A day out at Blyton Park With Josh Watts and a Ginetta GTP8

When I was 17 I had a 1300cc Capri, my insurance was loaded because it was considered to be a very sporty car for such a young man. I forgot to tell them about the 1600 engine transplant because had I done so it would have become unaffordable. That car had 103 horse power when new, by the time I got it several of those horses had died, some had bolted, the rest where asthmatic, it probably produced nearer 80. The cars Josh had been racing in the Fiesta and Ginetta junior series produce 100 brake but the cars are extremely light and so get a giddy up in a surprising way. The guys at Ginetta have been so impressed with him that they gave him the chance to prove his capabilities in a much faster car, namely the latest and greatest GTP8 - a v8 monster with 400 BHP on tap and an all up weight of about 6 ounces in old money. I don't know what my insurance company would have said to me had I bought a GTP8 instead of the capri but I suspect the answer would have been a two word one rhyming with puck off.

I will be honest, I was scared. It's a hell of a big jump up, the speed difference, the acceleration is just so far different from the little Fiestas it's ridiculous. I expressed my concerns to Malcolm and mentioned it in passing to Fiona, neither seemed concerned. When Malc asked me if I would like to attend the test I jumped at the opportunity but couldn't help feeling nervous as the last time we went to Blyton things didn't go as well as one would have hoped. It was on that occasion that Josh rolled his brand new Fiesta while his dad - Danny Watts - was instructing him in the ways of racecraft.

I needn't have worried, the way he took to it and handled it left me with my mouth wide open, jaw on the floor. The Ginetta guys weren't in the least bit surprised, they obviously spotted his talent, they wouldn't have let him anywhere near the car if they had any doubts. For context a really good time around Blyton is 1 minute and 4 seconds, most top drivers are in the 1 minute 4 to 1 minute 8 sort of bracket. Josh's fastest time was in the 1 01's, he was consistently in the 1 minute 2's - a truly remarkable pace, especially given that it was his first time in that car. Noah Young had a test too, he's from Ginetta Juniors too, he was about 2 1/2 seconds slower and without wishing to sound unkind just didn't look quite as comfortable. He only did one test, which would suggest he wasn't keen. I'm not being horrible, he still did a damn good job but it just shows how remarkable Josh's efforts were.

He was very consistent and really seemed to enjoy the experience, the team were impressed, I think anybody watching was impressed. If you had told them he had been racing for 20 years they would still have been impressed, the performance of both car and driver was pretty damn awesome. The car is an amazing piece of kit, beautifully engineered and according to Josh extremely easy to drive. He certainly didn't look like he had run a marathon when he climbed out of the car, he had barely broken a sweat.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing is that the car had not been optimised for him, had it been so I can't help feeling there was another half a second to be lopped off that already astonishing time. I look forward to seeing how his career progresses from here, the talent is obvious, if a little scary.

It was a truly great day spending time with some racing legends and a most pleasant lunch at a rather nice pub in the nearby village. Josh drove us all there, he's just got a new road car, the last one mysteriously broke a couple of times. Hopefully this one will be slightly more resilient.

Josh is now the third generation of racers in the Legatte family, while his Mum, Fiona holds a few records and his Grandad, Malcolm has a very large trophy cabinet. I don't think either of them will mind me saying, Josh is definitely the one to watch. I think he could end up being even more successful than his Father, Danny Watts, who has had a remarkable career. He really is a very rare talent, if he keeps his head about him he is just at the very beginning of great things. Don't forget, you read it here first :-)

I took lots of video but I have a new phone that doesn't seem to have zoom so most of it has come out pretty useless. I got one good short though, just of the car coming out of the garage. I'll see if somebody can help me get something useful out of the rest of the footage.