Heading into the final round of the season at Donington Park, my determination was stronger than ever. As my home circuit — and one of my favourite tracks in the country — it was the perfect venue to end the year on a high. With friends and family trackside, I was highly motivated to deliver a performance that reflected the progress made throughout the season.
Located beside East Midlands Airport, Donington Park is a fast, flowing circuit defined by its dramatic elevation changes and high-commitment corners. Having raced there earlier in the year, I arrived feeling more experienced, prepared and confident than at any previous round.
Testing conditions across the two days could not have been more contrasting. One day was completely dry; the other was extremely wet, with standing water, streams running across the circuit and puddles forming on the kerbs.
Rather than being a setback, the wet conditions presented an opportunity — particularly after the challenges faced at Croft. The focus was on rebuilding confidence in low-grip conditions and trusting both the car and my own inputs again.
The progress was clear. Across the six test sessions, I finished no lower than 11th, demonstrating consistent pace in both dry and wet conditions. It was an encouraging start and laid a strong foundation heading into qualifying.
Qualifying brought mixed and evolving conditions. After earlier rain, I expected the circuit to be fully wet. However, the GT cars running before us had significantly dried the racing line, creating a narrow dry groove with damp sections offline.
Adapting quickly was crucial.
Despite the tricky surface and limited margin for error, I delivered two solid laps that placed me 12th for Race 1 and 10th for Race 2 — closely matching the pace shown in testing and reinforcing the consistency we had built across the weekend.
Starting 12th, I made immediate progress in Race 1 with a clean and assertive opening lap. The midfield battle was intense, but I remained composed, making decisive overtakes while avoiding unnecessary risks.
The race came together exceptionally well. Managing track limits carefully and maintaining strong pace throughout, I climbed to 7th place by the chequered flag — my best overall finish of the season — and secured another Freshman class victory.
It was a breakthrough result and a deeply satisfying moment, proving to myself that the performance was there when everything aligned.
Starting 10th, Race 2 again placed me in the heart of the midfield fight. The racing was close and competitive, with positions changing frequently.
Unfortunately, contact during the race cost me several positions. Further contact caused the bonnet to lift slightly, affecting both visibility and straight-line speed. From that point, the focus shifted to damage limitation, and I brought the car home in 13th place.
While not the result we had hoped for, it was important to secure points and avoid further issues.
Following a grid penalty carried over from Race 2, I started the final race of the main season from 19th and last position on the grid.
With work to do, the approach was clear: stay composed, make clean overtakes and avoid incidents.
The drive was measured but aggressive where needed. I moved steadily through the field, capitalising on opportunities and staying out of trouble. In the closing laps, I defended firmly to hold position and crossed the line in 10th place — securing another Freshman class win to close out the weekend.
Climbing from last to the top ten was a strong way to finish the season and a clear demonstration of the pace developed over the second half of the year.
Donington Park provided the perfect conclusion to a season of learning and development. Securing my two best overall finishes of the year, along with multiple Freshman victories, was a highly positive way to end my debut campaign in motorsport.
While it wasn’t quite enough to secure the Freshman Championship title — finishing second behind Revie Lake — the progress made throughout the season was significant. I concluded the year 21st in the overall standings, a position that doesn’t fully reflect the pace shown in the latter stages of the championship.
However, this was my first season in motorsport, and the learning curve has been steep. The growth in racecraft, confidence and consistency across the year has been substantial.
Now attention turns to the Ginetta Awards Evening, before returning to the track for the final competitive action of 2025 in the Ginetta Winter Series — another opportunity to continue building momentum.
