HEDLEY AHEAD OF THE REST
Since the Ginetta Junior
Winter Series was launched back in 2008, only once has its champion not gone on to finish either first or second in the main category’s standings if they competed in it the following year. Therefore, 2018 Winter Series victor James Hedley was instantly one of the favourites for this season’s crown. Not that the Elite Motorsport driver let that expectation get to him at all.
“It did put a little bit of extra pressure on because, if you look at the stats, most people who have won the Winter Series have won the championship the year after,” says Hedley. “I didn’t really take it to heart – I wasn’t thinking about the championship at the start of the year.”
That soon changed when an ultra-consistent first half of the season, where he only finished one of the first 11 races off the podium, left him leading by a mammoth 95 points heading into the summer break.
The second of those podiums demonstrated Hedley’s prowess this season. In race two at Brands Hatch, he was involved in a first-lap tangle at Graham Hill Bend and dropped to 14th. But that didn’t put off Hedley as he stormed through the field to take second.
“The fact we were a second quicker than most people on track was just amazing and it gave me lots of confidence, especially as it was in the wet,” he adds. “I didn’t rate myself in the wet last year – I was terrible – so did a lot of winter testing in the wet.”
That work paid off, as he was quick in all of the varied conditions the 2019 season produced. But what was most noticeable about Hedley’s year was his consistency. Unlike in some of the other support series, the comfortable midseason leader didn’t have a wobble in the second half of the year. Instead Hedley continued to pick up the strong results and never looked like missing out on the title.
“He was super impressive all year at every circuit,” says Elite team boss Eddie Ives. “I don’t think he showed any signs of weakness – the pressure didn’t get it to him in any way, shape or form. He is a very talented kid and he had done the best preparation.”
Even when Will Martin went on a run of victories, Hedley was often finishing second behind him. Hedley even feels he could’ve been more aggressive in those races and challenged for more wins.
“In some of the races I was a little bit too cautious, but that’s in hindsight,” he admits.
It didn’t matter, though. Despite Martin winning more races – including a brilliant battle at Thruxton with Zak O’sullivan when the pair banged wheels constantly up Woodham Hill and surging from 19th on the grid to triumph in the finale – he lacked the consistency of Hedley and finished third in the points. The runner-up was instead O’sullivan, who had a remarkable rookie season, but was ultimately too far behind Hedley after those early races to challenge.