From second in class to back in class for Sedgwick

Southam College student Alex Sedgwick came back down to earth today when he returned to the Sixth Form to continue A-level studies after scoring a magnificent podium placing in the Dubai 24 Hours at the weekend.
Alex Sedgwick at the wheel of the Team Cooksport Renault Clio in Dubia. Picture: Jakob EbreyAlex Sedgwick at the wheel of the Team Cooksport Renault Clio in Dubia. Picture: Jakob Ebrey
Alex Sedgwick at the wheel of the Team Cooksport Renault Clio in Dubia. Picture: Jakob Ebrey

The 17-year-old, who also lives in Southam, partnered Josh Cook, Jon Maybin, Shayne Deegan and Ollie Cook to second place in the A2 class in their Team Cooksport Renault Clio.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the result,” said Sedgwick. “But it was back down to earth with a bang today when I went into Sixth Form.”

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Sedgwick, who took time out from his final year of A-levels, studying Product Design, Geography and Spanish, contested the annual twice-around-the-clock race for only the second time.

Alex SedgwickAlex Sedgwick
Alex Sedgwick

Seventh in last year’s corresponding event, he set the fastest race lap for the team in the A2 category but conceded a string of issues had prevented them challenging for the class victory.

“In qualifying, once the fuel pump was replaced, the Clio ran faultlessly,” said Segdwick, who was competing for Team Cooksport for the first time since 2015.

“We qualified conservatively while I went quicker in night practice.

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“At the start of the race, I had no clutch pressure which caused me to lose my grid position and ultimately start almost a minute behind the class leader.

Alex SedgwickAlex Sedgwick
Alex Sedgwick

“But after 30 minutes I was inside the top three where we stayed for the remainder of the race.

“Unfortunately, we lost around five laps having the Clio towed back with around ten hours remaining when the car cut out on-track almost out of fuel due to a miscalculation - nothing to do with the team I hasten to add.

“With just over three hours to go, our Renault was hit by another car with Jon [Maybin] at the wheel causing front subframe and right front corner damage.

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“With the car partially repaired but with the steering alignment still not true, I nursed the car towards the chequered flag.

“The steering issue caused the right front tyre to rub on the bodywork around left hand corners causing the Renault’s cabin to fill with smoke.

“But despite this issue, which caused a puncture with three laps remaining, I was still able to match the times of our class competitors.”

Despite swapping the roar of the track for the relative tranquility of the classroom, Sedgwick is in no mood to rest on his laurels and is looking to build on his Dubai success by competing in further Creventic 24H Series races this year.

He added: “In addition to studying for my A-levels, I’ll now be working very hard in the coming weeks to get a programme together for the remainder of 2017.”