Xentek Motorsport Enjoy Superb Double Ginetta Win At Brands Hatch

Xentek Motorsport celebrated brilliant class victories from Alex Duncan and Shiv Sapra during the penultimate round of the 2025 Ginetta season at Brands Hatch this past weekend (23-24 August).

Following on from a superb haul of five class victories in the previous round at Snetterton, the South Yorkshire team made the long trip south to Brands Hatch in Kent looking to add more silverware to their impressive 2025 collection.

Young talents Hadley Simpson and Alex Duncan continued their challenge in the GT Championship, while Paradine Competition-backed drivers Shiv Sapra and newcomer Simon Traves were joined in the GT Academy line-up by the returning Phil McGarty.

Duncan was the standout performer at Brands Hatch as he continued his very impressive first season in car-racing. He headed into the event with four PRO AM podium finishes in his previous five races, and boosted his chances of continuing that run by qualifying second in class.

After impressively finishing second in the 20-minute sprint race, he produced a superb performance in the 40-minute endurance outing. Charging into the lead on the opening lap, he maintained the advantage throughout to score a maiden class win in a seasons’ best fifth place overall.

Simpson had a rollercoaster weekend in Kent. After some qualifying frustration, a phenomenal start to the sprint race saw him charge from tenth on the grid to fifth in the opening lap alone. He went on to finish fourth overall, and was showing good pace again in race two before an unfortunate retirement.

In the GT Academy, Sapra headed to Brands Hatch full of confidence after enjoying his best ever weekend in the championship at Snetterton with a hat-trick of rookie class wins. He carried that momentum into qualifying at Brands Hatch, lapping second fastest in class.

The opening race turned into a disappointing one though, suffering a driveshaft failure as a result of receiving contact on lap one. He bounced back superbly in race two though, holding the class lead from start-to-finish and charging six seconds clear of his closest rival on his way to a crucial sixth rookie victory of the campaign.

While he was making his GT Academy debut, Traves came into the series with a wealth of Ginetta experience under his belt. It marked a welcome return to Xentek as well, having previously worked for the team and raced with them in the GT5 Challenge in 2016 /17.

The addition of a harsh 25kg ballast penalty to his car due to him being a guest driver put him on the back foot to the other drivers, which made his performance over the event even more impressive. He battled within the top six overall throughout, narrowly missing out on a GTA class podium finish with a pair of fourth place results.

McGarty made a welcome return to the grid meanwhile for his third appearance of the season. The Ginetta veteran built his pace throughout the event and enjoyed some good battles in the races, which culminated in a best result of ninth in class in the final outing.

Christopher Richards – Xentek Motorsport Team Principal: “It was a typically action-packed weekend of Ginetta racing. While there was unfortunately some misfortune for some of our drivers, we were delighted to see Alex and Shiv standing on the top step of the podium.

“A first class win is a brilliant moment for Alex and richly deserved with the progress he’s made through the season. Hadley put in a great performance in the opening race, going from tenth to fourth, and it’s a shame he just missed out getting a trophy himself.

“Shiv bounced back from his race one disappointment with a perfect drive to victory in race two. It was great to welcome Simon back to the team and he did a brilliant job on his GTA debut, while we always enjoy going racing with Phil and he picked up a couple of strong results.”

The 2025 Ginetta season will come to an end on the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit in six weeks’ time (04-05 October). Two weeks before that, the team will be heading to Silverstone for the next round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB (20/21 September).

Images from Jakob Ebrey Photography.