2010 was a very promising but occasionally frustrating year for
Jack Clarke, who proved he had the pace to run at the sharp end of
the field on a regular basis but often failed to secure the points
his obvious speed warranted.
The season started strongly as he qualified eighth and then
fourth for the opening two races at Silverstone. He suffered
heartbreak in race one when he suffered a gearbox problem and
failed to get away from the line, but that only seemed to heighten
his determination as he spent much of the second race in third
position, before eventually being denied a maiden F2 podium by
Johan Jokinen.
Further impressive qualifying performances followed at Marrakech
and Monza, although Jack suffered DNFs in three consecutive races,
before another superb showing at Zolder saw him secure a front row
starting berth alongside Benjamin Bailly for the second contest. He
lost out to compatriot Jolyon Palmer at the start, but drove
superbly to withstand heavy pressure from Dean Stoneman for much of
the race - eventually losing third to the Briton with just two laps
remaining. He made amends in the next race in the Algarve, securing
third on the grid and maintaining position to clinch his first F2
podium. The best was still to come however, as third on the grid at
Brands Hatch translated to second at the flag - a result he also
matched in the final event of the year at Valencia, to the
jubilation of his family and sponsors. He ended his season on a
high by securing ninth in the overall standings.
Jack's single seater career stretches back to 2006 when he
competed in Formula BMW UK. He contested the BMW World Final at the
end of the year, before a move into Formula Palmer Audi in 2007
yielded instant success, with Jack collecting two wins and six
podiums on his way to finishing fourth in the overall standings. He
returned to the series in 2008, winning 2 races and taking seven
podiums, whilst also winning races in both the 2007 and 2008 FPA
Autumn Trophies.