Will Jenkins has closed on the championship lead in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship with a hard-fought hat-trick of top six finishes during the third meeting of the season at Brands Hatch this past weekend (26/27 June).
Heading to Kent in high spirits following a sensational podium hat-trick at Snetterton two weeks’ ago, the Staffordshire teenager aimed to continue his championship challenge during three hotly contested races around the shortest circuit on the calendar.
Jenkins kicked off the meeting on a high note with the second quickest time in mixed conditions in free practice one on Friday, before ending the day eighth overall. He converted that pace into a positive result in qualifying, securing sixth on the grid for the first two races.
In his Hopkins Motorsport, Asset Alliance Group, Corroconsult and Digraph supported Ginetta G40, Jenkins was in the battle for the final podium position across the first of two races on Saturday, with a spirited effort netting him sixth at the chequered flag.
The 16 year old went on to make good progress in race two that evening. After moving up to fifth prior to a red flag stoppage due to an incident on circuit, the Stone-based racer gained a position on the first lap after the restart and went on to take the chequered flag in fourth.
Lining up in the same position on the grid in his Elite Motorsport machine for race three, Jenkins was once again in the thick of the action in front of the live ITV3 television cameras. Initially slipping a position on lap one, he fought back in the second half of the race to finish fourth again.
An impressive run of seven consecutive top six finishes means Jenkins leaves Kent in fourth position in the championship standings, just three points off the lead. He’s now heading into a five week break before the next rounds at Oulton Park in Cheshire (31 July / 1 August).
Will Jenkins: “A weekend of solid results and good points! Despite the difficulties in qualifying, I battled hard through three very competitive races and I’m pleased to come away with three top six finishes.
“I was a bit unlucky at times across the weekend, getting caught in traffic in qualifying and then not quite getting my positioning right when trying to make some moves in the races. It’s all a learning experience though and it’s helping me improve as a driver going forwards.
“I’m delighted to have found a good level of consistency in the championship, so the focus now is on adding more podium finishes to my tally. I really like Oulton Park and I’m confident we can be challenging at the front there next time out.”
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.