• Douglas Motorsport 16-year-old dominates with three victories from four• Rapid first year rookie seals coveted crown with a round to spare
Stuart Middleton delivered a remarkable series of performances at Snetterton 300 Circuit over the weekend, 7th/8th November, to claim an outstanding title victory in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series – the 16-year-old absolutely dominating the championship with three wins from four races.
So masterful was the youngster from Ashington in Northumberland, he wrapped-up the title with one race to spare after leaving the opposition trailing in his wake in both wet and dry conditions at the Norfolk venue.
In addition to his three race victories, Stuart also posted fastest lap in the opening contest and ended the series with a tally of 129 points to place the Douglas Motorsport driver some 40 points clear of his closest rival. The championship success comes hot on the heels of the 2015 Ginetta Junior Scholarship Winner ending the main season seventh overall and second in the Rookie Cup.
“It felt absolutely fantastic to win the championship with a race to spare, it really gives us a big confidence boost for next year”, said an elated Stuart, “We just got quicker and quicker in the wet, from testing through to qualifying and the races, and that was good experience to have too.
“I was a bit surprised to start with at how quick we were in the wet, but the team gave me a fantastic car and it gave me a lot of confidence to carry a lot of speed into the corners. We’ve had very good pace against some quick drivers with an extra year of experience this weekend, so that is really positive for us ahead of next season.”
Rain was a factor throughout the first day of the Winter Series weekend, beginning with a very wet qualifying session on Saturday morning in which Stuart was in the battle for the top spot on the grid before ending the run with the second fastest time – just 0.098 seconds shy of pole.
Race one also took place in very tricky wet conditions but the Northumberland racer absolutely excelled, making a perfect launch from the outside and powering into an incredible five second lead on the first lap alone. Circulating roughly two seconds per lap quicker than anyone, Stuart stormed into the distance and at the halfway point he was almost 10 seconds clear.
Reeling off a series of fastest laps, ending the race with a best of 2m37.963 seconds, the first year car racer went on to win the race – his first ever victory since graduating into cars at the beginning of 2015 – by a remarkably dominant 17.5 seconds, an unheard of margin in Ginetta Juniors.
Starting round two on Saturday afternoon from pole position, Stuart didn’t make the getaway he wanted and slipped to second behind Charlie Fagg but the opening round victor quickly made amends by taking the lead on lap two.
Instantly stamping his authority on proceedings, the teenager opened an advantage of around two seconds over the course of his first lap in clear air and going into the sixth and final tour his cushion stood at a massive eight seconds.
Untroubled to the chequered flag, Stuart finished the race nearly nine seconds to the good to claim his second victory in succession and carry a substantial lead of 19 points into the final day of Winter Championship action on Sunday.
Qualifying again took place on a wet track after overnight rain and the red-flag interrupted session ended with Stuart taking the fifth fastest time. With a bigger challenge ahead from the third row of the grid in round three, the North East teenager wasn’t remotely fazed by the prospect and produced a superb start and storming first lap on the drying track to slice his way into the lead.
Opening up an advantage of over a second by the end of the first tour, Stuart replicated his opening day dominance by reeling off fastest lap after fastest lap as he stormed clear of the opposition with apparent ease. Circulating significantly quicker than his rivals, he went on to claim his third win – and with it the series title – by 8.5 seconds.
Beginning the dry fourth and final round from pole position, Stuart maintained the lead over the first 2.97 miles before being shuffled back to second place on lap two. Unfortunately encountering some difficulties with a sticking throttle, the Douglas driver slipped to fourth during a shake-up on lap four and remained there to the finish – just missing out on a clean sweep of Winter Series podiums.
Stuart is now seeking the sponsorship and commercial backing to help him make a return to the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2016 to mount a bid for the main series title. More details of the packages available can be obtained from his father John Middleton on 07710 384466 or by email to john@stuartmiddletonracing.co.uk
