Maggie Webster secured two overall top-10 finishes and two MK6 podiums at Thruxton, continuing her excellent late-season form in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship and advancing to second in the MK6 standings.
Maggie Webster continued her excellent late-season form in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship by securing two overall top-10 finishes at Thruxton. Webster rose to the challenge of competing at the fastest circuit in the country by racing inside the top half of the field in both wet and dry conditions.
Climbing up to finish ninth from 18th on the grid in race one, Maggie also finished third in the MK6 class. After a challenging second race, Webster bounced back to finish ninth in race one, while claiming a runner-up result in class.
Thruxton marked the penultimate round of the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship season, with Webster making significant strides throughout the 2024 campaign. Following a tough start to the year, Maggie has now been classified in ten straight races and this has seen her jump to second in the MK6 standings, while also sitting a season-high 14th in the overall classification. She was set to face a unique challenge at Thruxton, with the high-speed circuit unlike any other which Webster had previously raced at.
Qualifying was the first official session of the weekend and the fifteen-minute session took place on Saturday morning with little time to learn the circuit in greasy and challenging conditions. Two red flags also disrupted the session and prevented the young racers from getting into a rhythm. At the end of a challenging qualifying session, Webster had set the 19th fastest time overall, fourth in the MK6 class, with good opportunities to move forward in the races.
Race one of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon and conditions were damp, but drying after a rain shower. Webster lined up 18th on the grid after a driver ahead was not able to take the start and she drove superbly to gain six overall positions on lap one. Despite a tough qualifying session, Maggie was showing significantly improved pace in the opening race and she was ahead of Jack Burgess on lap two.
Continuing to gain on those ahead, Webster was into the top-10 by the end of lap four with a pass on Jack Sant. Also running third in the MK6 class, Maggie was attempting to catch George Foxlow for the runner-up position in class. A new personal best time on lap five aided her cause and also allowed her to close in on Benjamin Doughty.
After passing the MK7 class driver on lap seven, she was now quicker than the next four drivers ahead and was able to complete the pass on Foxlow on lap nine. Unfortunately the red flag was then displayed and this meant that the results were counted back one lap, with Webster therefore classified ninth overall, third in MK6 class. Nonetheless, Maggie equalled her best result of the season to date and continued her excellent run of form.
Conditions for race two of the weekend were challenging with a damp track, albeit no rain falling as the drivers arrived on the grid. Webster lined up from ninth position overall, third in the MK6 class, following her strong drive in the opening race on Saturday.
It was a challenging opening lap for Maggie who was adjusting to conditions and a developing technical issue with her car as she dropped to 12th overall, while holding third in the MK6 class. On lap two, Aaron Beattie moved ahead before she fell to the rear of the field on lap three.
Although Webster was now unable to match the lap times of the drivers ahead, she remained on-track in a quest to preserve her impressive finishing record and bank valuable championship points. The second half of the race was challenging as Maggie struggled for performance, however her lap times were consistent and this allowed her to take the checkered flag in 17th position overall, fourth in the MK6 class.
The final race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon with conditions similar to that of race two with a damp track. Webster lined up from 17th on the overall grid, fourth in the MK6 class and made a good start as she gained three positions on lap one. Maggie was soon into a provisional podium position after overtaking Callie Clifford on lap two, before inheriting 12th position overall on lap three when Thomas Merritt stopped out on track.
Now at the head of a group of drivers, Webster was unable to benefit from the slipstream effect but was nonetheless growing the margin behind. As Maggie continued to pull out a gap to the chasing drivers in the middle portion of the race, she was catching the next group of drivers with George Foxlow the next target in the MK6 class.
Issue for both Henry Foote and Jenson Mason then elevated Webster inside the overall top-10 as she continued to gain time on Foxlow. On lap eight, a personal best time saw Maggie lap faster than the next five drivers ahead before moving ahead of Foxlow shortly after. A strong end to the race saw Webster finished in ninth position overall, second in the MK6 class to complete another excellent comeback race.
Webster continued her strong late-season form in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship with two overall top-10 finishes at Thruxton. Also standing on the MK6 podium on two occasions, Maggie enjoyed one of her most productive events to date at the fastest circuit in the country.
Webster will now be keen to end the season on the high when the young racers tackle the Silverstone International circuit on the weekend of 12th/13th October.
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