Ravi Ramyead and Nick White are split by just seven points at the top of the Ginetta GT Academy standings heading into what is sure to be an exhilarating three days of racing during the inaugural G Fest at Silverstone this week.
In its third season in 2023, the GT Academy is designed to give drivers of all experience levels the opportunity to enjoy entry level GT racing, with high-performance competition at an affordable cost. It features two classes, with a rookie category for novice racers and the headline GTA class for more experienced drivers.
Ramyead is a driver to have taken full advantage of the GT Academy package, entering as a rookie last year and duly dominating the class with 10 wins from 13 races en-route to the title. He’s now stepped up to the GTA ranks with Century Motorsport and continued his stunning record of results, winning five of the opening eight races.
It could well have been six wins too were it not for a mistake whilst leading at Donington, which was were pounced upon by White (Raceway Motorsport). The second-year driver has firmly established himself as a title contender, with three victories to date and a 100% podium record putting him right on Ramyead’s tail.
Mackenzie Walker (Assetto Racing) has shown the pace to be a contender for race wins, but various misfortunes have limited him to only two podiums so far. Century Motorsport team-mates Ed Acres and Thomas Shelley have been in the mix at the front of the grid too, collecting three trophies each.
James Taylor (W2R) took a double podium in the Oulton Park season opener and the evo magazine journalist is one to watch this week as he races on Saturday, while Marc Elman (SVG Motorsport) has been a regular top six finisher and a podium breakthrough will be his next target.
Paul Livesey (Xentek Motorsport), father of Junior racer Felix, scored his first top six result at Donington Park last time out, with Phil McGarty (Alastair Rushforth Motorsport) joining him in showing continued improvement after his switch from the GT5 Challenge.
The standout rookie so far this season has been Matt Shaw, with a stunning record of six class victories from the eight races so far. Alongside his class accolades, he’s also been mixing it with the GTA contenders as well, with a best overall result of third here at Silverstone last month.
Amy Tomlinson has consistently provided his closest competition so far, having impressively finished on the podium in each of the opening seven races. She’s one of three Tomlinson sisters on the grid this year, with Emma having picked up a maiden win last time out at Donington as Lucy secured her first trophies the same weekend.
Charlotte Lowe also impressed in Leicestershire with a pair of second place finishes moving her up to second in the rookie standings, while after competitive performances on the first trip to Silverstone, Ben and Harry Cooke will be back on the grid on Friday. Yousuf Ashraf makes his debut on Sunday meanwhile.
Follow the action across the weekend on social media, @GinettaCars.
Weekend Timetable:
Friday 02 June – Qualifying One, 10:13; Race One, 12:04; Race Two, 15:35
Saturday 03 June – Qualifying Two, 10:00; Race Three, 12:30; Race Four, 15:40
Sunday 04 June – Qualifying Three, 09:00; Race Five, 11:20; Race Six, 14:30
All six races will be streamed live on Ginetta’s YouTube channel, while live timing and results will be available here: www.tsl-timing.com/event/232221
