James Kellett took a pair of victories on the opening day of the 2013 ATL Racing Fuel Cells Ginetta Junior Winter Series at Snetterton.
Kellett fought off pole-sitter Jamie Chadwick in a close-fight in the day’s opening race, before utterly dominating race two in wet conditions to put one hand on the Winter Series title heading into Sunday.
2012 Ginetta Scholarship winner Chadwick had led the way in the morning’s qualifying session, taking pole positions for both the day’s seven-lap races.
Her lead was short-lived in the opening race though, with reigning Rookie Cup winner Kellett grabbing the lead on the opening lap. Chadwick ran on his tail for the majority of the race but was unable to find a way past, Kellett taking the win by just 1.1 seconds.
Series debutant Alex Reed moved up to third past Ben Pearson on the opening lap and ran there for the remainder of the encounter to cap a superb first Ginetta race for the former Fiesta Junior racer.
Pearson meanwhile slipped back to fifth behind Jack Mitchell, with Harry Hardy joining them for a great three-way battle for fourth. Mitchell fended them off to take the place, with Pearson fifth and Hardy an impressive sixth after starting ninth.
William Taylforth and series debutant Luis Gonzalez-Martinez followed their HHC Motorsport team-mate home to complete the top eight ahead of Jack Rawles and Ryan Hadfield.
Race two proved to be a very wet race, conditions that seemed to perfectly suit Kellett. Grabbing the lead on the opening lap, the HHC Motorsport ace didn’t look back as he stormed to a sensational 27 second victory.
He was handed the lead after a mistake for Chadwick dropped her to sixth on a chaotic opening lap. Taylforth moved up from fourth on the grid into second ahead of Pearson, Ryan Hadfield and a quick-starting Hardy.
The action continued on lap two, with Taylforth’s run in second being short-lived as a mistake at Murrays led to him spinning back to eleventh. Chadwick fought back through the pack to end the lap second from Pearson and Hadfield, with Hardy being another spinner, dropping from fourth to ninth.
Chadwick’s battle for a podium finish came to an end on lap four though, a mistake at Oggies ending her race. Further behind, Mitchell was another driver to hit trouble with a spin at Hamilton, his G40 being collected by Taylforth, leading to the latter’s retirement.
Pearson was promoted to second briefly, but soon fell back behind Hadfield and Reed. He regained the place on the final lap though when both drivers ahead went off, with Pearson securing second ahead of Rawles,
Pearson promoted to second briefly, but fell back behind Ryan Hadfield and Reed. Regained the place the final lap though when both went off, promoting Pearson back to second ahead of Rawles.
Reed and Hadfield ended up sixth and seventh respectively, with Hardy and Mitchell having recovered from their misdemeanours to take fourth and fifth respectively. Dan Zelos bounced back from a race one retirement to take eighth ahead of Gonzalez-Martinez and James Webb.
Full race results can be found here: http://tsl-timing.com/msvr/2013/134552gjw.pdf
