The next generation of UK motorsport talent is set to take centre stage at Brands Hatch this weekend (April 6/7) as the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship roars back into life with a bumper 24-car entry list.

Never short of entertainment on the TOCA support package and open to drivers aged between 14 and 17, the one-make tin-top category has become the ideal environment for youngsters to transition from karting into cars, and reap the benefits that come with it.

With the likes of current McLaren F1 star Lando Norris and BTCC runner-up Tom Ingram products of the Ginetta Junior programme, this years crop of aspiring superstars will be keen to make their mark and follow in their footsteps.

Of the 24 cars taking to the grid for the opening two rounds, just nine of them have experience in the series. Winter Series champion James Hedley will be one to watch in his Elite Motorsport G40, as will Lorcan Hanafan and Gus Burton – two drivers that ran Hedley close last November.

The remaining second-season competitors include former Scholarship winner James Taylor, Will Martin, Harry Dyson, Tom Emson, Ethan Hawkey and Ben O’Hare – and all will be looking to make experience count, especially in the early running.

Several drivers will take their first tentative steps into the world of car racing around the iconic Kent circuit however none of them should be written off, with many of them holding credible backgrounds in karting and other disciplines.

Casper Stevenson, Freddie Tomlinson and Will Rochford and just three of several first-time racers that will be keen to make their mark.

Frankie Taylor meanwhile will step across from the Junior Saloon Car Championship and bid to build on his encouraging pre-season pace.

The same can also be said for Ethan Brooks who is on the grid virtue of winning the Ginetta Junior Scholarship. Brooks is no stranger to the British Automobile Racing Club either after being a standout performer in the British Schools Karting Championship in 2017 and 2018, winning the title with Brentwood School on both occasions.

For more information on the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship’s opening event, including links to timetable and live timing, click here.