The Norfolk outfit fell short by 134-points in securing the title it won in 2018 and ’19. In the Driver’s title race, won by Elite’s Tom Gamble (2017), Adam Smalley (2018), James Hedley (2019) and Tom Lebbon (2020), Seb Hopkins, Will Jenkins and Josh Rowledge finished in third, fifth and seventh respectively.
Despite scoring 11 podiums this season Hopkins, incredulously just missed out on standing on the very top-step this season after astonishingly finishing second six times. Seb, in his second full GJ season with Elite, finished the season off with fourth, 13th and seventh at Brands Hatch recently after his worst qualifying session of the season – the time trials truncated by two Red Flag stoppages, the second bringing an early end to proceedings. In the three races, he made up a total of 26 places from his grid place starts.
2019 Ginetta Junior Scholarship Finalist Jenkins was Elite’s only overall race winner this season Will, the 10th best-placed Rookie in last year’s Junior series, claiming eight podiums this year and placing sixth, third and fourth at the final event of the season from two second row starts achieved in quali despite time for just two flying laps between the Red Flags.
Rowledge, who celebrated his 16th birthday last week (25 Oct), was Elite’s best-placed Rookie in this year’s final standings in third place. Josh was the highest placed Rookie in three races this season, scoring two fourth overall finishes, and posted two fourths in class plus a third at Brands. He commendably recorded 20 overall top-10s and 17 Rookie podiums.
Joe Warhurst came home ninth in the Rookie rankings. At Brands he netted fifth and 14th – another thwarted in getting a quick lap in quali – having placed fifth overall and class runner-up during the season, netting three Rookie podiums including a class runner-up. Jack Sherwood was placed 15th in the Rookies, recording 12th eighth and 18th at Brands, finished eighth in the Rookie category four times.
Eddie Ives, Team Owner & Manager
“This is the first year since 2016 that Elite hasn’t either won the Team’s title or had one of our guys win the Driver’s title. We gave it everything but came up a little short this year.
“Seb and Will scored almost 20 podiums between them, Seb non-scoring on just one occasion and Will only twice in 25 very hard fought races.
“Josh had a great first season out of karts with a top-seven overall and third best Rookie. Joe finished inside the Rookie top-10 and like Jack, learned a lot during the course of the season which will put them all in good stead for the future.”
