King a true Star as he rules Whilton Mill

Young karting ace Jordan King has proven that he is undoubtedly a star in the making, as he expertly triumphed in the latest round of the prestigious BRDC Stars of Tomorrow series to vault himself back into contention for the crown.

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Photo: Kartpix

The Harbury teenager went into the latest meeting on Stars’ calendar – competing in the same championship that first set a certain Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to future Formula 1 glory – needing points after a torrid beginning to his campaign at PF International and Rowrah, and seeking payback after being deprived of glory in the closing stages of the Brazilian Cup at Whilton just a week before.

“I like the track,” Jordan enthused, “and I’ve done quite a few laps around there so I know it very well. It’s quite technical I would say, and over the last couple of weeks racing there I’ve got a lot better.

“I’d been quick there in the Brazilian Cup, so I knew I could do it and I knew where I could still improve. I wanted to get a really good result and I needed to get a good result to get myself back in the running for the championship, but I didn’t feel under any pressure.

“In the Friday and Saturday practice sessions we were really quick which was a good confidence boost, but then on the Sunday we had a problem with the carburettor and couldn’t work out what was wrong. That meant we just didn’t have any power throughout the heats, and Whilton is a track that requires a lot of bottom end and mid-range power from the engine.

“It’s not too hard to come through the field at Whilton – if you’ve got the power to get alongside. In practice we were coming through the traffic really well, but having lost some power when it came to the races that made it so much harder.”

Despite battling against that disadvantage, a strong and defensive performance in his opening heat race earned the 14-year-old fifth position from eighth on the grid, what he classed as ‘overall not a disaster’. A charging drive in heat two, meanwhile, saw him climb as high as eighth place from all the way down in 21st at the start, before he ‘mucked it up’ with a late-race error, throwing away his chances of a top five finish and ultimately taking the chequered flag 11th.

An experimental heat three saw Jordan finish an impressive fourth form 14th on the grid, sealing a fifth row starting spot for the all-important final, lining up ninth in a hyper-competitive field of almost 50 drivers, and with his sights firmly set on a rostrum ending.

Though still by his own candid admission ‘a little bit off the pace’, improved power in the final at least enabled the Mini Max front-runner to fight – and fight he most certainly did.

“There was a big crash behind me at the start,” he related, “which allowed me to get a bit of a gap coming round the first two corners. Going up the hill for the first time everyone was defending, so I dived to the outside and managed to get past Callum Bowyer. That put me fifth, and when a couple of drivers ahead made mistakes I was up into third and chasing down the two leaders.

“Matt Parry then made a big mistake and lost a lot of time, which left me second behind Nathan Harrison. I don’t know if the pressure got to him, but I managed to get right up behind him going up the hill for the last time, and was then with him all the way through the new back section of the track. I got a really good run on him and got up the inside through the last corner.”

Despite the characteristic modesty, it was a sublime move, and as the top three flashed across the line in a blur at the end of the race, blanketed by a scant 0.15 seconds, Jordan was able to celebrate the maiden victory of his Stars’ title challenge – one that not only more than made up for his Brazilian Cup disappointment, but also added to his successes already this year in the season-opening shakedown at Clay Pigeon and Super 1 at Shenington back in April.

“It’s really good,” he reflected, “and proves to everyone that Shenington wasn’t a one-off. I was just so happy. My mechanic Stuart had put so much effort into making the kart faster, and in the final I drove what was probably one of the best races I’ve ever driven. It was really good to win from ninth; it wasn’t an easy win, but a really hard battle.”

The most satisfying ones invariably are, and after threatening to henceforth ban his dad Justin from his races – King Snr having been absent on every winning occasion so far in 2008 – the Repton School pupil looked ahead to the next date on his calendar, the upcoming Super 1 meeting at Buckmore Park.

“I want to win, but it will be really close around Buckmore,” he acknowledged. “I haven’t driven round there before, but I really feel I can win again now.”

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