Talented young sportscar racer Matt Chapman will remain with top Ginetta Junior Championship team Total Control Racing for the 2015 season it is confirmed this morning, Monday, 2nd February, as the 15-year-old bids to challenge for his first podiums in car racing.
Debuting in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship support series last year with TCR during the team’s maiden season in the category, the Oxford youngster made consistent progress to end the campaign in 13th place overall with a best result of seventh and eight other top 10 finishes.
Staying with the Wednesbury team for the end-of-year Winter Series, Chapman made a terrific start and just missed out on a maiden rostrum visit with a top four result during the opening round. While damage sustained in race two curtailed his involvement in the mini championship, the pace shown in the opener underlined his clear potential.
“Matt was a pleasure to work with last year in Ginetta Junior and we’re delighted he’ll be back with us for the new season”, said TCR team principal Lee Brookes, “He’s a very talented young racer and made some good improvements last year, there’s a huge amount of promise to build on. As soon as he takes that first podium, I know the floodgates will open for many more.”
Prior to his move into car racing 12 months ago, Chapman only had two seasons of kart racing under his belt but developed his racecraft strongly during that time. Debuting in the Comer Cadet British Championship in 2012, he graduated into the Mini Max class of the Super 1 National Championship the following year.
Testing a Ginetta Junior car for the first time in 2013, the youngster entered that year’s Ginetta Junior Scholarship and showcased his skills impressively. Despite just missing out on the prize of a funded drive in last year’s championship, Chapman made a very strong impression.
Now, for his second season in the ultra-competitive sportscar series, the TCR driver is aiming to become a regular front-runner with the multiple race-winning squad and to challenge for his maiden podium results in the televised series.
“My aim this year is to be as competitive as I can and to do as well as possible”, said Chapman, “I want to build on the experience I gained last year with TCR, especially from the Winter Series where everything went extremely well initially. We definitely made good improvements over the year.
“It’s fantastic I’m staying with TCR, the team provides a really good environment for its drivers and I really enjoy working with Lee, Kenny and the rest of the team. Lee’s racing experience, as a driver and team principal, is really valuable to learn from. It should hopefully be a great season.”
Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent will host the opening two races of the 20 round Ginetta Junior Championship season over Easter weekend, 4th/5th April.
