Leeds based Ginetta celebrate alumni achievements in 2023

As a longstanding pioneer in fostering young motorsport talent, Ginetta is recognising the accomplishments of its alumni throughout the 2023 racing season. Once again, former drivers of this British brand have made an exceptional impact on multiple competitions both domestically and internationally.

Ginetta graduates 2016 Junior scholarship winner Dan Harper and former GT Academy and GT4 SuperCup driver Darren Leung secured the British GT series’ headline GT3 drivers’ title. Additionally, 2016 Ginetta Junior champion Will Tregurtha and ex-G40 Cup racer Mark Sansom captured the Silver-Am class title. In the GT4 Pro-Am category, Michael Johnston, a 2022 Ginetta GT Academy racer, clinched the title.

Darren Leung reflected on his experience with Ginetta’s GT Academy and expressed how much he learned about car racing. As a beginner, the program provided a supportive and secure environment for him to fully grasp the basics of this new skill. He considers it one of the greatest achievements in his life and highly recommends others to give it a try. Thanks to the skills gained from GTA, he was able to confidently transition to GT4 Supercup with Assetto Motorsport.

During the historic centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, three former Ginetta drivers – Olli Caldwell, Casper Stevenson, and Tom Gamble – competed in endurance racing. Additionally, David Pittard, who previously raced in the GT5 Challenge and GT4 SuperCup, achieved an impressive overall win at the fiercely competitive Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Once more, a strong group of past Ginetta drivers stood out at the forefront of the British touring car campaign. At the helm was three-time Ginetta champion Tom Ingram, who held onto his 2022 BTCC title and brought the championship battle to its final round, ultimately securing second place. Right behind him was former Ginetta racer Jake Hill, while ex-Junior and GT4 SuperCup race-winner Andrew Watson claimed the Jack Sears Trophy.

Ginetta graduates have continued to excel in one-make Porsche competitions, as evidenced by the 2023 season. Notable achievements include Adam Smalley’s victory in the Carrera Cup GB, while Max Bird, a former Junior racer, triumphed in the Pro-Am class. Additionally, Joe Warhurst claimed the Cayman championship in his debut year after Juniors, while Marc Warren, a three-time Ginetta champion, secured the Am class title in the Sprint Challenge GB.

Every year, we are immensely proud to see our former drivers enjoying phenomenal success in their careers, and this year has been particularly impressive with notable achievements across such a wide range of championships.

“To see our graduates winning titles and picking up silverware in GT racing, touring cars, single-seaters, and prototypes both domestically and globally is brilliant, and it’s a testament to our motorsport ladder and our continued philosophy of promoting young talent.”

Kelly Edmund, Ginetta Events Manager

In the highly competitive world of motorsport, rising star Lando Norris had a standout year in 2014 as he secured the Junior rookie championship and achieved great success with McLaren in Formula 1, claiming seven podium finishes. Keeping up with Norris’s impressive achievements are two promising British drivers, Zak O’Sullivan and Luke Browning. O’Sullivan, the Junior rookie champion in 2019, made a name for himself by winning four races and coming in second place in FIA Formula 3. He also made his F1 debut during FP1 at Abu Dhabi with Williams. Meanwhile, Browning also proved his talent by earning a podium finish in the same championship and taking home victory at the esteemed Macau Grand Prix.

During 2022, Formula 4 saw an exceptional performance from Junior rookie champion Will Macintyre in the British Championship, where he claimed the runner-up position. Other Junior alumni such as James Higgins, Kanato Le, Aqil Alibhai and Sonny Smith also achieved race victories in the series. Following his victory as the 2023 Ginetta Junior champion, Freddie Slater triumphed again at Monza in the single-seater Euro 4 Championship. Leo Robinson, who became the youngest race winner in Junior history at just 14 years old in 2023, made a move to Danish F4 and collected ten podium finishes.

In the United States, Devlin DeFrancesco remains the sole Junior graduate to achieve success in IndyCar, with his highest finish being 12th during his second season. In the Indy NXT feeder series, Louis Foster, the 2019 Junior rookie champion, also had multiple victories. Among his competitors was Jamie Chadwick, who began her career as a Ginetta Junior scholar. The F1 Academy, a newly established championship for female single-seater talents, saw Abbi Pulling, formerly a GT5 Challenge racer, make seven podium appearances this season.

About Ginetta

Ginetta is a British racing car company founded more than 60 years ago. The company was acquired by Le Mans-winning entrepreneur Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005 and since then has been transformed under his ownership. Ginetta has grown significantly in recent years to become a formidable Motorsport Group providing racers, drivers, and enthusiasts a comprehensive range of products and services.

Ginetta continues to design and develop world-beating race car technology at its HQ near Leeds. This performance engineering is directly shared across all race cars and series. With the majority of British sportscar companies now owned by overseas investors, above all Ginetta remains proudly British, with a down to earth family ethos. Ginetta will compete in SRO Motorsports Group series for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons and look to expand following the SRO Worldwide championships.

The team at Ginetta are confirming their presence at the 2024 Masters of Motoring including taking to the track on the live action day.  More details will follow.