R Racing Score Sixth Ginetta Junior Win Of 2026

R Racing have secured their sixth race victory of the 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels season after a rollercoaster weekend of racing in round three at Oulton Park this past weekend (23-25 May).

The Norfolk-based team continued their title defence with an impressive performance across three action-packed races on the Oulton Park International circuit, which took place under blazing sunshine over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

Championship leader Lewis Goff headed into Oulton Park with a formidable record of five wins from the opening six races of the season. He had a frustrating start to the event though, as track limits infringements in qualifying left him outside the top 20 on the grid for the first two races.

Goff bounced back with exceptional racecraft though, remarkably gaining 39 places across the two races to secure a pair of top five finishes. He then saved the best until last, with a brilliant drive from fifth to first securing him a sixth win of the season and an increased 55-point championship lead.

The star performer in qualifying was Riley Cranham, as he finished second fastest overall for the second event in a row. He followed that up with a superb drive in the opening race, fighting hard for the race win before an unfair move from the driver ahead led to damage and an eventual fifth place result.

A week on from his 15th birthday, Cranham excelled again on Monday as he impressively led from start-to-finish in race two. A time penalty for track limits infringements cruelly cost him the win though, and forced him to mount a sensational comeback drive from 24th on the grid to sixth in race three.

Hot on Cranham’s heels in qualifying was Max Murray in third. An unfortunate spin cost him a shot at the podium in race one, but he bounced back perfectly with a great drive to third in race two for a richly-deserved first overall podium finish in the championship.

Jesse Phillips was another R Racing talent to feature on the overall podium, as he emerged from a chaotic opening race of the weekend in second place after a brilliant drive from tenth on the grid. The 2025 Ginetta Junior Winter Series champion then took a best result of eighth from Monday’s races.

Saturday didn’t go the way Melvin Kalousdian hoped for, as a tough qualifying session was followed by an incident in race one. The Red Bull Junior Team driver was back on form come Monday though, with nine places gained across the two races culminating in his second overall podium finish of the year.

Oulton Park didn’t quite produce the results that Sebastien Leusch hoped for meanwhile. The rookie talent did finish inside the points in all three races though and showed glimpses of the raw speed that guided him to a brilliant top ten hat-trick on his debut at Donington Park.

Nathan Read – R Racing Team Principal: “Oulton Park as a whole has been a good weekend for the team, picking up another overall victory and eight class podium finishes. It could have been more though and we weren’t quite able to capitalise on the brilliant pace and potential shown by each driver.

“After qualifying, Lewis was so impressive with the way he kept his head and got on with the job at hand. Championships are won or lost by how a driver responds to a wobble like that, and Lewis was brilliant this weekend to fight through the field twice and finish off with a win.

“Riley has had a really impressive weekend, qualifying second overall and showing he’s capable of fighting for race victories. The time penalty put him at the back for race three, but he didn’t let that faze him and it was a brilliant drive through to sixth place.

“Max put in a great performance in qualifying and was unlucky with his spin in race one, but he bounced back well to get a deserved podium in race two. He should be happy with the pace he showed and we’ll keep working on fine-tuning his racecraft going forward.

“Jesse started off with a great podium finish, but it didn’t quite go his way on Monday. Truthfully, we expect a bit more from him as he’s shown us he’s capable of much more, and it’s our job now to help him maximise his pace and to get his elbows out on track.

“It’s becoming déjà vu with Melvin. He’s still struggling to nail that one lap pace in qualifying and that’s something we’re going to keep working on, but his race pace is unquestionable. In that final race in particular, he was probably fast enough to have given Lewis a run for his money at the end.

“Sebastien was a little bit on the back foot coming into the season with the amount of testing he had done and he just needs more time in the car. He has shown good pace and he’s been in and around the top ten this season, but we know the potential is there for more going forward.”

The 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels continues next month with four races as part of the Ginetta Festival event at Croft in North Yorkshire (27/28 June).