This was one of the highlights of Free State sport over the weekend after the Cheetahs sadly lost both their games in the Currie Cup and the Guinness Pro14.

The good news was made possible by the Bloemfontein teenager, Stuart White, who claimed his maiden victory in the French Formula 4 at the Magny Cours Grand Prix Circuit.

From the onset, White was on a mission in France and took the pole position for the races following outstanding racing on Saturday. He claimed a win, a third and seventh in all three races, and this has seen him moving up to 5th overall on the FFSA French Formula 4 Championship.

The win has truly set him up nicely to have a crack at finishing the Championship in the top three.

After his win, the youngster said that this is what dreams are made of and that the victory is even sweeter when one thinks back to the hard work that has been put in. “What a brilliant weekend, this is the stuff we dream about."

The French Formula 4 sees the first race start on the driver's second fastest qualifying time, and the second race starting on the driver's best lap from the first race. The final in its turn is determined on the driver's fastest qualifying lap.

This meant that White started the first race in 13th and finished in a very good seventh. Race two started from second on the grid after setting the third quickest lap during race 1.

While starting the final in pole position is a massive advantage, White, conceded that there was a lot of work to do and it was by no means easy.

“The final was a bit more work. I started on pole, but my rear diffuser came loose and we lost down-force, which caused the car to slide around too much and the rear tyres went off. I couldn’t do too much about the two quickest guys, but I was able to fend off the other four cars that were snapping at my heels to end up third.

“Overall it was a great weekend. Pole position, my first international race win and a good points haul, but the best was being on the top step of that podium with the South African national anthem playing out loud. That was just awesome, one of our proudest moments!”

White will be heading back to Europe in three weeks’ time for the penultimate round of the series, but this time Barcelona will be the scene of all the action and drama.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport