240 Challenge Winner Reid – To Race With Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW At Daytona

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Anglo American Oil Company Ltd, distributors for Sunoco Race Fuels throughout UK, Europe and the Middle East, are today delighted to announce that Kyle Reid, winner of this years Sunoco 240 Challenge, will be driving for Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW race team in a BMW M4 GT4.

Reid will be joining Toby Grahovec and Jayson Clunie for the IMSA Michelin Pilot – BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway on 25th January 2019.

Kyle Reid (29) is this year’s Sunoco 240 Challenge winner, and the 2018 the Mini Challenge UK Cooper Pro Champion. He was able to take the championship and the Challenge prize win with some impressive results. Out of 20 races, Kyle was on the podium 18 times, winning 15 races.

Agreeing the deal with Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW for Kyle’s fully funded prize drive, Anders Hildebrand, Managing Director of AAOC, said, “Kyle is our 8th winner of the Sunoco 240 Challenge and beat over 160 other competitors from Mini Challenge, Radical, British GT, F3 Cup, Britcar, GT Cup and LMP3 to win the race seat at the 4-hour endurance race at Daytona. The Challenge point system is structured to promote speed and consistency, both important attributes to become a successful endurance driver, and for sure Kyle proved by winning the 2019 240 Challenge that he has an abundance of both.  I’ve seen Kyle race on many occasions and am confident that he will do a very good job. His commitment and preparation for this opportunity is second to none and he has already spent time in the Base Performance simulator with 2016 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Jonny Adam as his coach to learn the track and get a feeling for the BMW GT4 car he will be racing. I’m also very excited that we, this year, have teamed up with Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW team manager Toby Grahovec who will also be one of the drivers in the BMW that Kyle will race. We are very much looking forward to working with Toby and to present Kyle to his team – this could be the year we’ll have a good chance of a podium”. 

Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW’s Toby Grahovec added, “We are very excited to have Kyle join us at Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW. With his outstanding track record, we believe he will be a great asset in helping us pursue victory”.

In the 2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, the Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW M4 GT4 was impressive with a second place at Sebring with Grahovec and Clunie as well as a fourth place at the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway.

 

British F3 Champion Lundqvist Wins 2019 Sunoco Whelen Challenge

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Super Swede Now Daytona-Bound For Fully-Funded Rolex 24 Outing

Linus Lundqvist has won the 2019 Sunoco Whelen Challenge after wrapping up this year’s BRDC British F3 Championship drivers’ title at Silverstone yesterday (October 14). The Swede will now make his sportscar racing debut at the legendary Daytona International Speedway this January courtesy of a fully-funded Rolex 24 At Daytona entry supported by Whelen Engineering Inc and Anglo American Oil Company Ltd.

Lundqvist’s victory came at the expense of 2015 prize winner Phil Keen who headed into the weekend just 0.1 point ahead in the standings following another standout British GT campaign. However, his young rival’s perfect first British F3 race at Silverstone, which comprised the maximum 140 points available for pole position, victory and fastest racing lap, was more than enough to initially jump ahead.

Pole for the championship’s second Sunoco Challenge-eligible race then ensured only 15 more points were required to seal the crown. But when adverse weather forced organisers to cancel it, the recalculated average scores gave Lundqvist the edge.

Indeed, Lundqvist finishes the season on 89.67 points, 3.5 points more than Keen and 12.67 points ahead of the 2016 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner and the newly crowned 2018 British GT Champion Jonny Adam.

Incredibly, Lundqvist’s success was confirmed less than 24 hours after British F3’s last senior Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner, Felipe Nasr, wrapped up 2018’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship crown with the same Whelen-sponsored Action Express Racing squad he tested with prior to his 2013 Daytona prize drive with Mike Shank Racing.

Lundqvist is joined in Daytona by 2018 Mini Challenge Cooper class champion Kyle Reid who will contest the four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Tire SportsCar Challenge support race as his prize for winning this year’s Sunoco 240 Challenge.

Linus Lundqvist, 2019 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner: “Going to Daytona is incredible, I’ve never even been to the States to start with! So just being over there, doing my first endurance race and sharing the car with two or three other people will be a totally different experience and from what I’ve heard it’s a really fun thing to do and I’ll learn a lot and it will be an amazing experience.”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd: “Congratulations to Linus who emerged as a very strong Sunoco Whelen Challenge candidate early in the season and maintained that form throughout. A perfect score in Silverstone’s first race ensured the Daytona drive was always in his hands thereafter, no matter what the elements threw at him. Felipe Nasr was the last single-seater driver to win the senior Challenge so it’s fitting that Linus could now make his sportscar debut alongside a driver whose own sports-prototype adventure began with Sunoco, Whelen and Action Express Racing back in 2013. His slicks and wings experience, which places more of an emphasis on aero grip, should also come in handy next January, while as a fellow countryman I’m also delighted to crown our first-ever Swedish winner!”

Sunoco Whelen Title Up For Grabs This Weekend!!

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It’s crunch time in the 2019 Sunoco Whelen Challenge, which will be decided at Silverstone on 13th/14th October.

It comes down to one weekend, calculators and what happens in the BRDC British F3 Championship. Will it be Sweden’s young up and coming superstar Linus Lundqvist, or Denmark’s sensational Nicolai Kjaergaard, who was on a mission at Donington last time out as Lundqvist’s charge to Daytona faltered.

Can either of these two young BRDC British F3 stars overall the very slender points advantage enjoyed by British GT3 star, and former Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Phil Keen?

Keen will be watching from his armchair as his season is over and he is in the clubhouse with 86.17 points.

In previous years, the winner of the Sunoco Whelen Challenge cannot be eligible for the Challenge a second time. In 2018, it has been different. For this year only – past winners, (Keen and British GT3 Champion – Jonny Adam), have competed for the prize again. Keen has exploited this once in a lifetime opportunity to be in with a chance of revisiting Daytona in January 2019.

What Has to Happen???? – It Is All About The Points!!

To stop Phil Keen, the 2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner, securing another sensational prize in the challenge, both L Lundqvist and Kjaergaard must perform and improve their overall season average scores. To do this the following scenarios need to play out.

Linus Lundqvist needs:

1x win plus 3rd place = 175 points

1x pole plus 1x 2nd plus 1x 3rd = 180 points

2x pole plus 1x 4th plus 1x 3rd = 180 points

2x pole plus 1x fastest lap plus 1x 4th 1x 5th = 180 points

2x pole 2x fastest lap plus 2x 5th = 190 points

For Nicolai Kjaergaard to overall Keen & Lundqvist, he would need to do the following over the course of the whole race weekend:

2x pole, 2x fastest laps, 1x 1st 1x 2nd

That would be 265 points for the young Dane to sensationally snatch the Sunoco Whelen Challenge at the last race of the year.

This year’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded race seat at the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona, courtesy of Whelen…….but who will it be????

Mini Cooper Pro Challenge Champion Reid Wins Sunoco 240 Challenge & The Daytona Prize Drive

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Kyle Reid has won the Sunoco 240 Challenge after wrapping up the Mini Challenge Cooper Pro class title at Rockingham last weekend (September 28/29). The 29-year-old Scot, who hails from the Highlands, will now travel to the legendary Daytona International Speedway this coming January to compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona support race.

Reid’s final score of 105.91 reflects a dominant 2018 campaign that resulted in one of the junior Sunoco Challenge’s highest-ever average totals. Indeed, he has remained a permeant fixture at the top of the standings all season long despite the best efforts of Steve Burgess whose hopes of winning the prize were ended during a difficult Radical UK outing at the same venue yesterday.

The scale of Reid’s achievement is even more impressive given his day job in South Africa means he must fly to every Mini Challenge round, while his team – SCK Motorsport – travel the breadth of Britain from their base in Scotland.

Reid follows in the footsteps of another Mini Challenge Cooper Pro champion, Max Bladon, who won the Sunoco 240 Challenge in 2016. Like Bladon, Reid can now look forward to a fully-funded outing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge’s four-hour endurance race at the wheel of a GT4-spec supercar on January 25th, 2019.

Meanwhile, the senior Sunoco Whelen Challenge will be decided on October 13/14 when BRDC British F3 Championship protagonists Linus Lundqvist and Nicolai Kjaergaard attempt to overhaul current leader Phil Keen.

Kyle Reid, 2019 Sunoco 240 Challenge winner: “I’m speechless; I mean this sort of thing just doesn’t happen to a lad from the Highlands who races a Mini! Obviously, I’ve been keeping tabs on the 240 Challenge and knew I had a good chance but it’s not something you think about during a weekend when the primary focus is on winning races and the championship, which we managed to do at Rockingham. So, to get the call from Anders [Hildebrand] saying I’m going to Daytona, well, that’s just incredible! Sure, it’s a big step, but Max Bladon proved that it needn’t be too daunting. Daytona is an incredible race circuit that not many Europeans ever get a chance to compete on. It’s beyond my wildest expectations!

“There are a lot of people and sponsors without whom I couldn’t have achieved this: Tim Sleigh, Barry Homes, my Mum, Dad and my wife Laura, have all been so incredibly supportive, while William Nicol, AK System Solutions, Paint Technic, Mintech Spares, RAM Tubulars, Ocean Rig Skyros and Smart Air Solutions have been there every step of the way. A huge ‘thank you’ to all of them!”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd: “I’m delighted that Kyle Reid has won the 2019 Sunoco 240 Challenge crown following another impressive performance at Rockingham. Kyle becomes our eighth 240 winner and second from the Mini Challenge Cooper Pro series in three years. Switching from a Mini to racing a GT4 supercar around Daytona’s legendary oval might seem like a daunting prospect but I’ve no doubt whatsoever that Kyle can do extremely well. After all, the 240 Challenge is designed to showcase the talents of young drivers that wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance to race in America. Our first Cooper winner, Max Bladon, was right on the money and raced impressively at Daytona, so there’s no reason why Kyle can’t do the same in January.”

Antony Williams, Mini Challenge: “It is fantastic news that Kyle Reid has won the Sunoco 240 challenge and will be following in the footsteps of previous Cooper Class winner Max Bladon in representing the MINI CHALLENGE at Daytona. Kyle has been incredible this year, winning more races than any other Cooper Pro class driver and being a gentleman along the way. Congratulations to him and we very much look forward to hearing how he gets on racing in the USA”

Keen Sensationally Pinches Sunoco Whelen Challenge Lead With One Weekend Remaining

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2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Phil Keen is the new Challenge front-runner following a thrilling and unpredictable weekend of racing at Donington Park last weekend that saw erstwhile leader Linus Lundqvist, from Sweden, endure a troubled BRDC Formula 3 outing.

The young Swede headed into the penultimate round with a chance of winning the senior competition’s Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive thanks to his near-18-point advantage. However, two troubled outings in the Challenge-eligible races resulted in his season’s average reducing by 12.26 marks to 86.07.

Keen, meanwhile, approached his final British GT appearance fully aware that only a victory would maintain his hopes of winning both the GT3 Drivers’ title and Sunoco Whelen Challenge. But while a second win of the season ultimately didn’t deliver the championship, victory and pole position helped increase his season’s average by 5.73 points to move the Barwell Lamborghini driver just 0.1 points ahead of Lundqvist.

The British F3 Championship leader’s difficult weekend was compounded by domestic title rival Nicolai Kjaergaard who kept himself in both the Formula 3 and Sunoco Whelen Challenge title hunt by claiming two wins and a fastest lap across the two eligible races. The Dane’s new improved total of 79.64 points is thus 6.43 shy of Keen’s total.

And so, the Sunoco Whelen Challenge rolls on to Silverstone in three weeks’ time (October 13/14) when Lundqvist and Kjaegaard go head-to-head for the British F3 and senior Sunoco crowns. The former’s task is undoubtedly much simpler: score 175 points from a possible 280. His adversary, on the other hand, requires a near-perfect weekend comprising two pole positions, two fastest laps, a victory and second place while also hoping Lundqvist fails to improve his average. The 265 points earned for those results would also take him above Keen’s current table-topping total.

Watching from home will be Keen, who – as a former winner – ordinarily wouldn’t be eligible to contest another Sunoco Challenge. However, as a celebration of the competition’s 10th anniversary, its organisers – Anglo American Oil Company – allowed all former champions a chance to test themselves once again.

One of them, Jonny Adam, now lies fourth in the standings after wrapping up his third British GT title at Keen’s expense on Sunday. His final average score of 77 points could yet result in two former winners also topping 2019’s standings.

Two more British GT3 Pros – Nicki Thiim and Yelmer Buurman – complete the top-six ahead of Radical racer Stuart Moseley and British GT4’s leading Pro, Charlie Fagg, while the top-10 is rounded out by Marco Sorensen and Patrik Matthiesen.

 

Lundqvist requires:

1x win and 1x 3rd = 175

1x pole, 1x 2nd and 1x 3rd = 180

2x pole, 1x 4th and 1x 3rd = 180

2x pole, 1x fastest lap, 1x 4th and 1x 5th = 180

2x pole, 2x fastest lap and 2x 5th = 190  

Kjaegaard requires:

2x pole, 2x fastest lap, 1x 1st and 1x 2nd = 265 points

Sunoco 240 Challenge Is Still All To Play For

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Sunoco 240 Challenge Up For Grabs!!

It’s crunch time in the 2019 Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenges, both of which could be decided in the next 10 days when the remaining contenders compete in BRDC British F3, British GT, Mini Cooper Challenge and Radical UK Challenge events around the UK.

The driver who will compete in the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona’s official support race could also be decided on September 29/30 when leading contenders from Mini Challenge Cooper and Radical UK Challenge go head-to-head at Rockingham.

Kyle Reid has looked untouchable for much of the season after making a fast start, but as his average reduces with every less-than-perfect weekend so the consistency of Steve Burgess becomes ever more apparent. The pair are now separated by just 4.28 points ahead of Reid’s final three Cooper races at Rockingham, while Burgess and title rival Dominik Jackson – himself 11.7 points shy of the 240 top spot – also have another Radical round to come at Silverstone on October 13/14.

If Reid continues to maintain his current average per race score, Burgess must outscore Reid by 10.9 points per race. Jackson meanwhile needs a 29 point swing per race over Reid, and an 18.3 points per race swing to overhaul Burgess, to claim the 240 Challenge at the final Radical event at Silverstone in October.

There is a final potential twist in this intriguing battle for the 240 Challenge – if both Reid and Burgess gain the perfect score in all their remaining races, Burgess will snatch the prize by 0.38 points.

Sunoco Whelen Challenge Title Up For Grabs This Weekend

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It’s crunch time in the 2019 Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenges, both of which could be decided in the next 10 days when the remaining contenders compete in BRDC British F3, British GT, Mini Cooper Challenge and Radical UK Challenge events around the UK.

Lundqvist Poised To Seal Daytona Drive At Donington

   

 

Up first it’s the senior competition and a chance for long-time leader Linus Lundqvist to claim the Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive with a British F3 round to spare. The Swede has been rock solid all season and currently enjoys a 17.89-point lead over former winner Phil Keen who, like Lundqvist, is competing at Donington Park this weekend.

Their respective British GT and F3 title rivals, Jonny Adam and Nicolai Kjaergaard, also retain a chance of winning the Sunoco Whelen Challenge, although both are more than 20 points shy of top spot.

In truth it’s Lundqvist’s competition to lose given both he and Kjaergaard have four races in which to increase (but also decrease) their totals, whereas Keen and Adam – who square off for the British GT3 title this weekend – have only one event with which to improve their scores. All of that will be a foregone conclusion should Lundqvist accumulate the perfect 140 points in both of Donington’s Sunoco Challenge-eligible races before British F3 heads to Silverstone for its season finale on October 13/14.

Whether the coronation waits another three weeks also depends on his rivals’ performances this weekend. Keen and Adam both essentially require perfect scores for pole position, fastest race lap and victory if they’re to apply any pressure on the current leader, while Kjaergaard – who is also aiming to halt Lundqvist’s British F3 title march – must outscore his championship adversary by 71 Sunoco points per race over the remaining four outings. It’s a tall order by anyone’s standards!

Sunoco Challenge Winners At Daytona 2018

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In January we went over to Daytona International Speedway with Sunoco Challenge winners Rick Parfitt Jnr and Stuart Middleton to take on the 2018 edition of the awesome Rolex 24hr Race.

Experience what it takes to become a Sunoco Challenge Champion, and how it feels to drive on the world famous banking for the first time!

This film follows the Rick & Stuart’s progress at Daytona 2018, after winning the biggest competition in European Motorsport…….who will it be in 2019??

NEW Sunoco Challenge – TV Show

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The first of the NEW monthly Sunoco Challenge programmes with Peter Windsor and guests launched this week.

The monthly programme will follow the Sunoco Challenge, news and driver updates and much more as the competition heats up and the ultimate prize of a drive at Daytona gets even closer.

The full-length (30min) show is also available on-demand on www.motorsport.tv and watchable on the mobile app (apple and android)

 

 

Sunoco 240 Challenge: No Change At the Top

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With the top-six drivers, including long-time leader Kyle Reid, not in action at Brands Hatch, the focus shifted to the amateur drivers racing in British GT3 and GT4.

Kelvin Fletcher has led the category’s charge in recent weeks and again improved his average score by finishing second in GT4’s Pro/Am class. His new 87.45-point total is 29.22 marks behind that of Reid, whose lead over nearest rival Steve Burgess (Radical Challenge) remains 14.59 points.

Burgess, as well as those drivers occupying positions three to six, will go head-to-head this weekend when Brands Hatch hosts Mini Challenge JCW and Radical Challenge heads to Snetterton. Reid, meanwhile, returns to action at Brands Hatch’s ‘Mini Fest’ on August 25-26.

The only other significant change saw Flick Haigh move from 14th to 10th after claiming fastest Am lap en route to British GT3 victory alongside Jonny Adam.