R Racing Produce Record-Breaking Performance At Snetterton

R Racing have made further history in the Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels, becoming the first team ever to lockout the top six positions in a single race as they secured a hat-trick of victories at Snetterton (15/16 August).

The Norfolk-based team moved a step closer to successfully retaining their teams’ and drivers’ titles with an exemplary performance in their home event, continuing a rich history at Snetterton having now won 12 of the last 13 races in the championship there.

The victory hat-trick takes R Racing to 12 for the campaign so far and ensures they have now taken ten or more race wins in six consecutive Ginetta Junior seasons. The third in Norfolk came as part of a phenomenal team performance, as six of their young talents held the top six positions at the chequered flag.

Melvin Kalousdian was the star of the show in the Norfolk sunshine. The Red Bull Junior Team driver set the tone by securing a brilliant double pole position in qualifying, backing up his maiden pole at Zandvoort to become the first driver this season to set the pace in back-to-back events.

Kalousdian led throughout the opener to secure his maiden victory. He produced a repeat performance in race two, before his most dominant display in the finale as he charged to a three-second success – becoming only the second driver in Junior history to lead every single lap of a three-race weekend.

Sebastien Leusch was another standout performer at Snetterton with a breakthrough weekend. He kicked off the event by matching his best qualifying result of the season to date in fifth place, which he converted in race one into a maiden rookie class podium finish in fourth overall.

Leusch’s progress continued in race two, moving up to third on the opening lap and ultimately securing his first overall podium in a thrilling photo-finish. He saved the best until last, a stunning double overtake netting him a new benchmark result of second overall and his maiden rookie class win.

Riley Cranham joined his team-mates in enjoying his best weekend of the season to date. Lapping second fastest to continue his record as the best qualifier on the 2026 grid, he was hot on the heels of Kalousdian throughout the three races as he secured a hat-trick of overall top three results.

Championship leader Lewis Goff ended up having a rollercoaster weekend at Snetterton. After setting the pace in pre-event testing, a frustrating qualifying session saw him lap sixth fastest. Race one didn’t go his way either, with contact from behind causing a large incident and retirement from the race.

Goff bounced back well in race two, moving up from seventh on the grid to fourth at the finish – just 0.030s shy of Leusch. He backed that up with another fourth-place result in the finale, ensuring he crucially outscored all his title rivals across the event to increase his lead to over 100 points.

Jesse Phillips was an innocent party caught up in the aforementioned race one incident. The reigning Winter Series champion bounced back from a disappointing retirement with two strong drives on Sunday, the highlight being a charge forward to complete the team’s top six lockout in race three.

Max Murray was another to unfortunately be taken out by contact in the opening race of the weekend. He recovered well to join his team-mates in the thick of the front-running action on Sunday, securing a couple of fifth place finishes to consolidate his top ten standing in the championship.

R Racing entered seven cars into a Ginetta Junior event for the first time, as Louis Radcliffe joined the grid for his debut just two days after his 14th birthday. The new talent put in a competitive display as he adjusted to the cut-and-thrust Junior racing, securing a best result of 13th overall.

Jamie Ross – R Racing Team Principal: “It’s been a special weekend for the team. There was a lot of work to do after race one, but everyone stepped up and got the cars faultless again for Sunday. To have their efforts rewarded with some historic results on track is a great feeling.

“We’ve been working hard with Melvin [Kalousdian] to get the right package around him and it’s great to see it pay off. He was exceptional from start-to-finish across the event and with the confidence from this weekend, we’re excited to see what he can do in the final two rounds.

“It’s a similar story with Sebastien [Leusch]; we’ve all put in a lot of effort in recent months and this performance has been coming for a while. You often see drivers showing nerves when they’re at the front for the first time, but he was really confident, it all clicked and he delivered.

“I’ve often said that it’s important in this championship to keep your nose clean and focus on your own job. Riley [Cranham] was a prime example of it this weekend, he went under the radar and maximised his weekend with a huge points haul. We’re delighted for him.

“Lewis was on the back foot after qualifying and the contact in race one set him back further. It was damage limitation from there and he got a good haul of points for the championship. It could have been a better weekend for him, but he showed his resilience and bounced back well.

“Something’s been lacking for Jesse [Phillips] this weekend unfortunately and we need to get to the bottom of it. It was good for him to get into the top six in the final race behind his team-mates, but he wants more than that and we’ll evaluate everything before Donington next.

“Max [Murray] had a similar weekend to Lewis and Jesse, having to bounce back from a disastrous opening race. He needed to maximise Sunday as much as possible after that and did a good job, keeping out of trouble and picking up a couple of strong fifth place results.

“Louis is really early in his car-racing journey and these final three rounds are for him to make mistakes, learn from them and develop ahead of next season. He’s ambitious and naturally wants to be higher than he is, but for a debut weekend we’re happy with the pace and racecraft he showed.”

The penultimate round of the 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels takes place in three weeks’ time (05/06 September), with a second outing of the season on the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit.

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