TOM GAMBLE

“It [karting success] gives you a bit more confidence and you know you can do it if you work hard enough”

NOT ONLY DID TOM GAMBLE WIN the Ginetta Junior title in 2017, he made history along the way.

The 15-year-old was one of three drivers who were regularly at the front of the field. But it was the penultimate weekend of the year at Silverstone when Gamble really stamped his authority on the championship. He became the first driver ever to win all three races in a weekend and that gave him the crucial advantage heading to the Brands Hatch finale.

It was not the first time that Gamble has tasted success though. He had a strong karting career, achieving top positions in Mini and Junior Rotax as well as winning two Kartmasters titles.

“It gives you a bit more confidence and you know you can do it if you work hard enough,” he says of his karting days.

And Tom is not the only Gamble to prove they are quick this year.

His older brother George also had a successful season, finishing third in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup standings.

Gamble would like to remain on the TOCA package next season, most likely in British F4 or GT4 Supercup.

“From Brands Hatch where we had a mega weekend we went to Oulton Park and that was the turning point”

SEVEN WINS AND A FURTHER NINE podiums secured the 2017 National Formula Ford 1600 championship for Luke Williams in emphatic style.

The 25-year-old was the class of the field aboard his Firman RFR16, with notable drives on the opening weekend at Brands Hatch, where he took a brace of wins, and at Silverstone, where he came from seventh on the grid to win the finale.

“From Brands Hatch where we had a mega weekend we went to Oulton Park and that was the turning point,” recalls Williams. “We only got a second and third, but that was where we knew we had the pace to win the championship.”

It wasn’t all easy for Williams, however. “The low point was Kirkistown where we blew an engine in qualifying and we had an hour and a half to change the engine,” he said. “We started from the pits in race one and managed to get two third places in the other two races. That was a recovery weekend.”

Williams will now contest the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout at Laguna Seca before the end of the year, battling for a $200,000 scholarship in USF2000.