A solid performance from Josh White has given his European championship ambitions a boost as he starts his domestic campaign this weekend (7/8 April).
The opening round of the Rotax Max Euro Challenge got underway at Genk in Belgium last week (28 March/1 April) and RL Racing Department’s Josh White immediately marked himself out as a title contender. Competing against 65 other youngsters White signalled his intent with a fine 6th-fastest lap during timed qualifying.
This gave him a starting position near the front of the field for each of his four preliminary heats. Crashes became a feature of the whole event, and Josh fell victim to some of the more robust tactics of his rivals. Nonetheless, a series of characteristically cool, gritty drives saw him make the cut for Sunday’s all-important points-scoring finals.
In the first race he picked his way through the traffic from 13th on the grid to 6th at the finish. A bold tyre gamble ahead of the main final saw him again able to move up the order and ultimately challenge for a podium place. At the chequered flag he was denied 3rd place by mere fractions of a second, but 4th was an encouraging start to his international campaign.
Josh’s RL Racing Department team manager, Steve Armstrong said: “You can’t win the title at the opening race. What’s more important is to get some good, solid points on the board and build your campaign from there and Josh did exactly that. It was a solid, mature drive.”
Josh was similarly philosophical and upbeat: “With three more races to go, there is still everything to play for. I’m 4th overall in the points and now we’ve got that first round out of the way, I’m feeling confident that I’ll be competitive in Germany, Sweden and France.”
Now the Welcome to Yorkshire ambassador turns his attentions to this weekend’s first meeting on the Formula Kart Stars calendar, at Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire.
“Kimbolton is a fast, flowing circuit. Your equipment has to be spot on and you can’t relax as there are lots of straights to slipstream on and corners where you can pop out of the tow and dive down the inside of the kart ahead. After Genk, I’m really up for it.”
The Formula Kart Stars series organisers recently nominated Josh to GQ magazine for a feature in the May edition (out now). In the article headlined ‘Watch out, Lewis!’ Josh reveals his ultimate ambition – to be a touring car ace. It also quotes the McLaren F1 superstar, Lewis Hamilton saying: “I wouldn't be in Formula One if I hadn't come through this series."
British Touring Car Championship fans, team owners and driver managers, you saw Josh’s name here first…
