Melvin Kalousdian and Sebastien Leusch will head into the final two rounds of the 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels season full of confidence after celebrating their best-ever results at Snetterton.
Kalousdian got his weekend off to the perfect start, becoming the first driver this season to secure pole positions in back-to-back events. A maiden race victory followed on Saturday, before going on to complete a perfect hat-trick.
In the process, the Red Bull Junior Team driver wrote his name into the history books as only the third driver in championship history to lead every racing lap across a three-race weekend – replicating the efforts of fellow R Racing drivers Reza Seewooruthun and Lewis Goff.
After a slower start to the season than hoped, the Swedish racer expressed his delight at reaching the top step of the podium for the first time and he has more silverware in his sights over the final two rounds of the season.
“It was great to start off the weekend with pole by four tenths of a second, then going into the first race and winning it,” said Kalousdian. “We never let go from there, maximising every possible result and leading every lap. That’s not a usual thing to happen, so it feels really special.
“I feel I’ve now proven who I really am. We didn’t have the whole package to perform and show my true pace earlier in the season, but it’s there now and I’m glad we can finally prove that this is me. We’ll continue to push and hopefully win again.”
For Leusch, Snetterton marked his first time gracing the Ginetta Junior podium. After a season of steady progression with the R Racing team, including a first top six result at Croft recently, he burst into the leading pack in Norfolk.
Equalling his seasons’ best qualifying result of fifth, the Cheshire racer went on to pick up trophies in all three races. A rookie class hat-trick included his maiden class win, which came as he finished second overall in race three following a third-place result earlier in the day.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” enthused Leusch. “To get my first rookie podium, then my first rookie win, and two overall podiums across the same weekend, it is just unbelievable.
“We’ve worked so hard through the season to chip away and get closer to the leaders, so it’s unreal to see it pay off. The whole team at R Racing have been unbelievable this season and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me. Hopefully there are more podiums to come in the final two rounds.”
The Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels heads to Donington Park next for the penultimate round of the year (05-06 September), before the season finale at Brands Hatch three weeks’ later (26-27 September).
