On 27–28 June, the Ginetta Junior Championship headed to the north-east of England for the annual Ginetta G-Fest, held at Croft Circuit.
Known for its challenging layout, undulating surface and numerous bumps, Croft is a circuit that demands confidence, commitment and precision from every driver.
For the fourth round of the 2026 championship, the weekend featured a slightly different format to accommodate the G-Fest event.
Rather than the usual schedule, drivers faced a qualifying session on both Saturday and Sunday, with two races following each qualifying session.
Thursday & Friday Testing
Preparations began with testing on Thursday and Friday, providing valuable track time to assess the car and build confidence around the demanding Croft circuit.
There were clear signs of underlying speed, giving the team confidence that the potential was there to challenge further up the field once everything came together.
The focus was therefore on extracting that performance when it mattered most.
There was optimism heading into Saturday, with the belief that the pace shown in testing could be converted into a competitive qualifying performance and a strong start to the weekend.
Qualifying 1 - P12 & P12
Saturday’s opening qualifying session proved to be a frustrating start, with the lap times failing to reflect the potential demonstrated during testing.
It was a disappointing outcome, particularly given the preparation that had gone into the weekend and the opportunity to establish a strong position for the opening races.
Nevertheless, the result could have been considerably worse.
With overtaking opportunities available and plenty of racing ahead, the focus quickly shifted towards making the most of the situation.
Race 1 - P4
A grid penalty ahead of the race promoted the starting position to P11, providing an opportunity to fight towards the front of the field.
Progress through the field was hard-earned, with every position needing to be fought for.
The final lap proved decisive.
Two cars ahead went off the circuit, while two additional drivers in front were subsequently penalised, promoting me to an excellent fourth place.
The result marked a season-best finish and provided a significant reward after the difficulties encountered during qualifying.
Finishing fourth was a major highlight of the weekend and demonstrated what could be achieved when the underlying pace, race execution and opportunities came together.
Race 2 - P12
Unfortunately, the second race of the day did not provide the same positive outcome.
A very poor start immediately put me on the back foot, dropping several positions and leaving a substantial amount of work to do.
Although the final classification suggested a relatively uneventful race, with the result appearing to show little change in position, that did not accurately reflect what took place on track.
The drive involved a significant fight through the field, requiring repeated efforts to regain positions after the disappointing start.
Despite the effort invested in recovering, the final result was P12.
It was a frustrating end to Saturday, particularly after the high of the fourth-place finish earlier in the day.
Qualifying 2 - P20 & P18
Unfortunately, the second qualifying session proved even more difficult than the first.
After showing encouraging speed at various points on Saturday, the lack of performance in qualifying was difficult to understand.
Rather than moving closer to the front of the grid, the result placed the car towards the back, with P20 and P18 recorded across the qualifying results.
The outcome was a significant disappointment and left a challenging task ahead for the two remaining races.
The contrast between the pace shown earlier in the weekend and the qualifying results was particularly frustrating.
Nevertheless, there was little choice but to reset and concentrate on the races. With two opportunities remaining, the aim was to fight forward, limit the damage and extract as much as possible from a difficult starting position.
Race 3 - P17
The opening race on Sunday proved to be a challenging affair, with progress through the field difficult to achieve from the starting position.
Having qualified towards the back, the priority was to make up ground and recover as many positions as possible.
Matters in the race were made worse by a track-limits penalty, which was seemingly unjustfiable.
The eventual finish of P17 was well short of expectations and failed to reflect the more encouraging performances shown earlier in the weekend.
With one final race remaining, the objective was clear: put the frustrations of Race 3 behind and finish the weekend with a stronger performance.
Race 4 - P13
The final race of the weekend provided another demanding test, with two separate incidents resulting in red flags and interruptions to the running.
The stoppages disrupted the flow of the race and limited the available opportunities to make progress through the field.
Despite the challenges, there were positives to take from the final outing.
Starting from a difficult position, I continued to push forward, gaining five places to finish P13.
Although the result was not the finish hoped for after Saturday’s season-best fourth place, recovering five positions represented a respectable effort under the circumstances.
P13 brought the weekend to a close, providing some recovery after the disappointment of Race 3 and demonstrating a willingness to continue fighting regardless of the circumstances.
Overall
Round 4 at Croft was ultimately a weekend of contrasting fortunes, with a season-best fourth-place finish providing a clear highlight amid a series of frustrating setbacks.
Although the weekend did not deliver the overall results that had been targeted, there were valuable lessons to take away from Croft.
The season-best finish provides a positive reference point, and the experience gained across four races will be important as the championship moves into its next round.
A huge thank you goes to Performance One Motorsport and Tom Ingram for their continued support throughout the weekend.
Their hard work and commitment to improving both me and the car remain invaluable, with the entire team continuing to push for progress at every round.
The aim now is to regroup, learn from the weekend and return stronger at Zandvoort on the 11th and 12th July for the only international round of the year.
