Elite’s attempts to add to their impressive haul of four Juniors’ drivers titles and two teams’ successes comes with second year drivers Joe Warhurst and Aqil Alibhai, plus rookie class trio William Macintyre, Mckenzie Douglass and Kanato Le.
Warhurst (15, Yorkshire) burst onto the scene last year by qualifying fourth in his first ever Junior qualifying session. He went on to pick up three rookie class podium finishes through the season, before enjoying a maiden overall top three in the end-of-year Winter Series.
Joe Warhurst: “My goal for the 2022 season is to win the championship overall. I really enjoyed racing with Elite last year, their set-up suits my driving style very well and I believe that the team Elite has got together has the potential to be very strong.”
Alibhai (15, South Africa) also impressed through his debut campaign, scoring a sole rookie podium at Thruxton as part of four overall top ten results. He went on to excel in the Winter Series with Elite, scoring a breakthrough victory and a second place finish.
Aqil Alibhai: “My aim is to consistently score podiums and ultimately challenge for the championship title. Elite has the perfect package to achieve those goals which is the reason I joined for 2022. Last season was definitely a great learning year to start my car racing career with the team I raced with helping me a lot.”
Macintyre (14, Norfolk) and Douglass (14, Wales) both reached the final ten in last year’s Ginetta Junior Scholarship before enjoying strong race debuts in the Winter Series. Le (14, Japan) meanwhile is set for his car-racing debut as a former IAME X30 Junior European karting champion.
William Macintyre: “My aim is to be top Rookie. It’s crucial I learn as much as possible, and quickly, so that by the first race I can fight inside the top 10. I hope to test on most of the tracks we’re racing at in the coming weeks before the season starts.”
Mckenzie Douglass: “My aim in Ginetta Juniors this year is to learn and develop myself alongside Elite as much as possible. I learnt in the GJ Winter Series about the car itself and just how different racing cars is compared to karting. It also gave me a good idea of what competition I am up against for this season.”
Kanato Le: “I want to win the Rookie category and finish in the top five overall. I’ve enjoyed getting to know all the Elite team through the winter and I’m sure that this is the best place for me as I take my first step into cars.”
Eddie Ives, Elite Motorsport Team Owner: “Our Junior squad had a tough 2021 so it’s important that to we bounce back and aim to reclaim the Driver’s and Teams’ titles this season. We have a very good mix of strong, second year GJ drivers, with Joe and Aqil, combined with a very impressive Rookie line-up.
“Will, Kanato and Mackenzie are all exceeding expectations considering their early stages in their careers, so I can’t wait to get the season started.”
The Ginetta Junior Championship is the UK’s longest running and most prestigious Junior series, offering the first step on the motorsport ladder for 14-17 year old racing drivers as they compete on the support bill for the British Touring Car Championship.
