Harry Hickton claimed his third win of the season in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy at Pembrey this past weekend (18-19 May) to maintain his advantage at the top of the championship standings.
The Westbourne Motorsport driver underlined his credentials as a legitimate title contender in the one-make series with an assured performance which included a commanding victory in the finale, after previously finishing third and fourth in races one and two.
Arriving at the Welsh venue off the back of a near-perfect outing at Snetterton last month, Hickton wasted no time in continuing his strong start to the new campaign with a fine performance in qualifying that saw him miss out on pole position by just 0.080 seconds.
The 17-year-old - who is backed by Hysons Chartered Accountants, The Platform Lift Company, Vernham Labels, Addventure, Woodstock, Hippo Campers and Brandfixx - featured towards the top of the times throughout the session before ultimately settling for third overall.
Heavy rain between qualifying and the opening race presented vastly different track conditions however that didn’t stop Hickton from producing a charging drive on his way to the final step of the podium.
Making a fast start from fourth place, the Graduate Cup competitor made a bold lunge around the outside of turn one to pick up two positions before then setting off after early race leader and pole sitter Alex Keens.
Hounding Keens for a number of laps, Hickton made several attempts to take the lead however his pursuit for top spot saw him fall into the clutches of the chasing pack and after momentarily losing a few places, he managed to fight back to clinch third.
Glorious sunshine greeted the grid on Sunday morning for what was a frenetic second race that was fraught with overtaking. Despite being in the thick of the action, Hickton was able to maintain his relentless points-scoring streak with yet another measured drive.
Starting in seventh, the former Junior Saloon Car Championship race winner jostled for positions from start-to-finish in the bout and after a couple of well-timed moves, he progressed up the order to finish fourth.
The weekend’s third and final race arguably belonged to Hickton as he powered his way to a memorable win. Starting third, the teenager moved up to second on the run down to the hairpin on lap two and then set off after Keens, catching him within a matter of laps.
Making his move for the lead through the Honda Curve, Hickton had to withstand a brief challenge from James Black however the certainty of his victory ultimately never looked in doubt.
Leaving Pembrey, Hickton now holds a 16-point advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship while also remaining out front in the Graduate Cup standings.
“Winning race three capped what was a really good weekend,” said Hickton. “The theme of Pembrey was all about collecting points and we made sure we did that, while also managing to get on the top step of the podium.
“Race one was tough, especially because of the conditions, but we used our head and came away with third. Then race two was almost a repeat but in dry conditions; but again we stayed out of trouble to bag some solid points.
“Starting third for the final race I knew we had a good chance of doing something special. Huge credit has to go to Westbourne Motorsport because the car felt phenomenal all weekend and it means we can now go to Thruxton still sitting at the top of the standings.”
The Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy continues on the 8-9 June as the series joins the British Touring Car Championship support bill at the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton.
Images from Jakob Ebrey Photography.
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