GINETTA READY TO WRAP UP 2024 AT BRANDS HATCH
Written by Ginetta – Ginetta and its trio of factory championships prepare for an exciting season finale on the Brands Hatch GP circuit this weekend, with plenty of action expected in each. Let’s check out the official previews for all three.
GINETTA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
The champions have been crowned in the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT Championship, so it’s the final race wins of the season and bragging rights up for grabs in the final round of the season this weekend at Brands Hatch.
Mckenzie Douglass (Fox Motorsport) and Nick White (Raceway Motorsport) provisionally wrapped up the PRO and AM titles last time out at Donington Park, each continuing their dominant campaigns with class win trebles on the penultimate weekend of the season.
That Donington success was the latest chapter of a remarkable season for Douglass. The Ginetta Junior graduate has won three races on four consecutive events now, with his total of 13 victories coming as part of a run of finishing every single race except one on the PRO podium this year.
Now a two-time Ginetta champion, White has not only been the class of the field in the AMs with 17 consecutive wins and a 100% podium record, he’s also been a consistent presence at the front of the grid with the PROs and scored a first outright win in the Donington closer.
In the PRO ranks, the battle is on for the runners-up spot in the standings between Xentek Motorsport siblings Conner and Luke Garlick. The latter has held the spot for the majority of the season, however a double retirement at Donington allowed his older brother to jump ahead in the points.
While Luke has picked up more race wins and podium finishes across the campaign, it’s Conner’s more consistent finishing record that gives him the edge coming into the weekend. Both brothers are race-winners this season and are determined to return to the top step of the podium.
Harry Mangion (Raceway Motorsport) has been fighting at the sharp end of the PRO category throughout the campaign too. The 2021 GT5 Challenge Am champion has picked up five podium finishes so far and has a maiden victory in his sights.
Peter Mangion meanwhile is favourite to finish runner-up in the AM points after scoring regular podium finishes across the campaign, however his Raceway Motorsport team-mate Matt Shaw, a race-winner in the Oulton Park season opener, could overhaul him.
Callum Noble (Xentek Motorsport) completes his partial campaign aiming to add to his two AM podiums to date. There are three guest drivers this weekend meanwhile, including Robert Cronin (Fox Motorsport), the older brother of Junior race-winner Colin, who makes his Ginetta debut.
American racer Seth Henry (Breakell Racing) makes his UK Ginetta bow having been a podium finisher in the Ginetta Challenge series in his homeland, while a familiar face returning to the paddock is former GT Academy front-runner Ed Acres (SVG Motorsport).
GINETTA GT ACADEMY
The new Ginetta GT Academy champions will be crowned in the 2024 season finale this weekend on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, with four drivers in contention across the GTA and rookie classes.
The rookie contenders have been the class of the field this season and that title will go to either Mike Taylor or Harry Gamble, while the battle for the GTA honours is going down to a duel between Julian Wantling and Marc Elman across the final three races of the campaign.
Taylor (W2R) is the favourite to walk away as the latest rookie champion this weekend, having scored no less than seven race victories so far. That included a perfect four wins from four races at Anglesey, with that points haul proving particularly crucial for him in his quest for title glory.
While it’s a long shot for Gamble to emerge victorious, he won’t go down without a fight. The Elite Motorsport ace heads into the weekend full of confidence after a brilliant double win last time out at Donington Park, which moved him to 12 rookie podiums for the campaign – more than anyone else.
In the GTA class, Wantling (E3 Sport) kicked off the year with four wins in a row and has been a near-permanent presence on the podium since, only finishing outside the top three a couple of times. That consistency, plus two further victories, has earnt him a 34-point lead in the standings.
That lead is halved though once dropped scores are applied though, meaning Elman (SVG Motorsport) heads into the final three races right in the hunt. He outscores his rival with seven class wins and is the in-form driver, with four of those victories coming in the last six races.
Outside of the title contenders, two other drivers have taken GTA class wins this year. Three victories for Emma Tomlinson (W2R) have guaranteed her third in the final standings, while Amy Tomlinson (W2R) won on the first visit to Donington Park in May.
James Nicholas (W2R) may have dropped out of rookie title contention, but the inaugural PalmerSport Ginetta Scholarship winner is definitely one to watch having won five times this year. Thomas Balfe (W2R) and Luke Shaw (Raceway Motorsport) have celebrated victories too, at Snetterton and Donington respectively.
Ali Juffali (Elite Motorsport) will be full of confidence after picking up a maiden rookie podium last time out at Donington, with Peter Thompson (W2R) and Jamie Caudle (E3 Sport) also carrying momentum after adding to their podium tallies earlier this month.
The GTA class entry is completed by Mike West (E3 Sport), who has picked up five podium finishes across the campaign, and Phil McGarty (Xentek Motorsport), who is bringing his tenth consecutive season of Ginetta racing to a close this weekend.
The rookie contingent also includes Gilbert Verdian (SVG Motorsport) and W2R pair Lucie Hodgson and Paul Thomas, while guest drivers this weekend are familiar Ginetta racers Charlotte Lowe (W2R) and Robin Grimwood (E3 Sport), plus car-racing debutant Oliver Fordam (Fox Motorsport).
GINETTA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
All eyes are on Ethan Jeff-Hall, Chase Fernandez and Charlie Hart this weekend at Brands Hatch as they battle it out to be crowned the 2024 Ginetta Junior champion.
After provisionally wrapping up the rookie title last time out at Donington Park, Jeff-Hall (R Racing) now has his sights set on the big prize. He’s built a 37-point advantage heading into the final three races, courtesy of six race wins and 14 podium finishes so far.
Jeff-Hall’s closest competition comes from fellow R Racing ace Chase Fernandez, who’s the in-form driver with six victories in the last nine races. A couple of tough results alongside those have cost him crucial points though, leaving him facing a big challenge to overhaul his team-mate to the title.
Hart (Elite Motorsport) had his toughest weekend of the season so far at Donington Park, but his impressive consistency prior to that means his title hopes remain alive. To overturn a 75-point deficit, he’ll likely need to add to his maiden win at Silverstone and see those above him hit trouble.
While the rookie title has been won by Jeff-Hall, the battle is on for the class runners-up spoils between two-time overall race-winners Marcus Saeter (R Racing) and Isaac Phelps (Elite Motorsport). Saeter outscores his rival by eight podiums to six so far and holds a seven-point advantage.
Colin Cronin (Fox Motorsport) will be heading into the finale full of confidence after a stunning maiden win at Donington Park. Archie Clark (Elite Motorsport) is another in-form rookie with two podiums in the last four races, while Alfie Slater (R Racing) is a contender for a breakthrough overall podium.
Henry Joslyn (Preptech UK) and Felix Livesey (MDD Racing) are ones to watch as they aim to bring their second seasons in Juniors to an end in style. Joslyn is a three-time race-winner so far, while Livesey scored a best-ever race result of fifth last time out.
The ultra-competitive midfield pack features a number of drivers bringing impressive rookie seasons to a close, including Ruben Dan (Elite Motorsport), Tom Ingram Hill (R Racing), Torrin Byrne (Pace Performance), Ethan Carney (Preptech UK) and 2024 Ginetta Junior scholar Jude Peters (E3 Sport).
After scoring seasons’ best results of 11th and 12th respectively at Donington Park, the ever-improving James Ellis (MDD Racing) and Holly Miall will be aiming to end the year inside the top ten, as will Miall’s Fox Motorsport team-mate Jack Robinson.
Harry Moss (R Racing) is another driver aiming for a positive end to the 2024 campaign, likewise Pace Performance siblings Mahlori and Ntiyiso Mabunda who are welcome returnees to the grid this weekend.
Visit ginetta.com for all of the info on all three championships racing this weekend.
