Rocco Coronel is closing in on title glory as the Ginetta Junior Championships returns to Croft for the first time in three years this weekend (06-07 September) for the penultimate round of a thrilling 2025 season.
Coronel (R Racing) has been a revelation throughout this milestone 20th anniversary season of the Ginetta Junior Championship, with a sensational record of 11 victories and six further podium finishes from the 18 races to date securing him a big advantage at the top of the points standings.
While the Red Bull Junior Team driver missed out on a race victory at Brands Hatch last time out, the first time he’s left a race event without a winner’s trophy this season, a hat-trick of podium finishes still helped to strengthen his championship advantage with six races to go.
Once dropped scores are applied, the Dutchman holds an 89-point lead over Fred Green (Elite Motorsport). Green has been the other standout rookie of the 2025 season and is aiming to make history as only the second Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner to emerge as champion in their debut year.
Having kept his title challenge alive with his third and fourth victories of the season so far at Brands Hatch, he knows that he’ll need to add more wins to his tally this weekend and hope Coronel loses ground to remain in title contention heading into the Donington Park finale.
Alfie Slater (R Racing) remains the only other driver in mathematical contention for the title, as he aims to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Freddie, the 2023 champion. Slater is in good form at present, with wins in each of the last two events and a run of five podiums in the last six races.
R Racing are on course to secure their third consecutive Teams’ title, thanks in part to having four drivers in the top five of the standings at present. Coronel and Slater are backed up by regular podium finishers Max Cuthbert and Scott Kin Lindblom, the latter being another Red Bull-backed talent.
Cuthbert scored his maiden Ginetta pole position at Brands Hatch and has secured five overall podium finishes so far. Lindblom has joined him in knocking on the door of a maiden outright victory, having come home in the overall top three on four occasions.
Three other drivers will take to the grid this weekend having finished on the overall podium this season. Torrin Byrne (Pace Performance) took home trophies from Donington Park and Snetterton, while Ethan Carney (Elite Motorsport) and George Proudford-Nalder (Oulton Park) picked up their maiden podiums at Silverstone and Oulton Park respectively.
2024 race-winner Colin Cronin (Elite Motorsport) is still chasing an elusive first podium of the season, having finished in the top six on nine occasions to date. Harry Bartle (Pace Performance) is a top three contender too, with a great recent run of performances including a first rookie class podium in fourth overall at Brands Hatch.
Within a hugely-talented grid this season, there are a number of drivers who could spring a surprise at the front of the field this weekend. That group includes a quartet who have regularly been mixing it in the top ten this year; Jarrett Clark (R Racing), Raul Zunzarren (MKH Racing) and Elite Motorsport duo Revie Lake and Emmilio Del Grosso.
Josh Watts (Performance One) is one to watch this weekend, not only as the only driver on the grid to have raced at Croft before, but also having scored his first overall top ten finish at Brands Hatch. Joshua Henry (Elite Motorsport) impressed last time out in Kent too, taking a seasons’ best hat-trick of 12th place finishes.
Lewis Goff (ProjectR) enjoyed a brilliant debut at Brands Hatch, securing a best result of 10th overall in only his third race. He’ll be looking to make his mark this weekend, as will the likes of Felipe Reijs (R Racing), Noah Young (Performance One), Henry Cameron (Fox Motorsport) and Matthew Chiwara (Tim Gray Motorsport).
Follow the action across the weekend on social media, @GinettaCars.
Provisional Timetable:
Saturday 06 September: Qualifying 10:20; Race One 15:00
Sunday 07 September: Race Two 10:35; Race Three 15:10
All three races will be streamed live on Ginetta’s YouTube channel, while live timing and results will be available via TSL Timing.
