Strawberry Racing’s newly-launched Cream Racing Engines division bore instant fruit at the opening round of the Super 1 Rotax Championship (12/13 March), with podiums in the Mini, Junior and Senior classes.
Regarded by many as a rising star, Harry Webb got his career with the team off to an excellent start at Whilton Mill with a brace of podium finishes in Sunday’s finals. Strawberry Team Manager Warwick Ringham highlighted that Harry had to overcome a series of issues, including his motor ingesting water during Saturday’s first heat, before going on to claim a fine 2nd and 3rd place to put himself 2nd overall in the early points table.
“It was a hard weekend for Harry but he drove really well throughout, especially in the two finals. Whilton is probably his worst circuit on the calendar, so to go there and get two trophies is a great start to his season.”
In the Junior class the team enjoyed back-to-back 1st and 2nd finishes, with Jack Barlow leading home Nathan Harrison on both occasions.
“I’m over the moon to score a double 1-2,” said Warwick. “A lot of people talk about Jack’s quality and he gave them an excellent demonstration of that, but it is also important to look at how well Nathan drove. He pushed Jack very, very hard and didn’t make any mistakes. He raced for himself and the team to deliver one of the best results imaginable.”
He added, “I just feel gutted for Jay (Goodwin). He had a fantastic Friday and a good first heat but was knocked off in the second. From there he didn’t even make the start of the first final when his engine oiled up and he became embroiled in mid-race shenanigans in the following race. But I’m happy, despite the fact that he didn’t get the result he wanted or his efforts deserved. Still, it’s early doors yet.”
With Ed Brand nursing a suspected broken hand, but still taking a stunning victory, Warwick was delighted by the young driver’s commitment and bravery.
“He’s a superstar. To drive all day Sunday one-handed was just fantastic. I’ve only seen that done once before, and that was by Lewis Hamilton when he won a round of the European championships at Val D’Argenton.”
John Stewart showed his qualities by battling hard to take two 6th places and give his title aspirations a solid start, whilst Jack Marshall continued his steep learning curve after graduating to the senior ranks with top ten finishes in both finals. Sadly, Barrie Pullinger’s weekend was marred by a series of misfortunes and he did well to come through the repecharge and ultimately finish in the midfield.“I think we were all made to realise the stark realities of life in Rotax today. It is a quality-packed class and championship. If you make the slightest mistake, it is instantly punished. Ultimately, it is the driver and team which makes the least mistakes will win the race. Overall we’ve had a great start to the year but I won’t be truly happy until we can celebrate all our drivers filling the top places.”
