Middleton out to finish Italian job
North motor sport with ZOE BURN
STUART Middleton is heading back for another season in Italy this summer after signing for a second year with Imperiale Racing.
The 22-year-old, from Ashington, finished runner-up in last year’s Italian GT Endurance Championship – in just his first season at full GT3 level – and is now eyeing top honours in the Sprint Championship.
Middleton will remain with the Mirandola-based squad for another year alongside team-mate Alberto Di Folco and also remains part of the prestigious Lamborghini GT3 Junior Programme, the only British driver in the group.
Producing a sensational campaign last year in the Endurance Championship, Middleton and Di Folco, along with Andrea Amici, secured a win and two other podiums from the four rounds and came tantalisingly close to winning the coveted GT3 title at the season finale at Monza.
Middleton was also drafted in by Imperiale for selected outings in the Sprint Championship, taking a Pro-am class podium on his series debut at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
Having impressed both Imperiale and Lamborghini during his debut season, Middleton is now relishing the opportunity to be back in the Sprint series this year and has only one goal – to win the title.
“I’m super excited to be back with Imperiale this year in the Italian GT Sprint Championship, and especially with Alberto as my team-mate once again”, he said.
“Looking at our pace from last year, I think we can say we’ve got a pretty good shot at the title. We’ll keep our feet on the ground though, concentrate and work hard.
“Obviously it’ll be my second year in GT3, so we’ll have a much stronger chance of challenging for the championship with everything I learnt last season – and we weren’t far away from winning the Endurance title in 2021.
“It’s always better when you have a second year in the same car, especially in a championship as super competitive as Italian GT Sprint with factory drivers and top teams.
“It’s amazing to be continuing as part of the Lamborghini GT3 Junior Programme for another year as well, and I’d like to thank everyone at Lamborghini for the opportunity.”
The 2022 Italian GT Sprint Championship will run over four rounds this summer at some of Italy’s most iconic circuits.
It is set to kick off at Monza over April 23 and 24 before heading to Misano and Imola before the finale at Mugello in late October.