Daniel Harper – one to watch in motorsport?

14 year old Daniel Harper has beaten off 64 other aspiring racing drivers to secure a fully funded season in the 2016 KICK Start Energy Drink Ginetta Junior Championship. Harper, who hails from County Down in Northern Ireland, impressed across the board during the testing, three day event.

The drivers took part in driving, media and fitness assessments over the three days, during which each competitor received one-on-one driver tuition from BTCC racing drivers Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram, as well as Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup race winner, Bradley Smith and British GT driver, Jody Fannin; a fantastic reward in itself.

23 drivers made it through to the next round and after a delayed start due to heavy rain, the drivers were given one run in which to impress the judges. The group was then cut to 12 drivers, where they each completed three timed laps without instruction.

Daniel was joined by Seb Priaulx and Harry King in the final test, which saw all three drivers set a ‘hot lap’ alongside Ginetta Factory Driver Mike Simpson. Keeping his cool under pressure and putting everything he had learnt into practice, Harper once again impressed.

Taking into account his development as a driver over the course of the competition, Daniel accepted his prize from outgoing scholar Stuart Middleton, with Seb Priaulx finishing as runner up.

2016 Ginetta Junior Scholar Daniel Harper said; “It’s been a fantastic week for me, I’ve really enjoyed every moment of it. I still can’t believe I have got this far and won! Thank you to all the staff who have helped me this week, especially the instructors who have brought my driving on so much in so little time. I’m now looking forward to putting everything I’ve learnt into practice.”

Chief Instructor Tom Ingram said; “A very tough few days for all the Ginetta Junior Scholarship drivers, with rain and changeable track conditions putting added pressure on our finalists. It was a very close call between the final three, with each quite deserving in their own right. In the end, I think Daniel is a very worthy winner, and I look forward to watching his first race at Brands Hatch in 2016.”

Ginetta championships manager Ashley Gallagher added; “Once again the Ginetta Junior Scholarship has unearthed a whole host of talented racing drivers from a range of motorsport backgrounds. It’s unfortunate that we can only choose one winner at the end of such a great competition and we wish each of our entrants all the best in their motorsport career.”