Hillspeed’s Tom Ingram secured his, and the team’s, first ever Ginetta Junior Championship race win at Thruxton in Hampshire yesterday afternoon, Saturday, 3rd April, during the race debut for the brand new Ginetta G40 car.
Picking up where the outgoing G20 ‘Junior’ racer left off, the Leeds-based marque’s new charger helped provide expectedly action-packed racing at the ultra-fast 2.35-mile circuit and with the added spice of a damp track, the Ginetta Junior competitors delivered a hugely entertaining start to 2010.
Sharing the podium with High Wycombe-based Ingram were Team Parker Racing’s Chris Swanwick in second place – another of the teams new to the Ginetta Junior Championship – and TJ Motorsport’s Louise Richardson in third, the Grantham driver’s maiden podium.
On a wet track during the opening Free Practice session, Ingram led the way by some four 10ths of a second from Swanwick and Richardson with rookie Jody Fannin an impressive fourth, multiple race winner Jake Hill fifth and Finlay Ratcliffe rounding out the top six.
In qualifying though, Hill set the pace and took pole position for both of the weekend’s races with times of 1m33.238 seconds (90.96mph) and 1m33.382 seconds. Ingram locked-out second place for both encounters with Swanwick and Richardson doing likewise for third and fourth spots. Reigning Ginetta Junior Champion Sarah Moore was fifth fastest and her younger brother David was sixth.
Even though a dry-line was progressively appearing ahead of the first race of the new season, grip was still tricky. That said, all of the drivers managed to get away from the grid relatively cleanly with Richardson, in particular, making an excellent start from the outside of row two to challenge Ingram around the outside through the first corner, Allard.
While Hill maintained the lead from pole position, Ingram had a spin at the complex and dropped from second place down to seventh position. Swanwick, therefore, moved up to second with Richardson third, David Moore in fourth, Alex Austin in fifth place and Sarah Moore in sixth.
Hill continued to lead well for the next few laps but a battle with David Moore, who passed Richardson on lap two, came to a head on the fifth tour when the pair went off at the complex. This allowed Swanwick to take the lead for the first time ahead of an inspired Ingram, who had managed to fight his way back up the order after his lap one indiscretion, and the ever-present Richardson.
Hill rejoined in fifth, behind Sarah Moore yet ahead of her sibling David, with Adam Bonham in seventh place, Austin in eighth and the youngest driver in the championship, 14-year-old Seb Morris, an impressive ninth ahead of Fannin. On lap six it was Sarah’s turn to have a spin, at the fearsome Church Corner, but she did recover onto the track and eventually finished just outside the top 10.
At the start of lap seven, Ingram was right on the tail of Swanwick’s car and into the complex he made no mistakes this time by taking the lead. Richardson continued to hold the final podium spot ahead of David Moore but behind, Hill had another unfortunate moment to lose ground again.
The Tollbar racer battled back once more and did manage to record a fifth place finish, just a 10th of a second behind sparring partner David Moore at the chequered flag and nine 10ths ahead of Team Parker Racing’s Bonham.
Experienced competitors Austin and Tom Howard were seventh and eighth respectively while ninth placed Fannin also secured the fastest lap, 1m41.632 seconds. The top 10 was completed by Tockwith’s Maverick Domene, 3.4 seconds clear of 2009 champion Sarah Moore, with Morris eventually finishing in 12th place.
Ingram drove a controlled final couple of laps to take a richly deserved, and very hard fought, maiden victory in Ginetta Junior with Swanwick second and Richardson making her first ever visit to the podium in third place – eight seconds clear of the chasing pack.
Speaking on his win, Ingram said: “That has to be the best race of my life, it was absolutely fantastic! We went well from the start of practice and since we joined with Hillspeed, we’ve really moved up and raised our game. I made a mistake on the first lap with a spin at the complex but to come back from that...I’m speechless. I want to thank everyone at the team for doing such a fantastic job.”
Second placed Swanwick commented: “All weekend we’ve been in the top three so to take a podium form the first race is good and gives us some good points. I want to win the championship this year, that’s my aim, so if we can be in the top three again tomorrow and stay consistent, that’ll be good.”
Podium debutant Richardson added: “It was an interesting race, quite a few people went off and the conditions were very tricky, but it’s the best finish I’ve had yet so I’m really pleased. To have started the new season with a podium is great, I absolutely love the new car. Thruxton wasn’t one of my favourite circuits before today – but it is now!”
Round two of the 2010 Ginetta Junior Championship will get underway at approximately 13.30, Sunday, 4th April, and will be screened live in the UK on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4.
Provisional 2010 Ginetta Junior Championship Positions (after Rd1):1st Tom Ingram, 35pts; 2nd Chris Swanwick, 30pts; 3rd Louise Richardson, 26pts; 4th David Moore, 22pts; 5th Jake Hill, 21pts; 6th Adam Bonham, 18pts
