TORTON teenager Alex Ashby was unable to build on his strong start to the Fun Cup Endurance series when he raced in the second round at Snetterton on Saturday.

The 19-year-old driver made an impressive start in round one at Rockingham when he secured a podium finish by coming third.

And although engine failure wrecked his hopes after a promising second drive, he gained some consolation from the fact his car led its petrol-engined class after a poor start and showed it had the pace needed to win.

The Fun Cup was launched in the UK in 2002, with the objective of providing cost effective, close, exciting and above all, good fun racing.

Originally conceived in Belgium, the competition is based on the success of endurance karting.

As well as series in the UK and Belgium, it now runs in France, Italy, Germany and Spain with the USA next in line.

From small beginnings, the series has taken off with more than 160 cars on the grid for the Spa 25 hour race and regular grids topping 50 cars in Europe.

The cars are race designed, single-seaters, with super-strong space frame chassez.

Ashby is driving this year with Track Torque Racing of Rudgate, North Yorkshire, and shares car 104 with Barry Linley and Jerry Hampshire.

The drivers all have stints at the wheel during the five-hour races and despite the new team only meeting for the first time at a track day at Donnington in March, they have already formed an effective partnership.

Ashby, who was finalist in 2007’s Fun Cup Scholarship, and his team-mates started the season solidly by securing eighth on the grid.

Hampshire got them off to a solid start, while Ashby's first stint behind the wheel saw him negotiate tough driving.

Despite a problem with the gear box, the car continued to progress and the team finished in third place.

The next round of the competition is on June 13 at Brands Hatch.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Ashby can call his father on 07887 543 695.

n Kidderminster motor racing ace Nathan Freke has moved into second place in the Ginetta G50 Championship.

He had problems in two of the three latest rounds at Thruxton but still did enough to move up in the championship.

With little testing and no new rubber at the official test day, Thruxton was always going to be the Century Motorsport driver’s weakest circuit in the championship.

Qualifying went well and Freke secured grid three in each of the races.

A poor start in the first race saw him confined to a midfield battle and finish fifth.

The second race saw more mechanical problems, and after being forced to start from the pit lane, he hauled himself up 11 places to fifth again – widely regarded as one of the best drives of the day.

In the third race Freke was in top form, moving up to finish second on the track and move into second place in the series.