Georgi Dimitrov made a triumphant return to the podium in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship this past weekend (October 24/25) at Snetterton, producing a superlative fightback drive to add to his silverware collection. Keen to bounce back from a frustrating showing at Croft earlier in the month, the Richardson Racing driver underlined his credentials as one of the leading lights this year. Getting to grips with the challenging Norfolk venue across Friday’s two practice sessions, the 15-year-old powered his Ginetta G40 to eighth spot in qualifying. Starting on the fourth row of the grid for race one, the British-Bulgarian teenager wasted no time as the lights went out, fighting his way to the front by charging from eighth to third come the end of the first lap. Settling into a groove and holding station for a majority of the race, Dimitrov began to reel in the top two in the latter stages and launched an attack for the lead on the final tour. Unfortunately, the Hitech Academy was unable to find a way past and ultimately settled for third - clinching his seventh podium result of the season. Lining up fifth for race two, Dimitrov found himself in the thick of the action as he yo-yoed up and down the top ten throughout the nine-lap encounter. In what proved to be a frenetic contest, the teenage ace showed his fighting spirit to recover to seventh. Race three - broadcast live on ITV4 on Sunday - saw the four-time race winner endure a frustrating end to his weekend as his pace went unrewarded. Making a strong start, Dimitrov had been in the mix towards the front before contact from behind sent him spinning down the order and left to recover, fighting his way back to 12th at the chequered flag. Following the weekend’s three races at Snetterton, Dimitrov has maintained fourth place in the overall Drivers’ Championship. Georgi Dimitrov: “It’s been another rollercoaster weekend where our pace hasn’t been as rewarded as well as it should have been. There was a little left on the table in qualifying but I managed to move forward in race one. “I made a great start and fought my way into third by the end of the first lap. Despite giving it everything to take the lead I couldn’t find a way past. Races two and three were a bit frustrating as we could have picked up more silverware; sadly it wasn’t meant to be. “We’ve got one more event to go now so the aim is to regroup and look to end our first year in the championship on a high at Brands Hatch next month." The Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship will round off its 2020 season back at Brands Hatch on November 14/15, this time around the Indy layout of the famous Kent venue.
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.