Vicky Farfus enjoys weekend of progress at Croft

Brazilian racer Vicky Farfus enjoyed sustained progress as she competed in a bumper weekend of racing at the Ginetta G-Fest at Croft with the Paradine Competition driver achieving a best result of 17th.

Photo credits: JEP

Brazilian racer Vicky Farfus enjoyed sustained progress as she competed in a bumper weekend of racing at the Ginetta G-Fest at Croft with the Paradine Competition driver achieving a best result of 17th.

Farfus arrived at 2026 Ginetta G-Fest searching for her best result of the campaign. Despite showing excellent speed, particularly in the previous round at Oulton Park, the Brazilian racer has suffered from a good deal of misfortune. Farfus ran her first laps inside the top-10 during the last event and she was now aiming to challenge towards the front half of the field on a consistent basis.

The Ginetta G-Fest has been a highlight on the Ginetta Motorsport calendar for a number of years with Croft chosen as the venue of choice in 2026. With four races over the two days, it provided the perfect opportunity for Farfus to develop her racecraft and build momentum during the middle portion of the season.

On-track action began on Thursday with four short test session for the drivers to acclimatise themselves with the circuit. It was a challenging day for Farfus who set the 25th fastest time with her quickest lap of a 1:42.731 coming in the third session. The lap times remained extremely close at Croft with the top-15 drivers separated by less than a second.

Testing continued on Friday as the drivers banked further valuable mileage in extremely warm conditions. Farfus improved upon her fastest lap from the previous day as the Paradine Competition driver set a quickest time of a 1:42.593. This placed her in 25th position with the leading 20 drivers now covered by just one second.

With additional track action for all three Ginetta series at the annual G-Fest, the drivers took part in an additional free practice session on Friday morning. It was a hugely encouraging session for Farfus who took significant strides forward from testing. Improving by half a second to a time of a 1:42.073, the Brazilian racer ended the session in 22nd position.

Qualifying took place shortly after with the drivers given just three timed laps to set a fast time. Farfus was just unable to match her time from the earlier practice session with her quickest lap of a 1:42.301 placing her in 24th position. Her consistency was particularly impressive with the Paradine Competition driver's second fastest lap within a tenth of her quickest.

Race one at Croft took place on Saturday afternoon with Farfus lining up from 24th on the grid following her result in qualifying. As the lights went out, the Brazilian racer got an excellent launch as she gained one position on the run down to turn one. Completing lap one in 23rd position, Farfus ran side-by-side with Ethan Brass before the MK Racing driver moved ahead at the first corner on lap two.

Nonetheless, Farfus remained in 23rd spot as she overtook Andrew Robinson with the Paradine Competition driver displaying good racecraft early in the contest. By lap four, Farfus was up to 22nd after championship leader Lewis Goff entered the pits with a puncture. The following lap saw Farfus move inside the top-20 after Brass spun and Anesu Maphumulo was delayed.

Farfus was now defending from Maphumulo with the Brazilian racer placing her car superbly to prevent the South African driver from reclaiming the position. Up ahead, a number of drivers were receiving both warnings and five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits while Farfus kept her car within the confines of the circuit.

The second half of the race was characterised by a superb defensive drive from Farfus as she kept both Maphumulo and Brass behind. On lap 11, Harry Bartle and Bailey Doughty spun at Sunny In with both drivers rejoining just ahead of Farfus. In the final sector, Farfus was one of the fastest drivers on track as she continued to gain confidence during her first race at Croft.

On the final lap of the contest, Farfus set a new personal best time of a 1:42.814 as she took the chequered flag in 20th position while successfully holding off Maphumulo. Following track limit penalties applied to both Doughty, Daniel Oliver and Melvin Kalousdian, Farfus moved up to 17th in the final classification with the Brazilian racer gaining six spots from her starting position.

Photo credits: JEP

With a fast turnaround between all sessions in the Ginetta G-Fest, race two of the weekend took place later on Saturday afternoon. Farfus lined up from 23rd on the grid courtesy of her second fastest time from qualifying and the Brazilian racer made another good start. Completing lap one in 22nd spot, Farfus was targeting another charge into the top-20.

On lap two, a close battle between Maphumulo and Robinson behind afforded Farfus some breathing space as she could focus forward on those ahead. At the conclusion of lap four, the Paradine Competition driver was just over 10 seconds away from the race lead to further underline the close racing at Croft.

After Doughty spun into the gravel trap on lap five, Farfus was up to 21st position with the safety car then deployed to retrieve his stricken car. The race resumed on lap seven and on the first restart lap, Farfus ran her quickest race lap of the event so far with the Brazilian racer coming within a tenth of a second of her fastest qualifying time.

As the positions remained extremely closely contested, Farfus then lost out to Maphumulo as she was shuffled back to 22nd position. Nonetheless, Farfus fought back and she soon climbed back inside the top-20 after Max Murray retired from the race and Josh Watts pitted. In a tight final lap, Farfus took the chequered flag in 20th position to score further championship points while crossing the line less than one second behind 17th place finisher Brass.

Sunday’s action began with the second qualifying session of the weekend which set the grid for the final two races. Farfus took a step forward as she dipped below the 1:42 mark for the first time during the entire event. The Brazilian driver’s fastest time of a 1:41.912 placed her in 22nd position with her second fastest time moving Farfus up a further spot.

Race three at Croft was held later on Sunday afternoon with Farfus lining up from 21st on the grid after a penalty was assessed to Jorn Helder. As the lights went out, the Paradine Competition driver made a good start as she held her position through the opening turns. At the end of lap one, Farfus retained 21st position as she aimed to gain further positions.

After a recovering Helder overtook Farfus on lap two, she was then spun at the final hairpin and ultimately dropped to the rear of the field. Now searching for a safety car to catch the train of cars ahead, Farfus began to set a number of fast and consistent lap times.

On lap four, Farfus set a new personal best lap of a 1:42.197 which was her fastest race lap of the weekend. The Brazilian racer was also the ninth fastest driver on track as she continued to show improved pace on the second day of the Ginetta G-Fest.

Just up ahead, debutant Luca Luen received a time penalty for exceeding track limits and therefore Farfus was working hard to catch the Pace Performance driver. On lap eight, Farfus was quicker than the next eight drivers ahead while she continued to edge closer to Robinson who had an off-track moment of his own.

The race remained uninterrupted to the chequered flag with Farfus crossing the line in 25th position. Her work during the race had paid off as she successfully passed Luen once his time penalty was applied with the Brazilian racer classified in 24th position.

The final race at Croft took place later on Sunday afternoon with Farfus lining up from 21st on the grid. It was another good start for the Brazilian racer who initially held her position, before falling to 23rd at the conclusion of the first lap. On lap two, significant contact in the midfield led to a number of drivers taking to the grass in avoidance. It was a good remainder of the lap with Farfus using her racecraft to pass Andrew Robinson, Henry Cameron and Vladislav Tomenchuk.

Now in 20th position, Farfus was keen to make further progress. However, the red flags were displayed on lap four after Jacob Ashcroft had a sizeable crash at Sunny In. The race restarted over a revised duration of 13 minutes with the starting positions based upon the order at the time of the stoppage.

As the lights went out for a second time, Farfus was busy challenging for positions through the opening turns. It was a strong opening lap from the Paradine Competition driver who moved up to 17th at the conclusion of lap one. On lap two, Farfus passed both Dominic Darling and Ethan Brass, while losing out to Cameron as she climbed to 16th.

Darling fought back on lap three and this lost Farfus momentum as she slipped behind Brass and Doughty with the Brazilian racer now in 17th position as the safety car was deployed. Following an incident involving Addison Smith and Jorn Helder, both cars required recovery with the red flag then displayed for a second time.

In a change to usual procedure, the race resumed behind the safety car with Farfus in 17th position. Two laps were remaining when the green flag was displayed. It was a calmer end to the contest, however Farfus set her quickest lap of the entire event with a superb time of a 1:41.297. Farfus took the chequered flag in 17th position to complete a productive Ginetta G-Fest at Croft.

Although Farfus faced a challenge for outright speed at Croft, she banked valuable knowledge by completing all four races without incident. It was a successful learning-oriented weekend for the Paradine Competition driver who will be looking forward to her first trip to Zandvoort for the next round of the Ginetta Junior Championship on the weekend of 11th/12th July.