O’Sullivan storms to maiden Ginetta Junior victory
2 min read
Zak O’Sullivan claimed his maiden Ginetta Junior victory with a commanding drive around the Snetterton 300 circuit.
O’Sullivan led from lights to flag and, after a strong opening lap, was unchallenged throughout the race.
The R Racing driver continued to set fast laps throughout the race, eventually pulling more than five seconds ahead of Casper Stevenson in second.
O’Sullivan had already claimed six podiums, including a string of second place finishes between DOnington Park and Thruxton, and a number of rookie victories, but this was the first time the 14-year-old stood on the top step of the overall podium.
Championship leader James Hedley faced a difficult race when a poor qualifying and five place grid penalty put him 17th on the 25 car grid.
A fast starter, Hedley was already inside the top 10 by the end of the opening lap. A spin for Tom Emson, who had been battling for third, promoted him to fifth, behind R Racing’s Josh Rattican.
Rattican defended well, but Hedley soon found a way past and rapidly closed the gap to Gus Burton and Roman Bilinski. Burton and Bilinski were running nose to tail when Hedley reached the duo. A wide moment at Bomb Hole allowed Hedley to snatch fourth from Bilisnki, before a move around the outside at the end of the Bently straight put him on the podium.
With only a handful of laps left, Hedley had no opportunity to close the gap to Stevenson, settling for third.
The battle continued behind him, with Burton, Bilisnki, Rattican, and Will Martin fighting for position. A five second penalty for exceeding track limits dropped Bilinski out of the fight, putting him seventh on the corrected timings.
Burton finished fourth, ahead of Martin, who started from 18th on the grid, and Rattican.
Ben Kasperczak took his best result of the season in P9, with scholarship winner Ethan Brooks completing the top 10.
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| Position | Name | Number | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zak O’Sullivan | 51 | R Racing | 21m16.164s (9 Laps) |
| 2 | Casper Stevenson | 25 | Richardson Racing | +5.438s |
| 3 | James Hedley | 67 | Elite Motorsport | +10.851s |
| 4 | Gus Burton | 57 | Douglas Motorsport | +12.855s |
| 5 | Will Martin | 10 | Richardson Racing | +13.254s |
| 6 | Josh Rattican | 21 | R Racing | +15.168s |
| 7 | Roman Bilinski | 55 | Alastair Rushford Motorsport | +19.321s |
| 8 | Ben Kasperczak | 35 | BK Racing | +21.381s |
| 9 | James Taylor | 66 | Richardson Racing | +29.426s |
| 10 | Ethan Brooks | 86 | Total Control Racing | +30.065s |
| 11 | Ethan Hawkey | 40 | Richardson Racing | +30.133s |
| 12 | Ben O’Hare | 95 | Premiership Academy | +40.015s |
| 13 | Tom Emson | 27 | Elite Motorsport | +41.057s |
| 14 | Joel Pearson | 29 | Elite Motorsport | +44.324s |
| 15 | Tom Ward | 17 | Elite Motorsport | +48.620s |
| 16 | Frankie Taylor | 32 | SVG Motorsport | +49.704s |
| 17 | Freddie Tomlinson | 62 | Douglas Motorsport | +50.282s |
| 18 | Bailey Vosin | 22 | Douglas Motorsport | +55.959s |
| 19 | Haytham Qarajouli | 75 | Total Control Racing | +1m06.210s |
| 20 | Molly Dodd | 47 | Premiership Academy | +1m10.834s |
| DNF | Aston Millar | 70 | R Racing | +7 Laps |
| DNF | Lorcan Hanafin | 23 | Douglas Motorsport | +7 Laps |
| DNF | William Aspin | 16 | Elite Motorsport | +7 Laps |
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