Dan Zelos has told The Checkered Flag that he is “very happy” to have finished in the top four of the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship as he brings his two year spell in the category to an end.
Zelos was a regular front-runner throughout his second Junior campaign with JHR Developments, with a double podium finish at Oulton Park joined by other top three finishes at Thruxton, Snetterton, Knockhill, Silverstone and Brands Hatch GP.
While a championship challenge didn’t materialise for the Evergreen Tyres-backed racer, he expressed his pride at overcoming troubles through the season to consistently battle at the front of the competitive field.
“I’d have obviously loved to have come in and won the championship this year, but to finish in the top four, I’m still very happy,” Zelos told TCF during the season finale weekend.
“There’s a lot of great drivers on the grid this year, so to be in the fight for the top three all year was good, though it’s a shame to miss out on third. We’ve had some highs and lows this season that’s for sure, and I think I’ve proven at times that I’m certainly fast enough.”
Zelos acknowledges that he there were high expectations for him heading into this season after a sparkling rookie campaign which featured two outright race wins, and while frustrated not to return to the top step of the podium this campaign, he says he is pleased with the progress he made.
“I had a great rookie season and that put me as one of the ‘ones to watch’ this year, and with our results last season it might be hard to see on paper how much we’ve improved this time around,” he reflected.
Zelos Finished In The Top Six Thirteen Times This Season – Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
“I feel the competition was higher this season and whilst I didn’t get a win, I definitely feel in myself that I’ve developed massively as a driver over the course of the season.
“I kept myself out of trouble, I was consistently quicker circuit to circuit through the year compared to last year and if we hadn’t have had the various problems we did during the season, we could well have had more top results.”
Bringing his time in the championship to an end with a total of 31 top ten results to his name including 16 podium finishes, Zelos feels he is now ready to move onto “bigger things” next season with a couple of other BTCC support championships his preferred options.
“In my first step into car-racing, I feel I’ve got everything I needed out of my time in this championship, I’ve won races, I’ve got challenged at the front throughout my two seasons and I’ve developed as a driver,” he concluded.
“I feel I can now go into senior championships ready for whatever I’ll come up against, and the team do so as well and they’re keen to keep me on for whatever we do next year. I’d love to try something new, but also stay on the TOCA package, the atmosphere is amazing and it’s perfect for the sponsors.
“The Ginetta GT5 Challenge is always there as an option as we already have the car, but the Clio Cup and MSA Formula are the two I’m really interested in and we’re hoping to do a test in both of them to get a taster.”
