JHR Developments boss Steven Hunter has described the performance of Dan Zelos at Thruxton as “exceptional” and “flawless” after the rookie carded his maiden Ginetta Junior Championship victory.
Zelos ended team-mate and championship leader Jack Mitchell’s early season winning streak with a superb drive in the opening race of the weekend, making it five wins in a row for the JHR team.
The 15 year old moved up from his third place grid slot to second during a chaotic first trip through the complex, before seizing on a mistake from the early leader to grab the advantage on lap four. A composed drive saw him lead the remainder of the race for his first win.
Zelos went on to follow up the victory with another great drive to a second podium finish with third in race two, moving him up to fifth in the championship standings – results Hunter is “chuffed to bits” with.
“It was, quite simply, an exceptional weekend for Dan,” said JHR Developments team principal Steven Hunter. “He showed genuine promise during testing at Thruxton, so we were positive he would be in the mix for a couple of good results and felt a podium might be on the cards, but to win exceeded all expectations.
“He drove flawlessly throughout and never put a foot wrong. He displayed an immense degree of confidence and maturity to take the lead in race one and then get his head down and pull out a substantial gap over the others – and with the limited car racing experience that he has, that was hugely impressive.
“I’m chuffed to bits – I could tell Dan was good when we first ran him in last year’s Winter Series, and the progress he has made since then underlines just how good he is…”
