Lingfield College’s Mikey Porter, 15, is hoping to take the chequered flag when he competes in the first race of the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship in April. The longest running junior series in the UK, the championship is the first step on the motorsport ladder for 14 to 17-year-olds.
Mikey, who graduated from the go-karting circuit last year, will be lining up on the grid as a member of the R Racing team, alongside fellow rookie Freddie Slater, whom he also raced against in November, at the Winter Series Championship at Brands Hatch. In their first full season they will be up against other rookies, as well as more experienced drivers, racing in front of big crowds at each circuit, as well as being broadcast to a huge audience on television and online.
(Above: Mikey Porter)
Mikey had a sneak preview of what might be in store for him, when he raced in the final two rounds of the 2022 season:
“Driving the Ginetta G40 is totally different from karting. The atmosphere in the paddock is different, too: it feels much more professional.”
Motor racing is an interest that Mikey shares with his dad Nicky:
“I first went in a go-kart when I was nine: I went to a few go-karting birthday parties and really enjoyed them. My dad likes racing too, so he took me to a professional circuit, and it just went from there. I love the adrenaline of driving fast against others. One of my favourite tracks is Cadwell Park, in Lincolnshire: it’s tight and twisty, a really technical race.”
A keen footballer, and member of the British Judo Association, Mikey is feeling confident about his upcoming four-wheeled challenge:
“In all the test drives so far I’ve been pretty fast, right at the front, so I hope to get a few wins…Or even better, win the championship! But let’s see how it goes once I’ve got started.”
The 2023 season’s first racing weekend takes place on 8 – 10 April at Oulton Park in Cheshire, with trips to other major British circuits such as Silverstone between May and September, before finishing at Donington Park on 21 – 22 October.
Many Ginetta Junior graduates have gone on to compete in GT, Touring Cars and Prototype championships across the world, so Mikey is definitely one to watch. If he doesn’t go past too fast, that is.
