Max Coates from Scorton raced at the North’s biggest motorsport event last weekend.  The Ginetta GT Supercup, in which Max races a Ginetta G50, supports the British Touring Car Championship which visited Croft circuit last weekend. 

Saturday qualifying produced a 2^nd place grid slot for Max’s first race of the weekend.  The session was the first dry running the cars had as the Friday test day was ‘a wash out’.

Pyeroy sponsored Max made a poor start in race one losing a position.  He quickly regained the place and started to close down the leader.  A switchback move on his title rival into the hairpin gained Max the lead before a similar move into Tower bend moved Max back to 2^nd.  The youngster knew he needed to surprise his opponent to regain the lead and went around the outside on the brakes at the Complex.  He held on to take the win.

Race two looked as though another win was possible.  A good start gave Max a commanding lead, eventually the same duo came together and produced a race long scrap for the lead.  With two laps to go Max managed to force his rival into a mistake.  Two corners later Max’s prop shaft broke and he was forced to retire from the 1^st place.

Max then had to start from last place in the 3^rd race, he made a storming start and passed two cars.  The Lightwater Valley car overtook into Tower to move into 3^rd on the next lap and closed in on 2^nd place.  He then struck a tire stack at over 100mph which broke the steering, eventually Max stopped in a farmer’s field.

Max said “The win yesterday was brilliant, it was a hard race and I had to fight to win it.  It’s always far more satisfying to win that way.  I thought it was going to be the same in the first race today but a technical issue forced me out of the running, a win was possible.  In the final race I made a mistake, I was trying my hardest to get through the pack and just clipped a tire stack.  I knew I had to get through the field as soon as I could but I never thought I would end up in one.  This whole weekend would not have been possible without the support of Lightwater Valley, Pyeroy Ltd, Harron Homes, RGPS, Welcome to Yorkshire and Your Racing Car.”

The next round of the championship is at Snetterton in Norfolk.  Max currently sits 3^rd in the championship, however he is uncertain as to whether he will be able to raise the funds to compete in seven weeks time.