Podium eludes gutsy Goodwin – but promise remains

Jay Goodwin was on-track for a rostrum finish in his latest karting outing at PF International until just three laps from the end of the race – and though he may have been denied almost within sight of the chequered flag, his burgeoning reputation nonetheless continues to grow.

At just 11 years of age, Jay is competing in Mini Max, and not only is he the youngest driver ever to enter the class, but he is also up against rivals who are as much as five years older than him – and infinitely more experienced. That being the case, and given that he only graduated from the entry cadet level back in the summer, he is doing a sterling job.

Off the back of his breakthrough heat victory in the class at Wigan the previous weekend – what he described as ‘a great feeling’ after passing the club champion on the very last lap, even if the meeting would ultimately end in disappointment after he was squeezed out of second place and into the tyres in the final by the very same driver – the young Sale-based star travelled to PF in Lincolnshire determined to gain his revenge by getting the kind of result to match his undoubted promise.

“What happened at Wigan was really frustrating,” he reflected of potentially his first Mini Max trophy having been cruelly stolen from his grasp. “When I got out of my kart I was fuming, really mad, so going to PF I was just hoping to finish inside the top ten in every race and maybe even get a podium in the final.

“When we were there before in Mini Max we didn’t have the best of luck, so we were hoping this time it would go better. It did help having been there before in the class, and I had tested there a lot in Mini Max too.”

Though he may not particularly enjoy racing in the wet, Jay certainly seems to go well in it, meaning torrential conditions for most of the weekend were far from unwelcome. Even so, being up against opposition of the calibre of British number three Louise Richardson, club championship runner-up Harrison Scott and number nine in the country Jamie Dzyra, merely getting into the top ten would be almost a result in itself.

“Practice went alright in some sessions,” he related, “but in others we weren’t as quick as we probably could have been. Part of that was down to my driving – because I still needed to learn the track a bit better – and part of it was down to the kart.

“The chassis was great, but we were just struggling a little bit with the engine, carbs, jetting, gearing and tyres. By the last practice session, though, we were quickest.”

It was a good start, and one that saw the Ashton-upon-Mersey ace head into race day in positive spirits – and the Sunday could barely have begun in more encouraging fashion.

“Obviously I was nervous,” Jay admitted, “because you always have nerves, but I was feeling pretty confident too. The first heat was really good; I came off second on the grid and led it from the first corner all the way to the end.

“Louise was applying some pressure on me in the closing stages, but on the last lap I pulled away a bit and was able to take a comfortable victory. I was really pleased with that. I’ve got to hand it to Louise though; she gave me a good race and I had to make sure I kept my head.

“It’s a lot harder to lead than it is to chase, because you’ve got nothing to aim for in front of you and you can’t afford to make a mistake. I enjoy chasing much more, because you have more momentum to catch the driver in front.”

Be that as it may, the P1 Racing star proved to be flawless as he hung on all the way to the end to record his second Mini Max heat triumph, and such was his and Richardson’s sheer pace that their battle had carried them more than three seconds clear of their nearest pursuer at the close.

Following that, solid 12th place from virtually the back of the 24-kart grid in heat two was enough to earn Jay a starting spot of third for the all-important final – and for the majority of the race, a podium finish seemed to be on the cards.

“Coming out of the first corner I was second,” he recounted, “where I stayed for the first five laps until I got a bit over-excited as I was catching the leader and made a stupid mistake which caused me to hit a wet patch. That slowed me down a lot and dropped me back to third, and I then had another good battle with Louise.

“We passed each other a couple of times before she got by me into the first hairpin with three laps to go and ran me out wide onto the grass. That cost me another couple of positions which meant we ended up fifth when we could have been second or third, but I learned a lot again, which is what I’m trying to do this year before putting it all together over the winter in time for BRDC Stars of Tomorrow and Super 1 next year.”

Less than a second shy of the final rostrum place at the flag, the St Ambrose College pupil may have left PF with a sense of frustration again, but he had nevertheless once more proven he had the pace to win – and whilst other cadet graduates are squabbling towards the back of the field in Mini Max, despite his considerable lack of experience Jay is right up at the sharp end without fail, week-in, week-out.

As he prepares for an all-out assault on the national Stars – the same series that set none other than recently-crowned Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to superstardom – and Super 1 series’ in 2009, everybody in the paddock is talking about Jay Goodwin now.

“I was disappointed,” he concluded of the outcome at PF, “but at the same time I was proud of myself too. My dad reminded me after the race how well I’m doing to be just 11 and running with the number three driver in the country. If I can push the number three around, what’s to say I can’t be the number three myself next year?

Photo: Chris Manison