Victory at the Silverstone National

MELKSHAM’S teenage racing sensation, Jack Meakin, enjoyed victory in the third round of the Britcar Trophy 2022 season at the Silverstone National circuit.  

17-year-old Jack and his Westbourne Motorsport teammate, 18-year old James Black, came first in their class, at the race meeting held last week.  

Jack’s father, Andy Meakin reports, “We knew that racing here was going to be very close in the Clio class and this was confirmed in qualifying, with the top 6 Clios split by 0.5 seconds! Continual laps were key to a successful qualifying – finding the grip around the evolving track conditions and space on track. This was an advantage for single-driver entries as they could stay out for the full session, whilst two-driver entrants had to break their rhythm so that both drivers could post qualifying times. 

“We pushed hard and qualified 0.3 seconds behind the fastest Clio, which put us in our lowest qualifying position yet this year, with a 5th in class and P17 overall! However, we knew our race pace was good and we were confident that we could still pull out some good results. 

“James took the start for Race 1. Rain was falling as the race began and James got a great initial launch, getting in amongst the Clio pack right away. The rain kept falling, though never enough to make the track fully wet and this required 100% focus from the drivers. As the race progressed, the group broke up and James was able to put in some consistent laps ahead of the pit stop. 

“James handed over to Jack for the second half of the race, the rain still falling lightly. Jack got to grips with the track conditions quickly, but three laps later and the safety car was deployed to recover a stranded Ginetta. As some competitors were yet to pit, we knew this had worked against us for the second time this season. After 6 laps behind the safety car, the lights went out and we went racing again, with everyone now back in a group. Jack pushed hard to the very end of the race and we finished 3rd in class, up from P17 to P10 overall. 

“By the afternoon weather conditions had much improved and for Race 2 it was Jack’s turn to take the start, this time on a fully dry track. Once again the Clio group was close on the early laps, with VW Golfs also in the mix Jack’s quick reactions saved him from a full spin early in the race on the exit of Luffield, as he raced side by side with another Renault Clio. During this stint, Jack was able to set the fastest Clio lap of the weekend- a 1:06:620.  

“Jack passed the baton to James as P2 in class. James was determined to get the win and his battle started immediately as he left pit lane with another Clio in tow. James began to string the laps together and after all competitors had completed their pit stops, we were sitting in P1 in class. An epic ‘cat and mouse’ battle unfolded over the closing laps, with James keeping his cool under huge pressure from Charlie Hand in 555. By the start of the final lap we had a gap of just 0.4 seconds. James didn’t panic and put in a fantastic final lap, crossing the line to take the win by 0.186 seconds! 

“Firstly, we would like to thank Westbourne Motorsport for putting together a great package. Andy and Ish did a great job of running the car and the communication throughout the weekend was excellent. It was great to have support in the garage from Ed Pead too and we feel that we were able to make real improvements this weekend. 

“Also, a huge thanks to our partners: Leon, Magic Brands, The Magic Bean Co, Edwards & Ross Pallets and VK Graphics for their continued support!” 

Picture: 17-year-old Jack Meakin and his Westbourne Motorsport teammate, 18-year-old James Black, celebrate their win at Silverstone.