Will Tregurtha extended his points advantage over Stuart Middleton at Rockingham Motor Speedway, whilst Elite Motorsport celebrated a win and second place in the final race of the event as Harry King took victory from Tom Wood.
Tregurtha was the man of the moment in qualifying; he took pole position by a massive 0.659s over closest rival and fellow front row starter Lewis Brown. Picking up on the momentum he enjoyed at Snetterton, King started third overall and top rookie, but was joined on the second row by championship protagonist Middleton.
As racing got underway, Middleton arrived on the grid determined to close the gap to points leader Tregurtha. The lights went out and it was the Douglas Motorsport driver who stole the show, powering up to second after just half a lap.
Meanwhile out front, it was Brown in the lead on the opening tour, but Middleton soon had his way and swept past the HHC Motorsport car at Deene on lap two. Although Middleton was hounded by Brown and Tregurtha – and in the closing stages Priaulx – for the win, he ultimately held onto the position.
Elsewhere, Hornby and new boy Jenson Dineen had strong opening laps, both picking up three positions on their first tour. Hornby continued his power drive too, the order to finish in an eventual eighth place. Behind him, there was a fantastic fight for ninth between Connor Grady, Max Bird, Charlie Fagg, Tom Wood and Geri Nicosia.
The second race of the weekend was subdued by usual Ginetta Junior standards. After the opening lap, Middleton hung onto his lead but was hounded by Tregurtha from the outset. Brown lost out to Perez who moved into third, with the trio then pulling a gap over the chasing pack behind.
Leading the ‘best of the rest’ King was afforded a brief respite when Priaulx spun out from fifth, dropping him to 16th and into what would become an awesome race with Wooder. Ahead, Brown soon made light work of the Elite Motorsport driver to sweep into fourth.
Elsewhere, Wood, Harper and Dineen each enjoyed good starts, picking up a number of positions off the line. Starting in 12 and 15th respectively, Wood and Harper carried that momentum throughout the race and celebrated sixth and seventh at the flag. Wood’s hard work was further rewarded when the number six was selected in the reverse grid draw, putting him on pole position for the start of the final race of the weekend.
The reverse grid saw and Elite Motorsport lockout on the front row as Wood lined up on pole position with teammate King alongside. Brown was third just ahead of Perez, whilst championship contenders Middleton and Tregurtha started side-by-side on row three.
As things got underway, King held his lead into Deene for the first time but it was an ambitious move by Middleton which stole the attention. He attempted to drive around the outside entire field at turn one, but carried far too much speed and put himself into a spin and down the back of the field.
Heading into Deene for the second time, Perez snatched second from Wood, but a couple of laps later the positions were reversed and the Elite Motorsport boys started to pull away when Perez clattered with Tregurtha, halting both cars’ momentum and allowing Brown to sneak up the order.
The three way scrap for third continued to rage and Nicosia, Fagg and Priaulx – who showed his father’s driving talent as he powered from 15th to eighth after the opening lap – started to reel the leaders in. As the laps ticked away, it eventually finished with Perez in third, just behind King and Wood, as Tregurtha rounded out the top five.
The weekend’s action now means Tregurtha now has a 55 point lead over Middleton in the title fight, whilst Lewis Brown extends his points advantage over Dave Wooder for third in the standings. Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner Harper also consolidated his position as leader of the Rookie Class.
The teenagers are back in action at Silverstone in three weeks’ time on 17/18 September.
