Georgi Dimitrov collected a trio of hard-fought points finishes in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship at Brands Hatch this past weekend (August 8/9) to keep himself firmly in contention towards the top of the standings. One week on from his sensational debut at Donington Park which saw him take two race wins and a second place finish, the Richardson Racing driver found himself in the thick of the action around the iconic Grand Prix layout of the Kent venue. Battling searing temperatures, qualifying for the one-make series proved to be a frenetic affair, with the British-Bulgarian driver setting a best time of 1:50.868 to secure seventh on the grid for race one. Launching off the fourth row, the 15-year-old was soon on the move and jumped into sixth on the opening lap before settling into the long train of cars all dicing for the lead. Moving up to fifth on the third lap, Dimitrov held position all the way to the chequered flag. The second race of what proved to be sweltering weekend saw Dimitrov once again demonstrating his overtaking prowess. Starting eighth, the rookie racer powered his way into seventh before the first of two appearances by the safety car halted proceedings. Then, as he hoped to make further progress, Dimitrov found himself on the receiving end of contact which dropped him down the order to 13th. Composing himself, the former karting ace picked his way past a few cars before the red flag flew, scuppering his chances of moving further forward and classifying him in tenth. Race three saw Dimitrov dig deep and show his fighting spirit once more as he brought his weekend to a close in eighth. Making a solid start from ninth, the Hitech Academy driver found himself turned sideways at the exit of Druids on lap two, dropping him down the order. Rejoining the track in 17th, the two-time race winner wasted no time in making amends and began to scythe his way back through the field. Making one eye-catching overtake after another, Dimitrov battled his way back into the top ten to clinch valuable points. Leaving Brands Hatch, Dimitrov sits third in the Drivers’ Championship after the first six races of the 2020 campaign, 11 points off the summit. Georgi Dimitrov: “It has been another solid weekend, we were in the thick of the action in all three races so to come away with points in each one is a real positive, it was tough out there given how hot it has been. “Richardson Racing gave me a great car all weekend and to make progress in race one was a good start for us. Unfortunately we got caught up in a few incidents and I made a few mistakes in race two and three which dropped me down the order but I’m pleased I was able to fight back into the top ten on both occasions. “We’ve got a couple of weeks to rest and reflect now so hopefully we will bounce back and get back on the podium at Knockhill.” The Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship is next in action on August 29/30, as the series ventures north of the border to Knockhill in Scotland.
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.