The Ginetta Junior Championship is the UK’s longest and most reputable junior series and returns again for the 2019 season kicking off at Brands Hatch on the 6/7 of April, supporting the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
The 2019 season will see a number of returning drivers as well as many debutants. 2018 championship winner Adam Smalley moves up the Ginetta ladder, progressing to the Ginetta GT5 Challenge so there will be no reigning champion to defend their title.
Championship winning team Elite Motorsport will be hoping to maintain their success with a three-car lineup. Ginetta winter series winner at Brands Hatch, James Hedley joins the ranks along with rookie talent Joel Pearson and second-year contestant Tom Emson.
James Taylor returns with Richardson Racing after taking a top six finish overall last season. Richardson Racing will also be entering newcomer Casper Stevenson and second season entrant Will Martin.
After partial campaigns in 2018, Lorcan Hanafin and Gus Burton are set to compete full campaigns with Douglas Motorsport. Douglas Motorsport will also run rookies Bailey Voisin, Zak O’Sullivan and Freddie Tomlinson.
Premiership Academy Racing will have a four-car lineup consisting of two rookies, Charlie Mclead and Molly Dodd, who will be joined by experienced duo Ben O’hare and 2017 Brands Hatch race winner Harry Dyson.
Ginetta scholarship winner Ethan Brooke’s is one entrant of the impressive six-car lineup from Total Control Racing. The team are set to house a further two championship debutants, Will Rochford and Haytham Qarajouli. The other three entrants, Ethan Hasley, Daniel Gale and Theo Edgerton all have previous Ginetta junior experience from 2018.
This season there are two new teams to join the grid. TOCA paddock stalwarts In2Racing are branching into the Ginetta Juniors and will enter rookies Roman Bilinski and in partnership with R-Racing, Josh Rattican.
Experienced Ginetta team SVG Motorsport are also new to the junior grid for 2019 and will run debutant Frankie Taylor.
For many drivers, the Ginetta Junior championship is the first step in the motorsport ladder from karting. The championship is a proven tool in the development of young drivers with Lando Norris and Tom Ingram being two of many to have kick-started their car careers in the juniors.
Keep an eye on the championship this year as you never know where the drivers will end up in the future!
