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Webb is Agonisingly Close to First Victory

Knutsford based single-seater racer, Oliver Webb came agonisingly close to scoring his first victory in the Formula Renault Winter Series at Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Webb went into the weekend full of confidence after breaking the Formula Renault lap record in testing a few weeks ago. This pattern continued in the pre-race testing, with Webb in the top three for the first two testing sessions.

Qualifying was a repeat of the frustration Webb had at Croft with the sheer number of inexperienced drivers in the Winter Series making clear laps very difficult. With six minutes to go, Webb was lying in 14^th place, and had to post two good laps to improve his chances. He was pleased to record times good enough for sixth and seventh on the respective Saturday and Sunday grids, but disappointed he couldn’t find space to show his true pace.

Keen to show his testing pace was no flash in the pan, Webb went into race one in a determined mood. His faith in his own ability stood him in good stead when he got a good start, immediately promoting himself to fifth in the first lap. Webb then started harrying Henry Surtees, son of former F1 and Motorcycle World Champion, John Surtees. After three laps of sustained pressure, Surtees succumbed and outbraked himself, allowing Webb past.

Virtually from start to finish, Webb took on one of the most epic battles of his career so far with Buller. The pair banged wheels and were side-by-side lap after lap, but the Rockingham circuit owner’s son had the advantage and kept Webb behind. However, after the chequered flag had been waved, the stewards decided that Buller had broken the safety car rules and was excluded from the results, promoting Webb to the podium.

Webb set himself the goal of at least a podium finish for the final round of the winter series. He got off to a great start and took two cars into the first corner. This rapid progress continued for the next four laps, with Webb progressing from seventh to second at an astonishing pace. By this point racer leader Dean Stoneman had built up an impressive margin, that was virtually the length of the pit straight. Initially Webb’s pace matched the leader, but soon he was taking two or three tenths out of his lead each lap.

Disaster struck when tjesafety car came out and bunched the whole grid up again, moving Webb back into the chasing pack. Stoneman nailed the restart and left stuck Webb in the wrong gear. With the A-level student losing pace, Surtees capitalised and got alongside and then passed the Formula BMW graduated on the banking. The Cheshire based-driver decided to stay on the more abrasive asphalt on the outside line, hoping to outbrake Surtees in the next corner. Unfortunately his rival had other ideas and Webb was run wide into the wall, ending his race immediately.

Webb will be back in action in April 2009 when he begins his challenge for the 2009 Formula Renault title.

ENDS