Dutch rising star Rocco Coronel will head into his home event as Ginetta Junior Championship points leader as the series prepares to compete at Circuit Zandvoort for the first time this weekend (26-27 July).
A landmark weekend in the 20th anniversary season of the Ginetta Junior Championship sees the series compete overseas for the first time since 2006 and race on an international Formula 1 circuit for the first time ever as it visits the current home of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Zandvoort will become the 15th different venue that the Junior Championship has visited in the two decades since its inception, with the legendary 2.646-mile track set to provide an exciting challenge for the teenage racers with its unique banked turns and undulating terrain.
Following in the wheel tracks of their compatriots Ruben Del Sarte and Robert de Haan, the latter a former Junior scholarship winner and rookie champion, there are two Dutch talents on the grid this season who will get the chance to race in their homeland this weekend.
Coronel has been a revelation in his debut car-racing campaign, storming his way to nine victories from the opening 12 races. The Red Bull Junior Team driver is currently on a run of 11 consecutive podium finishes, with that superb consistency building him a championship lead of over 100 points.
Joining Coronel in the R Racing ranks is his compatriot, Felipe Reijs. The 14-year-old has been a regular presence in the competitive midfield battles this season and will hope to score a maiden top ten finish on home tarmac, having taken a best result of 12th on three occasions to date.
Leading the challenge to Coronel this season has been Fred Green (Elite Motorsport). The current Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner scored his second win of the season at Snetterton, as part of an impressive campaign that’s included eight podium visits to date.
The only driver other than Coronel and Green to have won a race this season is Alfie Slater (R Racing), who was victorious in the opening race of the year at Donington Park. The second-year contender is looking to make a return to the podium for the first time since Silverstone in April.
A number of drivers have been knocking on the door of scoring their maiden Ginetta Junior win in recent events. Joseph Smith (Elite Motorsport) enjoyed the best weekend of his rookie season to date at Snetterton, with a double podium taking his tally up to four for the campaign to date.
Red Bull-backed talent Scott Kin Lindblom (R Racing) has taken an overall podium finish at each event so far, with a best result of second at Oulton Park, while Torrin Byrne (Pace Performance) notched his second podium of the season at Snetterton with a stunning drive from 19th on the grid.
Max Cuthbert (R Racing) also has a pair of overall podium finishes to his name, while Ethan Carney (Elite Motorsport) and George Proudford-Nalder (MDD Racing) recently finished in the top three for the first time at Silverstone and Oulton Park, respectively.
Pace Performance teammates Ethan Lennon and Harry Bartle have their sights set on a podium breakthrough. Lennon has finished in the top six on three occasions so far, while Bartle produced his best performance of the campaign last time out on his first outing with the team.
Revie Lake (Elite Motorsport) celebrated a maiden top ten finish at Snetterton, having been in the thick of the midfield action across the season against the likes of team-mate Emmilio Del Grosso, Jarrett Clark (R Racing), Raul Zunzarren (MKH Racing), Henry Cameron (Fox Motorsport) and Noah Young (Performance One).
A bumper entry from Tim Gray Motorsport features four drivers looking for breakthrough top ten finishes: Josh Watts, Joshua Henry, Matthew Chiwara and Katrina Ee. Two drivers to watch are Snetterton debutants Max Murray (ProjectR), who scored a top ten finish in Norfolk, and Andrew Robinson (E3 Sport).
Follow the action across the weekend on social media, @GinettaCars.