Whether it was dominating from the front of the field or fighting back from moments of adversity, Lewis Goff put in a remarkable charge to overall and rookie drivers’ title glory in the 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels.
Goff entered the season as one of the most experienced rookie class drivers on the grid, establishing himself in the top six across the final three rounds of the 2025 season, before scoring an impressive maiden race win in the Winter Series at Silverstone.
With that knowledge under his belt, the R Racing talent hit the ground running this year with a hat-trick of wins in the Donington Park season opener. He followed that up with two more victories next time out at Silverstone to build a strong lead in the standings from the off.
Goff said: “It was definitely important to start the season off strongly. We had a pace advantage at Donington, so to maximise that and start off dominantly with three wins, that was crucial.
“To follow that up with two more wins at Silverstone and build a good championship lead straight away, that put us in a strong position and set the tone for the season.”
Goff faced his first bout of adversity at Oulton Park over the May bank holiday weekend, as he lost every qualifying lap to track limits infringements. He dealt with it majestically though, twice charging through from 25th on the grid to a top five finish, before winning race three.
While the chasing pack took the fight to Goff over the next few events, the points leader kept a level head and stayed out of trouble as much as possible. One incident he couldn’t avoid came in race one at Snetterton, but he bounced back well again with a pair of fourth place results.
“Oulton Park was a massive weekend for me,” he reflected. “To start off on such a low with qualifying, to bounce back with three top fives including a win was great. It showed how strong I could be no matter where I started.
“When you have a weekend with a tough first race like Snetterton, it’s important to put it behind you, build the weekend back up and take away as many points as possible for the championship.”
Goff’s season came full circle in the end. After laying down the groundwork with his rapid start at Donington Park, he completed the job at the same circuit five months later with his tenth victory of the campaign – becoming only the eighth driver ever to win 10 or more Junior races in a single season.
“It was a big relief to win it with a weekend to go and to be able to take the pressure off for Brands Hatch. To do it at Donington Park, where we started so well, was a nice feeling,” he enthused.
“It was definitely a year with a lot of highs and a few lows, with a couple of weekends where we thought it might turn into a big championship fight. There were those tricky moments, which you expect when going for a title in such a competitive championship, but we brought it back with the highs.
“I’m so grateful to all of the team at R Racing for giving me a brilliant car all season. They’re the best in the business and I’m proud to have been able to contribute towards all of their success this year.”
