Europe’s leading short-circuit car constructor and race engineers RCE will field a pair of G40s in the 2018 Ginetta Junior Championship with support from experienced racer Tim Sugden. Sugden, a winner in both BTCC and GTs as well as a manager for drivers including Sam Tordoff and Will Stevens, will bring over 30 years’ of knowledge of the sport to help the team’s young drivers to make the transition from karting or just start circuit racing.
“From being a driver himself to nurturing youngsters through their careers, Tim has done it all,” says RCE team principal Dave Richardson. “Tim’s knowledge, contacts in the BTCC paddock together with our expertise developing and competing spaceframe race cars and the fact we are a close, family team provides junior drivers with the experience, equipment and environment to start racing.”
“Starting out in motorsport isn’t easy but it’s very easy to make costly mistakes,” adds Sugden. “Ours is a hard sport to get into. Having engineers that understand how to set up a safe, predictable car twinned with my knowledge of how this sport works, means RCE can offer a reassuring environment for drivers and parents.”
Whilst better known as a short circuit specialist, RCE will also draw upon its experience from running Will Tregurtha in his debut race season in 2015. Tregurtha, who went on to win the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship before securing the British GT4 title in 2017, is also planned to be part of the driver coaching line-up. "When I made the switch from karting, I found RCE offered the perfect place to learn," says Tregurtha. "RCE's chassis knowledge was vital as I started to learn about race car set up. We picked up five class podiums in that first season in Ginetta Juniors and I look forward to helping RCE's 2018 drivers achieve similar success - and better!"
With a record eight world titles and 15 national points championships for its F2 and Superstox designs, RCE is the most successful manufacturer in short circuit racing and will continue to design, build and prepare stock cars alongside the Ginetta team. “We’ve recently expanded our staff to be able to run simultaneous programmes,” adds Richardson.
RCE will offer opportunities for prospective drivers to test with the team in January.
