OP Updates

King Troubles Top Five On Competitive Racing Engineering Test Bow

OP Jordan King laid down an early marker as he made his track debut for Racing Engineering in the first GP2 Series pre-season group test in Abu Dhabi, covering more than 160 laps and threatening the championship’s experienced front-runners in the process.
 
King is dovetailing his GP2 racing commitments this year with his recently announced development driver role for Manor F1, and he headed for the Yas Marina Circuit – home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – keen to get more miles under his belt following an eye-catching test outing there in the fiercely-disputed Formula 1 support series last November.
 
Over the course of three busy and productive days behind the wheel – and with the full 2015 field in attendance – the talented young Warwickshire ace conducted qualifying runs and race simulations, pit-stop drills and practice starts as he got to grips with the set-up of his new Dallara-Mecachrome chassis, Pirelli tyres and the Formula 1-style DRS (Drag Reduction System), which is a new addition to the grand prix feeder category this season.
 
In so doing, King worked closely alongside not only his Racing Engineering mechanics and engineers, but also team-mate Alexander Rossi, a race-winner and multiple podium-finisher in GP2 and formerly an F1 test-driver for Caterham and Marussia.
 
The 21-year-old FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy member encountered niggling throttle issues on two of the days that masked his true potential, but he nonetheless impressed by concluding half of the sessions ensconced inside the top ten in the pecking order, notably winding up an excellent fifth-fastest amongst the 26 high-calibre protagonists on the opening afternoon, less than four tenths-of-a-second adrift of the leading pace.
 
Indeed, twice King topped the timesheets outright in Abu Dhabi – underlining the fact that he has never been afraid of illustrious reputations – and the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) SuperStar and MSA Team UK protégé reflected afterwards that it had been an extremely promising start to the next phase of his burgeoning single-seater career.
 
One more official test remains before the 2015 GP2 Series campaign revs into life in Bahrain at the end of April, and whilst the Sakhir circuit will be uncharted territory for King, he has always been a quick learner – a quality that he hopes will stand him in good stead once the season proper gets underway.
 
“I’ve settled into the team really well,” revealed the erstwhile McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award finalist and British F3 Champion. “I’ve already established a good relationship with everybody at Racing Engineering and I’m working well with my race engineer – it all feels really comfortable. We still have a lot more to learn about each other, of course, but we’re off to a great start!
 
“Although Racing Engineering is based in Spain, there’s a sizeable French contingent within the team and it probably helped that the first time I met them, we got chatting about the Six Nations. Like me, they’re big rugby fans – so we’ll see if we’re still on speaking terms after the England vs. France match this weekend!
 
“I’ve known Alex for a while, which helps, and I’ve always gotten on well with him on a personal level – he’s a fun guy to be around and I’m looking forward to working together. It’s fair to say I put quite a lot of pressure on the team regarding the choice of my team-mate, because I really wanted someone fast – it’s only by pushing each other that you get the best out of each other and really drive the whole team forward.
 
“Alex has a lot of experience from not just GP2 and his F1 testing but also Formula Renault 3.5, and that can only be beneficial for me. He’s two years older than I am and effectively two years further down the line in his career – he has been where I am now and done what I’m about to do. He’s a very open guy and always happy to share his knowledge and feedback in team debriefs – and that’s exactly what I need to help speed up the learning process.
 
“I worked closely with the team engineers in Abu Dhabi, which enabled us both to gain a better understanding of what we each want to get out of the car. I learned a lot and felt like I adapted well, and it was good to be able to gauge ourselves against the opposition, even if you never know exactly what kind of programmes the others are running.
 
“You’re always going to come across a few speed bumps in testing like the throttle issue that we had, but whilst it was obviously frustrating not to be able to show our true hand, internally we know what we were capable of. Our pace was very encouraging; I’m not saying I’ll be up at the sharp end straightaway in my rookie season, but I am confident we’ll be competitive.
 
“I’m well aware that I’ve got a big learning curve ahead of me, but Racing Engineering is one of the most consistently successful teams in GP2 history, so there’s no question that I have the right people around me to perform and Abu Dhabi represented a very positive first step. We covered most of the bases and ticked a lot of boxes, so hopefully we can pick up from where we left off when we get to the next test – we certainly have a very solid base now to work from.
 
“It’s going to be a very tough year, there’s no doubt about that, with some big names all the way up-and-down the field. That means that if you’re just half-a-second off the pace, you’re likely to find yourself outside of the top ten – but I’m definitely up for the fight!”

New Zealand Beckons For Jess Hornsby

I left Princethorpe after completing my A-levels in 2012. Before heading off to University I took a year out, where I gained my travelling bug. After volunteering in Ethiopia and travelling around Europe and Australasia, I started at Reading University at the end of summer of 2013 reading Biological Sciences.

I am currently coming to the end of my second year. In just over a month I am starting my placement year, where I will be working on a dairy farm in New Zealand. The farm is split over four sites, each farming between 700-800 cattle. I’ll be milking cows twice a day and carrying out all aspects of working within the dairy industry. I really enjoy genetics at University and I’m hoping during the next year I will be able to expand my knowledge in bovine genetics. As I am there for 12 months, I will be able to participate in the whole process from insemination to calving nine months later.

Elkins Pair Set To Travel The Globe

Information has reached us of former pupils Nick and Jo Elkins:

Nick left Princethorpe in 2011 with A-levels in Geography, History and Business.  He then went on to the University of Southampton to read Human Geography and graduated from there last year with a 2:1.  He is currently in New Zealand training to be a Commercial Pilot with Flybe and will take up a position with them in January 2016 on completion of his training.

Jo did her GCSEs at Princethorpe and then left spending two years at Oxford College studying A- levels in Drama, History and English.  She left there last year and is currently reading Drama Studies at the University of Cumbria in Lancaster.  Her plan on completion of her degree is to go to New York to the Acting School there - Drama has always been a passion of hers!

We wish them both well with their chosen careers!

New Additions To The OP Database

Since the last edition of The Old Princethorpian in February, we've had a bumper number of OPs from across the decades either adding or updating their details on the database.

To check them out go to the OPs part of the website and register or logon if you have already registered.

http://www.princethorpe.co.uk/old-princethorpians

Jose Manuel Salinas - 1972 - 1973

Geoff Hawkins - 1979 - 1982

James MacFarquhar - 1984 - 1989

Jeremy Taylor - 1978 - 1983


Libby Wilson - 2006 - 2011

Andrew Noble - 1983 - 1990

Giles Kibble - 1978 - 1981

John Pemberton - 1988 - 1993

Kimberley Maxwell - 2002 - 2007

Simon Trahern - 1983 - 1989

Gideon Jewel - 1967 - 1967

Isla Kennedy - 1999 - 2006

Emma Dowler (Daley) - 1991 - 1993

Edward Murray - 1967 - 1968

Michael Evans - 1972 - 1976

Welcome to them one and all!

Libby Wilson Makes Learning Child's Play

At school, I really struggled with written work being quite dyslexic, however, I had such a wonderful time at Princethorpe, particularly enjoying the sports.

I’ve spent two years training for my Early Years International  Montessori qualification in London and working in a nursery for three years (I’ve had the pleasure of teaching Mr and Mrs Allen’s child) and I have now set up my own Nursery in Frankton (nr Princethorpe) concentrating on early years pre-school children, using Montessori methods, enabling the children to be independent, self-confident but all the while having fun.

Mum has said I’m a poacher, turned game keeper a sentiment I’m sure some of my teachers would concur with.

For more information email info@therectorynursery.co.uk or call 01926 633440.

Big Bang Success for Jordan Griffith

Jordan Griffith, from last year’s Upper Sixth, has won the Young Engineer For Britain National Award For Project Marketability after presenting his project at the Big Bang, held at the NEC in March.

As part of his studies for A-level Design & Technology, Jordan designed a portable, solar powered charging unit for use when camping. The product, named the Power House, had already won the Duke of York Creative use of Technology at the West Midlands Big Bang in June last year. Jordan is currently reading Product Design at Cardiff University. His next step will now be to put the product into full scale production.

We wish him all the best with the project.