ROOKIE Vale racer Olly Turner finished his debut season in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship with a resilient performance at Donington Park.
The Power Maxed-supported racer, having fully recovered from a serious high-speed incident at Silverstone in August which saw his own Goodsign.co.uk #22 ST’s demise, remained focused.
Thankfully the drivers involved were unhurt and, although devastated not to be able to continue to contest podiums and potentially the remaining season, Turner kept positive after previous spectacular podium placings at Snetterton and successes at Rockingham Motor Speedway.
Turner was then generously offered to test drive at Croft, only a couple of days after the crash to prepare for the September round.
The Yorkshire and most northerly venue of the year, Croft, brought about some good points in a borrowed spare car from eventual Fiesta junior champion Jack Davidson, which kept Turner in contention for a top ten overall finish in the championship.
With the continual efforts of team Jam Sport, Turner, helped by Autoenginuity, went into the last round at Donington with a real chance of top ten finishes and a creditable overall points outcome.
Amber Motorhome-supported Turner was determined to maximise track time to get to know the car better on the Friday test day with the help of coach Jack Layton.
Competing on a loaned machine, this gave Turner valuable experience in extracting the very best out of a race car on an unfamiliar track. Although the weather was favourable, it still posed many challenges, which the 15-year-old Prince Henry’s High School pupil coped admirably with as he raced with maturity, promise and composure.
Unfortunately, the car was unable to match the pace of the front-runners, but Turner kept clear of on-track troubles and brought home eighth and seventh places.
Turner could not have done any more and was ecstatic to learn the day’s efforts resulted in a ninth placed overall position in the championship – one of only two drivers inside the top nine not to have raced previously at this level prior to this year.
