The Yorkshire based squad, who won the overall drivers’ title with Ollie Chadwick (2016), Scott McKenna (2019) and Josh Steed (2021), will run Mikey Doble and Connor Grady in the Pro class, plus Bal Sidhu and Neil Finnighan in the Am category.
Doble returns for a second season in the championship following a hugely impressive debut season. The former BMW racer showed great progress across the campaign and picked up two podium finishes in the final six races, as well as a maiden pole position, en-route to fourth in the standings.
Mikey Doble: “My rookie season was very promising with some fantastic results. Xentek were brilliant at producing fast machinery and developing me as a driver. I’m already working hard on my pre-season testing, so we can continue to progress towards the goal of becoming champion.”
Grady is set to be one of the most experienced GT5 Challenge drivers on the grid this season, having made his series debut back in 2018. Since then, he’s accumulated five overall podium results and a top six championship finish in 2019.
Connor Grady: “I am excited to be joining Xentek. I have high expectations this year on winning races and having a consistently fast car. My dad and I have done our best over the last few years running the car ourselves and we have had many podiums, but lacked the consistency we need.”
Sidhu is set to tackle his fourth year in the GT5 Challenge, and third with the Xentek squad. He’s been a consistent front-runner in the Am class throughout his time in the series, securing class wins in each of his three seasons and a total of 11 podium finishes.
Bal Sidhu: “I am looking forward to racing again with Xentek. The Am class always produces excellent racing and I am looking forward to battling for that top step. Last year was great for my progression and I look forward to working on this further and to have more consistent podium finishes.”
An exciting addition to the grid meanwhile is Finnighan. A former Commando and Special Forces soldier, he’s also a renowned movie stunt co-ordinator who makes his Ginetta racing debut after a few years in Caterham competition.
Neil Finnighan: “I’m looking forward to my first year racing in Ginetta car and working with a professional team. I am working hard in pre-season testing to get up speed so I can compete for Am class podiums.”
Sarah-Jayne McKenna, Xentek Motorsport Team Manager: “It’s fantastic to have Mickey and Bal back with us for 2022, they are real team players and both showed their raw talent last year.
“We’ve known Connor for several years and we are really looking forward to helping him show his true potential. He’s got some real skill in a GT5 and I’m sure working closely with Chris and the rest of the team this will be clear from the first round.
“Neil is a real character and has already shown great commitment in pre-season, so we look forward to working with him as the season goes on and getting him running at the sharp end of the Am class.
“We are looking forward to 2022 being another successful year for us. We have a strong squad and we’ve proven time and time again that our cars are the fastest and most reliable on the grid. It’s always great to have more than one car in each class, this enables our drivers to work together and as well as the drivers’ titles, we will be aiming for the teams’ championship which we narrowly missed out at the final round last year.”
Packed grids and close racing makes the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge a popular entry-level championship for many aspiring GT racers. In 2022, the series will compete across both British GT and British Touring Car Championship weekends.
