Xentek Motorsport scored an incredible haul of no less than 20 Ginetta class podium finishes, including seven victories, during the inaugural G Fest event at Silverstone last week (01-04 June).
The unique Ginetta festival marked the South Yorkshire team’s busiest ever race event, as the only team in the paddock to contest all four championships and therefore a remarkable total of 19 races and nine qualifying sessions. The race action was split across the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on the Friday and the shorter National layout over the weekend.
Once again it was the Ginetta GT5 Challenge contenders who served up some of the most exciting racing through the week, with Xentek’s talented trio of Luke Garlick, Ella Lloyd and Sam Harvey at the heart of the action across their busy seven race schedule.
Lloyd secured the opening race win of the event, her fourth of the season, with a dominant display. The 17-year-old backed that performance up with two more podium finishes and a pole position as she continued her eye-catching 2023 campaign.
Another driver to have been on top form so far this season is Garlick, who increased his lead at the top of the GT5 Pro standings with a strong, consistent week. Finishing every race within the top five in class, he stood on the podium three times and set a couple of fastest race laps too.
Harvey once again joined his team-mates in being a regular presence in the battle for silverware. Fighting hard to try and secure a maiden race victory, the West Midlands racer increased his podium tally for the season so far to six courtesy of second and third place results.
In the GT5 Am category, Bal Sidhu continued his charge to the class title with six race wins from seven races. Sidhu, who is contesting his fourth consecutive season of GT5 racing with Xentek, found himself regularly battling with and beating a number of GT5 Pro class contenders through the event.
Paul Livesey put in a star performance in the Ginetta GT Academy meanwhile. Challenging for overall top six finishes across the event, he enjoyed some fantastic wheel-to-wheel action as he recorded a seasons’ best result of fourth in the headline GTA class, with his efforts rewarded with six trips to the podium in the Chairmans Cup category.
Paul’s son Felix Livesey had a typically rollercoaster six races in the ultra-competitive, action-packed Ginetta Juniors. An unfortunate victim of contact in a number of races, the 14-year-old rising star was able to clearly showcase his huge potential at points though, with thrilling charges up the order and challenges for the top ten en-route to a best result of 11th overall.
It unfortunately proved to be a tough event for Conner Garlick in the headline GTP class of the Ginetta GT Championship however. Fighting to overcome some mechanical issues outside of the team’s control and unfortunate incidents on track, the Donington Park race-winner showed great determination to battle on and come away with a deserved pair of top five finishes.
Christopher Richards – Team Principal: “That truly was an event unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. Competing in every championship, it didn’t feel like there was a moment’s rest between cars being on track or getting them prepped in the garages.
“A huge thank you must go to every team member for their phenomenal effort and dedication over the four days. Whether it was a mechanical issue or a damaged car, there were plenty of challenges thrown their way across the event and they did a fantastic job to get everyone racing
“It was an up and down few days in terms of on-track results, as naturally you’d never expect 19 races to all go your way, but we’re proud of all of our drivers for their performances. Whether it was collecting trophies, producing some great race action or making huge progress forward in their driving, they all had something to be proud of coming away from Silverstone.”
Following the back-to-back Ginetta events at Donington Park and Silverstone, Xentek Motorsport now get a weekend off before the action resumes again at Snetterton (17/18 June).
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.