Xentek Motorsport Kick Off 2025 With Brilliant Ginetta Performances
- Simon Paice
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
Ten-time Ginetta champions Xentek Motorsport have opened their 2025 race season with a brilliant haul of class victories and podium finishes in the Ginetta curtain-raiser at Donington Park this past weekend (05/06 April).
The South Yorkshire team had an exciting five-car entry for the season opener. Young guns Hadley Simpson and Alex Duncan were debuting in the GT Championship, while Phil McGarty returned to the GT Academy alongside Alex Deighton and Shiv Sapra; drivers making their Ginetta debuts as part of Xentek Motorsport’s new collaboration with Paradine Competition.
It was the Paradine duo that led the way, both producing spectacular performances in the Leicestershire sunshine. They set the tone for the weekend ahead in qualifying, with Deighton going second fastest overall as he returned to racing after a decade away and Sapra securing the rookie class pole position in fourth.
Deighton produced a brilliant drive in the opening race to score a GTA class podium finish in third and almost repeated the result in race two, fending off 2024 race-winner James Nicholas for a number of laps before finishing fourth. He signed off the weekend with a fifth-place result in race three after passing reigning GTA champion Julian Wantling late on, with that result completing a perfect hat-trick of class victories in the Chairmans Cup.
Sapra was unfortunate to get caught up in early incidents in the opener, but he hit back in style with a supreme drive in race two. Fighting it out with vastly more experienced rivals, he was the clear rookie leader from start-to-finish for a maiden class win. He doubled his podium tally in the final race, running second throughout to sign off a sensational car-racing debut.
Embarking on his 11th consecutive season of Ginetta racing and his third in the GT Academy, McGarty used all of his experience to produce three great drives at Donington Park. The first was one of the most enjoyable of his career, as he charged through the pack from 16th on the grid to an eighth-place finish overall. He was in the thick of the action again on Sunday, with two more battling drives earning him top ten GTA class finishes.
In the GT Championship, Simpson set a rapid pace from the off but saw bad luck deprive him of deserved podium success. Securing the PRO class pole position in second overall from qualifying, the reigning Britcar Trophy champion shot into the overall lead off the line in the opener and comfortably maintained his advantage for the first portion of the race.
There was heartbreak for Simpson though, as an unexpected technical issue outside of the team’s control led to his car suddenly slowing on circuit. While he was able to get going again and continue, he was restricted to a fifth-place finish in class. Looking to make amends in the inaugural GT Championship 40-minute endurance race, he was battling it out for top honours once again and expertly passed class rival Robert Cronin prior to the mandatory pitstops. He charged his way to second on the road at the finish, however an unfortunate pitstop penalty put him eighth in the final result.
Duncan meanwhile was a late addition to Xentek’s line-up for Donington Park as he made his car-racing debut. The Scotland-based talent put in a strong showing from the off, qualifying fourth fastest in the PRO-AM class. Going toe-to-toe with hugely more experienced Ginetta competitors across the two races, he produced a pair of fast, clean and consistent drives to earn a pair of fourth-place class results.
Sarah-Jayne McKenna – Xentek Motorsport Team Manager: “It was fantastic to kick off the season on the top step of the Ginetta podium again with brilliant class wins and podium finishes, while we’re delighted that all five of our drivers were able to enjoy some brilliant performances in the races.
“This was a very successful start to our partnership with Paradine Competition and we were all hugely-impressed with the way Alex and Shiv drove across the weekend. They richly deserved their podium celebrations, while Phil produced one of his best weekends in the GT Academy to date and the race one drive was particularly impressive.
“While the results didn’t go his way, Hadley really laid down a marker for the season ahead with the speed and racecraft he showed this weekend. He’s established himself as one of the fastest drivers on the grid and trophies will be coming his way soon.
“Alex did a brilliant job too, with limited mileage in the car he did a great job for his debut car-racing weekend and has a huge amount of potential going forward. The whole team is excited to get back out there for round two at Silverstone later this month.”
The 2025 Ginetta season continues in three weeks’ time (26/27 April) with two races apiece for the Ginetta GT Championship and GT Academy on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. On the same weekend, Xentek Motorsport will also return to Donington Park for the opening round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB.
Images from Jakob Ebrey Photography.
