Race ace Cowley in top gear

THUMBS UP . . . Matthew Cowley, of Team Pelfrey

FORMER Hulme Grammar School pupil Matthew Cowley is proving hard to catch in the US F1600 Championship.

Cowley leads the series by 22 points after a sparkling early run of form on four wheels.

He leapt to the top of the standings after setting a new series record by notching three victories in one day thanks to a thrilling last-lap move on Zach Holden at Mid-Ohio in round six of the 2017 season.

Cowley, of Team Pelfrey said: "I knew there were yellows down at turn four because of an incident earlier in the race.

"I knew to win I had to be first on the back stretch. I made a move on Zach going into turn two and held it from there.

"I'm really pleased to set this record and to get two out of three fastest laps for the team and move to a joint lead in the Championship."

Cowley followed up by claiming another podium finish in race one of the Indy round - he was third behind Yuven Sundaramoorthy - and taking fifth in race two.

Of his third-place finish, Cowley told the F1600 Championship website: "It's a great feeling to be on the podium, but it's a shame it's not the top step.

"Things were out of my hands in that race and I can't control what other people were doing."

He returns to Mid-Ohio this weekend, before heading to Pittsburgh later in the month.

STUDYING

Cowley, who has been racing since he was 16, is currently studying for a BTEC diploma in engineering by distance learning, which offers the flexibility both to study and to race.

The F1600 class - for open, single-seat cars with highly-tuned 1,600cc engines - runs until October. Cowley's team won the Championship two years ago.