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Will Palmer takes debut car racing win in Ginetta Juniors

Will Palmer took his debut car racing win in the Ginetta Junior championship at Rockingham today (Sunday), after keeping a cool head in damp conditions.

Having already taken several pole positions in his second full season of car racing, Will won from the front row of the grid in the second race of the weekend.

The race started in damp conditions with Will making the best start from second on the grid, and he managed to hold off the rest of the field into the first corner off the banking. He used this to stay ahead of the pack during an incident-filled opening lap and as the pack sorted themselves out it was HHC team-mate Harry Woodhead who emerged in second place.

Newly-installed series champion Woodhead was having to defend during the early laps, and this allowed Will to make good his escape. However by lap four, the halfway stage, Keith Donegan pulled off a robust move out of the first corner to assume second place.

Donegan, who Will is fighting for second place in the title standings, set off after the leader as conditions began to take a turn for the worse. Like several other drivers, Will had to take to the grass after suffering from the deterioration in grip from the track and this helped his pursuer to close the gap.

By the final lap the cars were virtually nose-to-tail, however Will made sure that Donegan could not pass and crossed the line to take his debut victory in the series and his first win in car racing.

"It was definitely the hardest race I've ever driven," Will said afterwards. "The start being almost dry, then the rain, trying to judge how much grip there was going to be at the next corner made it really tough. I then had a load of pressure coming from Keith going into the closing stages, but I managed to keep him behind."

Both Jonathan and brother Jolyon, a race winner in GP2, were at Rockingham to cheer on Will. "It's great to take my first win in front of them," Will continued. "Hopefully I can take a few more in the remainder of the season. It would be amazing to win at Brands Hatch."

Will now has two more rounds to confirm second place in the championship, starting with Silverstone in two weeks' time, and the final round taking place on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Ginetta Junior Championship Round 16

1, Will Palmer, HHC, 8 Laps
2, Keith Donegan, Douglas, +0.438s
3, Harry Woodhead, HHC, +6.967s
4, Tom Jackson, JRCA, +8.984s
5, Ollie Chadwick, JHR, +9.608s
6, Jack Mitchell, Privateer, +14.723s
7, Jamie Chadwick, JHR, +17.556s
8, James Kellett, HHC, +18.200s
9, Ryan Hadfield, JRCA, +28.655s
10, Ben Pearson, Privateer, +29.006s

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