WILL ORTON STEPS UP TO FIESTA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2020
Will Orton has become one of the latest drivers to be confirmed in this season’s revitalized BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, after it was announced that he would be stepping up to make his full-season junior circuit racing debut in 2020 with Alastair Rushforth Motorsport.
After evaluating all the junior options last year, Orton made the decision to join the Fiesta Junior Championship for the 2020 season. Will brings an exceptional karting record to the table, having secured the British Super One Junior ROK Championship in 2019, with it, winning a golden ticket to compete in the World Super Finals, where he was the highest placed British Junior. Previously he has also represented Great Britain in the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. Add to this his successes at Bambino, Cadet, and Junior Club Racing and you can see he is amply prepared to make the switch up to the Fiesta Junior Championship.
Speaking of his move, Orton said “I can’t wait to move to cars. I’ve loved every minute of karting, and I owe a great deal to the Litchfield Motorsport race team, but now, after nearly 10 years of kart racing, I’m ready to make the transition. This coming season in Fiestas will be a different driving style than I’m used to, but I have worked hard at my race craft in karting and I’m confident that I will be able to emulate my karting success in cars. We’ve started testing, so all I can say is bring on Silverstone International on the 21/22 March.”
Alastair Rushforth Motorsport is the team that Will has chosen to compete with, running the ex-Abby Lock Fiesta ST150 built by father Greg for use in the 2019 season. Rushforth has previous experience working within the FJC paddock and sees his career in motorsport come full circle after setting up his own team in recent years. Both Ali and Will are excited about the season ahead and have already begun preparing for their new joint venture.
The BRSCC has worked hard over the winter to grow the Fiesta Junior grid and already has 16 confirmed drivers ahead of the season opener at Silverstone on March 21/22 2020. With more on the horizon, the season is looking incredibly competitive. Orton joins a field from various backgrounds in karting, short oval racing or in some cases, starting their racing careers completely from scratch.
Not only will all drivers be competing in a car that is the fastest junior race car available at this level of motorsport, but they will also find themselves driving by far the safest. The Ford Fiesta ST150, the base car that all drivers must use in the championship, benefits from a superb Euro NCAP rating of four stars as well as running all the required safety equipment not just required by Motorsport UK, but also that which is mandated by the FIA for all junior race cars.
With an impressive line-up of drivers all working hard to prepare for their first race of the season, there’s never been a better time to join them in the Fiesta Junior Championship. If you think you’ve got what it takes to join the list of 14-17-year-old drivers already in the paddock for 2020, get in touch with championship coordinator Laura Payne on e-mail at lmpayne@hotmail.co.uk for more information.
