James Gornall (racing driver)

James Gornall
James Gornall
Born	James Gornall; July 8, 1984 (age 42); Nottingham, England
Other names	Jiggy
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, driver coach
Years active	1995–present
Known for	British GT Championship winner (2008), Mini Challenge UK Champion (2019)
Notable work	Competitor in British Touring Car Championship

James "Jiggy" Gornall (born 8 July 1984 in Nottingham) is a British motorsport competitor who has participated in the British Touring Car Championship, most recently representing Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com during the 2022 season. He secured titles in both the 2019 Mini Challenge UK and the 2008 British GT Championship.

Personal life

Gornall spent a significant portion of his upbringing in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and currently lives near Bedford, Bedfordshire. He earned a BA(Hons) degree in Business Management from Oxford Brookes University.

As an 'A' Grade ARDS instructor, Gornall is also a driver coach. His professional background includes pivotal roles such as Head of Sales & Marketing at Aero Tec Laboratories, Head of Motorsport at Ellis Clowes, and Championship Coordinator for the MSV FIA Formula Two Championship.

Racing career

In 2019, Gornall was inducted as a full Member of the British Racing Drivers' Club.

Karting

His karting career commenced in 1995 within the Comer Cadet category, advancing through Formula Junior TKM where he achieved third place in the 1999 Super One National Championship. In 2001, he claimed the Super One National Championship title in Formula TKM. By 2002, Gornall progressed to the Intercontinental A category, finishing sixth in the Super One National Championship and taking part in the European Championship.

While attending Oxford Brookes University, he contributed to his team’s success by helping secure three consecutive British Universities Karting Championship titles from 2004 to 2006.

BARC Formula Renault

Gornall moved into car racing in 2003, joining JA Motorsport for the BARC Formula Renault Championship driving a Van Diemen RF98/99. He won the championship during his first season.

UK Formula Renault

Continuing with JA Motorsport in 2004, Gornall competed in the Formula Renault UK Championship, which supported the British Touring Car Championship. However, he withdrew after the Croft round due to financial challenges.

British GT

He made his British GT debut at the final round of 2007 with Team Trimite Brookspeed piloting a Dodge Viper Competition Coupe alongside Michelangelo Segatori.

In 2008, Gornall stayed with Team Trimite Brookspeed and partnered with Jon Barnes in the same vehicle. Together they secured four wins and eight podium finishes, capturing the championship title at Brands Hatch in July.

24hr Racing

During 2008, Gornall joined Beechdean Motorsport’s Aston Martin N24 squad for the Silverstone 24-hour race with teammates Andrew Howard, Neil Cunningham, and Jamie Smythe. The team finished second overall and won Class 2.

BMW Compact Cup

From 2015 through 2017, Gornall competed in this series, finishing as runner-up in 2015 before claiming the championship crown in 2016.

MINI Challenge JCW

In April 2019, Gornall appeared as a guest driver at Rockingham within the MINI Challenge JCW, piloting the Dunlop guest car for XCELR8 Motorsport. This was his first experience racing front-wheel-drive vehicles. Subsequently, he acquired his own MINI JCW race car and took part at Brands Hatch GP and Donington Park.

For the 2020 season, Gornall raced under his family-operated JIG Racing banner and won the championship with five victories and thirteen podium finishes across seventeen events.

British Touring Car Championship

Following his success as the 2019 MINI Challenge JCW champion, Gornall was awarded a test drive in a Motorbase Ford Focus RS at Snetterton.

Trade Price Cars Racing (2020)

On 9 January 2020, during Autosport International, it was confirmed that Gornall would compete in the BTCC with Trade Price Cars Racing, piloting an Audi S3 Saloon.

Gornall made a singular BTCC appearance in the 2022 season at Croft Circuit, stepping in for Jack Butel with Bristol Street Motors alongside Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com.

British GT Championship results

Year	Driver(s)	OUL		KNO		ROC		SNE		THR		BRH		SIL	DON	DC	Pts
2008	James Gornall	21	6	2	2	1	13	1	2	3	1	1	7	Ret	8	1	76
Jon Barnes	21	6	2	2	1	13	1	2	3	1	1	7	Ret	8	1	76

MINI Challenge UK JCW Results

Year	OUL		SNE		SIL		DON		BHI			BHGP		DON		SNE		PP	FL	Total	Drop	Pts
2019	1	2	1	3	3	Ret	2	4	1	2	5	5	1	1	2	3	2	38	60	793	0	793

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) Entries shown in bold denote pole positions (awarded 1 point—2002–2003 for all races, from 2004 onwards only for the first race). Italicized races indicate fastest lap (1 point granted for every race). An asterisk (*) marks races where the driver led at least one lap (points awarded variably).

Year	Team	Car	1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 !29 !30 ! DC ! Points
2020	GKR TradePriceCars.com	Audi S3 Saloon	DON1 Retired	DON2 Did Not Start	DON3 16th	BRH1 13th	BRH2 10th	BRH3 7th	OUL1 18th	OUL2 Retired	OUL3 21st	KNO1 Retired	KNO2 20th	KNO3 18th	THR1 18th	THR2 Retired	DNS THR3 (style omitted) ...	20th	18
2022	Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	... (results abbreviated) ...	24th	2
2023	Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown (Tony Gilham Racing)	Cupra León	... (results abbreviated) ...	27th	1

External links