Aaron Williamson racing

Williamson takes Championship 3^rd

Aaron's Championship hopes looked good when he drove the race of his life on Saturday at Brands Hatch GP Circuit.  He started 2^nd  on the grid with his main championship rivals in 3^rd and 4^th place.  After taking the lead at Paddock Hill bend the race was extremely eventful with the lead changing hands several times throughout the 8 lap race.  Aaron led into the last lap but was overtaken with half a lap to go.  2nd place on the Podium meant that he closed within 22 points of the lead and only 15 points behind 2^nd placed Jake Cook.  Aaron said “That was the most challenging race of my life; after being pushed onto the grass at Graham Hill bend, I managed to produce the fastest lap and catch back up with the leaders.  I'm really please with 2nd place and if I can drive like that again tomorrow, I will still be in with a chance of winning the Championship”    

Sunday’s race was a nerve wracking event with three drivers still with a chance of taking the Championship.  Aaron started 2^nd on the grid again and made another good start, however on lap three a tap from behind from the Championship leader sent Aaron into a spin which put him back into 12 place.  Another incident meant the safety car was deployed shortly after but Williamson’s Championship hopes were dealt another blow when an incident on the restart forced him to retire.  Williamson said “I am so disappointed that the last race of the season had to end this way but I’m pleased with finishing 3^rd in the Championship” “I am grateful to everyone at the Muzz racing team for doing such a great job and to all of my sponsors for making it all possible”

Aaron will have to move into an Adult Formula for next season as he is now too old to race in Junior Formulae. No decision has yet been made but he is looking at various options within the BTCC package and would welcome interested parties for potential sponsorship.

Mixed fortunes for Williamson at Silverstone

Aaron Williamson’s Championship hopes seemed to be fading on Bank Holiday weekend at Silverstone racing circuit.

Problems in qualifying saw him starting in a very uncharacteristic 10^th place on the grid for Round 15 on the Ginetta Junior Championship.  Aaron made impressive early progress by moving up into the top four by the end of lap two; things were looking good for another podium finish but fate intervened and a gearbox failure on lap three forced him into a very disappointing retirement.

Aaron said ‘I was very disappointed with my qualifying position but I’d still set my sights on another podium finish, which at one point was well within my grasp’, ‘The last thing I really needed at this point in the championship is to get a DNF but unfortunately that what happens in motor racing’

Aarons’s mechanics at ‘Muzz racing’ worked late into the evening replacing the gearbox ready for Round 16 on Sunday.

After the disappointing start to the weekend Aaron remained upbeat and determined to fight for the Championship.  He started 8^th on the grid and managed a very respectable 3^rd place finish.  Preferring wet conditions, fate was on his side today when it started to rain before the race got underway.

Williamsons ‘Muzz racing’ team mate Jake Rattenbury had a fantastic getaway and subsequently led the race for the first four laps. Aaron had started to make his presence felt and on lap six he moved into third place, this was to be short lived when a spin on lap eight moved him down to 11^th place; Aaron produced a spirited drive to climb back into eighth on the next lap and then gained two further positions in quick succession.  On lap 10, he then passed two more cars to move ahead into fourth place.

Heading into Brooklands on the final tour, Aaron dived up the inside and grabbed third from Rattenbury with a great pass to clinch a very impressive podium. Rattenbury finished a career best fourth.

Jake Cook who won round 15 and is also Aaron's nearest challenger had problems of his own in round 16 when contact on the first lap saw his retirement after damage to his radiator.  This levelled the standings considerably and ensured that Aaron is still in contention for the Championship title. 

With the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship title battle as close and as unpredictable as ever, there are now four rounds left this season with the top four contenders capable of lifting the Championship trophy.  The action at Silverstone served to show this title contest is likely to go down to the wire during the final race of the year at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in October.  This weekend, rounds 17 & 18 will take will take place at Rockingham in Northamptonshire and will be televised live on ITV4 on Sunday afternoon.  

Aarons first outing at Knockhill in Scotland proved to be very rewarding; his second place finish in round 13 moved him into the Championship lead.  Third place in round 14 meant Jake Cook moved into the Championship lead with Aaron 4 points behind.

The weather forecasters predicted a wet weekend and as practice started on Friday the heavens opened and torrential rain continued throughout the practice session and Qualifying session on Saturday.  These conditions were not ideal for getting to know the track on a first visit.  Despite this Aaron managed to Qualify 3^rd for Round 13 and 2^nd for Round 14.  Race day saw a change in the conditions, which meant Aaron had to quickly adapt to dry conditions.

Aaron got off to a good start and maintained his position until lap three when he slipped into second place. During the last two laps he challenged for the lead but was unable to find enough pace to take the lead.

Aaron, whose second place gave him the series lead at that point, commented: "Let's hope we can finish the season strongly now! We've had too many non-finishes this season, we need more points and hopefully we'll be able to take some more wins before the end of the year."

Round 14 saw Aaron on the front row of the podium with his closest Championship rival, Jake Cook on Pole. The start to the race would prove crucial and as it turned out both youngsters made an even getaway. Cook managed to nose ahead at the first turn but at the next bend, Aaron edged into the lead with a superb piece of driving around the outside. His lead only lasted three corners though as Cook moved back ahead at Carlube.

Chris Swanwick then moved ahead of Aaron at the hairpin to take second but soon after the Safety Car was deployed.

The re-start came on lap five and due to the delay a decision was taken by officials to limit the race to a maximum duration of 15 minutes rather than the originally intended 12 laps. Cook led away well and as Swanwick and Aaron fought hard over second, the leader managed to open a gap.

Aaron moved ahead of Swanwick at the hairpin at the end of the lap but on the exit he dropped back behind.

Aaron ran through the gravel at Leslie's on the following tour, an error which looked to have ruined his chances of a podium, but he produced a superb final four laps to battle back into third at the finish, a mere 0.099 seconds ahead of fourth placed Swanwick. His determination was indisputable when, on the last lap, he achieved the fastest lap of the weekend.

Aaron said “We’ve had a good weekend, two podium finishes have given me a good points score but I would’ve liked to get a win. I’m looking forward to Silverstone this weekend where I’m hoping to regain the Championship lead.”

Silverstone National Circuit will host rounds 15 and 16 of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance a fortnight from now over the weekend 29th/30th August.

Despite having a few problems in practice, Aaron managed to qualify 5^th on the grid for Round 11 of the Ginetta Junior Championship at Snetterton race circuit.

Aaron didn't get away from the grid as well as he wanted but he still managed to hold his position until the Esses, where he slipped into 4^th place. A mistake by Mitchell Hale on lap three gave Aaron an advantage and he moved into third place.

A battle ensued for the remaining six laps as the driver in 4^th place continually challenged Aarons position.  Aaron showed steely determination and drove a faultless race giving him a third place finish.

Aaron said “I’m really pleased with the result; I think 3^rd place is a great achievement considering my lack of pace in practice”

Round 12 produced another great race from Aaron. Starting from 6^th on the grid Aaron got a much better start and immediately moved into 3^rd position; however, on the second lap the 4^th placed driver got into his slipstream and moved ahead putting Aaron in fourth place.

Aaron mounted another determined challenge to regain 3^rd position;  luck was on his side when a mechanical failure from one of the forerunners enabled him to slip back into 3^rd place just before the chequered flag.

Aaron said "We wanted two podiums this weekend and we managed it so that's important. In the second race I did struggle a little bit but when Mitchell Hale’s gearbox went I was happy to take third place." He added “I’m really pleased to have moved into second place in the Championship”, “I am now within striking distance of leading the Championship so I need to keep focussed and hope for another good meeting at Knockhill. 

Knockhill in Scotland will host the next event on the Ginetta Junior Championship calendar on 15th/16th August.

Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd12):
1st Sarah Moore, 273pts; 2nd Aaron Williamson, 261pts; 3rd Jake Cook, 249pts; 4th Alex Austin, 240pts; 5th Thomas Howard, 190pts; 6th Mitchell Hale, 183pts

Round 9 Croft Circuit 13^th June – Grid Position 3rd

Aaron won round nine of the fiercely competitive 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship at Croft Circuit on Saturday, 13^th June, and the victory – his third in four races – means he now moves to within 34 points of the series lead.

Aaron posted the fastest time in practice on Friday but only managed to qualify in 3^rd position on Saturday morning.

Aaron produced another great start and moved straight into the lead ahead of Tom Ingram, however, Jake Hill battled back quickly and moved back into second at Sunny behind Aaron.

On lap two going into the complex Hill dived down the inside of Aaron and seized the lead while Ingram slipped from third to fourth at the hairpin behind a recovering Chris Swanwick.

Just one corner later, Aaron was back at the front having passed Hill into Clervaux. Hill then dropped out of contention after another costly error.

Chris Swanwick moved into the lead at the end of the third tour and he continued to do so for the next couple of laps as he and Aaron began to break away from the rest of the field.

Jake Cook started to apply more pressure to Aaron who was still in second place with less than three laps remaining while Thomas Howard held fourth position.

Into the penultimate lap, the top five were all equidistant and as they ran through the Sunny In/Sunny Out right-hander, Swanwick had a moment which dropped him to fourth place behind Aaron, Cook and Howard.

Cook mounted his bid for the lead of the race on the final lap at Tower but Aaron managed to keep him at bay and at the chequered flag Aaron was four 10ths of a second to the good. Third place went the way of Swanwick, his second career podium in cars, after he got by Howard at Sunny Out and held him off at the hairpin. Howard also lost fourth to Ingram by just 0.037 seconds. Hill, meanwhile, ended the race a disappointing 17^th.

Aaron said “What a race!”, “We had a brilliant start, straight into the lead and although positions did change throughout, we came through in the end to win which really helps our championship. Obviously the aim now is to keep winning to close down the two ahead of me in the championship – we’ve still got a long season ahead of us.”

Ginetta Junior is often televised live on ITV4 and broadcasts are also shown throughout the UK on Freeview channel 28, cable channel 117 and digital satellite channel 120.

Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd9):

1^st Sarah Moore, 227pts; 2^nd Alex Austin, 204pts; 3^rd Aaron Williamson, 193pts; 4^th Jake Cook, 154pts; 5^th Thomas Howard, 143pts; 6^th Tom Ingram, 140pts

Round 10 Croft Circuit 14^th June – Grid Position 4th

Aaron was hoping to continue his winning streak in round 10 but unfortunately this wasn’t to be.

The race started well and Aaron had moved into second place before the first bend. He held this position until lap three, when at Clervaux he saw his chance and seized the lead from Chris Swanwick. This was short lived as Swanwick made a questionable move against Aaron, which pushed him onto the grass, thus losing his momentum and demoted him to third place.  Aaron kept his cool and soon got back ahead into second. Lap five then saw Hill pass Aaron for second at the hairpin and also grabbed the lead from Swanwick on the exit.

Aaron then slipped to fourth on the run from the chicane to Tower as Austin went through into the top three but worse was to follow for Aaron when on the final lap a costly spin at Clervaux dropped him out of the reckoning – although he still finished a very respectable seventh place.

Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance will take place at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk  seven weeks from now over the weekend 1st/2nd August.

Round 7 Oulton Park 30^th May - Grid Position 6^th

Aaron didn't qualify as well as he'd hoped.  After being the fastest driver in practice, he was hoping to be on the front line of the grid.  Fortunately, Aarons second fastest time but in him 2^nd position on the grid for Round 8.

Aaron managed a good start and soon moved into 5^th and then 4^th place. On lap two a spin by second placed Pippa Coleman resulted in several drivers having to take swift action to avoid a collision, luckily for Aaron he emerged unscathed and managed to take the lead.

Due to all of the chaos the Safety Car was deployed with Aaron still leading ahead of Hill, Swanwick, David Moore, Austin and Carl Stirling. At the re-start on lap five, Aaron led by a couple of 10ths of a second but more drama was quick to arrive when Hill had a moment at Old Hall and spun out of second place.

At Island Bend on the fifth lap, it was Aarons turn for some misfortune when he struggled to get a gear which resulted in a lengthy delay that put him back in 13^th place!

Aaron had to battle hard for the next three laps and managed to gain seven places, which saw him finish a very respectable 6^th place.  He said "I thought I was going to get another win so I'm really disappointed to make a mistake like that." "Hopefully I'll get it right tomorrow"!

Round 8 Oulton Park 30^th May – Grid Position 2nd

Aaron got away well at the start from the outside of the front row to lead into Old Hall ahead of pole-sitter Tom Ingram, Jake Hill in third place.

While Aaron built a small advantage early on in his Muzz Racing car, as the race headed into lap two Ingram had closed the deficit to just four 10ths of a second although he was under increasing pressure himself from Hill.

On lap two Aaron conceded the lead to Jake Hill but he immediately hit back with a great pass on the inside at Druids giving him first place again.

On lap four Sarah Moore took the lead but Aaron made a determined effort to keep his momentum and he didn’t have to wait long before he saw an opportunity at Druids and once again took back the lead.

On lap five Jake Hill managed to pass both Sarah and Aaron but his lead was short lived when Aaron retook the lead ahead of Stirling and Moore and that was the finishing order on the classified timesheet when the outing was halted a lap from home.

Commenting on win number two of the season, Williamson said: "When I won at Donington I said it was my hardest ever race but this one, today, was definitely the hardest! The lead changed hands so many times, there wasn't a split second where you could think about backing off, you had to keep going and going until the last lap.

"It was really, really hot in the car and very hard work. To come away with a win today is fantastic especially after Saturdays’ costly mistake. It's great to be on the top step, the team has done a fantastic job with the car all weekend."

The 35 points awarded for a win means that Aaron has now moved up to third place in the Championship.

Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd8):
1st Sarah Moore, 209pts; 2nd Alex Austin, 194pts; 3rd Aaron Williamson, 158pts; 4th Jake Cook, 124pts; 5th Thomas Howard, 123pts; 6th David Moore, 121pts

Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance will take place two weeks from now, 13th/14th June, at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire.

Round 5 Donington Park 17^th May - Grid Position 3rd

Aaron got off to a good start maintaining his 3^rd position into the first bend.  Chris Swanwick then edged through into third place

Everything changed just a couple of corners later though when the front-running pack shuffled as Sarah Moore lost out into McLeans, slipping to fourth place while Aaron assumed the lead ahead of Chris Swanwick and Jake Hill. Swanwick then became the third leader of the race within the space of just one lap by taking first place into Goddards.

Aaron fought hard over the lead on lap two, a little further behind Hill had a spin going under Starkey's Bridge to drop him out of contention.

On lap four, Sarah Moore moved to the front once again heading into the chicane just before light rain started to fall making the track quite slippery. Chris Swanwick moved back ahead into McLeans on lap five which put Aaron in third place.  These positions were maintained until the chequered flag and Aaron was pleased to be on the podium once again.

Round 6 Donington Park 17^th May - Grid Position 3rd

The team had decided to go with a wet set up due to the black clouds looming on the horizon.  Unfortunately just before the race, the sun came out for its most persistent period all day.  There was no time to change tyres and it seemed that everyone else was on the same set up anyway.

Aaron got off to a good start again and moved up to second place at Redgate and managed to maintain that position throughout the first half of the race.  By lap six Aaron had mounted a determined charge and closed to within just three 10ths of a second of the leader, Jake Hill.

Pressuring the leader, Aaron dived up the inside at Redgate on lap seven to move ahead momentarily but on the exit Jake Hill hit back and maintained the top spot through Hollywood and down the Craner Curves.

Lap eight produced a turning point though when a spin for backmarker Jake Giddings, as the two leaders prepared to lap him at Redgate, resulted in a delay for Hill who had to run wide in avoidance and thus hand the lead to an ecstatic Aaron.

Into the last lap Aaron was 1.7 seconds ahead but Jake Hill wasn't going to give up without a fight and managed to close the gap to nothing over the course of the final lap. Almost side by side through McLeans and Coppice, Hill looked up the inside into the chicane before tucking back in but he had better drive coming out of the corner.

Over the line, the cars traded paintwork but Aaron managed to hold on by just six 100ths of a second, giving him his first win in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Aaron said "I've been after a win for two years now, what a great race in which to win my first one too", "The track was getting drier and drier every lap, the tyres were going off and the car was sliding about. On the final lap, Jake (Hill) was really catching me and it was quite nerve-wracking really. That was the closest race finish I've ever had!"

Aaron's victory, pushes him up the driver standings into the top four from seventh place.

Rounds seven and eight of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance will take place a fortnight from now, 30th/31st May, at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire.

Provisional 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance Positions (after Rd6):
1st Sarah Moore, 166pts; 2nd Alex Austin, 145pts; 3rd Jake Cook, 144pts; 4th Aaron Williamson, 115pts; 5th Tom Ingram, 100pts; 6th Thomas Howard, 91pts

Round 3 Thruxton - Grid Position 5^th

Aaron got off to a fantastic start by rocketing through from fifth on the grid to take second place at the complex and then the lead on the run through Village and Church corners.

Into lap two, Aaron held the lead from Jake Hill, David and Sarah Moore.  Aaron took control and led for a couple of laps before David Moore produced another good pass at the fastest point of the circuit, Church.

The lead changed hands another couple of times between Aaron and David which allowed Sarah Moore to close in and the trio ran three abreast through Church and into the long climb up the hill on lap four. She then moved ahead at the chicane to demote Aaron to second and David to third place as fourth positioned Austin started to come into play. With nothing at all between the lead quartet, the intensity of the action continued to rise but a huge spin for Aaron at Village ended his challenge when he dropped back to 14^th place.  He still fought hard to make up the lost ground, eventually finishing a very credible seventh place.

Round 4 Thruxton - Grid Position 5^th

Aaron moved straight into third position from fifth after another great start.

Under pressure for the lead into the chicane, Aaron was passed by Jake Hill at the end of the opening lap while Alex Austin ran in third and Jake Cook was in fourth.

After trading the lead at almost every corner with Hill, Aaron then slipped back to fourth on lap two.  Into the chicane, Jake Cook took second place and Aaron slipped through into third past Austin.

On lap five at the complex, the race took an unexpected turn when Aaron collided with Jake Cook which allowed Sarah Moore through to second and forced Cook down to third place. Aaron regained his momentum and battled on until lap seven when he made a move to take several places but unfortunately the car started to slide and collided with Hill at the complex, forcing both into retirement.

Aaron was disappointed but consoled by the fact that he broke the lap record, which will give him 1 bonus championship point.

Brands Hatch Round 1

Aaron made a good start to his 2009 campaign at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Saturday  4th April, during the opening round of the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Although Aaron didn’t qualify as well as he hoped, he managed  6^th Position on the grid; he knew he’d have to get off to a good start to be in with a good chance of  the podium finish that had eluded him last season.  Everything went according to plan with Aaron moving quickly into 4^th place and quickly closing in on the front runners.

 As the race approached lap 7, Aaron was on the back of Jake Hill, still fighting for a podium finish. Luck seemed to be on Aaron’s side when an incident involving a backmarker on lap eight took Austin out of contention, putting Aaron in 3^rd place.

With five laps to go, Aaron was holding the 3^rd position when another incident brought out the safety car at the beginning of lap 11; after 3 laps on track the race was re-started with 1 lap remaining.  Aaron got away well and would’ve been happy to bring it home in 3^rd but good fortune was on Aaron’s side once again when, Hill ran wide out of Paddock Hill Bend and ended up spinning into the gravel.  Aaron gladly took 2^nd place with his ex-teammate Jake Cook taking a well deserved win.

Aaron said “This was a brilliant start to the season but I still need to find some pace for tomorrows’ race and hopefully get on the top step”

BRANDS HATCH - Round 2

After Saturdays’ success Aaron was feeling confident but still a bit nervous about today’s race. 

Aaron, who began the race from 3rd position, made a good start but only managed to maintain 3^rd place.  On the exit of Druids, Alex Austin drifted very wide which gave Aaron the chance to move into 2^nd Place. 

At McLaren on the second lap, Jake Cook managed to get on the inside of Aaron and he then sealed the pass into Paddock on lap three which moved Aaron down to 3^rd.

The next lap saw Aaron losing momentum after running wide at Clearways and into 4^th place;

The positions changed again on lap 7 as the leaders approached Druids, second placed Hill receiving a small tap to the rear of his car from Austin which threw him into a spin. Austin took second as Aaron also managed to get by Hill into third.

Everything was looking good for another podium finish but on the penultimate lap at McLaren David Moore made a move to pass Aaron and unfortunately they both ended up in a spin.  Aaron was able to rejoin the race but was only able to cross the line in 13^th Place.

Aaron said “I’m really disappointed about the result today because I would’ve liked another podium finish.  The season has just begun so hopefully this won’t affect the Championship too much. I need to concentrate on Thruxton in two weeks time and hopefully get some more points on the scoresheet”   

The third and fourth rounds of the 2009 Ginetta Junior Championship with Henderson Insurance will take place three weeks from now at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire over the weekend 25th/26th April.

The first meeting of the season at Brands Hatch is now under a week away and Aaron has never been more prepared for what he is about to face.

It is estimated that over 50,000 live spectators will attend this weekend's meeting with another 1,000,000 watching the action on ITV4.

Brands Hatch timetable is as follows:

Saturday 3rd April:

Ginetta Junior Testing -  9.00am > 9.15am

Ginetta Junior Qualifying - 11.55am > 12.10pm

Ginetta Junior Race - 5.10pm

Sunday 4th April:

Ginetta Junior Race - 11.20pm

Watch Aaron live on ITV 4 at this time on Sunday.

Aaron - "This is it, This is where my Championship challenge begins. It's going to be a long season with some tough challenges ahead, but I feel prepared enough to deal with any obstacles that come my way.
All our hard work over the winter with the car and fitness all comes into action this weekend. We are hoping to get some podium results this season and hopefully stand a good chance of finishing well in the Championship. Keep checking my website for results, pictures and reports"

Thanks Aaron.

My first race in the Saxmax formula, very very nervous!

We were lucky enough to have 3 X half hour practise sessions on Friday to allow us to get used to the circuit, it  was also the first time I had driven the car solo (before I had always been with instructors).

Practise 1 & 2 went ok but I was quite a bit off the pace of the front runners.  A bit of advice from Paul Tibbs (Andrew’s – 28 -  Dad) and Paul McMillan (Liam’s - 5 -  Dad) about different settings and corner approaches and by practice 3 I had closed the gap to about a second off the leaders (very pleased).

Saturday Race 1 

Qualified 13 (unlucky Ha Ha) and my first grid start (Oh s**t). Well the race went well started 13 finished 13 (very happy with that) and only a little front wing damage!!! (Oh well rubbins racing).

Sunday Race 2

Mum gave me 3 shredded wheat for breakfast, I qualified 7^th on the grid, row 4, I had already done a start but still very nervous.  The lights went out, slight wheel spin and then off down the straight, I got up to 5^th, but didn’t last long, my brakes locked up first bend and put me back to 9^th and that was where I finished I was frustrated with myself but still over the weekend with those 2 placings got me 23 points which puts me 20^th out of 24 competitors.

A Wednesday evening meeting (Dad says “we must be mad”), three and a half hour drive.

We took my mate Ollie – 124 – with us, so two mini’s loaded in the back of the lorry, Dad, Ollie’s Dad, Kel, me and Ollie, me and Ollie had to sit on the bed!!!

First time at the Arlington Stadium and because the track is so small, there is a non contact rule (Never mind!!).

Heats

First heat worked my way up to fourth, and then got spun out with the chequered flag in site.  Second heat, pretty much the same.

Final

Final big, big crash and it hurt, got turned into the wall then taken out by the following minis, car is a total mess, drive shaft has been pushed through the gearbox, big side damage, it even bent my seat (ouch, ouch, ouch).  Engine now at George Polley’s, car bodywork repaired, looking forward to going back to Eastbourne (NOT).

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