Bristol racer Fin Green charged to a maiden victory in the BTCC-supporting Ginetta Junior Championship’s fifth meeting of the season at Croft.

Under sweltering summer skies in North Yorkshire, Fin showed his cards in mid-week testing and then with a qualifying lap good enough for third on the grid, his best time just over a tenth of a second from pole position.

A strong start kept him on the tail of second-placed Luke Browning before pulling off a brave move around the outside of his rival at the high-speed Jim Clark Esses section, keeping tabs on Elite Motorsport team-mate Adam Smalley up front.

The trio remained locked together in the early laps, but a late lunge from Patrick Kibble at the hairpin eased Fin wide and onto the grass. The incident meant Fin fell to 14th place by the flag, looking for redemption in the second outing.

From fourth on the grid, Fin was once again among the lead protagonists in a close contest. Kibble was his target once again after a second moment between the two, Fin grabbing a fourth place finish from his rival at the chicane late in the race.

The time to celebrate would come in the final race of the weekend in Sunday’s televised ITV4 race. A superlative getaway launched Fin from fourth to second by the first corner when the lights went out for race three, grabbing the lead with a bold move around the outside of Browning heading through the Esses once again.

Attempting to make a break at the head of the field, a collision between the chasing Smalley and Kibble at the hairpin gave Fin additional breathing space necessary to claim his breakthrough victory, fending off Browning in the closing laps.

“In the first two races of the weekend, I was with the leaders each time but there were a few collisions going on around me”, said Fin.

“There was a bit of a racing incident at the hairpin which was frustrating because I had the pace for a podium finish. I could follow the leaders and get at them early on. The second race was a good result, but I still think that we could have gone a bit further.”

“Race three was amazing. That’s the second time this weekend I’ve pulled that move at the Esses! It was a great start in that race, then we managed to go and get a gap. I tried to keep my foot in and keep it consistent every single lap where I needed to. By the end of the race, the tyres were going off and there was quite a lot of oversteer, but we managed to do it and I’m so thrilled.

“It’s been so hot, so you have to keep it consistent and try not to go over the top. I didn’t push it too hard and came away with the win, which is all that matters.

Fin improves to sixth in the championship, brimming with confidence after a strong weekend for himself and Elite Motorsport as the championship heads into a five-week summer break before returning at Snetterton in Norfolk on 28/29 August.

“I’ve got that first win in my bag now so hopefully that keeps following through”, concluded Fin. “I’ll keep pushing and pushing until the next one comes now, but it’s very, very positive right now. The team are fantastic and pushed the car to the limit in terms of setup, so a massive thanks to all of them and to my parents for their support.”