Young Harri gets his season off to a flyer
MORE racing success has been coming the way of another Welsh driver, who has also been competing in a series that is included in the British Touring Car Championship programme for 2022.
The Ginetta Junior Championship runs alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup in which Neath’s Ryan Ratcliffe drives, and young Harri Reynolds from Narberth is certainly underlining his talent in his second year as a fully fledged racing driver after his years of rising to the top of the kart racing world.
This season is proving to be one of superb results for the 15-yearold, Reynolds proving that the talent of his father Julian, himself a very successful rally driver, has been inherited.
The Lincolnshire-based Assetto Motorsport team, who are former two-time champions in the Ginetta G40 Cup, will again be running Reynolds, who was one of the leading rookies in the championship last year, scoring nine class podium finishes.
A maiden overall top three for the Welsh driver came in the Winter Series, with his performances in 2021 securing him a slot on the ‘Young Driver Programme’ of leading British Touring Car Championship team Motorbase Performance.
Jim Edwards, Assetto Motorsport team manager, said: “We’re really excited by our driver line-up for the 2022 Michelin Ginetta Juniors Championship.
“Harri showed huge potential last season and was one of the fastest drivers on the grid in the last few rounds, so he’s ready to hit the ground running and enjoy a good start to the year.
“We also have another young Welsh driver making her debut in the Ginetta Junior series this year. Pontypridd’s Ella Lloyd is a newcomer to the Ginetta paddock but joins the grid with previous experience in karting, rallying and ice driving, and she has shown a lot of promise in testing as she got ready for her racing debut.”
Ella is also an accomplished horse jumper and skier.
The Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship is the UK’S longestrunning and most prestigious junior series, offering the first step on the motorsport ladder for 14 to 17-year-old drivers as they compete on the support bill for the British Touring Car Championship.
Reynolds began his year as he intends to continue, impressing at the Silverstone Ginetta Cars media day, coming away from the Northamptonshire circuit as third fastest in the combined results.
That Silverstone drive was soon followed by a few more test days, before going to Brands Hatch in Kent for the first official Ginetta test day, with the added news that Reynolds had also secured backing from the tool manufacturer
Wera Tools, one of the major highquality companies based in Germany and now including a retail arm as Tool Maniac, and of course continued support from the family firm Reynolds Fencing.
Reynolds said of his prospects for 2022: “We are back and I was so happy to announce I would be continuing the amazing journey for a second year with Assetto Motorsport contesting the Ginetta Junior Championship as part of the new Motorbase Young Driver Programme.
“I couldn’t wait to get back racing at the incredible Donington Park circuit, and an added bonus, as well as driving where such stars as Ayrton Senna did, was that the Ginetta series will be shown live on ITV 4, the Sunday races to be included this year.”
Reynolds’s enthusiasm to get back into race action was mirrored by success on track, and as the two-day race meeting drew to a close he was even more enthused.
“Well, what a weekend!” he said. “Qualifying went well, with second spot, and to come away with the championship lead, my first win in cars, and that victory shortly followed by my second.
“In the first race I took a third place, and in race two I climbed to the very top step with a victory I’m told is an early contender for the race of the season.
“Josh Rowledge fought his way on to my tail as we broke clear of the pack and it was a real epic duel, the lead changing hands almost every lap, and came down to a photo-finish at the chequered flag, with me taking the win by just 0.068seconds.
“I followed that up with another win in my third race, which was live on television, so encouraging for me, Assetto Motorsport and my sponsors.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to the whole of the Assetto Motorsport crew for all of their help and hard work. I couldn’t have done it without them, and of course as well a huge thank you to all the guys and girls at Motorbase, Wera Tools and Tool Maniac, along with my family.
“Next up we have Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit this weekend. I can’t wait to get back out on track racing.”
The two days were improving ones for Ella Lloyd, one of three female drivers on the grid, the first time that has happened in the championship since 2009.
Her number 28 Ginetta is backed by property project company Calibre Equipment Ltd of Pontypridd and was near the back in race one but on the same lap as the leader.
She felt the renowned Donington pressure in race two to finish several laps down, but she took her first championship points in the third and final 15-lap Ginetta Junior fight, and she too drives again at Brands Hatch this weekend.
ANDREW Stokes’s Pontardawe Town team were crowned Ardal South West champions on Saturday and, following the granting by the FAW of the Tier 2 certificate, they are promoted to JD Cymru South.
Tim Georgievsky’s glancing second-half header to equalise at Penydarren BGC secured the point that Pontardawe needed to win the division and to secure promotion to Tier 2, where they will face the likes of Briton Ferry Llansawel, Afan Lido, Carmarthen Town, Llanelli Town and Ammanford Town next season.
A large Pontardawe contingent travelled to Merthyr hoping the team would extend their 13-match unbeaten run and bring home the trophy.
They were given a tough time by a very determined Penydarren side, who took the lead with a dubious penalty in the first half.
Town had already missed a number of chances and had hit the woodwork three times.
The second half was only five minutes old when Georgievsky met Garry Taylor’s cross and, despite the home side’s efforts, the Swansea Valley men saw the game through to the final whistle and celebrated in style.
FAW member Neil Dymock was on hand to award the medals and Craig Davies lifted the trophy in front of a sizeable Pontardawe following, who partied long into the night.
Pontardawe join Abergavenny Town, the Ardal South East champions, in automatic promotion, with the third and final place going to the winners of Ynyshir Albions and Abertillery Bluebirds, who face a play-off in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, West End hosted Caerau Ely after a tough season and despite two Jared Lake goals they went down 4-2 and will next season play in the West Wales Premier League.
Also relegated are Rhondda sides AFC Porth and Ton Pentre, who must have thought they were secure until AFC Llwydcoed scored a priceless winner at Dinas Powys deep into injury time.