Georgi Dimitrov made a welcome return to the top step of the podium in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship at Knockhill this past weekend (August 29/30) as he scored an impressive third win of the season. Enjoying a strong start to his maiden campaign in the one-make series with victories at Donington Park and a solid haul of points at Brands Hatch, the Richardson Racing driver continued his rich vein of form north of the border in Scotland. The British-Bulgarian driver kicked off his weekend with a stunning effort in qualifying to set a best time 1:01.732 and secure front row starting spot for the first of three races around the undulating 1.27-mile circuit. Launching off the line from second place, Dimitrov unfortunately found himself in the wars during the opening encounter as he battled for the lead. Making a move for top spot, the 15-year-old was pushed into the gravel at the final hairpin and dropped down the order, ultimately recovering to finish sixth. Starting on pole position for race two courtesy of the fastest second best time in qualifying, the Hitech Academy driver produced a masterful performance to claim a commanding lights-to-flag victory. Making a rocket start, Dimitrov established a comfortable lead by the end of the first lap but that was soon eradicated as the safety car was called. Controlling the restart, Dimitrov wasted no time in building an advantage at the front again and from there he would be unchallenged as he cantered to his third victory of the season. Bringing his weekend to a close live on ITV2, Dimitrov found himself in the thick of the action in the third and final race of the weekend as he set about converting pole position into another front-running challenge. Making another textbook start, Dimitrov held the initiative early on but soon came under pressure from the chasing pack. Despite providing a resolute defence, the rookie valiantly clung on before being unseated from the lead and then subsequently having a snap of overseer at McIntyres which dropped him to seventh at the chequered flag. Leaving Knockhill, Dimitrov remains third in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of the next rounds at Thruxton, the fastest track in the country, on September 19/20. Georgi Dimitrov: "Knockhill is a weekend that I've been looking forward to as the track is so exciting, and I got up to speed quickly. Qualifying went really well for us and we put ourselves in a great position for the races. "We were a bit unlucky in races one and three, as we had the speed to pick up more points than we did. Therefore it was great to get the win in race two and show everybody what we could do. "There is still a long way to go in the championship and this has been a solid weekend. I think we're looking strong for the rest of the year."
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.