Super Stu is in top gear in GT4 Series
MOTORSPORT
GINETTA Driver Development Programme racers Stuart Middleton and Will Tregurtha moved back to the top of the GT4 European Series championship standings after yet another successful outing in the prestigious endurance racing category.
Racing to their fourth podium finish of 2018 during the opening 60-minute encounter with a second place result, from seventh on the grid, the 18-year-old HHC Motorsport pairing were on course to add another runner-up spot to their tally in the weekend’s second race in Misano, taly.
On the penultimate lap, though, Ashington driver Middleton mistakenly caught the pit-lane speed limiter button on the steering wheel as he rounded the double-right hander at turns five and six on the penultimate lap, dropping him to fifth place.
Even so, the important points haul for fifth position enabled Middleton and Milton Keynes team-mate Tregurtha to open an advantage of 13 points at the top of the driver standings at World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as the season reaches the halfway point for the BRDC Rising Stars.
Middleton said: “It was disappointing to lose P2 right at the end in the second race.
“I just caught the limiter by mistake with the edge of my hand but on the whole it was been a really good weekend for us.
“I am delighted to jump back to the top of the championship.
“Our car has struggled a bit compared to some of the others but the team did a great job and they did two fantastic pit-stops in the races.
“If someone had said after qualifying we would be leading the championship by 13 points we would have taken that.
“We cannot complain with P2 and P5 from the weekend.” Middleton, backed by North East Caravans, Steel and Jelly and Spine Optics, took the first stint of race one having qualified the No.55 HHC Ginetta seventh fastest – third in the Silver Cup battle.
The opening lap proved less than straightforward with a very busy first few corners resulting in Middleton being edged back to 13th - but it was not long before he began to make progress.
As the first quarter of an hour neared its conclusion, Middleton had broken into the top 10 and he remained there when the safety car made the first of two appearances.
Racing resumed with around 35 minutes left and Middleton picked off several cars to climb into seventh. He then moved into the top six before pitting to hand over to Tregurtha, an impressive stop from HHC enabled the Milton Keynes driver to run in an elevated fourth place when the race order settled.
Following a second safety car period, Tregurtha maintained fourth and circulated close behind the third-placed BMW.
Then, with just a few laps to go, Milan Dontje spun out from the lead which enabled Tregurtha to take third.
On the final lap the new race leader was handed a 40-second penalty and so the HHC Ginetta was credited with second place, second in the Silver Cup and a very healthy haul of championship points - just 1.4 seconds shy of the newly-victorious BMW.
Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium will be the venue for the fourth stage of the GT4 European Series on July 21 and 22.