An action-packed opening three races of the season saw Harri Reynolds (Assetto Motorsport) and Josh Rowledge (R Racing) share the race wins, with the two drivers putting on an early ‘race of the year’ contender as they duelled it out for the top honours.
Reynolds took a breakthrough pair of race victories and a second place finish, meaning he comes to Brands Hatch as the early championship leader. Rowledge is only a few points adrift after enjoying a podium treble of his own, and he returns to the scene of his Winter Series title win last November.
Joe Warhurst (Elite Motorsport) was right in the mix for the race wins as well, scoring a great pair of top three finishes. He also scored a podium on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit during the Winter Series, with his team-mate Aqil Alibhai winning a race on the same weekend.
2021 championship runner-up Liam McNeilly will be one to watch this weekend as he looks to bounce back from a tricky season opener. He’s joined in the Fox Motorsport ranks by Maurice Henry and Jacob Hodgkiss, who both put in strong performances to start the year.
Of the championship’s rookie class contingent, Sonny Smith (R Racing) and Will Macintyre (Elite Motorsport) were the star performers at Donington Park. Smith took a pole position and outright second place finish, while Macintyre scored a pair of class wins.
Both drivers are joined by three other rookies in their respective teams. Elite Motorsport are also running Mckenzie Douglass, Shravan Shanmugavel and Kanato Lee, who excelled with a rookie podium hat-trick, while R Racing have the quick trio of Luke Watts, Luca Hopkinson and Akshay Bohra.
Preptech UK are entering an expanded four car entry this season, with Fergus Chalmers leading their challenge at Donington Park with a top six finish. He’s joined in their line-up by fellow sophomore driver Zac Meakin and rookie duo Flynn McHardy and Alisha Palmowski.
Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner Palmowski made history on the opening weekend by becoming the female driver to stand on a Ginetta Junior podium in seven years. Aiming to follow in her footsteps will be Assetto Motorsport duo Liona Theobald and Ella Lloyd.
The hugely competitive grid also features two drivers who scored top ten finishes at Donington Park in Adam Brown (Ultimate Speed Racing) and Ian Aguilera (R Racing), as well as the ever-improving AJ Rock (Team HARD) and rookie James Wyres (Assetto Motorsport).
Follow the action across the weekend on social media, @GinettaCars.
Weekend Timetable:
Saturday 14 May – Qualifying, 10:30; Race One, 14:00; Race Two, 17:45
Sunday 15 May – Race Three 12:45 (Live on ITV4)
Live timing and results across the weekend: https://www.tsl-timing.com/event/221903
