GUERNSEY’S hottest young motor racing prospect has secured his first finish in the Elf Renault Clio Cup championship. Chris Law, a 16-year-old College of FE student, battled back against technical problems at Rockingham at the weekend to complete the main international race in a creditable 25th position.
His performances are already beginning to turn heads among rival team managers - they cannot believe that he has driven only karts before.
On Friday his car sustained clutch problems and mechanics worked until three the following morning on the clutch and engine ahead of testing and qualifying. Come the morning the car was still struggling with electric problems and he lost his power steering for qualifying.
Mechanics had to change wiring and the ECU - the brains of the car - but the youngster still managed to qualify 19th in the initial race.
In the next race he managed to get up to 14th to qualify for Sunday’s main race - starting 28th on the grid.
Driving at an average of about 85mph he worked his way up the field to gain three positions in his Team Pyro vehicle.
‘It was very good. My idea was just to keep it on the track and do as well as I could. From the mishap at Brands Hatch I did not want it to break again and just wanted to get a finish under my belt,’ he said.
‘There were some big crashes - there were cars flying all over the place. Some cars go one way and roll another and you have to watch out for it.’
‘I have learnt a lot about the tyre lips and how to push a car around different corners and about braking and driving into corners,’ he said.
‘I had to work with what I could and I’m glad I finished. My team-mate did not finish and I think I did really well.’
He had managed to qualify for the final at Brands Hatch but an engine seizure forced him out when he was making good progress.
‘Out of 40 cars that went to Rockingham to finish in the top two-thirds is a fantastic achievement,’ said his father William.
‘The level of the drivers is extremely high and he has gone in with the least experience. He has learnt that motor racing can have lots of problems and he has to grit his teeth and do the best he can with the vehicle he has.’
‘The mechanics were brilliant but when things go wrong you have to work with what you have got. He was very pleased he got home. He did not have any bumps and crashes and has learnt a lot by going the whole distance,’ he said.
Law cannot wait to get to Thruxton - the fastest circuit in the UK - for the next round in a fortnight, where he averaged 100mph in testing recently.
‘Team managers are very curious about how somebody with so little experience can do so well. He has absolutely no fear. A lot of children at that age have no fear and that really helps when you are going into dicey situations at 85 to 90mph,’ said his dad.
Clio Cup is seen as a key stepping stone to touring car and GT racing, with star graduates including British GT champion Andrew Kirkaldy, British Touring Car Champion-ship star Jason Plato and Guernsey’s own world touring car champion Andy Priaulx.
n ISLANDER John George finished two of the three rounds of the British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham.
George, driving a Honda Integra, placed 14th in the opening race and 10th in the second to sit on pole on the reverse grid for the final race.
However, he was one of several who failed to finish, lasting eight laps.
Fabrizio Giovinardi won two of the races, Jason Plato the other.
Article posted on 24th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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