BRDC Stars of Tomorrow ace Lewis
Williams produced a superb performance in his final race of 2007 by storming to the runner-up spot at his local circuit from a lowly grid position and in only his second competitive outing with his new team.
The Chipping Norton teenager was participating in the last round of the Shenington Kart Racing Club Championship with Ultimate Motorsport, and though he was up against recent Stars' pace-setters Macaulay Walsh and Pippa Coleman amongst others and a second shy of the leading pace during practice due to running on old rubber, he was not unduly concerned.
I knew there was some good competition there, Lewis acknowledged, with Macaulay, Pippa, Callum Bowyer and Jake Dalton who had won the O' Plate, but I felt happy with where I was. The kart felt really good and I was very confident.
The two wet heat races, however, would not prove quite so straightforward, with the 13-year-old beginning the first of them from pole position only to find himself knocked off the track on the opening lap and down to dead last. A stirring fight back would see him up to eighth at the chequered flag, whilst a back-of-the-grid starting spot in heat two was converted into seventh place at the close, leaving Lewis lining up seventh for the all-important final.
I thought I didn't have much of a chance from there, he admitted. I just didn't feel that confident. I overtook Pippa on the first lap though, and the four drivers up at the front were all scrapping over the lead, changing places and slowing each other up so I just held back. By lap eight I knew I could do it, so I dived in and got into the lead.
