Strawberry Racing driver scores double at Super 1 opener
Highly-rated Jack Barlow dominated the Junior Max class at Whilton Mill last Sunday (13 March) to take an early lead in the British Super 1 Rotax championship points table.
“He’s a superstar,” said Strawberry Racing Team Manager Warwick Ringham. “Right from the first practice session on Friday, Jack was the quickest out there and carried that pace all the way through the weekend.”
Having set the fastest time during qualifying, Barlow duly converted his pole position into victory in the first of the two preliminary heats. A collapsed stub axle bearing denied him the win in the following race, but his eventual 4th place was good enough to give him a front-row starting position for Sunday’s first points-scoring final.
A blistering start saw Jack scythe past the pole-sitter to assume the lead. As the pack jockeyed and squabbled for position, Barlow wasted little time in pulling away to establish a comfortable lead. With his team-mate Nathan Harrison rising up the order to take 2nd place and pushing him hard all the way, Jack responded to maintain his advantage to the chequered flag.
In the fading light of the early evening, the Arai and Freem UK-backed driver led the 30-strong field away from the line, wreathed in blue smoke. Again, with a clear track in front of him, he reeled out a series of fast laps to establish a margin over the pursuing Harrison. A mistake by Barlow allowed Harrison to arrow in, but he responded with two perfect laps to put the race beyond further dispute.
“To lead all those laps (21) and not have someone to chase, but be the one chased, is quite difficult. You have to stay focused and keep pushing throughout without looking over your shoulder. I am over the moon that Jack and Nathan secured a double 1-2 for the team,” beamed Ringham.
Speaking after the podium presentation, Jack denied that - despite making it look that way to the crowd - his victory had been easy. “It was anything but! I had to keep looking forward and push as hard as I could. Nathan was a threat and at one point had a big look down my inside, but I held him off and managed to pull out a gap again.”
So, can he go on from here and win the title? “I’d like to think I will have the pace to do it every time, but can’t really expect that. There are some drivers who had a tough time at Whilton, but will bounce back at the next round. If I can keep inside the top three or five from now on, that should set me up for a title bid - but for now, I’ll take it one race at a time.”
