Williams handles problems with aplomb to register best national finish

Lewis Williams made hay whilst the sun was shining but saw his chances washed away when the rain arrived in the first outing in the 2008 BRDC Stars of Tomorrow Championship at PF International.

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The young Chipping Norton ace is in his second year in the hotly-fought Mini Max class and having joined the crack Ultimate Motorsport squad is clearly keen to make a name for himself. He got off to an encouraging start in round one – only his third visit to the Lincolnshire circuit.

“I was confident,” he mused afterwards, “but also a tiny bit nervous as you normally are before a race. After practice I felt a bit more confident still, because we were one of the quickest out there in the last session and the kart felt really good.”

Quick in practice again on the Saturday morning, a scant three tenths of a second off the outright pace, Lewis converted tenth on the grid to a competitive seventh place in his opening heat, fifth to fourth in heat two – lapping faster than the race leader at times – and a back-of-the-grid slot to 13th position in heat three, earning him a strong tenth on the grid out of some 50 drivers for the all-important final.

“The Saturday went well,” the 13-year-old related after improving to eighth spot at the chequered flag, his highest national finish in a final to-date. “The kart felt good, even though we couldn’t run our first engine because of a problem and so had to resort to the back-up. It was a shame there were a few bits of equipment we couldn’t use.

“I knew I would be reasonably well-matched with the drivers around me, and throughout the race I just had to keep on pushing forward and not look behind. Last year I was always looking behind me a lot; now I’m looking at the driver in front and trying to work with him to move forwards.”

Despite overcoming handling woes to register a superb second-place finish in his opening heat on the Sunday – his best national result ever – the reigning Shenington Winter Series Champion and club regular would not generally enjoy such good fortunes on day two, as adverse weather saw him struggle to make much of an impression in either of his following two heats or the final, when he took a knock from behind that ruined all hopes he had of progressing up the order.

“The Sunday didn’t go as well,” he reflected. “I didn’t feel as confident after waking up to find it raining, especially as the top drivers in the class had raced at PF last year in all conditions and I hadn’t ever raced there in the wet before.

“It’s a completely different track in different weather conditions, and it was definitely a challenge. In the warm-up it was greasy and slippery, so I knew people would be going off. In the first few sessions and heats I was just getting used to the track in the wet, though a British Championship meeting isn’t really the best occasion to have to do that!”

That notwithstanding, it was overall an encouraging weekend, and testament to the way Lewis has come on since joining forces with Ultimate towards the end of last year. As the man himself said, now is the time for looking forwards, not back.

“Getting the second place felt good, and though it was just a heat race all the points add up,” the Cokethorpe School pupil acknowledged, displaying an impressively mature attitude for one so young. “A few years ago someone won the Stars title without even winning a heat or a final. It’s all about consistency, and if a race goes badly you just move on.

“Being with Ultimate is a lot less stress for both myself and my dad! Last year we were having to use the heat races to test new ideas out, and if we got it wrong it was a heat wasted. Now they’re always there with advice, and if we’re going wrong they will tell us how to correct it. Seeing your team members on the grid and in the grandstand cheering you on just gives you that bit more of a push and a confidence boost.”

Photo: Kartpix

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