Jordan Collard, youngest son of Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race winner Rob, will make his car racing debut in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship this year after finalising a deal with renowned team Total Control Racing.
The 15-year-old from Eversley in Hampshire, who gained his first experience in cars during last year’s Ginetta Junior Scholarship where he reached the final stages of the competition, steps-up from karting where he most recently contested the Super 1 National Rotax Mini Max Championship.
By racing in Ginetta Junior this year, Collard Jnr will compete at the same race meetings as dad Rob who will again be mounting a serious challenge in the BTCC at the wheel of a BMW 125i. As well as being an outright race winner in the BTCC, Collard Snr also won the Independents Cup title in 2003 – the same crown which TCR team principal Lee Brookes claimed back in 1996.
Speaking on his son’s graduation into cars, Collard Snr said: “I am very happy that Jordan is making his debut with such an established and successful team as TCR. Lee is an established race driver himself and runs a winning team. I feel he will develop Jordan into a very promising race driver.”
Jordan, himself, added: “The Ginetta Junior Championship is a great stepping stone to move from karting into car racing, and the fact it is shown live on ITV4 is fantastic exposure for young racers and their sponsors. I had a great time at the Scholarship and I am really looking forward to putting everything I learnt there into practice with TCR at Brands Hatch next month.”
Team boss Brookes is relishing the prospect of working with Collard and helping to nurture and develop his talent during the season. He is certain, too, the youngster will be one to watch as the championship unfolds.
“It’s fantastic news to have Jordan joining TCR for Juniors, we’ve got an absolutely cracking young line-up of talented drivers and there’s a real buzz in the team”, said Brookes, “Jordan has so much experience he can learn from through his Dad and I know our drivers will work well together.
“Jordan did a great job in the Scholarship final last year and he’s obviously done well in karting so we’re sure he’ll have a strong first season in cars. He has great family support, which is so important for these young drivers, and we’re very much looking forward to working with him.”
Wednesbury’s TCR will field a four car entry in the 2016 championship which will get underway over the weekend 2nd/3rd April at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent. As ever, Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 will screen live television coverage throughout the season.
