The Essex-based team are the first to announce drivers for the 2022 campaign, with McNeilly and Hodgkiss also set to contest the Ginetta Junior Winter Series next month alongside 2021 scholar Maurice Henry.
After a strong debut campaign in 2020, McNeilly was a revelation this year. The 15 year old recorded five race wins and 13 podium finishes on his way to second in the championship standings, having taken the title battle down to the final weekend at Brands Hatch.
Hodgkiss meanwhile joins the team after a strong debut season in the championship this year. The 14 year old from Telford recorded 11 points finishes across the campaign, with best qualifying and race results of 17th and 14th respectively.
Liam McNeilly: “I’ve had an amazing season in Ginetta Juniors that has gone way beyond even my wildest expectations. I was 10th and 11th at the first round, at which point my target was one podium, so to end the year second in the championship with five wins and 13 podiums feels pretty incredible.
“Because of where my 16th birthday falls in the year, I won’t be able to step up to a senior racing series until midway through 2022, so it makes perfect sense to stay in Juniors for another year and continue to develop my skills against the best young drivers in the UK.”
Jacob Hodgkiss: “I’m thrilled to join Fox Motorsport for the Ginetta Junior Winter Series and the full 2022 season. It’s been a tough season for me as a rookie in a single-car team, so having some really high-quality team-mates to slipstream with in qualifying and analyse the data with is going to help me develop my skills on and off the track.
“My race pace this year has been okay, but the big target for me is to improve in qualifying. If I can make a step forward there with the team’s help then I can move onto my next aim, which is to be regularly in the top 10.”
Paul McNeilly, Fox Motorsport Team Principal: “Prior to this year, we’d never even been close to a podium finish in Ginetta Juniors. That all changed when Liam crossed the line at Snetterton to take our first win, and he’s just kept on impressing everybody since then and did a fantastic job to keep the title fight alive into the final round.
“He deserves to move up to a senior series, but the reality is he doesn’t turn 16 early enough. That’s going to be a huge benefit to us as a team because we know we’ll head into the new Ginetta Junior season with a sure-fire title contender.
“Jacob made some good progress in his rookie season in Juniors, but was always going to find it tough in a single-car team. Adding Jacob alongside Liam is going to help him to continue to develop his skills inside the car and out of it.”
Fox Motorsport have one seat remaining for their entry into the 2021 Ginetta Junior Winter Series, which takes place at Brands Hatch over the weekend of 13-14 November. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the team.
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.
