Richardson Racing has confirmed plans to expand its racing programme for the 2017 season to include an entry into the Ginetta Junior Championship, with a potential campaign in the British GT Championship also under consideration.The Corby-based team has spent recent seasons focused on single-seater competition in both Formula Ford and British F4, but returned to its sportscar roots this year with a parallel programme in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge.The sportscar side of the team will be now be enhanced with an entry into the Ginetta Junior championship, which runs alongside British F4 as part of the British Touring Car Championship support package.Open to drivers aged from 14-17, the Junior championship sees aspiring stars of the future do battles in identical Ginetta G40s similar to those used in the Ginetta Challenge; the main difference being that the 1.8 litre Ford Zetec engine under the bonnet is limited to 100hp.Talks with potential drivers are ongoing."In the past twelve months, we have tested a number of young drivers who are looking to make the step into car racing, but who aren’t old enough to compete in the championships we are already involved with,” team boss Gwyn Richardson said.

“With that in mind, we thought it was the ideal time for us to look at what options were available if we were to introduce a Junior programme for young drivers like this, and there is nothing to beat the Ginetta Junior series."For any driver looking to start out in motorsport, the fact it is on the BTCC package with live TV and provides the chance to race in front of large crowds is something you won’t find anywhere else.

"With the experience we have in both the Ginetta Challenge and the Ginetta Supercup, we feel confident that we can offer potential drivers a package that will allow them to run at the front of the field next year in what is sure to be a hugely competitive championship."Alongside the expanded Ginetta programme, the team is also evaluating the possibility of running a single car in the GT4 category of the British GT Championship having fielded a number of enquiries from drivers in recent months.With that in mind, the team plans to hold a number of test days with an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in which potential drivers can not only sample the car, but also gain an insight into working with the team.For further details on the test day, please contact Gwyn Richardson on gwyn@richardsonracing.co.uk