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Webb Determined Despite 152mph Incident
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Webb Determined Despite 152mph IncidentManchester-based racing driver Oliver Webb (18) survived a 152 mph near-miss and high speed tyre failure at Round 3 & 4 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Thruxton.
The high-speed Hampshire circuit was tricky for Webb who only had one heavily interrupted test session at a venue where testing is rarely available. Having missed one session, Webb started the weekend on the back foot and had to fight hard to maintain his good start to the Formula Renault season.
In a largely wet qualifying session, Webb had sat second in the times until the very last lap when the drying circuit yielded its quickest times, dropping the A-level student to ninth in just one lap.. Having overtaken almost 30 cars in two races in a European Formula Renault event in Barcelona last weekend, Webb was still confident he could get a result.
Race one started well with Webb getting up to fifth after just six laps and charging hard. Then the safety car came out and interrupted the flow, but as soon as it returned to the pits Webb was putting in consistently quicker laps than those in front. Putting his pace to good use, the North East born driver got alongside a rival only for the fellow racer to move across, leaving no room and forcing Webb on to the grass at 152 mph. After rejoining in 19th place, the Formula BMW graduate set times just below lap record pace to claw back to 12th position.
Webb was more confident for Race two, despite qualifying in sixth after a mistake with setup in the second qualifying session. The race went well with Webb initially holding station in sixth. Webb had a battle with Williamson and then having overtaken him came up behind the driver who had caused his off in Race one. Whilst this was going on, eventual race winner Jesse Krohn came from further back to take victory, passing Webb in the process. Webb looked set to get revenge by overhauling his first race nemesis, but was thwarted by a slow puncture.
The left rear tyre started to lose pressure as early as lap eight and then finally let go with a heart stopping bang through Church on the final lap. Webb held the resulting slide and limped his car, with tyre flailing, over the line just 6/10ths ahead of sixth place.
Despite the setback of the weekend, Webb was sanguine, commenting: “This weekend could have been a lot worse, but fortunately for me the results have been mixed for a lot of people. We’ve had several different winners and I am definitely still in a good position Championship wise. Without the tyre blowing I could have had a podium finish, I was feeling it from lap eight (the puncture), but to be honest I was lucky. The tyre only blew on the last lap and I managed to avoid going off, if I hadn’t have built up a 12 second gap to sixth then I would have been caught by a lot of cars!”Webb will next be in action at Donington on the 16th and 17th of May for Rounds 5 & 6 of the Formula Renault Championship.
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