A Super end to campaign for Middleton
BRITISH Racing Drivers’ Club Rising Star Stuart Middleton produced an outstandingly tenacious performance to secure another overall podium place at the final event of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season.
The Ashington driver was visiting the famous Sebring International Raceway track in Florida for the first time.
The 20-year-old fought tooth and nail with eventual champion Madison Snow during the closing stages of round nine to take a fabulous third place.
In round 10 later in the day, Middleton and team-mate Stevan McAleer raced to a top-four result and ultimately concluded the championship fourth in the Pro Class standings to bring a pleasing conclusion to the rescheduled 2020 campaign.
Across the season, the Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing pairing achieved six Pro Class podiums and four outright podium results.
Marking only his second year at GT3 level, and first in North America, former British GT4 champion and GT4 European Series runner-up Middleton has performed impressively all campaign.
He said: “We were a bit more on the money with the car, that is for sure, and it was good to end the season on a higher note.
“I think I have done the most I can all year.
“In terms of what I have had to do in my first season in America, learning all of the tracks from scratch, I think it has been one of my strongest seasons.
“I am happy with the job I have done and thankful to the team for the hard work they have been putting in behind the scenes.
“It has been a frustrating year for us all with some of the issues we have been chasing but this weekend was a good way to end the championship.
“If we had had the car more like this from the start of the season there is no doubt Stevan and I could have challenged for the title.”
Middleton added: “I really enjoyed the final weekend. Sebring is a quality place.
“It is a bit of a bonkers track and very bumpy but I really like it – it is my favourite of all the tracks we have been to.
“I would definitely like to come back to race in the States if the opportunity is there next year.
“There is a great atmosphere and the fans are so passionate and friendly.
“We will see what happens over the winter.”
Before their Sebring success, Middleton and McAleer had secured a fifth pro class podium of the season at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway.
Having just missed out on both a class and outright podium by only 0.7 seconds in round seven the previous day, the duo originally took the chequered flag in sixth overall and fifth in class during a safety car-impacted second race.
However, following penalties for two rival entries, Middleton and McAleer were elevated into third in pro and fourth position overall.
It was a positive end to Middleton’s first visit to the unique, undulating 2.24-mile Raceway track in California.