Former karters Ryan Hadfield and Ben Pearson have become the latest drivers to sign up to the 2013 Ginetta Juior Championship.
15 year old Hadfield will run with HHC Motorsport’s new-for 2013 ‘Junior Race Car Academy’ team, having raced with the team in the 2012 ATL Fuel Cells Ginetta Junior Winter Series, taking a best finish of eighth.
Hadfield said; “It has been my ambition to get into sports car racing for a few years now, and given the great racing I have seen whilst watching the Ginetta Junior Championship, it seemed the obvious way forward.”
The Junior Race Car Academy will operate as a standalone team, headed by Jimmy Sime, with driver coaching supplied by Phil House, Simon Shaw and Chris Jones.
“We have been operating the Junior Race Car Academy for three years now, purely as a training facility; clearly this has given rise to great success including multiple race winners and fastest laps from an ever growing list of its graduates,” added Charlie Kemp, Team Principal for HHC Motorsport.
“We saw an opportunity which will enable us to cater for privateers just like Ryan and his father Rob. It provides a structured way of going racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship that offers them the performance benefits of a team, whilst looking after their own car and in doing so, giving them the independence and cost saving that they require.”
Fellow fifteen year old Pearson meanwhile joins the series after impressing the judges in the recent Ginetta Junior Scholarship contest. The 2012 N.K.R.A Southern and Dunkeswell karting champion will run as a privateer in his debut season of car racing.
“After doing the Junior Ginetta Scholarship and finishing in the top 10, I have thought of nothing else but to compete in the 2013 Ginetta Junior championship. I think now is the right time to step up from karts,” said Pearson.
“My dad has now obtained a Ginetta G40 and has raised the funds for the upcoming season and I am really excited about the challenge. I know it will be a tough season with strong competition but that just makes me more determined to succeed. I would also like to thank Ginetta for organising the Scholarship.”
