'Best weekend of my life', says Hawksworth after clinching Championship (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

'Best weekend of my life', says Jack Hawksworth after clinching Championship

4:30pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in Sport

Jack Hawksworth had vowed that he not only wanted to win the 2012 Star Mazda Championship but that he wanted to do so in style, and in claiming his eighth victory of an outstanding maiden campaign in the United States, he did just that.

Hawksworth arrived at Laguna Seca in California for the penultimate outing on the calendar lying 61 points ahead of his closest challenger, with 93 left on the table and four drivers still in contention.

After qualifying in pole position in his Team Pelfrey single-seater, by just six thousandths of a second, the talented young Bradford-born racer never once ceded his advantage on his way to the chequered flag.

From third on the grid for Sunday’s encounter, the Cullingworth hotshot battled set-up issues and fading tyres to finish runner-up.

The result helped to secure Team Pelfrey the teams’ trophy for the second year in succession.

Better yet, his title glory has earned Hawksworth more than $600,000 of scholarship funding from the prestigious ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ programme.

This will; see him graduate in 2013 to Indy Lights, the next step on the ladder towards his eventual goal of IndyCar and a series that last year’s Star Mazda Champion is currently leading.

“It’s been the best weekend of my life so far,” said Hawksworth.

“I came into this season knowing I needed to win the championship if I was going to have any chance of continuing my racing career, and I’m so happy to have had Team Pelfrey helping me and supporting me all the way.

“They’ve given me fantastic equipment throughout, so it’s just an amazing feeling to wrap it all up and achieve everything we set out to achieve at the start of the year.

“I haven’t driven an Indy Lights car yet – I wanted to focus on getting the job done in Star Mazda and not tempt fate by dividing my attention – but now I’ve won the scholarship, perhaps I need to start having a bit of a think about what I want to do next year.”