Hedley: I’m here to win the championship, not to win races

Ginetta Junior championship leader James Hedley admitted winning races isn’t a priority as he focuses on the overall title.

Despite leading the championship by 56 points, Hedley only has four wins to his name, compared to title rival Will Martin’s seven. His most recent victory came in the opening race at Thruxton, bringing a seven-race winless streak to an end.

Though pleased with the result, Hedley told Ginetta Junior Update he isn’t there to win races and has his sites firmly on the championship.

“It’s good to be back on the top stop but, at the end of the day, I’m here to win the championship, not to win races,” he said. “But I’m doing both at the moment which is the best we can do.

“We just have to keep that momentum going. We’ve got some great tracks coming up, and I just have to keep my head really.”

Hedley’s consistency has been key to his championship fight. Before the Thruxton meeting, he had never finished lower than sixth, and taken podiums from all but two of the races up to that point.

The record continued into races one and two at the Hampshire track but he suffered his first retirement of the season in race three.

Despite the mechanical issue, Hedley still has an average of roughly 28 points per race this season, the equivilant of taking a second or third place at every race. His closest rival, Zak O’Sullivan, has averaged 24 points (between third and fourth) while the winningest driver of the year, Martin, averages 22 points (the equivilant of a fourth place finish).

Hedley’s race one victory came after a tough fight up the field, but he was eventually able to pull away to finish nearly three seconds ahead of O’Sullivan.

“It was one of the best races I’ve ever had – complete carnage,” he said.

“I managed to stay out of trouble and it was just perfect.”

PR available: Ginetta Junior Update writer Bethonie Waring is available to supply PR and communications services to Ginetta Junior drivers and racers in other selected series. Visit the PR Opportunities tab for more details