Jonathan Kennard took a superb victory in the fifth round of the Visma Software Formula Palmer Audi Championship at Oulton Park today. The 18 year-old started from pole position for the first of the two 14 lap races around the Cheshire track but at the start wheelspin dropped him down to third as fellow front-row man Sam Edwards lurched ahead and Brands Hatch double winner Rob Jenkinson capitalised on Jonathan's misfortune to move into second at the first corner.

Two laps in though and Jenkinson was adjudged to have jumped the start and awarded a 10 second penalty. As Kennard sat behind the battling duo, unaware of Jenkinson's penalty his patience paid off as Edwards, under pressure from Jenkinson, threw away the lead and dropped down to 13th, leaving Jonathan with just Jenkinson to contend with. Lap after lap the teenager from Tunbridge Wells pressured Jenkinson, still unaware that the race lead was already his, and on the final lap, as Jenkinson slowed with what he believed to be a puncture, Jonathan seized his chance and nipped through into the lead which he held to the flag.

"I didn't get a very good start, too much wheelspin," said Jonathan. "And I was cut up pretty bad by Sam Edwards which enabled Jenks to get around the outside of me. So there I was sitting in third and thinking that they might take each other off, because it did look like it sometimes when Sam just put too much power down, too early and spun himself off. I thought I was second then and just tried to put Jenks under as much pressure as possible and we were really going for it but I was not aware that he had a 10 second penalty so I was still pushing as hard as I could. Then on the last lap, I dived up the inside as he slowed into the corner and took the lead, so I'm pretty happy with that."

The day's second race had Jonathan again start from the front row, alongside Edwards with Jenkinson on row two and Karim Ojjeh lining up next. At the start, another wheelspin problem for Jonathan and Edwards enabled Jenkinson to catapult into the lead with Edwards slotting into second and Jonathan third. With one eye very much on his championship lead and his mind on maintaining his 100% record of podium finishes this year, Jonathan was content to hold station to take third place and maintain a 22 point lead over Jenkinson with six rounds remaining.

"Another fairly bad start, again too much wheelspin, and a pretty uneventful race into third. I backed off for the last couple of laps because third is still good for the championship, it's good to keep getting points, I've never finished off the podium this season so overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I'm happy to have a maintained the lead in the championship, obviously I'd have liked it to be a bit bigger but 22 is still quite a lot and I just need to keep getting the podiums and the points."

The next two rounds of the Championship take place on 2-4 July at the famous Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit in Germany.

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Cathy Metcalfe
MPR Associates
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