Back-To-Back Ginetta Junior Championship Triumph For Hillspeed

Seb Morris clinched the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship title for Hathersage-based Hillspeed at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 1st/2nd October, with a superb double podium finish in rounds 17 and 18 of the season.Sealing the crown with two races yet to run, the performance in baking hot conditions on Saturday and Sunday underlined the 15-year-old's and the team's dominance and also marked the second back-to-back success with Tom Ingram having won the championship for Hillspeed in 2010.Including Morris' Ginetta Junior Winter Series triumph last November, Richard Ollerenshaw's squad has won the last three titles up for grabs - not a bad return for a team that only debuted in Ginetta racing at the start of 2010."We're highly delighted to wrap up the championship at such a fabulous circuit", said team principal Ollerenshaw, "Seb having taken 11 wins, 14 podiums in total, really does speak for itself - it's been a fantastic season. To have won the championship in our first season in Ginetta Junior last year was incredible, to have now added a second back-to-back title is outstanding."Morris certainly didn't have things easy over the weekend and he had to work hard for his latest two podium finishes. Second place in round 17 on Saturday afternoon provisionally assured the title, the Welsh teenager battling his way through superbly from fifth on the grid.Bundled back to sixth at the start, Morris was content to drive conservatively during the first half of the race by staying out of trouble as drama unfolded ahead. When Sennan Fielding and George Gamble were involved in a moment at the end of lap four though, the champion elect pressed on and after gaining fourth place he then made his way into the top three on lap six.On lap seven, Morris was in the thick of the battle for the lead and when Jake Giddings was put wide by Niall Murray at Surtees he seized second place. Immediately challenging Murray for the lead, the Hillspeed ace hit the front on the eighth tour at Druids Hairpin but the next time around, on the final lap, Murray tried to re-take the lead only for there to be contact between the pair.Morris crossed the line with the win to provisionally claim the title in perfect style but, post-race, officials gave him a three second penalty which dropped him back to second - still enough to be confirmed as champion.On Sunday, Morris had an even tougher task on his hands to try and end his title winning weekend on the podium but he drove brilliantly to come through from eighth on the grid into second place once again. Another hard-fought performance underlined Morris' championship credentials and he applied huge pressure on Charlie Robertson over the final lap but just missed the win by 0.1 seconds."It's been a great season, we've worked really hard for this", said the new champion, "I can't thank the team enough, they do everything so precisely and have done a fantastic job this year. It's a proper team effort, I'm really happy we've done it."Young 14-year-old racing rookie William Palmer, brother of GP2 Series driver Jolyon, made his second appearance of the year with Hillspeed this weekend and starred in race two with a great drive to eighth place. Having only competed at Snetterton 300 Circuit back at the start of August, Palmer posted two more race finishes at Brands Hatch and displayed a great deal of promise.In Sunday's 18th round, televised live on ITV4 and ITV4 HD in the UK, Palmer managed to emerge unscathed from the chaotic opening lap and chipped away at his lap times throughout to take eighth position in incredibly hot conditions. Added to his 11th place from Saturday's opening encounter, the Bedford youngster impressed the team and he will be back in action at Silverstone in two weeks."William was outstanding to get eighth in only his second real race meeting", added Ollerenshaw, "He's improving well each time he's in the car and it bodes very well for the future. We'll go to Silverstone aiming for another strong weekend for him and, hopefully, more podiums for Seb."Jersey 16-year-old Struan Moore wasn't in action this weekend but Hillspeed hopes to field all three of its cars for the championship finale at Silverstone a fortnight from now over the weekend 15th/16th October. The event will also see the Derbyshire team's Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship squad in action for the final two rounds of its season.Provisional 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship Standings (after Rd18 - inc. drop scores):CHAMPION: Seb Morris, 515pts; 12th Struan Moore, 157pts; 18th William Palmer, 35ptsProvisional 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship Team Standings (after Rd18):1st Hillspeed, 735pts

Related Motorsport Articles

85,795 articles