Ginetta GT4 Supercup

Ladell Takes Early Supercup Lead With Brands Hatch Wins

2 Mins read
Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography/Ginetta Cars

Charlie Ladell holds a three point lead over Carl Boardley atop the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup standings after the duo shared the victories during the Brands Hatch season opener.

While Ladell tasted success in the first two races, his breakthrough wins in the category, Boardley took the chequered flag in the reverse grid race three.

Ladell put his Rob Boston Racing G55 on pole position in qualifying, with series newcomer Angus Fender impressing with the second fastest time.

Fender’s spell at the front was short-lived though as a contact-induced spin at Druids on lap one ended with him receiving heavy contact from Grahame Tilley and Adam Shepherd.

After a red flag stoppage, Ladell made the most of having the front row to himself at the restart and streaked clear of Boardley and Harry King – the top three staying the same to the finish.

The main action of the race came in the battle for fourth, with Reece Somerfield soaking up immense pressure to take the spot, with Tom Hibbert grabbing fifth late from Tom Roche.

Overnight rain meant the field tackled tricky conditions in race two, with it proving to be a war of attrition as only ten of the eighteen cars reached the finish.

Leading them was Ladell who secured another lights-to-flag victory, with Boardley only starting to put him under some pressure in the closing stages.

That came after Boardley emerged from a four car battle for second which ended in tears for Hibbert and Roche as contact between them led to both finishing in the gravel.

King would therefore recover from a slow start to take a second podium of an impressive debut weekend for the Ginetta Junior graduate, with Jac Constable close behind.

The reverse grid draw put Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke on pole position for the live-televised race three, however a poor opening lap saw him drop to sixth.

King assumed the race lead however it was short-lived as he received a ten second penalty for a false start, meaning despite leading to the finish he was put back to seventh.

Boardley therefore assumed the race lead and went on to take a fourth career Supercup win, while Ladell looked set for second before getting a late track limits time penalty.

Therefore Roche was classified second after finishing fourth on the road, with Ladell completing the podium ahead of debutant Carl Shield, who enjoyed a good battle with Constable.

In the AM class, a sensational debut weekend from Michael Crees saw him take pole position and win all three races on the road, though two of his victories were lost in the stewards room.

Contact with Jack Minshaw and Alex Taylor in races one and three respectively led to time penalties and dropped him to second and fourth in class in the final results.

The reigning GRDC+ champion’s best performance came in race two though as he stormed clear of his Am rivals and went on to finish an incredible sixth overall.

Minshaw was promoted to the race one victory with Taylor completing the podium, while Minshaw and debutant Lee Frost took race two podiums after Taylor’s race ended in the barriers.

Taylor would have double disappointment as contact with Crees in race three left him stranded in the gravel trap, with that being the incident that eventually led to a penalty for the class winner.

Minshaw therefore took a second class victory to move into the early points lead, while two-time Am class champion Colin White and David Brooks took their first podiums of the weekend.

Full race results and the championship standings can be found here: http://tsl-timing.com/event/181403

Avatar photo
4148 posts

About author
Simon is an experienced journalist and PR officer, who has worked in the national motorsport paddocks for over a decade, primarily on the BTCC support package.
Articles
Related posts
FeaturesGinetta GT4 SupercupGinetta Series

Farewell To The Ginetta GT4 SuperCup

8 Mins read
A look back at the history of the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, which ran from 2011 to 2022, with input from the likes of Tom Ingram, Adam Morgan and Harry King.
British GTBTCCGinetta GT ChampionshipGinetta GT4 SupercupGinetta GT5 ChallengeGinetta Junior

Ginetta announce series restructure with SRO, ending TOCA partnership

2 Mins read
Ginetta set to leave the BTCC/TOCA package in 2023 as they bring three championships under one package alongside the British GT Championship.
Ginetta GT4 Supercup

Ginetta Jr. vice-champion Josh Rattican steps up to Ginetta GT4 SuperCup

1 Mins read
After a stellar year in Ginetta Juniors, Josh Rattican is making the move up to Ginetta GT4 SuperCup for 2021.