Round 4 of the Ginetta Junior Championship at Croft

Round 4 of the Ginetta Junior Championship at Croft

Round 4 of the 2019 British F3 championship brought the teams and drivers to Croft on June 15th and 16th.

What was meant to be a two race weekend was cut to only one race due to a downpour at the beginning of race 1. The action got underway behind the safety car, but it was quickly deemed that the conditions were not safe to race in. The race was postponed until Sunday with hope that race 2 could be rescheduled to a date later in the season.

 

Without a car on the front 3 rows of the grid for Sunday’s race, it was always going to be a struggle to get onto the podium. An 8th place for Zak O’Sullivan was, for him, a disappointing result although it was enough to take 3rd place in the rookie race and keep him in 2nd place in the overall championship standings.

P3 for Zak O'Sullivan at Croft

 

Meanwhile, Gus Burton made up 5 places from his starting position on the grid to finish in a well-earned 5th place. That’s his sixth 5th place finish in 8 races and a result which keeps him in 4th place in the overall championship standings.

Lorcan Hanafin, who started from the very back of the grid, was able to make up 12 places to reach the checkered flag in 13th position, while Bailey Voisin finished one ahead of Lorcan in 12th.

For Freddie Tomlinson the only race of the weekend gave him his best result of the season so far – 11th place and 6th in the rookie race.

O’Sullivan up to P2 in Championship Standings after Round 3 at Thruxton

O’Sullivan up to P2 in Championship Standings after Round 3 at Thruxton

Thruxton - 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship

Round 3, 18th and 19th May

Zak O’Sullivan continues his fantastic form on another great weekend for Douglas Motosport. This was Round 3, a two race weekend in the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Zak O’Sullivan, who impressed everybody in the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, managed another brace of second place finishes in the overall competition which translated to two rookie wins. He also had the fastest lap in race 2. There is no doubt Zak is going to go one better and get that first P1 finish of the championship very soon. Zak managed to gain one place in the overall championship which means he finishes the weekend in P2 in the overall championship standings and continues to lead the rookie championship.

Bailey Voisin

It was more of the same from Gus Burton and Lorcan Hanafin who continued to battle it out for a podium finish. Burton has been consistant, he leaves Thruxton with another two fifth place finishes, finishing one place ahead of team mate Hanafin in race 1.

Unfortunately, Lorcan Hanafin finished outside of the top 10 in race 2 in 16th. Douglas Motorsport’s Freddie Tomlinson finished one place ahead of Hanafin, a result which will have pleased him, seeing as he failed to finish race 1. Bailey Voisin continued to battle it out with Freddie Tomlinson for rookie points, he finished both races once again, which is no mean feat in the Junior Championship and gaining vital experience from it.

Round 2 of the Ginetta Junior Series, Donington Park

Round 2 of the Ginetta Junior Series, Donington Park

Donington Park - 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship

Round 2, 27th and 28th April

It was another successful weekend for Douglas Motorsport in the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Zak O’Sullivan, who impressed everybody in the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, managed another brace of second place finishes in the overall competition which translated to two rookie wins.

He finished race 1 with a P2 and race 3 with a P2, and finished in P8 overall in the second race at Donington Park which was enough to land him third place on the rookie podium. The rookie race this season looks like being very competitive and Zak will need to continue to produce these great results in order to stay at the top of the rookie standings. If Zak can do that he will no doubt be competing for an overall podium finish. After this weekend of racing he sits in third place overall.

Zak O'Sullivan
Gus Burton

Gus Burton provided another highlight over the weekend when he secure a P3 finish in race number 2, sandwiched by two P5 finishes. 3 top 5 finishes over the weekend in the Ginetta Junior series is an achievement, given the competitive nature of the championship. 

Lorcan Hanafin was involved in many battles over the weekend and managed 3 top 10 finishes – P8 in race 1, P6 in race 2 and a P4 finish in the third and final race. Hanafin’s P4 finish was impressive given the fact that he was at one stage in tenth position. A good result to complete the weekend.

 

Douglas Motorsport’s Bailey Voisin and Freddie Tomlinson continued to battle it out in the Rookie Championship. Both drivers completed all three races and are sure to be competing for podium places later in the championship.

Bailey Voisin

Opening Weekend Success at Brands Hatch for Ginetta Juniors

Opening Weekend Success at Brands Hatch for Ginetta Juniors

Brands Hatch - 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship

Opening Weekend, 6th and 7th April

It was a successful opening weekend for Douglas Motorsport in the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Zak O’Sullivan, who only arrived at the team a few days previously, topped the Free Practice times in advance of his first ever car race. Qualifying saw Lorcan Hanafin take P2 for race 1, with O’Sullivan in P3 and Gus Burton P5 -three Douglas cars in the top 5 grid positions. The qualifying positions for the second race were determined by drivers’ second quickest times which meant Zak O’Sullivan took Pole position, and Lorcan Hanafin completed an all Douglas Motorsport front row.

Race 1 saw Hanafin, O’Sullivan, and Gus Burton involved in a 5 car race for P2. It was the rookie O’Sullivan that won out on this occasion and he put his car over the line in second, giving him his first podium in his very first car race and his first win in the Rookie class. Burton was fifth with Hanafin 9th. 

In race 2, although he started in pole position, O’Sullivan completed the race in 9th – enough to give him the lead in the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship season. Lorcan Hanafin finished in 3rd.

 

Zak O’Sullivan Joins Ginetta Junior Team on Eve of Opening Weekend

Zak O’Sullivan Joins Ginetta Junior Team on Eve of Opening Weekend

Douglas Motorsport are delighted to announce another signing for the 2019 Ginetta junior championship. We are pleased to welcome Zak O’Sullivan to the team. After a successful spell in karts, Zak is making his long awaited transition to cars. He joins Bailey Voisin, Gustav Burton, Lorcan Hanafin and Freddie Tomlinson at the team for what promises to be an exciting championship.

Looking forward to the season ahead, Zak is delighted to be joining Douglas Motorsport and cannot wait for the new challenge.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Douglas Motorsport for my first year in cars! They have an outstanding track record in Ginetta Juniors and they’ll make the transition from karts to cars as easy as it can be. I’ve been getting grips with the car and working closely with the team. There’s an awful lot to learn and it is a big step for any young driver to take but I’m really excited about the challenge of doing so.”

Wayne Douglas is delighted to have Zak joining the team.

“We are all incredibly excited to have Zak joining us for the Ginetta Junior Championship this year. We’ve had an excellent record in the championship recently and we are hoping for further success this year. Zak’s potential behind the wheel is clear to see and he has approached the challenge of getting to grips with the car excellently. We are excited about what he can achieve across the coming season.”

Barry Mears, MB Partners’ Motorsport Manager, is confident that Zak will make an impact on the series as he makes the step up.

“The step from karts to cars is a big step for any young driver and it is no different for Zak this year. Zak’s natural pace is clear across all of his previous karting competition and this has been evident in pre-season testing as well. As with any new series, Zak knows there will be challenges but we are really hopeful that he will enjoy plenty of success across the coming months.”

 

As Zak makes his journey into sportscar racing this weekend, the British youngster has obtained the support of a handful of national and international businesses. Winkworth (an international estate agent listed on the AIM London Stock Exchange), Jelf (an award-winning insurance brokers), SkyEagle Aviation Academy and John Charcoal (mortgage brokers).

Zak’s debut season in the Ginetta Junior Championship will kick off at the Kent-based track, Brands Hatch this weekend (6th – 7th April) and has already got off to a flying start in the series as he topped the timesheets in the first practice session of the season.

 

 

Bailey Voisin Ready For Rookie Challenge In Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship

Bailey Voisin Ready For Rookie Challenge In Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship

Douglas Motorsport are happy to announce yet another driver signing for the upcoming Michelin Ginetta Junior Champsionship. Bailey Voisin will make his car-racing debut in the junior series after signing for the team.

The Swiss born British racer, who is bilingual in English and French, started karting in Junior Max competition aged thirteen and last year competed in the Junior Rotax class of the Super One Karting Championship.

The sixteen year old, who currently studies in Bath, is now looking to take his racing to the next level this season in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship with support from Featured Developments and Thallo Capital. 

Bailey Voisin: “I am thrilled to have joined Douglas Motorsport and really look forward to improving my driving skills with such a professional and supportive team. Having now met some of the other drivers and the wider Douglas team, I feel very welcome.

“My immediate goal in the 2019 Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship is to do well in the Rookie Cup this season and hopefully I can look forward to a successful year as a Douglas Junior.”

Voisin is the third confirmed driver for the upcoming campaign, joining series returnees Gus Burton and Lorcan Hanafin. 

Wayne Douglas, team principal: “Douglas Motorsport have started an intensive test programme with Bailey and his progression has been impressive.  In his rookie season, the team and Bailey’s aim together is rookie podiums and wins which should see Bailey running at the front as the season progresses.”