The honour of the first pole position and race win of the campaign went the way of James Taylor (Richardson Racing). The former Ginetta Junior Scholar excelled in treacherous wet conditions to taste victory and he will be one to watch this weekend come rain or shine.
Tom Emson secured the race two win meanwhile with reigning champions Elite Motorsport. Their success came in superb fashion as Emson battled his way through from 12th on the grid to the front, showcasing an exciting blend of speed and race-craft that should serve him well this season.
The same can be said for Emson’s team-mate James Hedley, who heads to Donington Park as the early points leader. The reigning Winter Series champion produced a pair of tremendous drives in Kent, rising from 10th to second and then 15th to third across the two races.
Getting in the thick of the action at the front of the field too was maiden podium finisher Lorcan Hanafin and his Douglas Motorsport team-mate Zak O’Sullivan, who was the standout debutant with a pole position, an outright second place finish and a rookie class win.
Theo Edgerton (Total Control Racing) secured the other rookie victory as part of an impressive pair of overall fourth place finishes, while Josh Rattican (R Racing with In2Racing) and Casper Stevenson (Richardson Racing) also left Kent with rookie silverware.
The strength in depth in this year’s entry is already clear to see, with Gus Burton (Douglas Motorsport), Will Martin (Richardson Racing), Ethan Hawkey (Total Control Racing) and Harry Dyson (Premiership Academy Racing) all taking outright top six finishes in the season opener.
They all have the potential to be battling for the podium this weekend, as do rookie class contenders Frankie Taylor (SVG Motorsport), Roman Bilinski (In2Racing), Joel Pearson (Elite Motorsport), Daniel Gale (Total Control Racing) and Charlie McLeod (Premiership Academy Racing).
Completing the entry are Ben Kasperczak (In2Racing), two new talents at Douglas Motorsport, Freddie Tomlinson and Bailey Voisin, Premiership Academy Racing pair Ben O’Hare and Molly Dodd, and Total Control Racing’s Haytham Qarajouli, Will Rochford and the current Ginetta Junior Scholar, Ethan Brooks.
Keep up to date with all the action this weekend on social media, @GinettaCars.
Weekend Timetable:
Saturday, April 27 – Qualifying, 11:40; Race One, 16:35
Sunday, April 28 – Race Two, 09:30; Race Three, 15:10 (Live on ITV4)
