Ginetta's Home Soil

Ginetta Cars – the Leeds-based company - will be showcasing two of their Championships at their home circuit in glorious Yorkshire this weekend 26th - 27th April 2008.

Formula Three and the British GTs take a break from each other this weekend, but the veins of Croft visitors will be injected with some GT action from the Ginetta G20 cars in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship and the mighty Ginetta G50s in their own single-make Championship.

The very first G50 car hit the track for the very first time at Croft back on 19th September last year (right). Since that day the car’s evolved into the what you see today – plus six in British GT, two in Belcar and one in Britcar.

Meanwhile, the first three weekends have passed by already for both Championships here today. Unstoppable Nigel Moore has run off and hidden with the Championship lead so far in the G50 Championship.

The sixteen year old – and current Ginetta Junior Champion – has had six faultless races and lead in all-but-one corners of all races to date! Matt James tipped the teenager as “rising talent” in Motorsport News describing his ability as “inch-perfect lap after lap” so it will be interesting to see if the York-based star of the future can make it eight wins out of eight races.

But with more overtaking opportunities at Croft than the previous circuits of Cadwell Park and Knochill offer, other racers who are gaining more confidence in the car may challenge for wins this weekend.

Frank Wrathall (left) and Clive Richards had two seconds and two thirds respectively after entertaining battles behind the leader at Knockhill so may well advance to the front. Christian Dick too has been in contention but tripped off of the circuit in both races in Scotland.

Dick and Wrathall both already identified themselves as race leaders at Croft last year when they both ran in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship, so are not strangers to the challenges this circuit provides. But it was Ben Elliott who came through to win so he may well return to the forefront in his yellow G50.

Moore’s Championship challenger in Juniors last year, Kieran Vernon has graduated to the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship for this year a the higher-specification ‘Senior’ G20 car compared to the ‘Junior’ G20 he raced in 2007.

Leading the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship grid into battle, Vernon heads the table by just seven points from Spencer McCarthy.

McCarthy has a season’s G20 racing behind him already and has had one win at Cadwell Park compared to Vernon’s four, but McCarthy is keeping the pressure on the young racer and needs to keep the pressure on this weekend. A bad result for either McCarthy or Vernon could spell disaster in the Title hunt for the unfortunate retiree.

Hot on their heels is Julian Barratt, Paul Marsh and Paul Sheard – all of whom have broken the century mark in the points table. Barratt’s had three podiums so far and a marked improvement on last season for the Sussex racer.

Marsh - another Junior Ginetta graduate (right) – suffered at Knockhill with two penalties that demoted him places and points and a non-finish at Cadwell Park so he’ll be hoping for a problem-free weekend.

Sheard himself has been successful in Mazda racing and showed his skills in damp conditions at Knockhill to win and heading a Speedworks Motorsport podium clean sweep. Phil Sykes and Richard Sykes claimed their first Ginetta Championship podiums.

Plenty of names will provide plenty of action wherever you look down either field.