Mikey Doble was provisional champion ‘on the road’ after the final race of the season at Donington Park in October. However, post-race the stewards of the meeting deemed that Doble had made a yellow flag infringement. He was awarded a three second time penalty plus three license points.
Doble was moved back to fifth in the revised race result. The subsequent change in championship points meant Will Jenkins became the provisional champion, pending Doble’s appeal to the National Court.
In a hearing yesterday, the independent panel heard the appeal and ruled in Doble’s favour. They rescinded the penalty and reinstating him to second place in the Round 18 result.
Doble therefore secures his maiden Ginetta title after a stunning late charge. He has seven podium finishes in the final nine races of the season. That run included his first two wins in the championship. He overturned a 60-point deficit across the last four races.
The result means Xentek Motorsport win their fourth GT5 drivers’ title. They have previously been successful with Ollie Chadwick (2016), Scott McKenna (2019) and Josh Steed (2021).
Mikey Doble, 2022 Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge ‘Pro’ champion:
“I am ecstatic beyond belief to be reinstated to the Ginetta GT5 Challenge championship win.
“It has been a tough past few weeks but I am proud to bring the trophy back to my team, Xentek Motorsport and my family to reward them for their hard work and sacrifice throughout the past two seasons.”
Chris Richards, Xentek Motorsport Team Principal:
“We are over the moon to finally get the result that we deserved. Mikey drove incredibly well at the Donington Park finale, securing the results in all three races we needed to clinch the title.
“It proved to be one of closest championship battles we’ve witnessed in the GT5 Challenge, showing the calibre of the championship and the drivers competing, coming out on top for the second year running is a great achievement for the team.”