Sublime performance earns Sennan Fielding victory at Oulton ParkGinetta Junior podiums round off successful Cheshire weekend

JHR Developments completed a full house with a resounding victory in the high-profile, ITV4-televised MSA Formula championship at Oulton Park, meaning the front-running outfit has now triumphed in every series on the current Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) support bill. Having already established itself as a dominant force throughout the formative echelons of UK motorsport by winning races in the Ginetta Junior Championship, Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, Renault UK Clio Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB, success in the new-for-2015 MSA Formula was the only missing link from JHR’s impressive national racing CV heading to Cheshire – but Sennan Fielding soon rectified that. The former McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award finalist and Racing Steps Foundation MSA Young Driver of the Year – who lives just down the road from JHR in Derbyshire and competed for the Dronfield-based operation during his rookie season in cars in 2012 – qualified eighth amongst the 22-strong Ford EcoBoost-powered field, composed of the very crème de la crème of junior open-wheel talent. With overtaking opportunities at a premium around Oulton’s demanding and undulating layout, Fielding took the chequered flag in the same position in the opening encounter – which earned him third on the reverse-grid for race two. Anticipating the starting lights with razor-sharp precision, the 19-year-old launched his car in-between the two front row-sitters to snatch the lead before the marauding pack had even reached the first corner, and thereafter he did not look back. Maintaining a comfortable margin over his pursuers throughout, a flawless performance yielded an overdue maiden MSA Formula victory for both driver and team. In front of the live television cameras and tens of thousands of trackside spectators, Fielding began the final outing from P10, but another meteoric getaway saw him vault immediately up to seventh, and within just two laps, a couple of collisions ahead had promoted him to an excellent third as he exploited his experience to carefully steer clear of trouble. Keeping the two leaders within sight throughout, the gifted Chesterfield ace’s second rostrum result from as many races – and third of the campaign – elevated him from ninth up to sixth in the championship standings, a scant two points adrift of the top five. JHR’s Oulton Park success was not limited merely to single-seaters, either, as Dan Zelos and Senna Proctor locked out four of the six podium places in the Ginetta Junior Championship to bolster theirs and the team’s respective title bids, and Michael Caine tallied two solid fifth-place finishes in the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup to build upon his Thruxton triumph. It was, all-told, an extremely satisfying weekend.“After a difficult start to the season, I’m delighted for Sennan that he has secured his first MSA Formula victory – and in commanding style, too,” reflected team principal Steven Hunter, who is quick to pay tribute to the strength-in-depth of Britain’s premier junior open-wheel series. “JHR is the only team in the paddock to have now won in each of the BTCC support categories, which obviously makes me very proud.“We’ve worked incredibly hard to develop this car into a race-winner, and I must say that the performance and potential of the MSA Formula single-seater is phenomenal. It’s a superb series, and after claiming our first podium finish at Donington Park, we’ve now ticked the next box – which with the calibre of competition in the championship, really is no small achievement.“It’s a tremendously strong grid, with some excellent drivers and first-rate teams, and to have the opportunity to gauge ourselves against the Ardens, Carlins and Fortecs of this world – and beat them – is immensely rewarding and testament to everybody’s stellar efforts.“Having worked with Sennan before, we’ve always known what he is capable of and his natural ability is beyond doubt – it was simply a matter of time before the results started to flow. We’re clearly moving in the right direction, and I’m sure this will be the first of many successes for JHR in MSA Formula.”