Stuart Middleton says his first season of car racing has gone better than expected so far after picking up a pole position and outright podium finish in the first half of the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship.
Middleton headed into the series with the returning Douglas Motorsport as the latest Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner, and made an instant impact by qualifying second and finishing fourth in the Brands Hatch season opener.
It was at Thruxton in May that Middleton enjoyed his best weekend of the season so far, converting a stunning pole position into a first podium finish with third in race one, which he followed up with another fourth place finish.
Middleton was back in the top six last time out at Croft, cementing his position in the top ten of the championship – an impressive feat within the biggest ever Ginetta Junior entry, with the 15 year old securing more points at this stage than his recent Scholarship winning predecessors.
Record of recent Ginetta Junior Scholars after ten races:
|
Year |
Scholar | Poles | Podiums | Top Ten Finishes | Points | Champ. Position |
| 2015 | Stuart Middleton | 1 | 1 | 8 | 147 |
9th of 28 |
|
2014 |
Alex Sedgwick | 0 | 0 | 5 | 108 | 12th of 21 |
| 2013 | Jamie Chadwick | 0 | 0 | 6 | 98 |
10th of 14 |
|
2012 |
Oliver Basey-Fisher | 0 | 1 | 6 | 127 | 9th of 16 |
| 2011 | Sennan Fielding | 0 | 0 | 7 | 119 |
8th of 19 |
Middleton is pleased with his progress, but admits he’s still learning every time he goes on track: “I’m constantly getting used to the car. I seem to be getting used to it a bit more now, and I’m able to work with the team to work on the setup. I feel a lot more confident about making changes.
“Ginetta’s are completely different to what I was used to. You’ve got to be much more settled, both because of the car and the type of racing. You’ve got to be settled and aware. It’s less about lunging for overtakes, and more about waiting for the person in front to make a mistake and to be smooth.”
The Quinton Hazell-backed racer added that he’s been enjoying working with the Douglas team and being part of the TOCA race weekends: “It’s been great, really good fun, something completely different. I get on well with all of the drivers, and I’m really enjoying working with the team.
“I really like the whole environment, and every race has been pretty much action-packed. The QH livery looks brilliant, too, and I want to say a massive thank-you to them for their support.”
