres and finish in 5^th place – giving him the vital inside line for the start of the main final.

“I started from 5^th and that gave me the (racing) line into the first corner. I got a wicked start and was straight into 3^rd. I managed to slip into 2^nd but couldn’t quite take Convers.” 

Describing the conditions, Luke said, “It was ridiculous – seriously hot! We were also running special tyres, called Vega Whites, which are monumentally grippy. The two finals were both run over 22 laps, so towards the end they did get quite physically draining. You have to make sure that your driving is very precise and as smooth as possible.”   

With the temperatures forcing mechanics to empty bottles of water down the back of drivers’ suits to keep them cool, Luke explained that his training regime gave him the edge.  

“The key was fitness – big time. I’ve been training a lot with a personal trainer and sports psychologist, going to my local gym and getting up stupidly early – at 5:30am – with my school swimming team to swim for 3km and do different exercises.” 

This and the fact that he’s been competing in races throughout Europe is now paying dividends, he says -“I’m making good progress in the various Championships I’m competing in (Italian Open Masters, Spanish Open and Winning Series Karting) and gaining lots of experience. I’m in good shape, mentally and physically, so it’s all coming together at the right time.” 

Luke and his JRP team are now concentrating on testing in preparation for the European Championship qualifying race at Alcaniz in Spain on 13 July.

 pics - Chris Walker/Kartpix

Luke Wright scores breakthrough victory in Europe 

Luke Wright scored a dramatic debut victory at the opening round of the Italian Open Masters series at Lonato in Italy last weekend (29/30 March). 

In only his first full season of international karting, the 15-year old delivered on his early promise with a gutsy drive to victory in Sunday’s KF2 final. 

His weekend started reasonably enough, with 5^th place in Timed Qualifying. Although a little disappointed not to be further up the order, the JRP driver would start on the third row of the grid for his heats. 

The teenager promptly won his first heat, and was never headed once he’d assumed the lead. In the second race, he enjoyed a tussle with James Thorp - and despite finishing 2^nd at the chequered flag, was awarded the win after Thorp’s motor was declared to be illegal. 

Disaster struck in Luke’s third heat when he was involved in an unavoidable collision with two other drivers. Rejoining in last place, Wright showed his characteristic grit to climb back up the order to finish in 9^th place and secure 3^rd place on the grid for the Pre-Final. 

A solid drive saw Luke hold 3^rd spot from start to finish and give him his best grid position for a Final this year - “We’d been about two tenths off the pace and my mechanic, Riccardo said to me before the start - ‘You’ve got to get in front, get into the lead. If you’re passed, fight back and re-take (the place)’ - because I just wasn’t fast enough to be able to chase down someone if they made a break and open up a decent lead.” 

He heeded the advice. Poleman Matteo Ghidella initially led, but Luke quickly passed the Italian to commence a battle royal. As the pair fought tooth and nail through every corner, Thorp ghosted up from 12^th place to join the fray. Eventually Ghidella succumbed to the relentless pace and dropped back, allowing ‘Giaguaro Nero’ (an Italian driver racing under a pseudonym) to make it a three-way fight again. As the race entered the last lap, Luke’s mechanic waved his index finger backwards and forwards to indicate ‘go for it’. Luke responded and gave it his all, only to approach the finishing line and not see the chequered flag. He explains: “Someone must’ve made a mistake in counting the laps because the data-logger on my steering wheel showed that I’d finished the race - but as no chequered flag appeared, I just kept racing” 

He held on for a hugely deserved victory by the slenderest of margins. It also came as welcome relief after a run of bad luck in recent events: “I was beginning to think ‘what do I have to do?’ - this win is a monkey off my back.” He added: “I would like to thank Mark (Berryman, boss of JRP), my mechanic Riccardo (Messana) and Gordon Finlayson (of GFR Engines) for their massive contribution to my success.” 

In past years, the Italian Open Masters has seen Robert Kubica win the Championship twice, whilst Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have also competed in it. Despite hoping to follow in their wheeltracks all the way to F1, Luke’s hero is Kimi Raikkonen - “Although I respect Hamilton, Kimi let’s his driving do the talking and away from the track, he’s more ‘rock ‘n’ roll’.”