Ovenden takes the title and Swiftsport News from Croft
Alysham based Swift Sport Rallycross champion Tristan Ovenden headed into the final round of the 2015 championship knowing all he had to do to clinch his second successive championship title was to simply complete the event.
But safely guiding the car around the circuit just isn’t Ovenden’s style! In tricky conditions and a tough grid allocation saw him line up on the back row. Despite this he finished fifth.
The second heat saw him draw a front row grid spot and he safely headed into the first corner ahead of the rest of the field. With such a commanding start he was able to maintain his lead to the race end.
The third heat saw Ovenden draw another back row grid start with all his closest championship rivals ahead of him. Despite this he managed to claw his way to finish in 5th place and in the process pole position for the A-Final and in the process effectively seal his championship in the process.
Ovenden made a good start and was leading the final when Aidan Hills and Darren Scott had a coming together which caused a red flag and forced a restart. On the rerun Ovenden found himself all alone on the front of the grid which was enough to give him the room to lead from lights to flag and sign his year off in style, clinching not only the round win but more importantly his second successive championship.
At the finish he said“The racing on Saturday was so close, the three different winning heat times where covered by just 0.2 of a second. It was consistency over the three heats that got us pole position. It's fantastic to win the
championship again. There's been very intense competition all season and the support of the team and work they have put in to keep me and the car consistent at every round has been amazing. Thanks for the support during this year too from: Kent Bodyshop, Promac Solutions, Goody Demolition and Allscreen.”
Jake Taylor
Jake Taylor made the short trip north to Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire to finish his first full season racing in the ranks of seniors.
A back row grid start in heat one left Taylor with a little too much to do to make up many places, but in the second heat he was on a front row start from where he was able to make a superb start and go into the first corner with a cars length to spare. He then successfully drove a very smart defensive race keeping the very much in-form Aiden Hills at bay to notch up his first heat win of the year and a very well deserved third for the overall heat.
Another great drive in the third heats gained him another 3rd place overall.
All his hard work was rewarded with 5th place on the grid for the A-Final. He was in a good fourth position when a race was red flagged when two cars had a coming together. On the restart Taylor found clear space in front of him at the line and headed into the first corner in 3rd place which he hung onto right until the chequered flag to claim his first senior podium and a provisional sixth place finish in the championship.
It was a strong performance by Taylor and at the finish he said“I just needed to continue to drive as I did all day for the A Final. I got off to a brilliant start battling with Nathan, he had the better of me on the first corner but I managed to hold onto my third place spot. I wasn’t going to give up my position that easily. At the last corner and nearly lost my place trying to avoid someone spinning which meant it was not an easy run to the flag. I knew I had done the Team and my family proud. It’s been one heck of a journey and thank you everyone for being a part of it.”
Aidan Hills
Aiden Hills made the long trip north to Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire on the back of four podium finishes in the championship. Missing the opening round, though was going to make his job that bit more difficult.
In the first heat Hills drew a back grid row start position with the rest of the grid made up of all the championship contenders. He uncharacteristically struggled for pace but still managed to finish in sixth spot for the heat.
The second set of heats saw him move up a row for the start and make it to the first corner in second place. Fourth place this time was the resultas he managed to find some speed.
The final heat saw a front row position for Hills and a good start too.
With a clear track ahead of he brought his swift home in first spot to gain him a first row place for the A-Final a mere 11/100ths of a second behind pole sitter Tristan Ovenden.
Hills made a great start in an almost carbon copy of the third round of heats however this time he ran much wider and rejoined in a 3 car row of Jake Taylor and Championship contender Darren Scott. Unfortunately he found himself on the outside and struggled to keep his line with the speed he was carrying, and made contact with Scott putting both of them out of the Final and forcing a red flag. Unfortunately Hills was unable to get the car fixed in time for the restart putting a disappointing end to a promising day.
This saw him finish the year in a provisional 5th place overall. One thing can be assured of is that Aidan Hills will be back next year with his eyes on one prize and that’s the 2016 championship.
At the end Hills said “The weekend was really hard, with big grids at a track where overtaking is difficult, I really had to make the most of the starts and I did that well in the heats, especially the third heat when I had a great race with Jack Brown and took the overall win. Then the contact at the second turn ending my day prematurely was a real hard way to end such a promising season.
The season has had great highs and a few lows, but overall I have to be really pleased with myself. We are going to start preparing for next season now, and we will be back for a full season this time. I’m really going to push and see what we can do in the championship. Big thanks to my Dad for all his hard work this season, and I can’t wait to get going in 2016.”