Will Jenkins has brought his time in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship to an end with a brilliant podium finish in the season finale at Brands Hatch this past weekend (23/24 October), a result that confirmed him a top five championship finish.
A regular presence at the front of the field throughout his second season in the series this year, the Staffordshire racer scored a third place finish in race two at the weekend to ensure he ends the campaign with a great tally of eight podium finishes including one victory.
Getting reacquainted with the high speed bends and unique undulations of the world-famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit during free practice on Friday, Jenkins converted that pace into a great qualifying performance and second row starts for the opening two races.
They both followed on Saturday afternoon and proved to be frustrating encounters, with safety car spells and red flag stoppages blighting both. Jenkins was shuffled back to ninth at one stage in the opener, but fought back well in the limited racing laps to finish sixth.
The second race was less eventful for the Hopkins Motorsport, Asset Alliance Group, Corroconsult and Digraph backed racer though, running third from start to finish. That result earned him the same position on the grid for the final race of the season the next day.
The 16 year old from Stone moved up a place to second on the opening lap, however next time around a questionable move from another driver sent him off circuit. Fortunate to survive a trip through a gravel trap, he recovered to tenth position.
That provided him with a final chance to highlight his brilliant overtaking abilities in his Elite Motorsport car. Getting back into the top six within two laps, he completed his brilliant comeback in fourth place, with just a safety car period preventing him from pushing for the podium.
Will Jenkins: “It’s been a fantastic year, and I’m really pleased to have been able to end it with a podium finish in the final rounds. It was certainly a rollercoaster weekend of action, which is exactly what you’d expect in the Ginetta Juniors.
“Considering red flags in qualifying meant we only got two flying laps, I’m pleased that I was able to make them count and get strong starting positions. It was then frustrating we didn’t get more racing laps on Saturday around such an awesome circuit.
“Despite that, I’ll definitely take the podium finish in race two and I certainly think I had the pace for another in the final race were it not for the contact. It was good fun fighting back through to fourth though and securing a top five championship finish.
“Overall, I’m proud of our achievements this season. I’ve been unlucky at points and lost out on some good results, but that’s the nature of the game and we’ve had some great moments with the win and the podiums. Now it’s onto the next challenge, whatever that may be.”
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.