“Flying Scotsman” from Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway makes early impression in title quest
Ross Wylie has got his BritCar Sprint Series title quest off to a flying start. The 26-year-old from Thornhill near Dumfries posted brilliant second and third places in the opening two races at Rockingham, Northamptonshire, last Saturday (14 Apr).
It was a stunning début for reigning BritCar Endurance Champion Wylie who was racing for the FFCorse team and sharing its Ferrari 458 GT3 with David Mason for the first time.
Wylie was in scintillating form from the off, securing pole-position by over a second, and stormed off into the lead, handing the Ferrari over to amateur racer Mason with a healthy 25-seconds lead advantage in the 50-minute race. But Mason was delayed rejoining the race when the London businessman had an issue selecting first gear and eventually finished second.
Ross began the 50-minute second race from the front row but swept majestically to the front of the field in the early stages and duly stretched his lead out impressively to over one minute before pitting to Mason. Unfortunately, a small technical issue caused a 20-seconds delay at the pit-stop but Mason nevertheless resumed still leading the Sprint category.
But in the closing stages, Mason slipped to second and then cruelly dropped to third on the final lap of the race. The next races are staged at Silverstone on 12 May.
Ross Wylie (GB):
Age 26. Born & Lives Thornhill nr Dumfries, Scotland:
“It was great to start the new season with a double podium for David and I. I really enjoyed working with the guys at FF Corse, an ultra-professional outfit and everyone gelled well. The 458 GT3 was a real joy to drive as always, particularly in qualifying where you can just give it everything. We had a couple of small hick-ups in both of our pits-stops which cost us some vital time but that is something we can all work on moving forwards for the rest of the season.”
