Local racing driver off to a flying start

Local motorsport star Jack Burgess has made the perfect start to the 2025 BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship season, winning both of his opening races at Snetterton last month. 

The 15-year-old, who finished 9th in last year’s championship on debut, has his eyes set on winning the lot this time around. 

“I wasn’t particularly near the front last year, but for me it was all about learning, and I’m happy with how it went,” the teenager told the Reporter following the opening race weekend. 

“My goal before the season was to finish in the top 15, so I’m more than happy with 9th. 

“But this year we want to win the championship, that’s our aim. 

“We know we’ve got the pace to do it, it’s just about delivering on the track.” 

Despite his immense talent, the Ashton speedster admits last year was challenging at times, having made the huge step up from karting to cars. 

“Racing in cars is obviously a lot more difficult than karting. 

“Karting is just about steering and throttling, whereas in cars, there’s a lot more to focus on – you’ve got to know when to change gear, and there’s a lot more strictness in terms of contact. 

“Although it was tough, I thought I dealt with it well.” 

The highlights of Burgess’ 2024 season include a 5th placed finish at Silverstone back in August, and an impressive 4th placed finish at Thruxton on the following race weekend. 

“A gained a lot of confidence from those weekends,” the 15-year-old told the Reporter. 

“They were very challenging, and even though qualifying wasn’t the best, I managed to finish well.” 

As mentioned, Burgess carried this superb form into the 2025 BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship season, picking up two race victories on the opening race weekend in April, which he admits came as a bit of a surprise. 

“Going into the weekend, I didn’t expect to be as quick as I was. 

“I’d not been in the car since October, but we ended up being the quickest on the track. 

“This has given me a lot of confidence going into the next round.” 

The second race weekend takes place at Mallory Park later this month, and the teenage star says he is looking forward to the challenge. 

“It’s a track I’ve never done before, but I’m excited.  

“I know it’s quite a challenging track. It hasn’t got a lot of corners, but it’s really tight- you can barely fit two cars side by side.” 

While his main short-term focus is getting his hands on the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship trophy, Burgess has lofty ambitions for the future. 

“My next big dream is to take part in the British Touring Car Championship one day,” the Ashton resident told the Reporter. 

“I’d love to get there at some point, but for now I’ve just got to get through these next steps and work as hard as I can.”