The opening rounds of the Ginetta Junior Championship held at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend did not disappoint. All three races were very competitive with the wet weather also adding to the excitement.
Qualifying
Saturday saw us undertake qualifying for the races ahead. Unfortunately, an engine issue initially diagnosed as a fouled spark plug, left me starting at the back of the grid in 22nd place for the first round and 23rd for the second. With just three ‘flying’ laps to get two qualifying times there is no room for error.
Round 1
Saturday saw the first round of racing for the new season. Despite the challenges in qualifying, I improved on my starting grid position to finish 20th in the race. Rookie Ethan Jeff-Hall (R Racing) grabbed the win with James Shotton the best placed Fox Motorsport driver in 13th spot.
Round 2
Easter Monday saw the second round of racing and we hoped for better results. Despite battling hard, the car continued to be down on power and was running a bit ‘lumpy’. Ultimately, this was tracked down to be a faulty TPMS sensor rather than the initial diagnosis of a fouled spark plug. This was fixed in time for the final race of the weekend. Despite the challenges, I climbed to 18th after starting off the back off the grid. Another rookie, Isaac Phelps (Elite Motorsport) took the win with James Shotton in 10th the best placed Fox Motorsport driver.
Round 3
The final race of the long weekend saw me starting with a car which was finally performing. Throughout the race I made up some good places. However, there were two safety car restarts which lost me places on each occasion. Once more I finished in 18th but it could have been higher if not for the safety car restarts. My team mate Jack Robinson finished 14th for Fox Motorsport.
Holly lies in 18th place in the Championship with a total of 7 points from the three races.
Overall, it was great to get behind the wheel competitively once more. Quite a few lessons learnt for me and the team which we will put into practice as the next rounds in Silverstone on the 27th and 28th April.
Photos are by Jakob Ebrey Photography