TJ Motorsport's 2011 Line-up Sennan Fielding, George Gamble and Brad Bailey - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Race-winning Ginetta Junior team TJ Motorsport have pulled out of the championship ahead of the 2012 season after struggling to attract enough drivers for the new campaign.

TJ Motorsport have enjoyed success in the series during their six-year participation, particularly in the last couple of years. In 2010, Louise Richardson took two wins for the team on her way to third in the championship, while her team-mates Jody Fannin and Tom Howard also took victories. Last season, George Gamble took three wins on his way to third in the main championship, before going on to win the Ginetta Junior Winter Series, while Sennan Fielding also took a race win for the team.

The team had an option to run Gamble in 2012, but the Nottingham-based racer has instead left to join reigning champions Hillspeed. With the team struggling to acquire enough drivers to make a 2012 programme viable, they have decided to leave and look into other projects.

Team boss Trevor Griffiths told Motorsport News: “We’ve got a good association with Ginetta but we needed three cars to make it viable. We’re geared up to do virtually anything on the British scene, if we get the right drivers with the right budgets.”

2011 Race-winner Charlie Robertson Is Going For The Title In 2012 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Charlie Robertson has confirmed his much-anticipated return to the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2012 with HHC Motorsport.

Robertson took three wins on his way to second place behind Seb Morris in the 2011 championship, a superb showing in the 15 year old’s maiden car racing campaign.

Now the Caterham School pupil, who has been recognised by Motorsport News as one of the top three British drivers to watch in 2012, is returning to series with Harrogate-based HHC Motorsport and has his eyes firmly set on winning the championship title.

Surrey based Robertson said: “This year I’m aiming for nothing less than the championship title in Ginetta Junior, I’ve got a great relationship with the guys at HHC and we know we’ve got what it takes to win.

“I’m really looking forward to testing getting underway and being back in the car, it feels like ages since the winter championship last November. We know Ginetta Junior will be as tough as ever this year but, with a year’s experience under my belt, I’m well prepared and I’m confident we can fight for the title.”

Max's racing year started with some Ginetta action live at Autosport International (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

As this is my first blog of 2012 I want to start off by wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year, a bit late I know!

Since my last blog there has been a few motorsport related events for me but really in the off season everything is focussed on next year, now this year! Also around this time every year I have my birthday, all the more special this year as it was my 18th.

About a week after that was the Autosport show, the show that really kicks things into gear for the forthcoming season. This year was the busiest I have ever been at the Autosport show, I never seemed to stop. On Thursday and Friday I was driving in the live action arena so I set off early Thursday morning to arrive for some practice sessions. I was driving a Ginetta G40 car and was racing against some of the names from both last year and this year. The driving was great fun, a different surface completely changed the way the car handled and produced some really close racing. Our brief was simply “don’t crash”, the racing and swapping of places was left to us. By the final practice session on Thursday we got it spot on, we were close in the arena and battling all the time, even in that little space we were managing to get three abreast. One slight problem was that the van racing had dropped some diesel making the outside of the track very greasy. If we went wide we either under steered continuously or had big sideways moments. It did make the racing fun and I enjoyed it very much.

I had a quick look in the show for about half an hour to have a quick chat to sponsor before popping back over to the live action arena for the main performance. I spent about half an hour in the show after that at the Ginetta and MSA stands before dashing off to race in the second Ginetta team in the Celebrity Karting Challenge. I was joined by Tom Ingram, Mike Simpson and Adam Morgan as well as two members of the public, one of which was an old friend from my Karting days. We each got a couple of laps of practice and I felt good in the Kart. I did seem to lose a little to the others on the straights and our first Kart broke down at the hands of Mike Simpson. On changing to our second Kart we realised it was even worse, when we went to full throttle it braked and the engine bogged so much on corners, also it stalled when we came in the pits and when we started it up again the throttle was jammed open.

Everyone seemed to “have a bad kart” but we certainly did. We qualified in mid pack and sent out a public driver to start the race. He spun in avoidance to one of the crashes and at the end of the first stint we were right at the back. Adam Morgan took the kart for the second part of the race who pulled back a few positions. Then our second public driver hopped in before handing over to me. I jumped in and pulled back another position or so before handing over to Tom Ingram and then Mike to finish off. We clawed back a few places from where we started but couldn’t quite beat the other Ginetta team, however it was a great event to do and I am very grateful to Race Drivers Inc for organising my place in the team and also to Ginetta for sponsoring the event and having me on their team.
 
Friday was another busy day, I was representing the MSA Academy on the MSA stand on Friday morning, our job was to man the Batak wall and run the reaction race for the MSA. We had a successful show with many participants throughout the four days. After being on the stand in the morning I went back to the live action arena for the live show on Friday afternoon. With my Dad and many friends watching in the 5000 strong crowd I was eager to put on a good show. The race went well and after that I went back in the show and spent the afternoon meeting various people and buying some new boots and gloves for this year’s campaign.

On that Friday night was the annual Ginetta Awards evening held in the Hilton hotel at the NEC, it was a great night surrounded by friends from the season, I was very pleased to win “the RSPCA cruelty to animal’s award” as a result of the pigeon incident at Brands Hatch.

Saturday was my last day at the show; I started with a few meetings finishing off form Friday before another stint on the MSA stand in the afternoon.

The week after the Autosport show was manic with follow ups from the weekend before, A level exams and a training day at the Porsche Human Performance centre at Silverstone with Mark Webber.

The day compromised of four sessions, the first was Yoga. I found it very relaxing and it is something I would like to incorporate into my training in the future. The next session was based on Nutrition, every time I have a talk, 1:1, conversation about nutrition I seem to learn something new. After lunch we had a ‘Q and A’ session with Mark. In the afternoon we went over to iZone for a neck training session. Having a strong neck is obviously very important in motorsport with the ‘G forces’ involved. The final session was on the iZone simulator, the fastest lap would win a signed Mark Webber cap. After my session I was fastest, but was piped to the post by a couple of tenths of a second. The whole day was a great experience and the knowledge gained will no doubt help me with my off track preparation this year.

Since the Mark Webber day I have sat an A level exam, I was hoping to be able to confirm that I would race in a BTCC support race this last week but unfortunately things haven’t come to fruition as early as I’d hoped. Hopefully I will have some good news soon.

Until next month,

Max

A Formula Kart Stars Racer Could Follow In The Footsteps Of Hillspeed's Seb Morris, The 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

A new partnership between the popular Formula Kart Stars series and front-running British team Hillspeed has produced a new scholarship award in 2012.

The Formula One Management-backed championship will nominate one driver in each of the 12 rounds of the 2012 championship. The nominated drivers will then attend an exclusive shootout with Hillspeed at the end of the season.

The winner of the shootout will receive free entry into the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship or Formula Renault BARC Championship courtesy of Hillspeed.

Derbyshire-based Hillspeed have had success in both championships, winning the 2010 and 2011 Ginetta Junior titles, as well as the 2010 Formula Renault BARC crown.

Hillspeed Team Principal Richard Ollerenshaw said: “Hillspeed is very excited about the partnership with FKS and the opportunity to work with drivers seeking a long term future in Motorsport. It is clearly apparent that FKS is a vital proving ground and stepping stone for aspiring karters. We want to become involved and offer them the chance to sample entry-level car racing within the professional environment that Hillspeed provides.

“We have worked with a number of young drivers with karting backgrounds and have been exceptionally successful in their development and career progression. Our Ginetta Junior programme has provided our drivers the opportunity to graduate from karting to cars while keeping a high profile with all of the races supporting the British Touring Car Championship.”

Formula Kart Stars Championship director Carolynn Hoy said: “Hillspeed are in a unique position in that they can offer our drivers two different routes into the world of car racing through either the single seater or closed cockpit environment.

“Their work with drivers like Tom [Ingram] and Alice [Powell] proves that they believe in giving young drivers their first big opportunity and that is one of the core aims of Formula Kart Stars as well. I know that whoever is eventually selected for the prize will be in the best environment possible with Hillspeed.”

George Gamble Has Joined Hillspeed For 2012 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

George Gamble has signed with Hillspeed ahead of his second season of car racing in the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Gamble competed with TJ Motorsport in 2011 and enjoyed a strong rookie season, taking three wins on his way to third in the championship. Gamble followed this up by another win on his way to winning the Ginetta Junior Winter Series. 

With Hillspeed chasing a third consecutive drivers title in 2012, 15 year old Gamble was the perfect choice for the Derbyshire -based team, teaming him up with karting graduate Nathan Harrison.

Team Principal Richard Ollerenshaw said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have George onboard for the coming season, he’s someone we kept an eye on from the outset of the 2011 season and the only driver that truly challenged Seb (Morris) throughout the year.
 
“George had an excellent result in claiming the Winter Series title with TJ, he performed very well indeed, so we’re pleased to have confirmed a deal with him this early as we make every effort to secure a third straight title.”

Nottingham-based Gamble added: “I’m over the moon to be back in Ginetta Junior for a second season, especially off the back of winning the Winter Series. It’s great to be joining Hillspeed, the team’s record speaks for itself and we stand a really good chance of fighting for the championship.
 
“We didn’t decide to do Ginetta Junior last year until a couple of weeks before the championship started, so we didn’t have any real testing pre-season unlike the others. This year, we’ve got a deal done early so we’ll be able to have much better preparation.”

Highly-rated youngster Nathan Harrison has joined Ginetta Juniors - Photo Credit: Chris Walker/www.kartpix.net

Successful British karter Nathan Harrison has announced his graduation into car racing, after signing a deal with reigning champions Hillspeed to compete in the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship.

15 year old Harrison has enjoyed a successful eight year career in karting, with highlights including becoming the 2009 Super 1 ABkC Mini Max Karting Champion, as well as finishing runner up in both the Super 1 National Rotax Max Junior Championship and the Rotax Max Euro Challenge in 2011. This meant he ended the year an impressive sixth in the world in Rotax Max karting.

Oxford-based Harrison said: “I’m really looking forward to making my debut in Ginetta Junior – I really can’t wait. We always knew we’d come into cars when I was old enough, karting is the foundation and there wasn’t much else we could do there really. This is most definitely the right time to make the step-up and take on a new challenge.
 
“We’re confident it’s going to be a great year driving with Hillspeed. We know it’ll be tough, there are going to be some very experienced second and third year drivers in the championship, but we’re aiming for a strong debut and focused on fighting at the front.”
 
Hillspeed team principal Richard Ollerenshaw commented: “We’re incredibly pleased to have signed a deal with Nathan for his first season in cars and we’re confident he’ll make strong progress and become a real force in Ginetta Junior. We can’t wait to begin our pre-season testing programme with him, it’s fantastic to have the chance to work with a driver boasting such a superb karting pedigree.
 
“This deal with Nathan only came about because, thanks to Ginetta, he’d had the chance to test a G40 at Bedford Autodrome just before Christmas. It’s that level of support and commitment from such a proactive manufacturer which helps the championship thrive and stand-out from the competition, Lawrence Tomlinson and his team deserve a lot of credit.”

Ginetta Cars Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson added: “It’s great to see Nathan taking his first step into sportscars. The Ginetta Juniors provide a great platform for young racing drivers at the early stages of their career, the benefits and experience they gain prepares them for any series. I wish Nathan all the best for his first season as a Ginetta Junior driver and I look forward to watching him progress.”

Champion Seb Morris and Vice-Champion Charlie Robertson with third-placed George Gamble, Ginetta Cars Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson, Championship co-ordinator Max Gregory and Hillspeed's Richard Ollerenshaw at the 2011 Ginetta Awards - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

2011 Ginetta Junior Championship winner Seb Morris and vice-champion Charlie Robertson have announced their delight at being amongst ten young racing drivers to be inducted to the MSA Academy.

Morris, who is eyeing a move into single-seaters this season, won the 2011 title after an incredible season, in which he won eleven of the twenty races. Robertson meanwhile, who is widely expected to return to Ginetta Juniors in 2012, enjoyed a sensational maiden car-racing campaign last term, taking two wins on his way to second and top rookie. The duo will benefit from first-class coaching throughout the year, with the Academy providing development sessions aimed at assisting their careers on and off track.

Welshman Morris said: “Being selected by the MSA is a great way to begin 2012, it’s a fantastic opportunity and can only be good for my career as we move up the ladder. I know the advice the coaches offer is invaluable and it really is a huge honour and a privilege to have been invited to be part of the MSA Academy. This only gives me even more confidence ahead of my move into single-seaters.”

Robertson commented: “I’m delighted to have been invited into the MSA Academy, it’s a huge honour and means a great deal to me – it’s the perfect start to 2012. Being able to benefit from guidance and coaching from the MSA is a real boost ahead of the new season and can only help me progress my career. I’m very proud to be representing the MSA Academy this year.”

The day before the MSA Academy announcement, Morris and Robertson were amongst the stars at the annual Ginetta Awards evening, the duo picking up their respective trophies from the 2011 season.

Harry Woodhead In His Beacon Racing-prepared Ginetta G40J - Photo Credit: Matt Lynham Photography

14 year old Harry Woodhead has confirmed his graduation into car racing with an assault on the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship with Beacon Racing.

Woodhead starting karting in 2006 and initially spent four years in cadet karts, picking up the 2008 TVKC Cadet Championship. In 2009, Woodhead finished fifth in the British Super One Championship, before moving up to become the youngest competitor in the 2010 British Super One Junior Championship, where he took several top ten finishes on his way to a credible seventeenth overall.

It was at this point Woodhead decided 2012 was the time for him to move up to car racing. Throughout 2011, he tested a Ginetta G40J at Silverstone, Croft and at various airfields in readiness for the campaign, before passing his ARDS license test three days after his fourteenth birthday at the end of 2011.

Woodhead will be competing with the Beacon Racing team, who ran Irishman Niall Murray in 2011. Murray took two wins and six other podiums on his way to fourth in the championship with the team, success that Woodhead says made it obvious which team he should join for the new campaign.

Woodhead commented: “My Dad and I followed Beacon Racing very closely last year. They had some bad luck with unfortunate mechanical failures earlier on in the season, but they always had the raw speed with the car setup. They use engineers who are all studying at Staffordshire University for their Automotive Engineering and Motorsport degrees, who always have lots of passion for the cars to perform well.

“Towards the end of the season the team were having many podiums and outright victories so the choice was always going to be easy for us. All the personnel are incredibly friendly and inviting and we are looking forward to working with them for a long time.”

Ginetta Race-Winner Charlie Robertson Will Appear At Autosport International - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

2011 Ginetta Junior Vice-Champion Charlie Robertson will be one of stars of the show during the Live Action Arena at this weekends Autosport International Show.

Robertson, who is expected to return to the Ginetta’s this year for a title challenge, will showcase a Ginetta G40 as part of a specially organised demonstration by Ginetta. Robertson will be in action at the show, will takes place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), on Thursday and Friday.

Robertson said: “I can’t wait to get back in a car and have some fun at Autosport International. It’s a fantastic show, the true start to the motorsport year, and it’s a real privilege to have been asked by Ginetta to be involved. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and really looking forward to it.”

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Now, having looked back over the previous year the writers of The Checkered Flag look forward at what the 2012 racing season could bring with new driver line-ups and regulations.

Peter Allen

Intra-team battles ad Force India and Toro Rosso
The two midfield F1 squads have gone with potential over experience for their 2012 driver lineups. The stakes are potentially very high for the drivers at both teams, with Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg eyeing any seat that becomes available at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will fight it out to become Mark Webber’s replacement at Red Bull. All four are highly-rated, and it will be fascinating to see what happens at both teams.

Toro Rosso teammates and F1 new boys Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - one battle to watch in 2012

David Bean

Someone to match Vettel?
Sticking to F1, most fans will be looking for the emergence of a challenger to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. Will one of the McLaren pairing, or even Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, be able to stop next season becoming as one-sided as it was in 2011? It will also be interesting to see how Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean do at Renault, and how the exciting young talent – the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic – manage in their first full seasons as F1 drivers.

Josh Bell

Formula One 2012
I have two, so forgive me for being greedy. The battle at Toro Rosso between their new driver line up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be extremely intense, particularly as one of them may land themselves a Red Bull seat if Mark Webber departs at the end of 2012. Secondly, I am optimistic of five teams challenging for the Formula One World Championship next season. Or maybe I am just a romantic? Merry Christmas readers!

James Broomhead

NGTC comes of age
Nationally I think the BTCC is headed for another superb year. The second half of the year was the NGTC-spec cars coming out party, and in 2012 it will be interesting to see some more of the potential of the new cars when Honda roll out the new Civic. How their efforts – with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden compare to the teams with a whole year of NGTC trouble-shooting behind them – is just another facet in a year that could bring even more manufacturers in even bigger grids.  

Andy Champness

Challengers to Team Vodafone
The V8 Supercars has again shown it’s the best touring car series in the world, so more of the same please! Team Vodafone dominated the 2011 season, but I think teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing will up their game and close the gap in 2012. Look out for the likes of Tim Slade, David Reynolds and in particular Shane van Gisbergen who this year won his first race at his home event in New Zealand and backed it up in Darwin to finish fourth in this year’s championship. These are the sport’s new generation, young drivers who showed in 2011 that they have the talent and ability to pose a genuine threat to the more established stars.

Mark Foley

The Young(er) Blood
Formula Renault 2.0 champion Alex Lynn and the imaginatively named Carlos Sainz Jr. join the ranks of British Formula 3 for 2012, and both could be potential headaches for the more experienced British F3 runners cracking their knuckles as they eye the 2012 title. Lynn has BRDC and FIA Excellence Academy support behind him, whilst Sainz Jr. comes ominously armed with Red Bull backing, adding pressure, removing excuses and drawing plenty of keen eyes onto the youngsters tipped for future stardom.

Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn - one of the drivers set to make the 2012 British Formula Three Championship a year to remember

Chris Gurton

What To Look For Next Year – National racing and beyond
For me there are a number of things to look for next year. After the teething troubles of the new NGTC cars in the BTCC, a more level playing field next season and a big field should lead to an exciting championship. On the subject of touring cars, it will be interesting to see how Arena Motorsport and Special Tuning Racing cope with the step up to WTCC.

After an extremely close fought title battle in British GT, next seasons Championship will no doubt be an equally exciting and close fight. Look out for the new look Ginetta G55 GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage adding to the array of stunning cars throughout the field. For fans of endurance racing, the new World Endurance Championships should be something to look out for too.

Also, with driver moves and deals still being confirmed within Formula One, an exciting new driver to keep an eye out for is Jean Eric-Vergne. The Frenchman showed true class in the 2010 British F3 Championships on his way to the title and runner up at the end of a season in formula Renault 3.5 has shown his ability. With the backing and support of Red Bull, could he be the new Sebastian Vettel? 

Leigh O’Gorman

What To Look For In 2012 – The World Endurance Championship
The emergence of the World Endurance Championship may not just be “the thing to look for in 2012”, but rather the biggest motorsport news of the decade. Since the WEC was announced at Le Mans, manufacturers have either thrown their hat into the ring or are weighing up future participation in a series that may – realistically – have far more relevance to the automotive industry than Formula 1 could ever dream of. Also, a nod to Tony Fernandes, who continues to raise the profile of motor racing in Asia, by organising national and club championships in emerging territories.

Simon Paice

What to look for in 2012 -Ginetta Juniors
In 2012, I’m really excited for the Ginetta Junior Championship. 2011 saw the teenage racers once again produce superb racing and while Seb Morris dominated, the likes of Niall Murray, Charlie Robertson, George Gamble and Sennan Fielding emerged as top talent. With some of them returning to join the usual influx of exciting new rookies, it is sure to be a fascinating, must watch 2012 season in the G40′s.

Also something I’m really looking forward to seeing is Petter Solberg in a Ford in the WRC, taking it to the Citroens and hopefully picking up a second world title.

Vince Pettit

British Superbikes
The 2012 season in British Superbikes looks set to be another great championship battle, defending champion joined by Isle of Man record breaker Ian Hutchinson, the Swan Yamaha team will be hard to beat. Although with that said that the PBM squad have assembled a strong team with the likes of Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton. TAS Suzuki will also feature with Alastair Seeley looking to continue his momentum in the main class after securing the National Superstock 1000 and British Supersport titles in 2009 and this season respectively.

Louis Suddaby

A New Era Begins
2012 sees the introduction of CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) in MotoGP and a glimpse into the future of the premier class of motorcycle racing. Don’t expect too much too soon but this new philosophy had to happen, if anything to give us more bikes to look at. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class and unpredictability is the only certainty while EVO rules will now effectively be standard in the British Superbike Championship, surely producing another open season. 2012 will also be a huge year for Valentino Rossi. Surely Ducati will get it right this time?

Scott Wilkes

New regulations in BTCC and MotoGP
In the BTCC, the NGTC cars that started to make a surge to the front of the pack at the end of this season should be a preview of what’s to come this season, and it should be an even better season for close racing than we have just seen.

In MotoGP, the withdrawal of Suzuki and the arrival of the CRT machines should herald the start of an interesting shakeup in the sport. With the addition of the new standardised Moto3 series replacing the 125cc Championship, I am expecting the same level of competition as we saw in the spectacular Moto2 championship this year.

As for a rider/driver to look out for, it has to be Marc Marquez. After a poor start to last season, I wasn’t expecting much more from the young Spaniard. However, as happens most times with myself, I was proved wrong, and Marquez started a brilliant resurgence which left him a position to possibly win the championship at the final race, only to be ruled out by injury.

Seb Morris (Centre) Emerged From The Pack To Become 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Seb Morris was crowned the 2011 Ginetta Junior champion after a tremendous season in the one-make series, the Hillspeed driver taking eleven wins in a year that saw the emergence of some superbly talented young drivers.

The opening half of the season was all about Morris, the 15 year old taking seven of the first ten wins, but as the year wore on his dominance was consistently broken by a group of hard charging rookies, including George Gamble, Charlie Robertson, Niall Murray and Sennan Fielding.

Morris stamped his authority on the series from the off, taking a double win at the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, before repeating the trick next time out at Donington Park. The Donington meeting marked the emergence of Robertson and Murray as drivers to watch in the series, the duo each taking their maiden podium finish, whilst also enjoying strong starts to the year were Tollbar Racing team-mates William Foster and Tom Howard, the duo taking five podiums between them in the opening four races.

Morris’ winning streak was to end at Thruxton, where the opening race saw him dramatically passed by Gamble on the last lap at the final corner. Morris returned to the top step of the podium in the next race though, with Gamble settling for second. The Thruxton weekend also saw popular privateer Max Coates take a double podium, which would turn out to be the highlight of a tough year for the Yorkshireman.

Oulton Park was next and Morris re-asserted himself at the top with two more wins, while Robertson, Gamble and Murray shared the other podium places between themselves. Croft hosted the final rounds before the summer break and marked the first meeting in which Morris did not record a win, with Gamble winning the opener before HHC Motorsport’s Robertson secured his maiden win.

George Gamble and Charlie Robertson Impressed Throughout 2011 - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

After seven weeks away, the series returned at Snetterton around the new 300 circuit and saw Morris reassert his dominance with two more wins. Robertson and Gamble each took seconds, while Jake Giddings and Struan Moore made their first trips to the podium of the season. Knockhill saw Morris add another win to his tally, before Gamble took his second win of the season, while Hillspeed’s Moore took two more podiums to continue his impressive run.

The opening race at Rockingham proved to be Morris’ eleventh and final win of the season, the Welsh racer unable to return to the top spot in the final five races. Robertson took the other win, while Murray took two podium finishes, as did Fielding, the TJ Motorsport driver’s first of the year. The penultimate meeting at Brands Hatch saw Morris take two podiums to secure the 2011 title a weekend early, Hillspeed’s second consecutive title win, with Robertson and Murray sharing the wins, while Coates took his third and final podium of the campaign.

The final meeting of the year took place at Silverstone and with the destination of the championship already sorted; the drivers fought it out for the final wins of the year, producing two thrilling races. Emerging for his maiden win in the opener was Fielding, while Murray won the last race of the season to complete a great run of six consecutive podiums for the Irishman.

Irishman Niall Murray Ended The Year In Style - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Final 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship Standings: 

TCF’s Top Five Drivers Of 2011:

1. Charlie Robertson – Charlie didn’t let the fact he was the youngest driver in the series faze him all year and once he was up to pace in the car, the 14 year old showed just how much talent he has. Three wins, vice-champion and top rookie prove what a great season the HHC Motorsport driver has had. Definite early favourite for 2012 title.
2. Niall Murray – The Irishman had never visited any of the tracks before this season and due to the cost of travelling over from Ireland wasn’t able to test throughout the year. The Beacon Racing driver overcame these issues and was superb all year, particularly his impressive run of six podiums in a row at the end of the campaign.
3. Seb Morris – Morris was a class apart at the start of the season, using all his knowledge and experience from 2010 to hit the ground running. However once the rookies found their feet, Hillspeed’s Morris didn’t look as dominant and had his feathers ruffled a couple of times.
4. George Gamble – The first driver to beat Morris in 2011, Gamble’s pass on the final lap at Thruxton will live long in the memory. Maybe wasn’t quite about to challenge for wins as much as he’d have liked, particularly at the end of the season, but the TJ Motorsport driver will be happy with three wins under his belt.
5. Sennan Fielding– The youngster headed into the year with slight pressure on his shoulders as the Ginetta Scholarship Winner, but this didn’t affect him and once he got over a tough initiation in the series, with his TJ Motorsport car getting battered and bruised at the start of the season, Fielding proved his pace with a double podium at Rockingham then a maiden win on the final weekend.
   

   Seb Morris Celebrates His 2011 Title Success - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Max Coates (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post so I thought I had better keep you all updated on what’s been happening over the last month or so.

To be honest things have quietened down for me, I have been relaxing and preparing for next year.  I have spent a bit of time with some friends and I also have done a talk for some young farmers.  A group from Staindrop came to our workshop for a little look around the car and I delivered a presentation about what I had done in the past and what motorsport is for me.  It was great to have over 30 people turn up and it was as much an experience for me as it was for them.

I have also been selected for the MSA RSF Young Driver of the Year Award and went along to the Pure Tech Racing facility in Surrey with another four drivers.  There was also a panel of judges present including Robert Reid, MSA Performance Director, Ben Anderson from Autosport, Derek Walters from the RSF, David Brabham and Ben Taylor, MSA Communications Director as well as last year’s winner Jake Cook.  The day compromised of three sessions on the simulator and a presentation/question and answer session with the judges.  All 10 simulators are connected to each other and each ‘cell’ moves with the input from the driver.

We started with a free practice session to learn the fictional track that had been created.  I ended up 3^rd after leading in the early stages.  The second session was a qualifying run and with 20 minutes on the clock we had plenty of time to get a good lap in.  I got out of the pits and tried to put a banker in so I knew that I could push hard and should anything happen I had a relatively quick lap to fall back on.  That plan didn’t really work when another driver spun in front of me and I crashed into him.  I had to pit and lost lots of time.  I came back out with about 6 minutes to go and was about about 20 seconds off the pace having not put a lap in where I had car pointing in the right direction.  I ended up 3^rd but was not as fast as I would have liked to have been.

The last session was a 45 minute race.  This was over twice the length I was used to in the Ginetta.  I started poorly because I didn’t get the car into gear and fell to the back of the pack, then four cars crashed and I got through to 3^rd.  I was getting ready to overtake 2^nd place when the simulator stopped suddenly and the race was restarted.  On the second start I got away cleaner and held my position round the first right hand kink.  Next up was a flat out left hand turn and as I turned in the back end became the front, I had been tapped in the left rear and to make matters worse I got beached on a kerb.  The rule is that if you come off, get beached, break the car etc you will be put back to the pit lane and released when the last driver crosses the line.  So I was stone drop last leaving the pits, I had a fairly lonely race after that and circulated 33 times without the site of another car ahead or behind, I did finish fourth and managed to get back onto the lead lap so was quite pleased.

We then moved onto a presentation after lunch.  I was first up and gave my 5 minute speech which was followed by a question and answer session.  I felt that this part of the process had gone well and was pleased.  At the end of the day there could only be one winner and that was Josh Webster.  I was gutted not to have won but was privileged to have been selected for the course and the award.  What I have gained through the MSA Academy has no doubt shaped the person I am today both on and off the track and has benefitted me as an athlete greatly.

In this winter break I have also been planning for next year.  Although I have not decided on a championship for next year and any plans for that I am hoping to be in either the Renault Clio Cup or the Ginetta GT Supercup in a G50.  We are trying to obtain the funds to compete but this is a difficult process.  I hope to be able to confirm everything soon but that could be a month or two months away yet.  Either way I hope to be back on track in a BTCC support class in 2012 and can’t wait to get going.  I have been practising my driving on iRacing, an online simulator and racing game which I have been very impressed with.  I have particularly enjoyed being able to challenge myself in new cars on different tracks and this has helped me to learn tracks and cars more quickly.  I am hoping to write a full blog on iRacing and fitness in the New Year.  Fitness also plays a large role in motorsport and I am nearly ready to start a new programme for 2012. I have been running and cycling over the last months to keep fit until the start of my new plan next year.  As well as physical fitness I am also hoping to start a mental training programme which is being created through the MSA Academy’s links.  All of these plans, programmes and simulators should help in the car next season and I just want to get going again.

Finally I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.

Until next time,

Max

Charlie Robertson Starred As A 'Rookie' In 2011 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

The 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship is set to feature a new Rookie Championship within it for the first time, offering young drivers a cost-effective route into the popular junior championship.

Ginetta themselves will be running up to eight factory cars for the rookie class, which will be open to drivers in their first year of racing. Providing a cost capped introduction to the championship, the cars will be run with limited set up changes and will provide a level playing field for the rookies.

Ginetta Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson commented: “The establishing of the popular Ginetta Junior Championship has provided a great platform for young racing drivers at the early stages of their career, the benefits and experience they gain prepares them for any series. A great example is Frank Wrathall and his progression within ‘tin tops’.  That said we know there are still many talented young drivers out there that due to cost are unable to progress with their dreams…this is why we are introducing the Ginetta Junior’s Rookies”

The rookie class will not impact upon the main championship, with the rookie class drivers not eligible for the main championship and Ginetta saying they will not enter any cars or drivers into the main championship, ensuring that existing teams and drivers will not be affected. Racing rookies are still able to enter the main championship meanwhile, if their budget means they can.  

Championship coordinator Max Gregory said: “For new drivers entering the Junior Ginetta Championship, it is not mandatory that they take part as a Rookie, the option to enter the main championship with an independent team is still and will remain a popular option.  The idea behind this is to give new young drivers a cost effective way into the Championship, who will then graduate from the Rookie Championship into the main series with an independent team.  The exposure the Rookies will receive as part of ITV4 televised TOCA package supporting the BTCC can only assist their talent being recognised and attracting potential sponsors for when they ‘graduate’.”

Entry for the Rookie Championship will cost £2,600 per weekend, which includes the cost of the car, tyres, fuel and entry fee.

Max Coates (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

I want to start off by saying sorry for this being so late, usually I try and get my blog done as soon as the meetings are finished so that we can get them online for you to read but this one got put on hold.

The best place for me to start this is as the story has gone, the last round of the Ginetta Junior Championship was held some time ago now at Silverstone. Just hearing the word fills me with excitement, racing on a track with the history and character of Silverstone is incredible, an honour.

Before testing began I had a session on the simulator at Izone driver performance which I have to say was excellent, the whole company centres around improving the ability and performance of racing drivers at the highest level, everything they said there was right and the facility that they are developing constantly is outstanding. My session was mainly on the simulator however I wasn’t just learning the Silverstone National circuit I would be testing on in the afternoon but I was developing my skills in eye positioning on the track and other controllable features of driving a car. I think the experience was valuable, I certainly learnt a lot and would recommend it to any other driver. You can learn more about developing your ability as a driver and then use the simulator and training facility to prepare for race weekends; it is something I would like to do more often.

Moving onto Friday practice at Silverstone, I was confident I could be quick from past experiences at Silverstone but the day just didn’t go my way. I ended the day as one of the slowest cars, some of this was down to me and the rest was all about getting a slip stream down the straights. I knew that I could gain a lot of time by just having a good qualifying strategy, something I think others had done in practice better than I had. All had not been restored in morning warm up on Saturday, I was still at the back over a second off the front, I knew by then that I wasn’t doing anything wrong on the whole track so it must have been a tow down the straights or having a different set-up on the car, but in actual fact that felt quite good.

Qualifying was a completely different story, I started off well but ended even better, my last three laps felt good, I managed to be super consistent and quick and pulled off three times within a tenth and a half of each other. I was very happy to have qualified 6th and then 5th for the second race. I had managed to turn it round from a nightmare test day to a brilliant qualifying that saw me nearly match my best performance of the year.

With this new found pace I went into the first race with confidence, in the first few laps I got through to fourth and was sat behind the leaders. I then had a bad couple of laps and fell down through the order to 6th and got caught up in another battle and lost time. I thought I had passed the group and was then aiming to get back up into podium contention when I received a little nudge from Jake Giddings in the last corner which nearly spun me round; I lost a lot of time and two positions and fell into the clutches of William Foster who passed me on the last lap. I finished 9th, I was quite cross with myself for letting such an opportunity pass for a podium finished but I knew that I had the pace to run at the front in the second race. With the passing of the race the chance of finishing 3rd in the championship also passed. I knew that 4th was on the cards but 5th looked the likely finishing position.

So I went into the last race confident that I could finish the year off with a podium. The pace was there from Qualifying and the first race and starting from 5th on the grid was one of my best chances. I was with Charlie Robertson at the start and we got away equally well, I kept my foot in at the first corner and drove around him to be 5th after the first corner. As we came out of Brooklands on the first lap Sennan Fielding span and I nearly collected him, I just scraped past but had to use the run off area to do so. I then charged Brad Bailey and the leaders down and was hanging onto the back of Brad. We were running at the same pace as Niall and Seb in front and I think we could have challenged but I had to get past Brad to do that. At some points of the track I was quicker and other parts he was so the gap kept changing a little.

George Gamble had closed in on the back of me and then pulled Declan Jones along with him; George passed me at Copse with a very late move which also lost me 5th to Declan. I fell back from that pack and so set about catching them back up, with two laps to go I was within touching distance of Declan but on the last lap I had to go for a move. I got a better run on the exit of Copse and opted for the outside line for Maggots putting me on the inside for Beckets. I went in hard knowing that I could run Declan wide on the exit meaning that he wouldn’t get me on the exit. George tried a similar move on Brad but it was quite late, they made contact and started to spin and crash, I saw this and thought “great we’ve got a podium here” and so I aimed my car for the very inside of the circuit to try and avoid the accident.

Unfortunately I ploughed into them wrecking my chances of a podium and 5th in the championship. I went through two gravel traps and then down the back straight I had no bonnet attachment. As I accelerated the bonnet came up so I had to back off. Brad Bailey came past me on the run to the line to cap off my worst lap ever. My results for the weekend were about my worst of the year, something went wrong in both races and it cost me heavily. I finished 6th in the championship when I should of been 5th. It was all down to the last round and it was going well up until we had two corners to go. I had 309 points, Will Foster had 310, it was so gutting to know that had that last lap crash not happened I would have been another place higher in the championship.

Mistakes in both Silverstone races cost Max fifth in the championship

Looking back I have had rounds that have gone well, rounds that haven’t but all the while I have had the most amazing time. Racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship is such a privilege, it is fun, fast (although some may not agree with that) and close. I have enjoyed the last two years so much. AT the end of Silverstone when we had packed up I walked through the garage by myself and into the pit lane. I stared up the pit lane, then walked to the edge of the track and looked back up there too, and with a tear in the eye said “Goodbye”. I knew, at that point in time, that it could be the very last time I am ever able to do that.

Ginetta Racewinner Niall Murray Is Up For The Young Driver Award - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Motorsport Ireland has announced the finalists for the 2011 Young Racing Driver and Young Rally Driver of the Year Awards, which will be handed out at next month’s Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards in Dublin.

The top three finalists for the Dunlop Sexton Trophy for the Young Racing Driver of the Year award are Ginetta Junior race-winner Niall Murray, Renault Clio Cup championship contender Aron Smith and Ginetta Junior Ireland champion Andy O’Brien.

2010 Ginetta Junior Ireland champion Murray, who won the Young Racing Driver of the Month award for June, had a great season in the Ginetta Juniors this year, taking two wins and a total of eight podium finishes on his way to fourth in the championship standings. 22 year old Smith, the monthly award winner in April, took three wins and nine podiums in total on his way to second place in the Clio Cup, also making his BTCC debut during the year. O’Brien, the monthly winner in July, capped off a great start to his career with the Ginetta Junior title in only his second year of racing, having finished runner up in the series in 2010.

The Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award will be contested between Daniel McKenna, Sam Moffett and Douglas Stewart. McKenna had a great year in 2011, his best result coming with third overall in the Carlow Stages Rally, also winning the Escort Mark 2 Challenge at the event. Moffett’s season saw him win finish second overall and win the Group N section of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, also finishing third in the Group N section of the Irish Tarmac Championship. Stewart meanwhile competed in gravel throughout the year, the 26 year old’s best result coming at the Moonrake Forestry Rally, where he won his class.

President of Motorsport Ireland Joe Corcoran said: “This year we have seen some great results both nationally and internationally by Irish competitors and our Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards will look to honour these performances.  We had 13 excellent contenders for the Billy Coleman and the Dunlop Sexton Awards, who all had great seasons, so congratulations to them all and to the 6 drivers across the two categories who have now been selected as finalists.  It’s safe to say the future of Irish motorsport is extremely bright.”    

Over twenty awards will be handed out at the Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin on the 6^th December.

Max Coates Enjoyed Success At Snetterton - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

Just like the year before, Max Coates just missed out on success during this season’s Ginetta Junior Winter Series, the Scorton-based teenager finishing runner up after the four-race mini-series at Snetterton.

Coates, who ran throughout the season as a privateer, headed into the weekend with the surreal experience of running with a team, having joined up with series newcomers MGR Motorsport for the meeting. Progress throughout testing saw Max on the pace heading into qualifying, however a set-up change didn’t quite work for him, leaving him eighth.

Pyreroy-backed Coates enjoyed a strong opening race, moving up the order to take seventh, before forcing his way through to a solid fifth. He built on this in the day’s second race, making a blistering start up to third in his Harron Homes-liveried G40J, before taking second place, however he was to lose out on the runner up spot on the last corner of the last lap.

After a wet Saturday, Sunday saw a change in conditions with dry weather, which Coates thrived on. A superb qualifying session saw Max qualify fourth for the third race of the weekend and on pole for the final encounter. Starting well in the days firt race, Coates progressed up to a second place finish, putting him in contention for the championship heading into the finale.

Lightwater Valley-backed Coates made a great start and kept the lead, before losing it later in the lap. Regaining it on lap four, Coates held on until the end for a popular win, however with the championship leader following him home, it wasn’t to be enough and for the second year running, Coates would end up second in the Winter Series.

2011 Ginetta Junior Winter Series Champion George Gamble - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

TJ Motorsport’s George Gamble overcame his disappointment in missing out on the runners up spot in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship by taking victory in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series at Snetterton.

An action packed weekend saw the ten entrants, consisting of series regulars and a couple of newcomers, battle it out over two qualifying sessions and four races, meaning consistency was key. 

HHC Motorsport’s Charlie Robertson, the driver who pipped Gamble to the vice-champion position in the main series, dominated the wet qualifying session by taking pole position for both of Saturday’s encounters. Gamble didn’t have everything his own way though, with a bad tyre call in qualifying leaving him seventh and fifth on the grid respectively.

The weekend’s opening race saw Robertson get a decent getaway, but a decent start for FML’s Jake Giddings saw him edge into the lead at Riches, with Robertson fending off Niall Murray into Montreal. Ollie Chadwick held fourth ahead of Declan Jones, but they were quickly dispatched by the hard-charging George Gamble, who had a great opening lap.

Giddings held the lead until lap two, when 14 year old Robertson forced his way past at Williams, while behind Murray was struggling with his tyre choice, leaving him easy prey for Gamble, who got past at Oggies to get in the podium places.

Robertson cemented his lead and took a comfortable win, while behind Gamble closed on Giddings and passed him on lap three to take second and held the place until the end, setting the races fastest lap in the process. Giddings took third ahead of Jones, with Max Coates taking fifth with MGR Motorsport, the team’s debut in the series. Chadwick took sixth ahead of newcomer Oliver Basey-Fisher, with Murray slipping to eighth late on, while William Palmer and debutant Guy Wenham completed the runners.

Robertson said: “It was a really tough race, we got quite a good start but Giddings still managed to get in front of us. I caught him, passed him, and then saw George in my mirrors. He caught me and I was under so much pressure. I’m just really pleased I was able to hold him off for the win.”

HHC Motorsport's Charlie Robertson Took The Opening Win - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

Race two began on a slightly drier track, with Robertson leading way, while Giddings struggling to getaway after gambling to run on dry tyres. Behind, a great start for Palmer saw him leap from ninth to fifth, though the Hillspeed driver lost some ground when he was caught-out by a spin for Chadwick at the Esses.

As Robertson streaked away at the front, Gamble, Coates and Murray battled behind, with Basey-Fisher sitting in a strong fifth. Gamble soon broke off the group though and after setting two consecutive fastest laps, was on Robertson’s tail.

Gamble snatched the lead at Agostini on lap six and started to edge away himself, with Robertson to suffer disappointment two laps later when clutch failure forced him to retire, giving Gamble a clear run to the line, winning by almost 20 seconds. DDD/Murray Motorsport’s Murray took second place on the final lap from Coates, the duo having a great battle throughout the race.

Debutant Basey-Fisher took an excellent fourth place ahead of Giddings, whose tyres began to come good towards the end of the race. Chadwick took sixth, with Palmer taking seventh, recovering from a spin on lap four. Wenham took eighth and Jones ninth, Robertson proving the only retirement.

The next morning, the drivers returned for another qualifying session and two more frenetic races. It was Giddings who secured pole for the opening race; however the FML driver wasn’t even able to take the start due to an oil leak, caused by the breakage of an alternator bracket.

All Giddings could do was watch from the side as the race began, with Chadwick bursting into an early lead, followed by Robertson, Coates, Gamble and Jones, the latter spinning out of contention on the opening lap. 

Chadwick’s pace was slower compared to those behind, but good defensive driving meant they initially couldn’t find a way past the JHR Developments driver. On lap three, Robertson finally got past and with those behind not able to get straight past, he was able to pull away and take a comfortable second win of the weekend, setting a new lap record in the process.

Coates and Gamble finally usurped Chadwick on lap five, however he fought back and passed Nottingham-based Gamble soon after. Coates pulled clear to take a comfortable second, while it was Murray who emerged in third on the final lap after Gamble and Chadwick were delayed at the Esses when fighting for position.

Chadwick emerged in fourth, with Gamble settling for fifth, leading home TJ Motorsport team-mates Jones and Basey-Fisher. Palmer took ninth, with JHR Development’s Wenham ninth.

Robertson said: “That was definitely one of my best wins yet. I got quite a good start, slotted in behind Ollie (Chadwick) but then he got away a bit when I had a battle with Max (Coates). I caught him back up and passed on about lap three and then managed to get away and pulled out the gap.”

Max Coates Impressed Throughout The Weekend With MGR Motorsport - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography

Coates and Giddings lined up on the front row the decisive final race of the weekend, with Coates and Gamble in contention for the championship. MGR’s Coates got a good start to lead away at the start, with Robertson following him to take second at Riches, however a great start for 2010 Ginetta Junior Ireland champion Murray saw him burst through to take second at the hairpin. 

Robertson fought back though and a stunning move at the Esses saw him pass not just Murray, but also Coates to storm into the lead; however a slight wobble at the same place a lap later allowed Coates back into the lead. Coates led away but came under immense pressure from Robertson, Gamble and Murray, who set a new lap record during the race, though there was to be a change for second when Robertson spun off on lap five.

Coates held on to take a very popular win, the first for new-to-Ginetta team MGR Motorsport, with Gamble holding second to take the title. Giddings returned to the podium in third after contact sent Murray spinning off on the final lap. Robertson fought back to fourth ahead of Jones, Basey-Fisher, Palmer, Chadwick and Wenham.

Coates commented: “I think it’s a great way to cap off my time in Ginetta Junior. It was probably the hardest race I’ve had; it’s so hard to lead in these cars and especially at a track like this with such long straights where you give away a tow. I just pushed as hard as I could to try and do everything to get enough points for the championship. In the end we missed out but it’s fantastic to win the race.”

A consistent weekend was enough to crown Gamble the 2011 Ginetta Junior Winter Series Champion, though a superb Sunday for Coates meant the Yorkshireman ended the weekend just five points adrift. Murray looked set for third until his last lap excursion, dropping him to fourth behind a frustrated Robertson, who’d hoped for more after taking two wins.

Gamble concluded:“It’s amazing, it’s great to win the championship at Snetterton with it being TJ’s local track – I don’t know what to say about it, I’m just over the moon. When I saw Jake (Giddings), Charlie (Robertson) and Niall (Murray) together I knew I had to play it safe and get the points. We’ve got a few options to look at for next year but I’d definitely enjoy being back in Ginetta Junior.”

Yorkshireman Max Coates - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Protyre Formula Renault BARC team MGR Motorsport and Ginetta Junior driver Max Coates have joined forces to compete in this weekend’s Ginetta Junior Winter Series, marking MGR’s first move into the tin-top series.

The move comes a couple of weeks after MGR declared interest in running a team in the 2012 Ginetta Junior Championship. The team, led by Mark Godwin, competed in the BARC single-seater championship this year, taking one win with rookie Matt Mason in the final race of the season.

Coates joins the team after running as a privateer for the past two seasons in the championship. The Yorkshireman took three podiums in 2011 on his way to sixth in the championship and is looking to win the Winter Series, after finishing runner up in the mini-championship in 2010.

Max said: “I am very excited to be able to race this weekend, I didn’t think I would be this time last week. I would like to say a big thank you to MGR and Mark for supporting me with this challenge. They have run a successful team in the Renault BARC championship winning the last race at Silverstone so you can’t question their ability. I am really looking forward to racing this weekend and I hope I can back up their decision to run me this weekend by winning the championship.”

Mark Godwin from MGR added: “We want to run a team in next year’s Ginetta Junior Championship so doing the winter series with Max should put us in the eyes of potential competitors for next year. Max has now had two years of experience in the category and has impressed so we are going to learn things from this weekend which will help us next year. We want to be able to help him too and hopefully by running with our team he can win this weekend.”

Testing begins on Friday at Snetterton with two half hour sessions, before qualifying and four races over the weekend.

Seb Morris Celebrating His Title Victory - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Seb Morris enjoyed a simply tremendous 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship season, the Hillspeed driver dominating the series to take his maiden car racing title. The Checkered Flag spoke briefly to the champion during the series’ final rounds at Silverstone to hear his thoughts on his campaign.

Morris joined the series in 2010 and in his maiden year showed real glimpses of talent, taking one overall podium before going on to win that year’s Winter Series. Morris used that experience this year and proved unstoppable, the 15 year old taking an incredible eleven wins in the twenty race season, finishing off the podium in just four races.

Morris, who wrapped the title up a meeting early, commented: “It was fantastic and it meant there was no pressure coming into the final weekend. I’m really happy for the team, they’ve worked so hard and that’s why they’re the number one team to be in. Sixteen out of twenty podiums is fantastic.”

The Welshman believes his success boils down to a lot of hard work by himself and the team around him: “Number one it’s the preparation and set up that the team and I go through. Lots of testing before the season started helped massively. Number two it’s just having a fantastic car underneath me. Hillspeed do everything so precisely and it really pays off. Number three is having a great driver trainer Matt Shawyer and manager Andy Meyrick, because every little thing on and off track makes a difference and they cover it all.”

All season Morris has been chased down by a group of hard charging rookies, led by Charlie Robertson and George Gamble. The trio have enjoyed some close fights throughout the year, with Morris relishing the battles:“I’ve enjoyed battling with them all, especially Charlie and George. They’re great clean racers and it shows as me and those two haven’t been in the steward’s office once. It’s been really close racing all year and its good a few people have had the chance to win.”

Looking ahead to 2012, Morris is hoping for a switch of disciplines, concluding: “I’m hopefully doing Formula Renault single seaters of some sort next year, either on the TOCA package or the BARC series. We’re going to leave all our options open though, but for now I’m definitely hoping for a career in single seaters.”

Niall Murray Enjoyed Many Podium Visits In 2011 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Irishman Niall Murray enjoyed a sensational maiden year in the Ginetta Junior Championship, the Beacon Racing driver taking two wins on his way to fourth in the championship standings. The Checkered Flag spoke with Murray after his victory in the final race of the season at Silverstone to discuss his great 2011 campaign.

Murray headed into the season looking for a top five finish in the championship standings, but knew it would be hard to do so in the competitive Junior series. A strong start saw him take his first podium in the third race of the year, before adding to it at the fourth meeting of the year at Oulton Park.

After a couple of mixed meetings, Murray really came into his own at the end of the season. The Dubliner took double podiums finishes at each of the final three meetings at Rockingham, Brands Hatch and Silverstone, including his first two victories in the series. The six consecutive podium finishes meant he ended the year with eight to his name, putting him a superb fourth in the championship standings.

Murray said: “I’ve totally exceeded my hopes for the year. Coming into the year, I didn’t think I’d be able to get so many podiums and to be honest I didn’t really think I’d be able to get a race win. I wanted top five in the championship and thought I could get that if I got consistent top five finishes, so fourth in the championship, I’m absolutely delighted, and two race wins is more than I could have asked for.”

15 year old Murray’s two wins this year couldn’t have come in more different circumstances. His first at Brands Hatch saw him sitting in second and challenging for the lead late on when there was contact, dropping him back to second. Murray was later promoted to victory when the stewards penalised champion Seb Morris for the contact. It was the same two drivers battling it out in the last race of the year at Silverstone, this time Murray managing to hold out in front despite much contact from behind to take another win.

Murray commented: “I was disappointed at Brands, but I had to be happy with the win. I knew I had the pace for victory and I was passing him for the win when the contact happened. I got the win on the timesheet at the end, but it didn’t feel like a win. Therefore today was brilliant, to get my first on track win in the series, in my first year, is pretty good and I’m delighted to get it. The race was so tough and it felt like such a long race when you’re in the lead, so it was really good to win.”

Murray Receiving Advice From Brother Eoin - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

The season marked Murray’s first voyage into racing in the UK and that provided a lot of challenges for him. The 2010 Ginetta Junior Ireland champion headed into the season with no knowledge of the circuits used and with it costing too much to come over from Ireland to test, he was unable to get the much needed testing mileage under his belt. Fortunately, help from his brother, former BTCC, Clio Cup and Ford Fiesta racer Eoin Murray, meant he was able to be competitive.

Murray said: “It’s been a huge disadvantage, as half the people have raced on the tracks last year and the rest have the money to test before most meetings. We don’t have the money to test, as it costs us more to fly over, so we didn’t do any during the year. My brother Eoin did the touring cars a couple of years ago, so he knows all the tracks and he’s just been a brilliant help all year.

“Before each race weekend we’d sit in the office at home and watch on-board videos on Youtube to show me the line, then at meetings, after each session we’d look at my on-board footage and data to see what I’m doing right and wrong. It’s just been a massive help, without him it would have been a huge struggle.”

Former Irish Rallycross champion Murray loved his first season in the Ginetta Juniors, getting stuck into the rough and tumble action in the series. Niall relished battling it out on track with some of the best young racers in the UK, all on the prestigious TOCA package.

Murray reflected: “It’s absolutely brilliant. There’s been a lot of contact, but with juniors racing, it’s some peoples first time in cars, so everyone’s learning. I raced in Ginetta’s and Rallycross back home last year, so I learnt then what to do in a car  and I was fairly confident coming here that I’d be better than some of lads coming straight up from karting. The championship was absolutely brilliant; racing competitively on the TOCA package is fantastic.”

After his competitive first season, Murray believes if he returns next year, he can take the championship, concluding: “Our idea all along was a two year plan, to get top five this year and then to go for the championship next year. Hopefully if the budget comes together, we can fight for the title.”

Murray In His Beacon Racing-prepared Ginetta G40 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Popular Yorkshireman Max Coates - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Max Coates took a strong sixth place in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship after a mixed campaign for the popular teenager, which saw him take three podiums, but miss out on a much desired race win. The Checkered Flag spoke with Max at the final rounds of the 2011 season at Silverstone to discuss his season

Coates headed into his second year in the championship hoping to use his experience to challenge for wins and the overall championship title. Unfortunately for the Yorkshireman, the season didn’t quite go as plan, with Coates not quite able to match the pace of the championship frontrunners on a regular occasion, which he believes boils down to a lack of budget restricting his testing opportunities.

Coates said: “Similar to last year, budget constraints has really held us back. In motorsport, you need a certain budget to be able to win and ultimately I haven’t had that. That can go down to me, I haven’t done well enough in getting sponsorship but the sponsors that I have gained, their support is very well appreciated.

“Budget’s restricted me from testing and time in the seat at the sort of age I’m at makes a huge difference. I think that’s part of the reason people like Seb [Morris] have had such big winning margins, as they’ve done the testing mileage and credit to them, they’ve driven brilliantly. I think that’s all restricted me and I think apart from that, there’s not much I can say. Maybe I’ve not quite been up to it but that’s part of not having the time in the seat.”

Coates Celebrates On The Thruxton Podium - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Despite the lack of testing, Coates has been able to take three great podiums finishes in the ultra-competitive championship to end the year a strong sixth place in the championship standings. The Harron-Homes driver showed his consistent pace throughout, finishing half the races in the top six, meaning he headed into the final meeting of the year challenging for a top four championship finish.

Coates commented: “I’ve got to look at what I’ve done and be happy. As the only privateer team on the grid and one of only two single car teams on the grid, we’ve finished sixth in the championship. We’ve beaten teams like Tollbar in the championship and had races where we’ve beaten the likes of TJ Motorsport and Hillspeed, so it’s great to have done that and taken it too the bigger teams.

“We’ve had a lot of fourth and fifth places too, which is worth remembering too, there not quite podiums but they’re as close as you can get. The thing that’s really hampered me this year has been my qualifying. I don’t think anybody can question that I can race, I’ve proven that, but my one lap speed hasn’t been good enough and again I think that’s down to a lack of time in the seat.”

As the 2011 season drew to a close, it brought to an end Max’s two year spell in the Ginetta Junior Championship. The Scorton-based driver has loved every second, reflecting: “It’s all been highlights over the last two years and I’ve loved every minute of it. Podiums at Thruxton and Brands Hatch were fantastic times, but I’ve enjoyed every race I’ve been in and it’s been a great opportunity to drive in this championship. It’s an ultra-competitive championship, it’s so close and everybody is right on the limit.”

The last two years has seen Coates competing in the series with his family-run privateer outfit, the little underdog team taking on and beating far more established, well-funded teams. Coates admits that while it’s much harder work to run the car themselves, it means so much more to him to enjoy success with his family around him.

An emotional Coates commented: “I think doing it with family makes the highs higher, as when we get on the podium it’s amazing. Like Alan Hyde said when he saw me celebrating at Brands, it was like I’d just won the championship and that’s how it feels for us. It’s great to be able to reward the team, the sponsors and myself for all our hard work like that.

“I’ve loved doing it, even though it’s been hard, as we don’t do this 24/7. We live, eat, sleep, breath it, but ultimately we all have jobs and college, so the work that everyone else does during the day, we do that after we get home, after 6 o’clock at night. Nine times out of ten its gone midnight by the time we’ve finished working on the car, working on the truck, working on sponsorship and things like that. Running with a family team has been so enjoyable and even though it’s hard, it’s been a fantastic experience.”

The Sun Sets On Coates' 2011 Season At Silverstone - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Coates is now turning his attentions towards 2012 and taking the next step up the motorsport ladder. Before the Lightwater Valley-supported driver can make that step, he has the tough task of raising the budget required, which he admits could be almost impossible to do.  

Coates concluded: “Ideally we’re looking at either staying in the Ginetta family, in the G50’s or G55’s, or move across to Renault and the Clio Cup. At the moment I can’t afford to race next year, so there’s no point thinking about which one. The crash damage we got today might have just answered our thoughts about next year, as it will cost a lot of money to repair, so that might just put us out of next year, but we’ll try and see what happens. I’d love to come back and do it again; it’s been fantastic to be in this paddock.”  

Andrew Watson Has Impressed In 2011 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ginetta Junior Ireland front-runner Andrew Watson made an impressive debut in the UK Ginetta Junior Championship in the series’ final rounds at Silverstone, the teenager taking a sixth place in the second race with HHC Motorsport. The Checkered Flag caught up with Andrew at Silverstone to discuss his year in Ireland and get his thoughts on his maiden UK weekend.

16 year old Watson raced in the competitive Ginetta Junior Ireland series during the year and had a strong season. The Donaghmore-based racer took a couple of race wins and a handful of other podiums on his way to fourth place in the championship standings.

Watson commented: “To be honest I hoped to be further up, but I had some unlucky things with the team, on the track and then a good bit of it was down to me as well, silly mistakes and inexperience. So I think fourth was a good result overall, but I was hoping to be up there a bit more.

“I took a lot of positives out of the season though and there was great racing all year, I think anybody you asked wouldn’t disagree, it was some of the best racing around. It was nice to be at the front and getting a few wins and podiums, I really enjoyed it.”

Andrew Watson In His ABR-run Ginetta G20 - Photo Credit: Steven Hawthorn

The next step for Watson is England and the UK’s Ginetta Junior Championship, the Irishman looking to follow in the footsteps of 2010 Ginetta Ireland champion Niall Murray, who has come over and enjoyed great success. Watson admits that he had never thought about racing in England until he started enjoying success in Ireland.

Watson explains: “To be honest I hadn’t really thought about it much, I was doing my school work and my mum was quite pushy with that. But once I got into racing and saw that I could be up there around the front, England was always the next step. The land of opportunities as they say.

“I’ve been following the UK series quite closely and I suppose I didn’t realise until I came over just how close it was, like hundredths and thousandths of a second. It was close in Ireland as well, but here there’s ten people separated by tenths, so that’s something to get used to.”

Watson headed over to England to make a one-off appearance in the final rounds of the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone, running with HHC Motorsport. The Irishman was immediately on the pace in Friday testing and overcame a tough qualifying session to produce two impressive race performances, especially the second race that saw him fight through to finish a great sixth.

Watson reflected: “I’ve had a fantastic weekend. We had pace during free practice and in Wednesday testing, so it was a bit of a disappointment to go out Saturday and qualify thirteenth, but we changed a few things on the car and it felt better for race one. I climbed up the field and finished eleventh, so I was happy enough and there was some great racing going on. I wanted a bit more in race two though and convinced myself I could do better.

“We changed the car a bit more and it felt great, I felt I could race with it, so I did and came out sixth, so I was delighted. HHC have been great too, any questions I had, nothing was too stupid. Definitely great for learning and a great set up, so I don’t have any complaints with them, plus Charlie and Paddy were great team-mates too.”

Watson is now aiming to race in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2012, though it may not be a full campaign due to Andrew having to sit his important school leaving certificate next year.

Andrew Watson At Silverstone In A HHC Motorsport-prepared G40 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Sennan Fielding Spraying The Winners Champagne At Silverstone - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Sennan Fielding has enjoyed a first season car racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship, the TJ Motorsport driver picking up three podium finishes, including a maiden win during the campaign. The Checkered Flag caught up with Sennan on the final weekend of the year at Silverstone to reflect on his season.

Sennan joined the series after winning the 2010 Ginetta Junior Scholarship, the prize for which was a fully funded drive in the full championship. The win was a big achievement for Sennan, the 15 year old overcoming many over talented youngsters, and it came at just the right time for him.

Fielding commented: “It was really important thing to win. We entered it not expecting to actually come out winning, as I’d never driven a car before. We went to it looking for experience, so to end up winning was brilliant, that was our racing sorted for the year, as we weren’t sure what we were going to do at the time, as we were still looking for funding and looking at different routes.”

Being the Scholarship winner meant Fielding went into the series with a little bit of pressure to do well and the first half of the year saw him show many glimpses of real potential, but problems with contact on track and experience meant the results didn’t quite come, Fielding picking up just two top six finishes.

The second half of the year saw the Chesterfield-based driver really come to the front, challenging for podiums at most meetings, though he’s still ended up without the results he deserved due to contact from rivals taking him out of strong finishes.

Fielding reflected: “I think we’ve improved over the year, which is the main thing. We’ve not always been at our best where we could have been, but I know that now we are definitely one of the front contenders. Like Brands Hatch last race, we were the quickest all weekend, from Friday to Sunday. We walked away with the lap record, but unfortunately we didn’t finish the races.

“I was hoping for a better start to the year. There has been a lot of contact through the year and we’ve been trying to get that sorted, as the contact has cost us a few podiums and good finishes. It’s been frustrating, but you can take the positives away from races like them. We learn from mistakes and make sure they don’t happen again.”

Fielding's Been Right In The Thick Of The Action All Year - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

It was at Rockingham and Brands Hatch, the two meetings prior to Silverstone, that Fielding really proved his potential. At Rockingham, the teenager overcame a tough qualifying session to fight his way through to two third place finishes, his maiden series podiums. Brands saw Fielding comfortably the fastest runner in free practice, before two top three qualifying positions, however this time the races didn’t go to plan, with just a single ninth place finish to show for the pace.

Fielding said: “Rockingham was a good meeting though with two podiums. We started off quite slow, didn’t have the pace over the weekend, so we really had to work for them in the races. I can really take a lot away from Brands also, being the quickest and I was leading the first race before I got taken out.”

TCF proved to be a lucky charm for Sennan at Silverstone, as hours after we spoke to him, he went and won the first race of the weekend, his maiden Ginetta Junior Championship win. The victory will put him in confident mood heading into the winter and 2012, but just what he’ll be racing in next year is yet to be decided.

Sennan concluded: “We’re just hoping to do anything really, I don’t mind as long as I’m racing. We’re just trying to find sponsorship throughout the winter now and get a few test days in before next year, to see what we can do.”

2011 Ginetta Junior Champion Seb Morris In His Hillspeed Prepared G40J - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ginetta Junior Championship outfit Hillspeed concluded their sensational season in the series with the 2011 team’s title after a great season which saw lead driver Seb Morris take the drivers crown.

The final rounds of the season at Silverstone saw 15 year old Morris add two more podiums to his account for the year, making it sixteen rostrum finishes in twenty races. Battling for the lead in both encounters, Morris dropped to third in the opening race, before just missing out on the win in the final race of the year, taking second.

Jersey racer Struan Moore returned to the grid after missing the last rounds and enjoyed a strong weekend. The 16 year old stormed through from twelfth on the grid to take seventh in race one, but benefitting from a multi-car incident on the final lap of race two to storm through to fourth.

Hillspeed ran three cars for the final weekend, with 14 year old William Palmer joining the team once again. After failing to finish in the opener, his first retirement in five races, Palmer made amends with a great drive in race two rewarded with a tenth place finish.  

Hillspeed principal Richard Ollerenshaw said: “What a year it’s been. From 20 starts Seb has had 20 finishes, 16 podiums and 11 wins – you really can’t say any more than that. It’s been an outstanding year and that’s why he’s ended the season as the champion. He’s done a wonderful job all season long.

“Struan’s come back in outstanding form, he bided his time in the second race and his opportunity came. It would have been nice to get him back on the podium but fourth was great, he has an awful lot of potential and a lot to offer. It’s been great working with him this season and we’d love to see him back out with us again.

 “It’s always exceptionally tough to come into a championship with three quarters of the year already gone, with that in mind William has developed very well indeed. It would have been nice to get six finishes from the six starts he’s made, it wasn’t quite possible but he’s showing a lot of promise and has done another great job this weekend.”

Max Coates - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Max Coates ended his second season in the Ginetta Junior Championship disappointed after slipping to sixth place in the 2011 championship standings, the Coates Garage-run driver having a tough weekend during the final rounds of the yeat at Silverstone.

Max had a tough start to the weekend in qualifying, the privateer sitting bottom of the timesheets in Friday testing, despite being only eight tenths of a second off the pace. His pace transformed overnight though, some changes to the car and his driving being rewarded with top six qualifying results.

Coates said: “In testing we really weren’t on the pace, I think we were last in most the sessions. I learnt what I needed to and knew what I needed to do. We got sixth and fifth in qualifying, going about six or seven tenths quicker than we had done all weekend, which I’d known I was capable of doing. We’d made a couple of changes to the car to make it that bit quicker and it got me those positions on the grid.”

Starting in the top six, Coates had hopes of replicating his podium successes at Thruxton and Brands Hatch earlier this year. He started well, getting into a podium place briefly, before slipping back to fifth, after which contact from behind sent him off track, dropping him to a ninth place finish.

Harron Home-backed Coates commented: “I made a really great start and got stuck behind Seb [Morris], boxed in by him. I pushed on as hard as I could and made a couple at Becketts, which put us to third I believe. We slipped back down the order a little bit, but I was battling well with Charlie [Robertson] and George [Gamble], up in the ball park. Then a little tap from [Jake] Giddings at Luffield sent the back round quite a long way and by the time I corrected it, I more or less ended up in the gravel, so fell back to eighth and lost another position so ended ninth.”

The second race saw Coates once again in the thick of the action, the Pyeroy-backed driver fighting within a four car battle for fourth in the latter stages when contact ahead of him sent a car spinning round. With no-where to go, Max collided with it at high speed, extensively damaging the front of his car and dropping him to a lowly eleventh place finish.

Coates explained: “Again I got a good start, I held it around the outside and stayed fifth. I got another place when somebody went off, so was up to fourth and battling away. I was hoping to get involved in the fight ahead but it didn’t really happen. George [Gamble] then Declan [Jones] got me on the same lap, I was with them. Then on the last lap, I got a good run going into Becketts and was going down the inside. George had done the same to Brad [Bailey] and they made contact, which spun Brad round right in front of me and I hit him fairly hard, which put us down to eleventh at the finish.”

The Lightwater Valley supported driver added:“It meant we lost fifth in the championship which is really gutting, but we’ve still taken it to the big teams as a privateer effort and sixth in the championship is good, we’ve done well.”

*In the coming weeks, The Checkered Flag will feature an in depth interview with Max Coates as he reviews his 2011 season.  

Niall Murray's Ended The Season With Six Consecutive Podiums - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Niall Murray continued his excellent end to the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship with double podium success at Silverstone, a second place in Round Nineteen being followed up by his second win of the season in Round Twenty.

Murray headed into the weekend in positive mood after double podium success at both Rockingham and Brands Hatch, the latter seeing the Irishman pick up his maiden series win. Murray’s Silverstone weekend started well, with his Beacon Racing-prepared Ginetta G40J being right on the pace in Friday testing.

Murray said: “This weekend all I wanted was the win. This was the only track that I’d previously tested on, whereas all the others the Friday testing was the first time I’d seen them. This weekend I’d had some testing done, so I was only a couple of tenths off the quickest in free practice one and a few thousandths in free practice two. I knew then I had the pace to be front row in qualifying.”

2010 Ginetta Junior Ireland champion Murray stuck his car second on the grid for both races in qualifying. Getting into the lead early on in race one, Murray had 2011 champion Seb Morris behind him. A tricky battle came to a head on the penultimate lap when contact from Morris sent them both wide, allowing Sennan Fielding through to win, with Murray getting back on to take second.

The second race saw Murray once again get into the lead, with Morris once again behind him. The duo traded the lead almost every lap, with both drivers determined to end the year with the final win. Murray eventually prevailed to take his second win of the year, the Dubliner ending his year in tremendous style with six consecutive podiums, making it eight in total, to take fourth in the championship standings.

Murray commented: “I got two front rows in qualifying, only a tenth off. The first race I very nearly won, but Seb [Morris] did one of his moves on me and put me off, but I got back on and finished second ahead of him at least. Then the second race, I got into the lead and Seb was right behind me. I knew there would be a bit of contact, so I didn’t make it hard for him to pass, then followed him as I knew he wouldn’t get away. I got past him a couple of times and didn’t touch him at all during the race, though he touched me a fair few times. I ended up on top and am absolutely delighted.

“Coming into the year, I didn’t think I’d be able to get so many podiums and I didn’t really think I’d be able to get a race win either. I aimed for top five if I consistent throughout the year, so fourth in the championship, I’m absolutely delighted. And two race wins, it’s more than I could have asked for.”

Declan Jones Showed Podium Pace At Silverstone - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Teenager Declan Jones shone in the final two rounds of the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship, the Liverpool-based racer concluding his maiden season with strong performances in both races, however contact in both them him finishing lower than deserved.

Jones switched to TJ Motorsport for the final rounds as he evaluates options ahead of 2012 and the move seemed to work, with him right on the pace in Saturday practice, finishing third overall. Qualifying wasn’t quite as positive, ending up ninth, but Jones headed into the first race in confident mood. He stormed up to sixth at the start, however going into Becketts he was hit by one of his rivals. Although able to continue, the cars steering was severely damaged, leaving him to limp home to a fourteenth place finish.  

Declan said: “It has been great with TJ Motorsport from the word go. It is a nice team and everyone is really welcoming. We were good in practice and the car felt strong on Saturday and we had really high hopes. I felt I should have been a bit higher in qualifying but I just couldn’t quite hook up a lap with a really good tow.

“Then in the first race we went from ninth to sixth at the start. It was going well. But after the contact the steering was destroyed – you have holding points for the steering wheel and they were literally bent the opposite way they should have been – and all I could do was bring it home.”

The second race, televised live, saw Declan make another great start, up to fifth at the end of the first tour. Briefly slipping back to sixth, he regained the spot on lap six and ran with the leading pack. On the last lap though, contact ahead left 16 year old Jones with nowhere to go, leaving him going off track, recovering to finish thirteenth.

Chicago Soft-backed Jones explained: “I had a fantastic start again, probably one of my best of the year. I was able to do the same lap times as everyone in front of me and I was running right up with them. But then it all kicked off directly ahead of me on the very final lap with three corners to go – and I was taken out, again. I guess it was a racing incident. It is racing at the end of the day and you have got to get on with it, although it is obviously disappointing.

“It has been an eventful weekend and while the results might not show it, it was very positive. With a bit of better luck we could definitely have got a podium, but still the pace was there. I have learnt loads this year. The set-up is now very good and with fine tweaking I think it could easily be a winning car.”

Declan ends his rookie campaign thirteenth in the standings, with impressive consistency seeing him score points in seventeen of the twenty races. Jones now looks ahead to the Ginetta Junior Winter Series, which will see them race four times at Snetterton on November 5/6.

Declan added: “I am really looking forward to the Winter Cup. This weekend has been another massive confidence booster. It will be good to go back to Snetterton having raced there in August too. It is a nice track. I will be going into it hoping to come away with some trophies. I’m determined to try and get a podium there.”

Declan’s dad and manager Kelvin Jones added: “The race today was probably Declan’s best of the year. Knockhill may be his best results wise, as he was fifth, but today he was extremely fast. He has been very quick throughout the weekend and I think we could have had near-on-a-podium in both races. Dec was just unlucky to be twice taken out. The positive though is the speed. We knew we were going to get there and we most definitely have.

“We have the Winter Cup to focus on now and we will again run with TJ Motorsport. I wanted to get a feel for them this weekend and we will do the same at Snetterton. We will then look to finalise our plans for 2012. I am convinced with the right package Declan can be a championship contender next year.”

2011 Ginetta Junior Championship Vice-Champion Charlie Robertson - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Teenage sensation Charlie Robertson ended his fantastic debut season in car racing with a ninth podium of the year at Silverstone, securing the HHC Motorsport driver a sensational second place in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship.

The 14 year old has hit the headlines all year, taking three wins in his first year and he hoped to put himself in the spotlight once again at Silverstone. The youngster could only qualify eighth on the grid for the opening race though, but started well to gain a place on the opening lap, before slowing working his way through the field to take fourth. In a tight race, Robertson couldn’t hold the spot, slipping to sixth at the finish.

The result was enough to seal the runner-up spot in the championship though, allowing Charlie to head into the last race with the sole intention of enjoying himself. Lining up sixth, a spin by a rival ahead on the opening lap caused Robertson to go off in avoidance dropping him to eleventh. A spirited fight back saw him slice his way through to seventh at the start of the final lap, before contact between four rivals ahead allowed him to dive through for a podium finish.

Charlie said: “We got a pretty bad start to the second race, I ended up in about 10th or 11th place but we managed to work our way back through the pack. Then the four people in front of me had a coming together on the last lap which put us up into third – I wasn’t expecting that at all!

“I could see Seb (Morris) and Niall (Murray) battling hard in front of me and I hoped they might make a bit of a mistake too which would put me through for another win. That wasn’t to be but we ended up third which is great for the last round of the championship, I’m really pleased.

“Second in the championship is fantastic, the team has done an absolutely great job all year and we’ve had some great races. Thanks to my mum and dad and the team for giving me so much support this season. This weekend hasn’t been our best of the season but we were still able to take away two good results so I’m really happy. We’ve shown how quick we are so hopefully we can come back next year and try and win the championship.”

Seb Morris Taking His Sixteenth Podium Of The Season - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

2011 Ginetta Junior Champion Seb Morris added to his already remarkable season with two more podiums finishes in the final rounds at Silverstone, making it sixteen rostrum visits in twenty races for the Hillspeed ace.

The 15 year old started fourth for the opening race and held the place until lap three, where he passed two rivals to get himself into the top two. Morris closed up on the race leader and started challenging for the lead. It soon became a three way duel for the top spot, with Morris slipping back to finish third after a tremendously close battle.

In race two, the Liberty Properties and Legat Owen-supported driver started fourth once again, but was instantly into the top three, which he then made second further around the opening lap. Instantly pressuring leader Niall Murray, the duo had a tremendous battle throughout the race, switching positions almost every lap, with Morris just missing out, the duo split by just 0,096s on the line.

Morris said: “It was really tough racing, perhaps a bit too tough at times, but I did the best I could. It was a great race and just a shame we didn’t take the win, it really would have been fantastic to finish off the season back on the top step of the podium. I’ve taken 11 wins though this year so I think I’ve had my fair share!

“We finished 20 out of 20 races which is just outstanding and also with 16 out of 20 podiums. It’s been an incredible season and shows the hard work the whole team has put in, I want to thank them for everything this year – it really has been amazing.”

 Keep an eye on The Checkered Flag over the upcoming weeks for our interview with the 2011 Ginetta Junior Champion Seb Morris.

Seb Morris And Niall Murray Fighting Hard For The Final Win Of The Year - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Irishman Niall Murray ended 2011 on a high with a hard fought victory in the final round of the Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone, the Beacon Racing driver coming out on top of a race long duel with Seb Morris.

TJ Motorsport’s Brad Bailey started the race from pole, but a lightning start from Murray saw the 2010 Ginetta Junior Ireland champion take the lead, with Bailey holding second around Copse, before 2011 champion Morris dived past at Becketts.

As Morris challenging Murray straight away for the lead, behind, Sennan Fielding spun out of fourth place at Brooklands, the TJ Motorsport driver planting his car in the middle of the track, with Jake Giddings amongst a few drivers having to go off track in avoidance. This promoted Max Coates into fourth ahead of George Gamble.

At the front, the top two started a titanic battle for the lead, which would last the whole race. Morris got by for the first time at Becketts on lap three, but Murray fought his way back past on the inside down the start finish line, surviving slight contact as Morris drove into the side of him.

This allowed the three behind to get on their rear, making it a five way battle for the lead, with Bailey making it three abreast briefly at Brooklands, though they came out in the same order. Lap six saw Morris regain the lead at Becketts, but Murray was soon all over him and got by again on lap eight, another great run out of Luffield seeing him draw past.

Morris got him back with an identical move on the next lap, but once again the positions changed further around the lap as Dublin-based Murray passed at Becketts. As they approached the final lap, the duo ran side by side on the run to Brooklands, but held off Morris’ charge to take the win, his second of the year; the Irishman celebrating with his arms out the window before he’d even crossed the line.

Behind, Bailey held third until the final lap, but a move by team-mate Gamble at Becketts ended in contact, with the following Coates and Declan Jones also getting caught up, all four drivers heading off circuit. This promoted Charlie Robertson to his ninth podium of the season in third, with Struan Moore fourth and William Foster fifth.

Taking a superb sixth on his debut weekend in the series was Andrew Watson, ahead of experienced racers Tom Howard and Patrick McClughan, with TJ Motorsport duo Gamble and Bailey recovering from their off to complete the top ten. Coates took eleventh ahead of Oliver Chadwick and Jones, while completing the fifteen finishers were Jake Giddings and Fielding after their earlier off track excursions.  

A delighted Murray said: “It was unbelievably tough; there was no lap that I wasn’t defending at all. Every single lap defending from Seb [Morris], sometimes I didn’t want to keep over defending and risk getting knocked off, so he managed to slip through a couple of times and I just followed him and got back past. On the final lap there were a good few bumps from behind, but I managed to keep it on the road. It’s fantastic and hopefully I can find the budget to come back next year and go for the championship.”

Morris added: “That was one of the toughest races of the year and one of the most fun. Whenever I tried to get past there was always a little bit of contact but that’s just how it is. I managed to challenge for the win, despite being on three race old tyres, because we used all our fresh ones earlier in the year to try and build the championship lead, which paid dividends in the championship. They started to go off in that race, so whenever I got ahead of Niall [Murray] I couldn’t get clear.”