Max Coates Enjoyed Success At Snetterton - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography
Just like the year before, Max Coates just missed out on success during this season's Ginetta Junior Winter Series, the Scorton-based teenager finishing runner up after the four-race mini-series at Snetterton.
Coates, who ran throughout the season as a privateer, headed into the weekend with the surreal experience of running with a team, having joined up with series newcomers MGR Motorsport for the meeting. Progress throughout testing saw Max on the pace heading into qualifying, however a set-up change didn't quite work for him, leaving him eighth.
Pyreroy-backed Coates enjoyed a strong opening race, moving up the order to take seventh, before forcing his way through to a solid fifth. He built on this in the day's second race, making a blistering start up to third in his Harron Homes-liveried G40J, before taking second place, however he was to lose out on the runner up spot on the last corner of the last lap.
After a wet Saturday, Sunday saw a change in conditions with dry weather, which Coates thrived on. A superb qualifying session saw Max qualify fourth for the third race of the weekend and on pole for the final encounter. Starting well in the days firt race, Coates progressed up to a second place finish, putting him in contention for the championship heading into the finale.
Lightwater Valley-backed Coates made a great start and kept the lead, before losing it later in the lap. Regaining it on lap four, Coates held on until the end for a popular win, however with the championship leader following him home, it wasn't to be enough and for the second year running, Coates would end up second in the Winter Series.
