Stu’s in gear as season revs up
BRITISH GT Championship debutant Stuart Middleton enjoyed a highly-productive start to the 2017 season countdown at Snetterton .
The Ashington driver and team-mate William Tregurtha ended the officially timed ‘Media Day’ test an impressive second fastest in GT4.
Marking the first and only officially timed collective outing for the British GT contingent before the opening round of the endurance series at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the Easter weekend, the outing went as well as could have been expected for HHC Motorsport’s No 55 Ginetta G55 GT4.
MIddleton said: “We had a very productive day.
“We tried one or two different things with the car and, on the whole, it was a very good day.
“We still have more to find before the start of the season but everything has gone as well as we could have hoped up to now.
“Will and I bounce off each other really well, it is great to be teaming up with him this year as we know each other well from Ginetta Juniors and he is a great driver.
“The team management is spot on too, the HHC guys are great to work with.” After racing to the ViceChampion’s position in Ginetta Junior last year - his second season in the category - Northumberlandbased Middleton confirmed his graduation into the British GT Championship last November.
Winning the most races of any driver in juniors last year, scorching to seven victories, Middleton more than made a name for himself and only a run of misfortune ultimately thwarted a realistic bid for the championship title.
The step-up into British GT is a big leap from the ranks of Ginetta Juniors but Middleton added: “It is all a big learning curve this year,
“However, the leap into a GT4 car has not been as big as I expected.
“I am very pleased with how everything is going.
“I don’t think we will be too far off at all when we arrive at Oulton Park for the first round.”