Daniel Harper says he “can’t believe it’s all come together for the title” after securing the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship ‘Rookie Cup’ crown this past weekend at Brands Hatch.
Just shy of twelve months on from winning the coveted Ginetta Junior Scholarship, the Northern Irishman was crowned the Rookie champion following a rollercoaster season finale.
The 15 year old competed across the meeting in a new Ginetta G40 following his big accident at Silverstone last month, which he took to a strong sixth overall in qualifying.
Knowing that a poor finish or retirement could spell the end of his title dreams, Harper would go on to produce two calculated performances in Sunday’s two races.
Sixth overall in the opener secured him a fifteenth Rookie class podium finish of the campaign, which he followed up with an intelligent drive to ninth overall in race two to wrap up the title.
The Rookie success caps off a hugely impressive campaign for the Douglas Motorsport ace, which also featured seven overall top three finishes including race wins at Donington Park and Snetterton.
“I can’t believe I’ve finally won the title in the very last race. It’s been a tough season, full of highs and lows, so it’s fantastic to come away with the Rookie honours,” said Harper.
“The last few races have been really difficult for me, so I knew I just had to keep chipping away this weekend. I knew I needed to keep my head and drive smartly, take the positions I could cleanly but not take too many risks. I can’t believe it’s all come together for the title.
“I owe Ginetta so much, as without the scholarship I would have been sat at home watching the racing. All the team at Douglas Motorsport have been fantastic too, they worked so hard and helped me so much this year. It’s been an incredible season and I’m delighted with how it ended.”
