Daniella Sutton matches career best finish on BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship return
- LIAM REDFORD
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Newly selected BRDC Rising Star Daniella Sutton returned to the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship after an encouraging rookie campaign and enjoyed a positive first round at Snetterton by securing a sixth-place to equal her career best to date.
Newly selected BRDC Rising Star Daniella Sutton enjoyed a positive return to the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship by securing a sixth-place finish at Snetterton. The Race Car Consultants driver qualified inside the top-10 and drove superbly during opening race to finish sixth overall. After falling to the rear of the field following contact at the start of race two, Sutton produced a strong recovery drive to finish in 15th, before the final race of the weekend was abandoned following an early red flag.
Sutton returned to the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship after an encouraging rookie campaign in 2024. A stand-out performance at Oulton Park saw Daniella claim her best result with a sixth-place overall finish and a top-5 result within the MK7 class.
However, it was not a season without its challenges as Sutton was involved in a significant incident at Thruxton during the 2024 campaign. The young driver was knocked unconscious following a crash and Daniella was required to see brain specialists in order to return to racing. Therefore, her comeback has been remarkable and the determination she has shown to bounce back must be commended as the 2025 season got underway.
Switching to experienced team Race Car Consultants for her second season in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, Sutton was looking to form a formidable partnership with the squad in order to improve her speed and develop her racecraft. With prior experience of the Snetterton 300 circuit, the former BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship scholarship winner was looking to improve upon an overall best result of 16th achieved last season.
After a productive test session on Friday, Sutton was looking ahead to qualifying on Saturday. It was a good start to the session for Daniella who immediately jumped inside the top-10 with her opening laps.
Sutton continued to set a number of consistent times during the middle portion of the session, before one final improvement saw her qualify in ninth. Sutton’s fastest time of a 2:23.017 was just a little over a second away from pole position which underlined her progress during the off-season.
For the opening race of the 2025 season, Sutton lined up from ninth on the grid at Snetterton. It was an excellent start from the Race Car Consultants driver who gained three places on lap one to move into sixth position. As the drivers behind battled for position in the early stages, this allowed Sutton to quickly build a margin of three seconds behind her.
Teammate Archie Davies was the driver behind and while positions inside the top-10 continued to be hard-fought, Sutton’s sixth position became more secure. Remaining in contention with the top-5 drivers was challenging as Daniella fell out of slipstream range, however her lap times remained consistent as she maintained a good margin behind.
Into the second half of the race, Sutton remained extremely consistent as she held sixth position. It was a relatively uneventful race for Daniella, however this was welcomed for the young driver as she took the checkered flag in sixth position to start the season on the front foot by equalling her career best result to date.
Race two of the weekend was held on Sunday morning over a reduced distance of 13 minutes following earlier delays to the timetable. Sutton started from sixth position following her strong race one result and was looking to carry the momentum forward from the previous day. Daniella made an excellent launch and was challenging for a provisional podium position as the drivers approached the first turn.
Sutton was then spun as she received contact from the rear with good car control allowing her to narrowly miss the barrier. Although she was able to continue, her tyres were flat-spotted and the car began developing an issue with the ABS system which slowed her progress.
On lap two, Lewis Turkington visited the pits and following an overtake on Neil Hampson, Sutton was into 19th. Her lap times were strong despite the early setback and after running side-by-side Oscar Homerstone to start lap three, Sutton pulled clear of the debutant. The Race Car Consultants driver was now quicker than the next eight drivers ahead and despite the shortened race duration, she was still looking to secure a strong finish.
On lap four, issues for both Jack Wardle and Bobby Holmes saw the pair fall through the field, while Sutton overtook Michael Wheeler to move inside the top-15. As the ABS issue worsened in the final laps, together with a technical issue to the gearbox, this prevented her from gaining further positions in the closing stages. Taking the checkered flag in 15th position, it was a good recovery drive from Sutton who banked vital championship points.
Grid positions for the final race of the weekend were based on the finishing positions from race two and therefore Sutton lined up from 15th overall. Daniella made a good start and gained three positions on lap one to move into 12th, before the safety car was deployed for an incident involving Lewis Islin.
With Islin’s car having deposited a significant amount of oil on the circuit, the race was subsequently red flagged and due to the timetable delays from earlier in the day, this race was unable to be resumed. Although Sunday’s running was limited, it was still a positive weekend for Sutton who equalled her career best finish in race one.
Sutton’s pace in qualifying was a particular highlight as she displayed speed and consistency to start race one from inside the top-10. A clean race one ensured she established herself as a frontrunner, before a recovery drive in race one highlighted her racecraft.
Sutton will be looking to carry this momentum forward into the next round of the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship which takes place at Mallory Park on the weekend of 17th/18th May.
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