Following a thrilling, action-packed 2016 Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship season, we’ve crunched the numbers to see how Will Tregurtha emerged as the latest champion in the BTCC support series.
A full breakdown of all the key statistics for the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship season is below:
Race Wins
7 – Stuart Middleton
6 – Will Tregurtha
3 – Dave Wooder
2 – Lewis Brown, Daniel Harper, Harry King
1 – Seb Perez, Geri Nicosia, Seb Priaulx
Podium Finishes
14 – Middleton
13 – Tregurtha
12 – Wooder
7 – Brown, Harper
6 – Priaulx
5 – King
4 – Perez
2 – Charlie Fagg, Nicosia, Tom Wood
1 – Connor Grady
Top Six Finishes
22 – Tregurtha
18 – Brown
16 – Middleton, Wooder
11 – King
10 – Nicosia, Harper, Priaulx
7 – Fagg, Roberts
6 – Perez
4 – Wood
3 – Hornby, Grady, Tom Gamble
2 – Max Bird
1 – Jordan Collard, Olli Caldwell
Top Ten Finishes
23 – Tregurtha
22 – Middleton
21 – Brown, Nicosia
20 – Wooder
17 – Fagg, Harper
15 – Priaulx
14 – Perez
13 – King
12 – Hornby
11 – Wood
10 – Grady
9 – Roberts, Gamble
5 – Bird
4 – Caldwell
3 – Enzo Fittipaldi, Collard
1 – Harry Dyson
The Juniors produced nine different race-winners this season, which is by far a new championship record, comfortably beating the previous best of six. Out of those winners, only Brown had previously won a race in the series, the rest being first-time victors.
This is the first season since 2010 in which the series vice-champion has won more races than the champion, with Middleton taking more wins than any other non-champion in the previous four seasons, while Tom Ingram in 2010 was the last champion to win less races than Tregurtha.
Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Pole Positions
3 – Tregurtha
2 – Middleton, Priaulx
1 – Wooder, Brown, Perez
Top Three Qualifying Results
6 – Tregurtha, Wooder
5 – Middleton
4 – Brown
3 – Perez, King, Priaulx
Top Six Qualifying Results
9 – Tregurtha, Priaulx
8 – Perez
7 – Middleton, Wooder
5 – Brown, Harper
4 – Fagg
3 – King
1 – Hornby, Nicosia, Roberts
Qualifying Average
2.67 – Tregurtha
4.30 – Middleton
4.90 – Wooder, Priaulx
6.10 – Perez
6.20 – Brown
7.20 – Harper
8.30 – Fagg
8.83 – Gamble
10.00 – Nicosia
Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Races Led
12 – Middleton
11 – Tregurtha
8 – Brown
5 – Wooder, Harper
4 – Perez
3 – King
2 – Priaulx
1 – Roberts
Laps Led
58 – Middleton
55 – Tregurtha
35 – Brown
30 – Wooder
21 – Harper
19 – Perez
13 – King
3 – Roberts, Priaulx
Miles Led
110.49 – Middleton
104.34 – Tregurtha
70.25 – Brown
49.63 – Wooder
46.91 – Harper
27.49 – Perez
25.31 – King
5.94 – Roberts
4.17 – Priaulx
Fastest Laps
7 – Middleton
5 – Brown
3 – Wooder, Harper, Tregurtha
1 – King, Roberts, Perez, Nicosia
Middleton and Tregurtha were incredibly well-matched through the season in terms of laps led, having left Rockingham on equal terms, with Middleton eventually emerging with the most courtesy of the four laps he led during the season finale, when Tregurtha was absent.
Both drivers would have a conversation rate of just over 50% for races led, with Middleton winning seven of the twelve he headed and Tregurtha six of eleven. The worst success rate would be by Brown though, who only won two of the eight races he led through the campaign.
Roberts would end the season as the only driver to lead a race but not take a victory, while on the other side, Nicosia holds the honour of being a race-winner despite never leading a lap – his success at Knockhill having come following post-race judicials.
Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Biggest Points Haul From A Two Race Weekend
71 – Tregurtha (Oulton Park)
67 – Middleton (Brands Hatch Indy)
65 – Brown (Brands Hatch GP)
62 – Harper (Snetterton), Middleton (Brands Hatch GP)
61 – Wooder (Thruxton)
60 – Tregurtha (Thruxton)
57 – Tregurtha (Snetterton), King (Snetterton)
56 – Wooder (Brands Hatch Indy), Middleton (Oulton Park)
55 – Tregurtha (Brands Hatch Indy)
Biggest Points Haul From A Three Race Weekend
100 – Wooder (Silverstone)
91 – Harper (Donington Park)
89 – Tregurtha (Rockingham)
84 – Priaulx (Silverstone)
82 – Middleton (Donington Park)
80 – Brown (Donington Park)
79 – Nicosia (Knockhill)
77 – Tregurtha (Knockhill)
76 – Middleton (Rockingham)
With triple header meetings re-introduced for the first time this season since a one-off for the 2007 season finale, Wooder’s Silverstone heroics did not only secure him the biggest points haul of the season, but also of championship history.
For the double-header meetings meanwhile, Tregurtha was just two points off a perfect score at Oulton Park, having missed out on both fastest laps on offer. The last 73 out of 73 points score was by Jack Mitchell in the 2014 season opener.
Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Rookie Cup Wins
7 – King, Priaulx
6 – Harper
2 – Wood
1 – Bird, Fittipaldi, Collard
Rookie Cup Podiums
15 – Harper
14 – King, Priaulx
10 – Wood
8 – Gamble
4 – Caldwell, Bird
3 – Collard
2 – Fittipaldi
1 – Dyson
Places Gained From Grid Position
69 – Wood
62 – Roberts
59 – Wooder
58 – King
54 – Nicosia
52 – Grady
50 – Brown
48 – Collard
38 – Fagg, Harper
36 – Hornby
35 – Middleton
32 – Perez
31 – Skiba
29 – Anthony Ayres
While Wood gained the most places across the season, Roberts’ tally impressively came in ten races less at an average of 4.13 places per race – with two standout drives in particular, 20th to 5th in race three at Croft, and 19th to 6th in race two at Donington Park.
There were eight instances in total of drivers gaining ten or more places in a single race this year, with Roberts’ tally of fifteen from Croft being the highest. Fagg and Middleton matched his next best of thirteen, while Wooder, Middleton and Collard (twice) were the others to make big moves.
It was King who would move forwards in the most races meanwhile, doing so in 17 of the 25 races, with his Elite Motorsport team-mate Wood and Nicosia close behind with 16. The average of the drivers that completed over half a season was 11.5 races.
If you missed it, you can read our full season review of the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship by clicking here, while a champions interview with Will Tregurtha is here.
