Hawksworth: It’s not over
Jack Hawksworth has set his sights high for the remaining rounds of the Formula Renault UK championship, proclaiming he wants to win the second half of the championship.
Off the back of a seven week summer break and fresh from his first victory at Croft, Hawksworth jumped straight back into the groove at Snetterton qualifying fifth despite handling issues. However, his weekend took a turn for the worse when a throttle problem caused him to miss second qualifying.
In the opening encounter Jack drove a steady race and profited from an incident in front to finish second, behind team-mate Tio Ellinas.
“We made some set-up changes before the race, and the car felt better than it had done in qualifying,” he recounted. “I made a very good start and moved into fourth before we got to the first corner, and then I had really good grip around the first lap.
“My team-mate Tio Ellinas was directly ahead, and he made a mistake coming out of Hamilton Corner and dropped a wheel off the track. I managed to get halfway alongside into the next right-hander, but I backed out of the move midway through the corner because I didn’t want to risk an accident – the worst person you can have contact with is your team-mate.
“On the penultimate lap, though, the two leaders had a coming-together, which allowed us to get an unexpected one-two finish. That was a brilliant reward for the team after all their hard work. Even though we had a bit of luck, I think it was still fully deserved for all the effort we had put in leading up to the weekend.”
Despite an impressive second place, Jack was philosophical about the possibility of his second career race win.
“Looking back at the first lap now with Tio, it’s always easier with the benefit of hindsight to say; perhaps I should have kept my foot in. I could have had my second race win of the season, but equally, what if he had turned in? It was a split-second decision, and if I had made the move, it could have gone either way – I could have ended up looking like a hero…or an idiot.”
Starting from dead last in race two Hawksworths prospects of a repeat of race one looked slim, and these chances were nil when he collided with a ‘safety barrier’ placed on the outside of turn seven, ending the Cullingworth-based youngsters race.
“Starting from the back in Formula RenaultUKis never easy,” he conceded. “You have to push and take a few risks to make up positions. I gained three places on the first lap, but then I had a little bit of a ‘moment’ in the middle of Williams Corner, which caused me to run ever-so-slightly wide on the exit. There was a tyre barrier right at the edge of the track, but I didn’t actually think I was going to hit it; I must have literally just brushed it, and that was enough to drag it into the front of my car and rip the wheel off.”
Hawksworth did have something to celebrate though, as he announced a link up with Swiss watch-maker TORGOEN who also appointed him as a brand ambassador and one of just four members of Team TORGOEN Swiss UK, describing him as ‘a driver of huge potential’.
“Partnering with brands like TORGOEN Swiss is exactly what I need at this stage of my career,” he enthused. “They are extremely ambitious just like me, and together with TORGOEN Swiss, I hope to speed to the top of the motor racing ladder. I’ve had a great start to my first year in slicks-and-wings, and this deal is a great boost going into the second half of the season.”
But after notching up his fourth podium finish of the season at Snetterton, Hawksworth immediately looks to Silverstone to kick start his championship.
“It was a disappointing way to leave Snetterton,” theYorkshireace mused in conclusion. “I felt I had prepared for the weekend really well and I had been aiming for two wins, but I can’t be too despondent. There were a few things that affected us that we didn’t have time to fix, but our pace in the first race was good, and at Silverstone I think we will be quite a bit stronger. I’ve had some time back in the car now, so hopefully, I can start mixing it for pole positions and wins again.
“We’ve just got to move on. The target is to start afresh, and I want to win the second half of the championship – I want to score more points than anyone else between now and the end of the season…and if we can start winning some races, then it’s not over yet by a long shot.”
Photo: Jakob Ebrey
Mike Trusler
