Brands heartbreak for Williamsonposted in FREN10 | 10 | 2010

HIGHLANDER LEWIS Williamson was denied the British Formula Renault Championship, the series which paved the way for Lewis Hamilton to progress to Formula One, when he could only finish fourth in the final round of the championship at Brands Hatch.

The 20-year-old from Golspie, winner of five races this season, started the final race tied with Tom Blomqvist. But the Saffron Walden-based Swede, who lined up second on the grid, was sandwiched between his two Fortec Motorsport team-mate, polesitted Riki Christodoulou and third-placed Alex Lynn.

Off the line all four cars held their positions into the opening corner at Copse and despite everything he threw at Lynn, Williamson was forced to settle for fourth at the end of the race as all four finished in the positions they started.

"Yeh, it's disappointing," Williamson, a third-year apprentice welder in Muir of Ord, said after eventually finishing just six points behind Blomqvist, son of 1984 world rally champ, Stig.

"We lost it yesterday when I could only qualify fourth, and I knew today was going to be very, very difficult to get passed the three Fortec cars. But it was a fair race, and I've no complaints.

"I've had a fantastic season and overall Tom deserved to win the title because he was the better driver over the weekend. My car's balance went off towards the end and I was thinking 'don't be an idiot and spin off, keep it on the tarmac and get to the end.'

"Now we'll go away and see what opportunities this creates for next year. We're already talking to a few people, so fingers crossed we can move up to another senior formula."

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Jim McGill