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Chris Ashby

Harley Haughton Takes Championship Lead With Dominant Double At Croft


Harley Haughton moved to the summit of the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge standings this past weekend (June 25/26) after producing a sensational double victory at Croft Circuit.


Riding a wave of momentum after claiming his first two wins in car-racing last time out at Thruxton, the Elite Motorsport driver was the class of the field again in North Yorkshire as he claimed a pair of pole-to-flag victories to establish a 12-point lead.


Setting the ultimate pace during Friday testing, the 17-year-old carried his front-running speed into Saturday’s qualifying session where he was undoubtedly in a league of his own.


Finding himself some clear air out on-track early on, Haughton rattled off a number of blistering times to comfortably secure pole position for both races - his fifth and sixth of the season.


With a clear track ahead of him as the lights went out for race one, the Stockport-based talent held the lead on the run down to Clervaux and from there he controlled proceedings out front.


Bridging a gap to himself and the chasing pack as the laps ticked by, Haughton punched in a string of fastest laps to complete a clean sweep: pole, fastest lap, lead every lap and win.


Race two on Sunday - which was broadcast live on ITV4 - saw him reign supreme once again as he stormed to not only victory but the summit of the championship standings as well.


Haughton maintained his lead off the line and from there he didn’t put a wheel wrong to take the chequered flag by little over a second, posting the fastest lap again to complete a maximum points score for the weekend.


Brands Hatch’s famous Grand Prix circuit plays host to the penultimate event of the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge season, with three races scheduled to take place over the weekend of September 10/11.


Harley Haughton: “It’s been an absolutely mega weekend! To get two pole positions, two wins, two fastest laps and come away as the championship leader - it doesn’t get much better than that.


“Qualifying was all about getting out on-track first and finding some clear space, which is what I was able to do. That was key in getting pole position.


“If I was to map out how I wanted the races to go then this wasn’t far off it. Race one was pretty simple however race two was a little bit more tricky as Connor was pressuring me throughout. I’ve got to say a huge thank you to the Elite Motorsport crew as they gave me an awesome car.


“We’ve now got a long summer break before the next event but I’ll enjoy it a little more knowing we’ve got the points in the bag. I can’t wait to get to Brands Hatch though, I’ll be ready to pick up where we leave things here.”

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