Just under a month after the previous round at Zandvoort, the Ginetta Junior Championship returned to the UK for Round 6 at Brands Hatch.
Brands Hatch presents a unique challenge on the GP layout. In Ginetta Juniors, we only drive the full Grand Prix circuit for the first time during qualifying itself. There are no Thursday or Friday test sessions on the GP loop — preparation is limited to running on the shorter Indy layout beforehand, which shares just a handful of corners with the full circuit.
For some, that adds pressure. For me, it added excitement.
This weekend also marked the arrival of a new teammate, Josh Watts. Having a competitive benchmark within the team proved invaluable. Sharing data, analysing lines and comparing driving inputs pushed me to raise my level throughout the event, and it undoubtedly contributed to the step forward we made.
Running on the Indy circuit allows us to refine performance through three of the corners that feature on the GP layout, but beyond that, preparation is limited. The remainder of the GP track must effectively be learned and executed under qualifying conditions.
Despite that constraint, testing was productive. Pace on the Indy layout was strong and consistent, and confidence built steadily across the two days, also regularly beating my new teammate. The focus was on maximising the areas we could control — car balance, braking precision and exit speed — in preparation for what is arguably the most demanding qualifying session of the year.
Qualifying on the GP circuit was both challenging and enjoyable. Learning the additional sections of track in real time, under pressure, required commitment and adaptability.
Encouragingly, this proved to be my strongest qualifying performance of the season so far, breaking the run of difficult sessions earlier in the year. I was able to deliver when it mattered, extracting the pace we knew was in the car.
The result was 12th place for Race 1 and 11th place for Race 2 — my best qualifying positions of the year and a significant step forward in execution.
Race 1 began positively, with a clean start and strong midfield battles in the opening laps. The racing was close but competitive, and I felt comfortable fighting in the pack.
Unfortunately, contact from behind at one of the fastest corners on the circuit spun me around at high speed. Thankfully, I narrowly avoided heavy contact with the barriers and was able to continue.
After recovering and rejoining, I brought the car home in 20th place. While the result wasn’t representative of the pace shown, it could have been far worse given the nature of the incident.
Starting 11th, I was once again firmly in the midfield fight. The race developed into another intense battle, with positions changing frequently.
Midway through the race, a significant incident elsewhere in the field resulted in a red flag. The race was not resumed, meaning the classification was taken from the final completed lap.
I was classified 13th overall and secured my first Freshman class win since Oulton Park three rounds earlier — a rewarding result and a strong response after the disappointment of Race 1.
I would also like to wish both drivers involved in the incident a full and speedy recovery.
Starting 13th for the final race of the weekend, the objective was clear: finish the weekend strongly and maintain consistency.
The race was highly competitive, with multiple position changes throughout as I battled in a tightly packed group. Another mid-race red flag temporarily halted proceedings, but this time the race was resumed for a short sprint to the flag.
After the final dash, I crossed the line in 15th position and secured another Freshman class victory — making it two class wins from the weekend.
Brands Hatch marked my most consistent and composed weekend of the season so far.
Strong qualifying pace, competitive racecraft and two Freshman victories demonstrate clear progress. Just as importantly, there were valuable lessons — particularly around race management and understanding when to fight and when to concede strategically. That decision-making process is still developing, and it’s all part of the learning curve at this level.
The hard, close racing throughout the weekend was thoroughly enjoyable and another step forward in my development.
A big thank you to Performance One Motorsport for their continued hard work and support, and to Bobby Thompson for his guidance and coaching throughout the weekend.
Now, focus shifts to the penultimate round of the season at Croft — and another opportunity to build on this momentum.
