Hat-trick history for Gamble and Elite at Silverstone

Ginetta Junior Championship
Silverstone
September 17, 2017

2018 Season

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Championship

Tom Gamble has built up a considerable championship lead after making Ginetta Junior history at Silverstone this weekend with Elite Motorsport. 

Gamble picked up a trio of wins and extended his championship advantage to 42 points ahead of the championship finale at Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time.

Tom Wood took his first ever pole position with a 1:14.238s lap in the closing stages of qualifying. The HHC Motorsport driver made the most of a drying track with Luke Browning doing enough to line up alongside him on the front row.

The opening Ginetta Junior race didn’t fail to impress. As usual, there were changes throughout the pack right up until the flag. After the opening lap, Jewiss passed Wood and Browning to take the race lead, with Harper and Gamble also making the pass on the front row starters.

One lap later and Harper was in the lead with Gamble second, Jewiss third and Elite Motorsport's Harry King fourth.
It wasn’t long before the battle turned into a six car train for the race lead. With seven laps to go – and with Harper and Gamble busy battling for the race lead – King snatched his moment and passed the pair of them, albeit they both reclaimed their top two positions (with Harper leading) a lap later.

King continued to fight back and Gamble dropped down to fifth, but with the title in his grasp, the Elite Motorsport driver passed the pair ahead and swept into the lead, where he remained to the flag with teammate King finishing on the podium in third.

In race two, Browning started on pole position after his impressive qualifying, but in the damp conditions, it was Priaulx, King and Gamble who made the most of the start, moving into the top three positions by the end of the opening lap.

The trio traded places for the lead at almost every corner. The epic battle between the three cars raged for most of the 14 lap race, until Gamble eventually broke the tow, with Priaulx finishing second and King third after a fantastic race. Elite Motorsport teammate Finley Green picked up second in the rookie class as with another strong result.

Title rivals Gamble and Priaulx lined up side-by-side on the front row of the grid for the final race of the weekend. It was Gamble who got the better start and led by 1.183s by the end of the first lap as Priaulx fell behind King. Harper got up to fourth, but was passed by teammate Jewiss a lap later, who led the rookie class from Canning and Smalley.

It wasn’t long before there was a six car scrap for second as King was forced to defend hard. Harper made a move on Jewiss and snatched the place, then began to hassle King. All the action allowed Gamble to build up a colossal lead at the helm of the action.

The Elite Motorsport driver built up just shy of an 8.5s lead as the flag fell and he made Ginetta Junior history with a hat-trick of wins.
Behind, a superb bit of defensive driving from Gamble’s teammate King earnt him second place, completing a fantastic team 1-2 and a triple podium for both drivers in an incredible Silverstone weekend.

The championship will be decided at Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time, with Gamble leading the standings for Elite Motorsport.

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