Second podium place for Solihull driver Omar Ismail - The Solihull Observer

Second podium place for Solihull driver Omar Ismail

Solihull Editorial 6th Aug, 2015 Updated: 21st Oct, 2016   0

IT PROVED to be another successful racing weekend for Solihull teenager Omar Ismail after he secured a podium finish at the legendary Brands Hatch GP circuit earlier this month.

After struggling in free practice, Omar had to give one of his best comebacks to date to come through qualifying.

And his hard work off the track beforehand and total focus during qualifying allowed him to secure fifth place on the starting grid.

Omar made a messy start from fifth in race one and dropped back a space in the first couple of corners and due to the nature of the circuit their were no further opportunities to overtake and he was forced to settle for sixth.




Omar started race two in third and was brimming with confidence when he moved up a place to second which is where he remained for the majority of the race.

But on the penultimate lap a last minute overtaking manoeuvre caused Omar to drop a wheel on the grass and spin, and despite recovering well he was forced to settle for a seventh-place finish.


In the final race of the day Omar found himself starting on the front row alongside championship leader and weekend pacesetter Will Palmer.

Omar made a good getaway from the line and challenged Palmer for the lead on the first corner but was unable to find a way past.

Palmer extended his lead from Omar as the race progressed and the Solihull teenager was under constant pressure from Ciaran Haggerty in third, which forced him to defend on the last lap and he was able to keep hold of second and add another podium to his tally.

“I was a little disappointed with race two,” said Omar. “But I’m glad I kept my focus and made a good recovery.

“It has been quite an eventful weekend so it’s good to end on a high.

“Towards the end of the race I lost a bit of grip as the tyres started to go off so Haggerty caught me but I knew where I needed to defend to keep second.

“Palmer’s pace has been great all weekend so I think I did well to keep him in my sights for most of the race.”

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