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2009 Final Roundup
Internet problems have unfortunately hindered the race-by race reporting throughout 2009 and as a result, this site has not been updated since mid-season. However, with the problems fixed, normal service will resume for 2010.
A summary of the team’s achievements in 2009 can be found on the results pages. With 6th place overall in the championship, the year was the team’s most successful car racing season yet!
Click for the 2009 Results Page
Podium Reward after Battle Royale
26/04/09
Rounds 3, 4 & 5
Knockhill Racing Circuit, Fife
A bitterly cold wind and overcast conditions did little to deter the racers for Knockhill’s first meeting of the year, with over 130 drivers in attendance. A healthy grid of 17 mini coopers lined up to compete the championship’s third, fourth and fifth rounds.
Qualifying - Dry
With lap times in Saturday practice showing that the pace had increased from 2008, qualifying was always going to be a close-fought affair. The track action failed to disappoint, with the top seven drivers on the grid separated by just over 4 tenths of a second. Jordan lined up 4th fastest, just two hundredths of a second away from 2nd on the grid.
Race 1 - Dry
At the lights, Jordan made a better start than 3rd placed Vic Covey Jnr and was immediately promoted a place. However, David Sleigh made a still-better getaway and leapfrogged both drivers to take third into the first corner, Duffus. Jordan’s efforts to hang onto 3rd saw him push the car to it’s limit over the crest of Duffus Dip with a sideways moment giving the crowd something to keep them entertained. Jordan pushed hard in the early laps but found the car lacking in pace compared to qualifying and despite his best efforts, he dropped to 7th. At the halfway point, Jordan’s pace began to recover and a stunning maneuver on Michael Rowan at Scotsman corner yielded 6th place, which he was to keep till the flag.
“We made some changes to the car after qualifying to try and cure some understeer and they obviously didn’t have the desired effect as we weren’t fast enough to hold onto 4th.’ Said Jordan. ‘We finished in the points again though, which is the most important thing.”
Race 2 - Wet
The heavens opened prior to race two, giving the track enough water to call for a wet setup on the minis. A relatively uneventful race saw Jordan locked in battle with Rowan to retain 6th, which became 5th when Mark Dryden lost the rear of his car at Scotsman.
“The car was really unbalanced in the race.’ Explained Jordan. “We haven’t ran in the wet since we made some fundamental setup changes and our best-guess setup turned out not to be good enough and it was a real struggle to keep the car on the track, let alone fight for position. I managed to stay on the black stuff though, and we’ve been rewarded with some more important points. We can learn from the race though, and improve the car next time it rains.”
The randomly selected reverse-grid position was drawn to 5th place, meaning Jordan would start from pole position in race three.
Race 3 - Dry
With Jordan lining up on pole for the final race of the day, the circuit was predominantly dry with some damp patches off the racing line. At the off both Jordan and Covey Jnr in second made good starts and entered Duffus side-by side. It was Jordan who held the line and retained the lead as the field streamed through. At the hairpin, Jordan was forced to defend the inside line which gave Covey a run up the main straight. Jordan, determined not to give in easily, fought back at the first corner to keep the lead.
A race-long dogfight ensued as lap-after-lap the pair would race wheel-to-wheel round corners and down straights. Jordan never able to shake-off Covey but always retaining the lead. With over half the race gone, Kenneth Thirwall took advantage of the dicing duo to dive up the inside at the hairpin. The three drivers raced towards Duffus side-by-side and inches apart. With the inside line, Thirwall snatched the lead as Jordan once again relegated Covey to behind his rear bumper. A lap later Covey finally made it past Jordan at Scotsman with a very late braking move which almost ended with Vic overshooting the corner. he kept the car under control and in the process secured second. With a lap to go, Jordan’s attentions turned to defending his third place from Chris Knox who had since set a new lap record. At the last corner of the last lap, Knox dived up the inside of Jordan in a move which was reminiscent of Jordan’s Kirkistown incident a month earlier. The outcome was the same for the overtaking car, with Knox missing the corner and finding himself in the gravel, recovering to finish 7th. Jordan calmly retook the stranded Knox and sealed 3rd place at the flag, the team’s first podium finish of 2009.
“What a race!’ Exclaimed Jordan afterwards. ‘To fight absolutely as hard as possible every lap of the race and for every position was really great fun and the fact that no-one took any damage in the racing makes it all the more satisfying. It really was something and I’m looking forward to seeing that from the spectator’s perspective on TV! To come out of such a race with a podium is superb. We’ve worked really hard to get here and I have to thank my dad again for all his hard work all weekend as I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
“On a more reflective note, we didn’t have the pace to pull away in the race, which is something we have to analyze. Of course we are delighted to take this result but we cannot count on a reverse-grid draw to deliver a pole position to us in the future. We have to go away and work to make the car faster so that we can now start to put in regular podium finishes and even wins. There are some technical developments which we didn’t have here but will have on the car for the next race and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they will help us.’
‘Finally, a huge thanks to all our official sponsors as their support is essential to enable us to have great days such as this!”
Follow all the action from Knockhill on Motors TV on Wednesday, 13th of May at 18:00
Points-Scoring Start to the Season
28/03/09
Rounds 1 & 2
Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Northern Ireland
Unsettled conditions awaited the grid of drivers in Northern Ireland as the start of the 2009 Scottish Mini Cooper Cup got underway at the Kirkistown Racing Circuit, host to rounds one and two of the championship.
In a change from usual procedures, testing took place on Friday with qualifying and both races scheduled for Saturday. A mixture of dry and wet conditions gave the field a chance to experience the circuit in all its forms on Friday, with Jordan and Harry taking advantage of the changes to test various setups.
Qualifying - Dry
A sprinkling of rain on Saturday morning did little to affect the surface and qualifying took place in dry conditions. With slipstreaming an important factor on the long straights of Kirkistown, three drivers from the one team took the top three spots on the grid through clever use of teamwork and pack-movement and Jordan, running alone, lined up 5th, just one tenth of a second shy of Chris Knox in 4th.
“There’s a very strong wind today which is making a real difference to the lap times and this is obvious from the split in qualifying.’ Observed Jordan. ‘The top three guys helped each other out and they are all well clear of the rest of the field. We seem to be competitive when you take this out of the equation and if I can get a good start and stick with the drivers in front of me in the race we should be able to race them.”
Race 1 - Dry
A good start from Jordan quickly helped him into the thick of things into the turn one kink as the 2009 season began in anger. Pole-man and reigning Champion, Vic Covey Jnr made a sluggish getaway in comparison and blocked Jordan’s progress at the braking zone for turn two. Nevertheless, Jordan emerged still in 5th as the pack reached the chicane for the first time. A very sideways moment through the corner almost saw Jordan’s race end early but he caught the car spectacularly whilst remaining in 5th but his lost momentum down the back straight allowed the leaders to pull away. The remainder of the 11 laps were spent first holding off and then pulling away from David Sleigh before a lonely pursuit of the leaders ended without incident; Jordan securing 5th place and the team’s first points of the year.
Jordan’s analysis of the race concluded; “The race was really decided for us at the chicane where I lost the back end over the kerb and lost some momentum to the guys in front. From that point on I was pushing like crazy to try and catch them but I was out of the slipstream and couldn’t make any headway. I’m really happy with 5th through as it brings us a good haul of points from the first round.’
‘Our aim this weekend is to come away with points from both races and so far so good!”
Race 2 - Dry
The reverse grid did little to affect Jordan’s position as 5th became 4th for the start. Some wheelspin at the lights hindered Jordan’s getaway but even without it he would have been defenseless against Knox who’s perfect start rocketed him from 7th to 3rd by the first braking zone.
Jordan enjoyed an action packed race after making his recovery for the start by the end of lap one, passing Michael Rowan as he slid wide in turn two and then going past David Sleigh and Chris Pearson in one move at the hairpin. Jordan then set off in pursuit of Covey Jnr in 2nd as Knox extended his lead.
A battle with Covey ensued and was quickly interrupted by race one winner Kenneth Thirwall who’s pace was too much for both drivers to defend against. With only a couple of laps remaining, Jordan moved close enough on the back straight to try for a pass on Covey. The pair approached the hairpin nose-to-tail, with Jordan darting out of the slipstream at the last minute. The move ended at the apex though as Jordan failed to slow the car down enough and overshot onto the grass, recovering to take 7th place and hold off the attentions of Pearson to finish there.
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling to finish here in race two as we had the pace to be third.’ Reflected Jordan. ‘But at the end of the day we have to remember what our aims were for the weekend and that was to come home from Ireland with points finishes and no damage, which we have achieved. The incident at the hairpin was partly a mistake on my behalf, but the brakes behaved strangely when I hit them and so I didn’t push the car after that. We have to analyze what the cause of this was and we are confidant we know what to do about it so it won’t happen again.’
‘Overall, it’s been a very enjoyable weekend and we’ve met our objectives so we’re satisfied with that. Now we can look forward to Knockhill and the rest of the season with reason to be optimistic going by what we’ve seen here and in also the pace we had in winter testing.’
‘I’d like to add a huge thanks to my dad for the amazing amount of work, early mornings and late nights he’s put in to get us here this weekend and also thanks to all of our official sponsors this season, without whom we wouldn’t be racing at all.”
Follow all the action from Kirkistown on Motors TV on 15/04/09 at 18:00
The Team Wrap Up Testing
14/03/09
Knockhill Racing Circuit, Fife
Cold, wet and windy conditions greeted the teams on Saturday morning as the final pre-season testing session of 2009 got underway. Conditions continued to improve throughout the day with the track drying out completely by the final session at 12:00.
Official timing was not available at the test.
“I always say you can’t really read too much into the lap times at these tests because we have no idea what other people are running compared to us. So the main thing is to be happy with what we have done ourselves. This was made a lot easier today by the official timing being off and so we actually have no idea what the others were like. However, we are very happy with the work we managed to carry out on our setup and can now go to Kirkistown at the end of the month with some optimism.’ Said Jordan.
“I must say the weather today was ideal for us as the wet session enabled us to develop some of the work we had done at the previous test and the dry afternoon gave us the chance to see how the car behaved in the dry. All-in-all we have achieved everything we set out to in these two test days and are looking forward to getting started in the championship.”
The team are in action at Kirkistown in Northern Ireland for round one of the 2009 Scottish Mini Cooper Cup. Follow all the action here with all the latest news and official review after the event.
Official Test Report
01/03/09
Knockhill Racing Circuit, Fife
It was a cold and wet afternoon at Knockhill as the first official pre-season testing session of 2009 got underway. Seven of the registered 19 competitors chose to run on the day, during which the circuit remained wet thanks to intermittent rain, at times turning to hail.
Jordan and Harry focused mainly on developing the car’s wet-weather setup throughout the day, as well as evaluating changes made over the winter.
After not running with timing equipment in the first of the three 20-minute runs, the team gave an impressive performance in the final sessions, topping the time sheets in session two and finishing the day 2nd fastest in the third.
“We’re happy with the work we’ve done this weekend.’ Said Jordan. ‘Although the conditions didn’t make my dad’s job any easier it was important for us to have this as we struggled to find a balance in the wet last year. We made some very good progress in terms of handling as the day progressed and gained some further understanding of the car’s behavior to setup changes, which was our main aim. Overall we achieved all we wanted to and so are satisfied, it’s been a very worthwhile test.”
“Regarding the results, I’m reluctant to read too much into these because in testing no-one knows what anyone else is doing with tyres or weight. Having said that it’s always better to be at the top of the time sheets than the bottom... All we can do is compare the times to our own benchmarks and I can say we’re quite happy in this regard too.”
The team will be back in action on the 14th of March at Knockhill for the second pre-season testing session. Keep up-to-date with all the news here!
The Off-Season
13/02/09
With the start of the 2009 racing season approaching fast, a lot of hard work is going on behind the scenes as the less-glamorous side of motor racing gets into full swing. Even though the track action is reduced during the winter because of the climate and lack of events, this doesn’t mean the racing stops.
We follow Jordan on a typical Saturday of racing car work in the off season...
06:30
The alarm goes off and it’s up for a shower and breakfast. Having woken up an hour earlier by mistake (in my excitement to get working on the car again I managed to set my alarm a bit too early) I’m already quite awake and what grogginess is hanging around soon wears off as I meet my dad in the kitchen at a time on a Saturday when most of the population of Glasgow (where I work) has just went to bed.
By 07:30 we’re outside loading the car and tools to head down to Bridgend Garage in Banff. It’s freezing.
08:00
We arrive at Bridgend and are greeted by Peter and son Gary who own the garage. First on the ‘to-do’ list is measuring tyres, which is an important first step in setting the weights and alignment of the car, unless you are lucky enough to own a set of setup wheels. After some ride-height adjustments and various suspension tweaks the fluids in the car are set to the appropriate level and we get to work setting the alignment of the car, with much help and guidance from Peter.
12:00
Off home for a quick lunch with our other halves. My mum, Anne and girlfriend Karen have made some much appreciated soup and sandwiches which we consume whilst warming up.
12:30
Back down to Bridgend again and after letting lunch settle I record my weight in full race gear for reference with the benchmark setup. Dad gets busy setting up the corner scales and on rolls the car for the initial readings.
Much to-ing and fro-ing ensues as weight is moved relentlessly around the car in pursuit of perfection. It takes a lot of time and work (with, I have to say, most of the physical stuff being taken care of by dad as I hop in and out of the driver’s seat between readings) but the balance is eventually achieved and its off to work on the corner weights.
15:30
With the static weight distribution where we want it the car is rolled onto the hoist for access to the suspension and the fine-tuning of corner weight begins. This is another process of ‘measure, calculate, adjust, measure’ but is all worth precious fractions of a seconds on the track.
With darkness coming down outside and mum wondering if we’re coming home for supper or not everything falls into place and we eventually get tidied up.
18:00
After taking up space in their garage all day we say our farewells to Peter and Gary and head up the road. It’s been a long day with more work on the cards tomorrow to tidy up and get the car ready to run. However, the tiredness and cold all melt away when the chequered flag falls on a top result.
A massive thanks to our official sponsors Bridgend Garage in Banff for the use of their facilities and laser alignment setup equipment.
Jordan Gronkowski
Official 2009 Season Statement - Updated
13/02/09
Having previously announced in late 2008 that Jordan would switch to the single-seater formula ford category in 2009, the following is an update to the team’s intentions for the new season:
“Following my test in a formula ford at the end of the ‘08 season, our intentions were to move into the category full-time in 2009. This was due to the amount of fun I had at the test and the fact that I have always aimed of racing single-seaters, and still ultimately do. However, as the winter break has unfolded we have made a decision to stay in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup in 2009.
This decision has been made mainly because of the global economic conditions. We decided that continuity in this difficult time is the best way for us to ensure our continuation in the sport which we love so much as funding becomes increasingly difficult to find. Add the cost of buying a new car and specialist equipment and it is clear to me we have made the right choice to return to the minis.
I would like to stress at the outset that this is by no means a negative thing for us and I am fully motivated and enthusiastic about spending another year in saloons. I really feel we have gained a lot of experience in the past two years and simply cannot wait to get back behind the wheel of the mini cooper. My father and I are working really hard, and have been all winter, to improve both the car and our knowledge of it in order to give us the best chance of fighting for race wins in 2009.
2008 saw us achieve numerous fastest laps and our maiden race win, which are experiences I am confidant we can build upon this year. Overall I am reveling in the opportunity to return to the track and our first test of the year cannot come quick enough!”
Jordan Gronkowski
New Site Design for 2009
13/02/09
2009 is a new season and a new look for the official Jordan Gronkowski website. All previous content is still where you left it, but with the addition of a few new useful things. The most noticeable of these is the season event calendar on the home page which gives you an easy look at the forthcoming track activities of the team as well as one-click instant access to the official Jordan Gronkowski report from that event, making it easier than ever to stay up-to-speed.
Old news stories are also now archived on a storage page so you can look back at the team’s history, starting now.
Please be aware that as the site is updated some of the non-vital pages and links might not load or work correctly due to the time it takes to update everything. This should only last for a short period and the entire site should be fully operational soon.
Jordan Tests Formula Ford
18/10/08
Knockhill Racing Circuit
As the date for the final round of the 2008 Scottish Mini Cooper Cup loomed, the team took the decision to forego the event in favor of a test day in the Scottish Formula Ford championship at Knockhill.
“We decided that the best use of our resources and effort was to focus on next season and get a head-start on things this weekend.’ Explained Jordan. ‘With our championship position all-but decided and especially now that the mini is up for sale and is in perfect condition, the last thing we wanted was to enter the final race and take some damage.”
The wet morning cleared to a dry but cold day at Knockhill for the two 20-minute sessions which Jordan would take part in at the wheel of a Van Diemen RF92 Formula Ford 1600. The test was organized and prepared by the Graham Brunton Racing team.
“Today has been a really amazing experience for me.’ Said Jordan afterwards. ‘The fact that I was finally able to fulfill a dream and drive a single-seater racing car hasn’t quite sunk in yet as we have had to be very focused on the serious business of driving this weekend and had no time to really sit back and take it all in.’
‘The test has been extremely rewarding and successful. We met all our objectives and even exceeded what we expected from a pace point-of-view, which is very encouraging for the future. I felt really comfortable with the car and after building-up my pace in the first session I was able to concentrate on getting my line and gear changes perfected in the second run. I was pushing a bit harder and got to within a second and a half of the fastest runner. That is well beyond what our goals were and considering I hadn’t sat in the car before today we are really pleased.’
‘I am itching to get back out in a Formula Ford again sometime soon and we now have to focus our efforts on preparing on the 2009 season. This means finding and buying a suitable car and engine, which is where support from our sponsors will essential to our success, as well as getting down to business and putting in some serious testing miles to ensure we are in the best possible shape come March.’
‘I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Graham Brunton and his team for making the test happen this weekend, and also thanks to my dad and my sister, Pamela for their support at the circuit.”
Hillclimbing at Doune
28-29/09/08
Doune Hillclimb
Scottish Mini Cooper Cup Round 17
On a break from the usual racing format, the drivers were to tackle the demanding Doune hillclimb track, with three practice runs up the hill on Saturday before a final practice and two timed attempts on Sunday. Changeable conditions persisted for the weekend but all but one of the mini runs were luckily held in the dry.
With experience of the route the most important factor of the weekend, veteran hillblimber Chris Knox was in a class of his own, taking the fastest time in all sessions. Championship leader Vic Covey Jnr also had experience at the hill and used this to secure 2nd spot throughout the weekend. The rest of the field was left to squabble over the remaining positions.
Saturday - Practice
After a shaky start on Saturday morning, the team posted a competitive time in the second run, 5th fastest from all runners. The heavens opened for the third and final run of the day, but Jordan found a speedy groove, moving up to fourth.
Sunday
The weather stayed kind to the mini drivers for the duration of the runs, leaving them to battle it out on a dry surface. Jordan’s first timed run ended with a solid 6th place, ensuring a ‘banker’ time was in place before the all-important final run.
After setting a blistering personal best first sector in the final run, Jordan unfortunately ran wide exiting the critical Garden gate corner and clipped the barrier which line the road, leaving a time improvement beyond his reach. Jordan was to finish 7th overall.
“I’m disappointed in my mistake on the final run as I had set my fastest first sector of the weekend and was confident we had the potential for 3rd. We’ve seen how important experience of the course is all weekend and the pace set by Chris (Knox) has been very impressive. I can only congratulate him on his success, taking the win and setting a new record for the minis at Doune.”
Final Results:
- Chris Knox 53.24 (record)
- Vic Covey Jnr 53.56
- Scott Morrison 54.46
- Michael Rowan 54.72
- Mark Dryden 54.89
- Kenneth Thirlwall 55.33
- Jordan Gronkowski 55.69
- Ian Milton 56.91
- Willie Struth 62.85
- Gavin Struth 85.39
Tough Fighting for Little Reward
14/09/08
Knockhill Race Circuit
Scottish Mini Cooper Cup Rounds 15 & 161
Overnight rain left the circuit damp for the morning’s qualifying session, which would kickoff a double-header for the Minis at Knockhill. A change from the three-race format, the eight laps races were replaced by two ten lap events.
Q - Damp
After a promising run in the damp conditions on Saturday, the team ended the session in the now all-too-familiar 6th spot.
“Again we find ourselves just shy of the front two rows, which is quite frustrating since we have shown we have the pace to be there in the dry. We’re still struggling to get to the bottom of our wet setup, although we saw yesterday that new tyres can make a lot of difference in these conditions and we only have the one whereas most of our competitors have opted to purchase two or more.” Commented Jordan after the session. “We are hoping things will dry out for the races so that we are at less of a disadvantage.”
R1 - Dry (Damp Patches)
Jordan made a good start from the dry line to fend off a hard-charging Ian Milton into the first corner. AS the race progressed, Jordan battled with Mark Dryden, with the pair swapping places twice. Milton again tried to pass on the exit of Scotsman but Jordan moved to the right to defend, with Milton taking to the grass on the inside to attempt to hold the inside. The slippery grass was the undoing of him though as he bounced onto the track, clipping Jordan’s rear and sending him sideways. Jordan managed to hold the slide, straighten up and continue, but Milton was not so fortunate, spinning off and into the tyres.
In the second half of the race, Jordan fought into the leading pack. Then, in a multi-car maneuver at the hairpin, Jordan went too deep under braking, hitting the damp inside line and missing the corner. A light impact with the tyres was luckily recoverable and Jordan regained the track to finish 8th.
“The race was really good fun and we were able to fight at the front,’ said Jordan. ‘But I made a mistake at the hairpin and that cost us a high placing. It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing that can be done and I just have to learn and not to do it again.”
R2 - Dry
The final race of the day saw Jordan start in 8th (after finishing there in the previous race). A good start and brilliant opening half of the race saw Jordan fight his way up to 4th after a string of overtaking and dicing maneuvers. However a top 5 spot once again slipped away as the car started to go-off in the closing stages and despite Jordan gallant efforts, he slipped back to 7th.
“Again, this race has been encouraging and yet disappointing at the same time. The lap times show we had the pace to win in the early stages (Jordan was faster than 5 of the cars in front of him, including the top 2), but the tyres started to go off near the end and we couldn’t maintain the pace or position. It’s a real shame to have fought so hard this weekend and to only come away with an 8th and a 7th. We have to go away now and try to remedy the problems we’ve encountered here for Doune in a couple of weeks and the final race of the season here in October. Thanks again to my team, especially my dad, who has done another perfect weekend for me.’
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