Gronkowski on a high
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BANFF racer Jordan Gronkowski overcame mechanical problems to gain his first podium finish in the latest round of the Scottish Formula Ford championship.
Gronkowski overcame the odds to gain third place in the first of his two races at the Knockhill circuit in Fife.
In the second race, engine problems plagued him, but he still managed a sixth place finish.
He is now lying fourth in the championship and third in the Newcomers’ Cup.
Gronkowski said: "This is a fantastic result for us and I’m delighted to be on the podium in only our second weekend in Formula Ford.
"We just have to keep our heads down to continue to build on this as the season progresses.
"I am grateful to my dad, for managing to get me out in qualifying – without that the podium wouldn’t have been possible."
With less than five minutes till the start of the qualifying session, Gronkowski was forced to abandon taking to the track with brake disc problems however, dad Harry managed to fix the problem.
For the first race, he qualified fourth and battled with Alistair Dow and Ian Munro for much of the race. Gronkowski took third when Munro clipped one of the corner kerbs and spun his car, and managed to keep the position till the chequered flag.
In the second race, Gronkowski started in third and made a good getaway and looked to be in contention for second place.
However, his car was struggling for straight-line speed and had to heavily defend from the pursuing drivers and he dropped to sixth where he eventually finished.
Gronkowski said: "We had some engine issues in the second race which meant that it was impossible to pass or even defend for long on the straights.
"With that in mind, we’ve done really well to finish in another strong points-scoring position."
The action from the races will be televised on Sky and Virgin Media channel Motors TV at 6pm on Thursday, May 26. Gronkowski was one of the selected cars with an on-board camera for the races.
The next two rounds of the championship are at Knockhill on July 2 and 3.
