Sebastien Leusch became the final champion of the 2026 Ginetta UK Championship season last weekend at Snetterton (24-25 October), bringing an impressive first year in car-racing to a close with title glory in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series powered by Sunoco Race Fuels.
Returning to the scene of his maiden Ginetta Junior podium finishes back in August, Leusch used all of that experience to his benefit as he produced an impressively fast and consistent performance with R Racing across the four-race Winter Series.
Hitting the ground running with his first race victory in the opener, he remained a permanent presence in the top three from then on. Third place in race two on Saturday meant he sat level on points with Finlay Lines at the top of the standings overnight.
Second position in Sunday’s opener meant the destination of the title was in his hands heading into the closer, though any slip up could be pounced on by Lines, Jacob Ashcroft or Louis Radcliffe. There was no trouble for Leusch though, with a composed drive to second again sealing the crown.
“I’m absolutely over the moon, it really couldn’t have gone any better this weekend,” said Leusch “It feels really special, to win a championship in Ginetta Junior is a dream come true. It’s been nice to show the progress I’ve made over the year and to convert all that hard work into this result to end 2026 is amazing.
“It was incredibly competitive out there, Louis [Radcliffe] and the Elite boys pushed me the whole way and kept me on my toes. There were some exciting battles and I had great fun out on track all weekend.”
Leusch becomes R Racing’s fourth Winter Series champion in the last five editions of the end-of-season championship. It was a weekend to remember for the local team, with three wins from four races and a one-two championship finish for Leusch and his rookie team-mate Radcliffe.
“I can’t thank everyone at R Racing enough for what they’ve done for me this weekend, but also throughout the season,” he enthused. “They’ve gone an incredible job and I’m delighted we could bring home the championship.
“It was good fun battling with Louis, he kept it really clean and respectful. He was brilliant all weekend and it was great that we could finish one-two for the team.”
Seven Winter Series champions have gone on to win the overall Ginetta Junior championship over the years, the most recent of whom was Freddie Slater three years ago. Leusch says trying to add his name to that list is certainly an appealing proposition for 2027.
“It’s too early to say for certain, but ideally I’ll be back having a go at this again and go for the overall championship,” he concluded. “Having this feeling, it makes me hungry for more success. It’s given me so much confidence going into 2027 and I want to keep winning, wherever I might be racing.”
