R Racing Strengthen Ginetta Junior Title Defence With Croft Victory

R Racing have crossed the halfway point of the 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels season with strong leads in both the drivers’ and teams’ points standings following a successful visit to Croft this past weekend (27/28 June).

The busiest weekend of the season so far saw the reigning Junior grand slam champions contest four races as part of the Ginetta Festival event. Their talented pack of teenage drivers certainly delivered in North Yorkshire, with a haul of 13 podium finishes including the team’s seventh overall victory of the campaign.

That win went the way of Riley Cranham as part of a superb performance from the rookie contender. Undoubtedly the fastest driver on the grid across the weekend, he laid down a marker in qualifying each morning by securing three of the four pole positions on offer.

The Merseyside racer continued that rapid pace into the races and impressively won three of them on the road. While two were sadly lost due to post-race penalties, victory in race three on Sunday morning was a richly deserved first overall race win of a hugely impressive 2026 season so far.

Jesse Phillips enjoyed a brilliant Croft weekend, securing three podium finishes from the four races. A great charge from ninth on the grid to second in the opening race set the tone, with smart driving seeing the reigning Winter Series champion stay out of trouble and score a couple of third place results on Sunday.

Max Murray also fought his way through to the podium in race one on Saturday, superbly battling up from tenth to third. That was the 15-year-old’s second overall top three finish of the campaign, and he followed it up with a couple of strong top ten results on Sunday.

It was a challenging weekend for Lewis Goff, with a puncture in race one costing him a shot at the win. He bounced back in style with his eighth podium of the season in the next race and added a fourth place result in the final outing, ensuring he retains a healthy lead atop the points standings.

Croft was an event to remember for Sebastien Leusch, as he picked up his best ever qualifying and race results. Starting on a high note with fifth place in qualifying on Saturday, he converted that into a superb fifth place result in the opening race – the first of three top ten finishes over the weekend.

It ended up being a damage limitation weekend for Melvin Kalousdian meanwhile, with tricky qualifying sessions leaving him fighting hard for progress in the races. The Red Bull Junior Team driver picked up a best result of sixth and is determined to come back stronger at Zandvoort next.

Jamie Ross – R Racing Team Principal: “With seven sessions across two days including four races, it was no surprise that Croft was a pretty action-packed weekend for the team. A huge thank you to everyone involved for their hard work over a very busy few days.

“Overall for the team it was a positive weekend. We started with all six of our drivers qualifying inside the top ten for the first time on Saturday morning, and ended up with three pole positions, a race win and a haul of 13 podium finishes. We’re pretty happy with that.

“To a certain extent Riley [Cranham] had a dominant weekend. His on-track pace was fantastic and just some clumsy moments cost him the results. His rate of improvement is undeniable though and we know that with a few things polished out, he will be a complete driver and a consistent front-runner in the series.

“It felt like Jesse [Phillips] went under the radar a bit, but it was probably his best weekend so far in terms of speed and racecraft. In a series like Ginetta Juniors, there’s a lot to be said for keeping your nose clean and staying out of trouble, which he did really well and got three podiums for it.

“The puncture in race one put Lewis [Goff] on the back foot, and it didn’t quite work out from there. He seemed to keep being in the right place with a lap or two remaining, but couldn’t convert it into serious points and we’ll work on that. A frustrating weekend, but his points lead is still healthy and we go again.

“For Max [Murray], considering the time he missed at the end of last year, we’re happy with where he is at the moment. His pace is really strong, he’s quietly going about his business and picking up some good results, with the podium being a deserved reward for his efforts this weekend.

“It’s clear to see the level of potential that Melvin [Kalousdian] has. When he was in clean air in the races this weekend, he was matching the pace of the leaders, but he was too often stuck scrapping in the pack after tricky qualifying sessions. We’re working hard with him though and he’s one to watch for Zandvoort.

“Sebastien [Leusch] made a big step forward this weekend and it’s a nice confidence booster for him at this stage of the season. He put in a lot of hard work ahead of the event and it’s really good to see that pay off with his best results of the season so far. A lot of positives to take into the next one.”

The 2026 Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels continues next weekend (11/12 July) with the annual overseas event of the season, with three races at Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

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