KIDDERMINSTER driving ace Nathan Freke showed that he can take the pressure by recording his first top ten finish in the Indy Lights Series over the weekend at St Petersburg.

Nathan did his best to bounce back from a disappointing 20th place in round two at the St Petersburg street race on Saturday by finishing eighth 24 hours later on the same course in round three of the championship. His high finish saw his position in the drivers’ standings rise to 17th after a testing start to the season.

Freke had been beset by technical problems which have yet to be ironed out. But the help of an experienced driver in testing meant that the set-up of the car was more refined to his needs. Despite his new found speed he struggled to find race pace and qualified for the competition’s second round in 22nd place. He made a blistering start by overtaking several drivers and looked set for an assault on the top 15 when he spun off the track on a low speed corner and damaged his rear wing. After repairs and the loss of seven laps he finished in 20th place.

But Nathan bounced back emphatically in round three in St Petersburg. Starting in 20th place he weaved his way through his opponents and headed into seventh place, before he was pipped on the final lap and settled for eighth.

“I am a little happier because it shows what I am capable of. The car still isn’t quite right I know what is wrong but at the moment we do not have a solution.” commented Nathan after the race “I am the most inexperienced driver in the championship so it is very steep learning curve.”