Mini Challenge – Cooper 13 – 15 Apr 2018 DONINGTON PARK

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Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer’s MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate is currently under lease by MotorSport Vision until 2038.[1]

Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the period between the First and Second World Wars when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship. Used as a military vehicle storage depot during World War II, it fell into disrepair until bought by local construction entrepreneur Tom Wheatcroft. Revived under his ownership in the 1970s, it hosted a single Formula One race, but became the favoured home of the British round of the MotoGP motorcycling championship.

Leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd in 2007 the hope that Formula One racing could return to the track, the incomplete venture failed to raise sufficient financial backing during the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. DVLL consequently lost the rights to the British rounds of both Formula 1 and MotoGP, and in its bankruptcy returned the track to the Wheatcroft family in December 2009.

Under Wheatcroft’s ownership, the venue has undergone significant work, with the track restored to use in 2010, before major upgrades in the following five years. At the end of 2010, it was announced that Donington would become home to an annual historic motorsport event, the Donington Historic Festival, with new events constantly being added. Since 2010, significant investment across the venue has seen major improvements made to its infrastructure,[2] while the circuit has become a regular fixture for top class motorcycling in the form of the Superbike World Championship.

 

Parfitt Jnr wins 2018 Sunoco 240 Challenge as Hawkins and Hammond fall short at Snetterton

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Rick Parfitt Jnr has been crowned the 2018 Sunoco 240 Challenge champion after his only remaining rivals, Jessica Hawkins and Matt Hammond, failed to score enough points during their Mini Challenge Cooper class season finale at Snetterton last weekend.

The prize sees this year’s British GT3 champion travel to South Florida in January to drive a GT4 car in the Rolex 24 At Daytona’s 240-minute BMW Endurance Challenge support race, which is also the opening round of 2018’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. A comprehensive test programme during the traditional ‘Roar Before the Rolex 24’ is included, along with flights and accommodation.

Parfitt Jnr becomes the first amateur to win Sunoco’s 240 competition based on results accrued during a British GT campaign. Equally, he is the series’ first representative to claim the 240 Challenge title after both Team Parker Racing co-driver Seb Morris and Jonny Adam won Whelen’s 2017 and ’16 equivalents, while no other driver has become champion while co-driving with a reigning or former Challenge winner.

2018’s edition will also go down as the closest in Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenge history, with just 0.42 points separating Parfitt Jnr from Mini Challenge JCW champion Brett Smith in the final reckoning.

Hawkins and Hammond entered their final weekend battling each other for both the Sunoco 240 Challenge crown and Mini Challenge Cooper class title. Each required exceptional outings if they were to score the 375 points (out of a maximum 420) necessary to leapfrog ahead of Parfitt Jnr. As a result, the pair could have prevented each other from winning the Challenge by sharing pole positions, fastest race laps and wins, but ultimately it was Sam Weller who gatecrashed the party by annexing all three victories and a pole position.

Hawkins therefore finished third in the final 240 standings and 6.81 points behind Parfitt Jnr, while Hammond was one place and a further 0.22 marks adrift. However, he did at least do enough to win this year’s Mini Challenge Cooper Pro class title.

Rick Parfitt Jnr, 2018 Sunoco 240 Challenge Champion: “I’m totally over the moon to have won the Sunoco 240 Challenge, which is the icing on the cake of what has been a very tough year for me. I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part and will attempt to do you all proud! What a year it’s been: becoming the first driver to win both a British GT3 and GT4 title, helping Bentley and Team Parker claim their maiden British GT Championship crowns, British GT Pro/Am winner with Seb [Morris] and now the Sunoco 240 Challenge champion – it simply cannot get any better than that! Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year – I am hugely humbled and immensely grateful. Needless to say I can’t wait to race at the incredible Daytona International Speedway and be part of one of the world’s biggest motorsport events.”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd Managing Director: “What a season for Rick and the 240 Challenge, which has been incredibly competitive from the very start! A stellar British GT campaign meant he was a contender throughout the year, although finishing one position lower at Donington would have actually seen Brett [Smith] win the competition. That’s how close it’s been! Rick maintains British GT’s recent run of winners, and his experience of both GT3 and GT4 means I’m confident he’ll be immediately on the pace at Daytona in January. I’ve no doubt he’ll be learning as much as he can from Seb [Morris] who performed so well there as our out-going Whelen champion earlier this year. Speaking of which, our attention now switches to the Sunoco Whelen Challenge where Stuart Moseley is aiming to prevent another British GT champion – Stuart Middleton – from winning a fully-funded Cadillac DPi drive in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.”

Moseley – who currently trails Middleton by 7.85 points – will have one more chance to overturn his deficit during Radical European Masters’ Barcelona season finale on October 28/29. He requires 329 points of the maximum 420 available, 120 of which can be banked with three fastest laps and same number of pole positions. That leaves 209 more marks to find across the weekend’s three races. Two seconds and a sixth would, for instance, be enough, but with grid numbers and his co-driver’s performance outside of Moseley’s control, there are no guarantees.

Current Sunoco Whelen Challenge standings

Racer                   Class                  Now           Rounds left        Max points       Min points

Stuart Middleton   British GT4PRO    78.10         finished

Will Tregurtha      British GT4PRO     75.90        finished

Stuart Moseley     Radical Euro         70.25        3                       84.20              56.20

Matt Bell             LMP3 Cup             68.21        finished

Colin Noble Jnr    LMP3 Cup             68.08        finished

Next races:

Snetterton 14-15 Oct     GT Cup / Radical Challenge / Mini Cooper

Oulton 20-21 Oct           Britcar Endurance

Barcelona 27-29 Oct      Radical EuroMasters

What are the Sunoco Challenges?
The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years this season’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard a Whelen-sponsored prototype in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest the 240-minute Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-liveried GT4 car.

Middleton Daytona-bound after sealing Sunoco Whelen Challenge title

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Reigning British GT4 champion Stuart Middleton has become the youngest driver ever to win the Sunoco Whelen Challenge after his only remaining rival, Stuart Moseley, was unable to score enough points during the final round of his Radical European Masters campaign last weekend.

The 17-year-old is now guaranteed a fully funded prize drive at the world-famous Rolex 24 At Daytona. The package, worth an estimated $250,000, includes testing at the South Florida venue later this year before taking part in the official ‘Roar Before the Rolex 24’ in early January. That’s followed by the race itself on January 27/28.

Middleton joins the front-running Action Express Racing squad whose Whelen-sponsored Cadillac DPi VR is completely different to the Ginetta G55 GT4 he’s driven in British GT this year. The Cadillac – a sports-prototype built specifically for long-distance racing – features a 6.2-litre V8 engine and produces roughly 600bhp, twice the power of the Ginetta. The Cadillac will also approach speeds of 200mph on Daytona’s famous oval banking.

The incredible opportunity sees the teenager from Ashington, in Northumberland, paired with three superstar co-drivers who will share the #31 Cadillac during the twice-around-the-clock enduro. Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr is also a former Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion, while Mike Conway raced in IndyCar before joining Toyota’s factory LMP1 programme. Team stalwart and 2016 IMSA champion Eric Curran completes the formidable line-up.

Indeed, the combination of Action Express Racing, Cadillac and talented driver crew offers Middleton a realistic chance of claiming a podium on debut. Last year’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Seb Morris led the race aboard the same car before reliability issues stymied the team’s progress, while Nasr’s third place from 2012 remains the best result in the competition’s nine-year history.

Middleton’s success was built on a standout maiden British GT4 campaign alongside HHC Motorsport co-driver Will Tregurtha, who finished second in the final Sunoco Whelen Challenge standings by just 2.2 points. Together they became the youngest driver crew in terms of combined age to win a British GT title and were both also elevated to BRDC Rising Star status.

Moseley, meanwhile, required an exceptional final Radical European Masters outing at Barcelona to have any hope of surpassing Middleton’s 78.1-point average score. His chances were scuppered by the event’s low entry count, which restricted the number of Sunoco Whelen Challenge points available for pole positions, race results and fastest laps. He fought valiantly to record three poles, a fastest lap and two podiums, while a broken upright denied him a near certain victory in Race 2. Nevertheless, even with a minimum of 10 cars on the grid, his weekend results wouldn’t have been sufficient to overturn Middleton’s advantage. He therefore ends the season third overall, 9.7 points behind the winner.

Middleton continues British GT’s run of Sunoco Whelen Challenge success after Morris and Jonny Adam claimed the prize for their performances during 2016 and 2015, respectively. He also joins reigning British GT3 champion Rick Parfitt Jnr at Daytona after the amateur driver claimed this year’s Sunoco 240 Challenge title. As reward, the 43-year-old is contesting the 240-minute BMW Endurance Challenge support race, which is also the opening round of 2018’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, aboard a GT4 car.

Stuart Middleton, 2018 Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion: “I’m ecstatic, speechless to be honest. This is such a huge prize and an incredible opportunity for me so early in my career, I can’t thank Anders Hildebrand and everyone at Anglo-American Oil enough. Being part of the Action Express team with Felipe, Mike and Eric is just amazing… it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

“My first season in GT4 with my fantastic team-mate Will Tregurtha was just amazing, we couldn’t believe how competitive we were right from the first round and that was without hardly any testing before the season started. The year just got better and better for us and as well as the GT4 title, the Sunoco prize started to become a possibility too.

“To win the championship in our rookie year was more than we could have hoped for, and for me to now win the Sunoco Whelen Challenge is the icing on the cake. I really want to grab this chance with both hands and do the very best I can, although it’s not going to be easy.

“This is a huge step-up for me: not only will it be my first ever 24-hour race but it’s going to be in one of the biggest and most demanding races in the world with some of the very best drivers and teams on the planet. It’s going to be amazing driving at Daytona too, something I never realistically thought might happen in my career – this is such a special moment for me and I’m absolutely delighted.”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd Managing Director: “Giving young drivers like Stuart an incredible opportunity is exactly what the Sunoco Whelen Challenge is all about! 12 months ago, racing in Ginetta Juniors, the chance to compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona would have been unthinkable. And even at the start of this year I’m sure it would have seemed a distant dream. But here he is, on the cusp of competing in one of the world’s most famous endurance events aboard a car and alongside drivers that have a genuine chance of success. It’s incredible.

“This was the first year that we extended the senior competition to professional GT4 drivers, and Stuart – as well as his British GT co-driver Will – has fully justified our decision. I also think having Felipe in the team will be a huge benefit to Stuart, who is by far our youngest winner since Felipe claimed the 2012 title. I can’t wait to see how he compares against a very quick and seasoned sportscar racing line-up.”

The Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenges will return in 2018. In the meantime stay tuned for further updates concerning Middleton and Parfitt Jnr’s Daytona adventure.

What are the Sunoco Challenges?

The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years this season’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard a Whelen-sponsored Cadillac DPi sports-prototype in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest the 240-minute Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-liveried GT4 car.

Sunoco Race Fuels mapping Offer 2018

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Upgraded your car over the winter? want to increase power and run higher levels of boost safely? Well here’s your chance to save some money and test the difference a good fuel can make to the setup of your car. Save up to £99+VAT on your fuel order on selected fuels for mapping your car until April 15th. Need expert advice on choosing the right fuel? then give us a call!

Dreams Can Come True – Are You Up For The Challenge?

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The new racing season is approaching fast. It will soon be time for prizes to be won and dreams to come true. The Sunoco Whelen Challenge and Sunoco 240 Challenge winners Rick Parfitt Jr and Stuart Middleton from the British GT Championship claimed the prize last year. Who will it be this year? You have to be in it to win it!!!

Sign up now at http://www.sunocochallenge.com/

Middleton becomes youngest Daytona 24 Hours podium visitor in a generation

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2017 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Stuart Middleton set new records at the famous Daytona International Speedway by becoming the youngest driver to claim a podium place this century.

The reigning GT4 British GT champion made a fairy-tale debut at the Florida-based track, getting behind the wheel of his Cadillac DPI car to complete the final stint of the race. The distinctively red liveried Whelen Engineering backed-car had to back off in the final hours of the race to preserve the engine, ensuring the car was unable to challenge the race leader, and sister Action Express Racing car for overall honours.

2012 Sunoco Challenge winner Felipe Nasr started the race from seventh place on the grid but was on the move as soon as the race got underway at 2:40pm local time. By the end of lap one he was up to third place and in second by the end of his first triple stint in the car. He handed over to Stuart to take over the reins and the 18-year old delivered a mature drive, setting consistent times, and returning the car unblemished after two hours of hard racing.

Driving duties were shared from then on between Eric Curran, Mike Conway and Nasr as Stuart did his best to stave off the flu. As dawn broke the car was holding third place with Nasr again behind the wheel but as the morning progressed the second placed Acura dropped away, promoting the number 31 car to second. A brief visit to the pit garage during a full course yellow allowed the team to solve a cooling issue without losing much time.

The four drivers then split the remaining running as the Rolex clock counted down but, crucially, Stuart would have to run again as he had not completed the two hours mandated by IMSA. As a result the youngster had the honour of completing the final stint of the race and taking the chequered flag.

With 808 laps completed of the 3.56 mile circuit a new distance record was set but Stuart also set new records of his own, becoming the highest placed Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner, beating the previous third place set by teammate Nasr in 2012, but more importantly the youngest overall podium visitor of the 21st century.

Stuart Middleton – #31 Action Express Cadillac DPI

“First and foremost I have to thank everyone for getting me here. The opportunity to race in the Rolex 24 is crazy. It’s something I couldn’t picture this time last year so to finish in P2 is just unbelievable, it has been an incredible 24 hours. It was a big learning curve for me, I was having to learn the car, the track, the tyres and the team throughout the weekend. I couldn’t have asked for better team-mates than these guys and the Action Express Racing team did a fantastic job.

“This will look very good on my CV. To race against some of the best drivers in the prototype world is insane to me. I’m very happy with how it went and hopefully it is something that we can build on going forward. It feels incredible and hopefully there is more to come in the future, I’ll try and do all I can to build on the momentum.”

Anders Hildebrand – Managing Director, Anglo American Oil Company

“That was a happy ending. I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so nervous. Stuart had a really good stint but beat himself down because Simon Pagenaud turned into him and they had contact. He was not happy with himself but from where we were watching he was amazing. He cut through traffic, overtook other guys, reeled in Pagenaud and it was an amazing drive.

“He was relieved that he didn’t crash the car, but they were leading the race until the car started to get hot which ruled them out of the win. We got the call from the team that they needed to put him in for another stint and he did extremely well. He did exactly what he needed to and brought it home in second for the chequered flag. It’s a happy, happy ending.”

Parfitt Jnr. provides battling spirit despite trying Daytona debut

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Rick Parfitt Jnr. showed his class in the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge race at Daytona, battling his way through the opening stints of the race in the top six. The Nottingham-based driver started the race from fourth on the grid as the cars crossed the line to start the 240-minute epic.

He lost out in the opening laps, dropping down the order as cold tyres prevented him from attacking in the same way as his rivals. By the forty-minute mark a Full Course Yellow period was declared after a car spun on the back straight, allowing Rick to pit the Audi from tenth place. The new rubber clearly suited the British GT Champion as, when the track went green, he vaulted up to fifth place, just behind the leading gaggle of cars.

After a strong second stint the car spluttered to a halt on the back straight having run out of fuel. The team were able to recover the car to the pits, allowing Darren Jorgensen to take over driving duties after the car was refuelled. Pro driver Cameron Lawrence jumped in to finish the race in 27th place but it was definitely a case of what could have been. The pace was clearly in the car and drivers but Rick can be satisfied that he did and outstanding job on his US racing debut.

Rick Parfitt Jnr. – #13 GMG Racing Audi R8

“At the beginning I just got mugged, I had no grip. All the way through you could just see in the mid corner to exit it  just didn’t have the bite that the Mustangs have. We can go through the twisty stuff better, and I can really get them on the brakes by stepping it on its nose and getting around.

“I was running consistent low 1:58s which was pretty quick but it’s a very tricky car, very snappy, so I had to be careful with it. I was just trying to keep it as tidy as possible, I didn’t feel that I could be aggressive with the car. I could do very good, consistent laps but to go on the offensive we needed that extra bit of bite on the car, so I could pull people in and out-brake them. The Mustangs could do that, and I couldn’t get the power down to match them.

“It was a good debut, two Audis in the top six so that’s good going and for me, a 43-year old singer from the UK, to be going quicker than the young factory drivers I’ve got to be fairly happy with that.

“I couldn’t have done this without Sunoco, thank you so, so much. It is a once in a lifetime experience so for all the young racers, this is brilliant so go for it. It’s an utterly incredible experience.”

Anders Hildebrand – Managing Director, Anglo American Oil Company

“It was an interesting race. Rick started fourth after an amazing qualifying. Quite soon we could see he was struggling with grip as it was the first-time the car had run with new tyres and full tanks, so he couldn’t push as hard as he wanted. He kept the car safe and didn’t hit anyone but dropped down to 13th however when he pitted the car was transformed. It was disappointing end to his time in the car when it ran out of fuel, but he did an amazing job. I’m really pleased for him, he’s such a great ambassador for us, and such a professional, both inside and outside the car.”

Sunoco Challenge winners Middleton and Parfitt Jnr impresses at the Roar

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Current British GT champions Stuart Middleton and Rick Parfitt Jnr have successfully completed their initial running at the famous Daytona International Speedway, taking part in the ‘Roar Before The 24’ ahead of the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours.

GT4 champion Middleton became the youngest driver to win the Sunoco Whelen Challenge, a package worth $250,000. He joins the front-running Action Express Racing (AX Racing) team in the Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi, which utilises all of the 600 bhp from the 6.2-litre V8 engine to reach speeds approaching 200 mph on the banking.

17-year old Middleton joins another Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner in former Formula One driver Felipe Nasr in the #31 Cadillac; the first time two winners have teamed up. Also competing in the car is current Toyota LMP1 and former IndyCar and Formula E racer Mike Conway, and 2016 IMSA champion Eric Curran.

The #31 squad finished the Roar with fastest time in qualifying for the pit and garage allocations, leaving the team in good stead ahead of race qualifying on Thursday 25 January (15:45 EST / 20:45 GMT).

Fellow British GT GT3 champion Rick Parfitt Jnr, who won the Sunoco 240 Challenge, is also racing having become the first amateur to win based on results in the British GT series. His prize is a drive in the BMW Endurance Challenge, a 240-minute race before the 24 Hours which opens the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series.

Rick joins Daren Jorgensen and Cameron Lawrence in the Global Motorsports Group Racing (GMG Racing) Audi R8 GT4, a new challenge for the Brit who is used to more powerful machinery, having raced a Bentley Continental GT3 to British GT championship success. The trio finished the final practice session seventh overall, bonding well before qualifying on Thursday 25 January (12:25 EST / 17:45 GMT).

Stuart Middleton, 2018 Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion:

“Overall the Roar [Before the 24] has gone really well for me. It’s been very productive and it’s been good to get to know the team and learn the car and the track. The progress that’s been made from myself, the team, and my teammates has been really strong. From our point of view, we’ve done everything we needed to do to set ourselves up for the race.

“Every session I’ve tried to make progress and it’s definitely shown towards the end of the Roar. I’m very happy with how it’s gone and everyone’s feeling pretty confident. I think we’ll be in the hunt.

“These guys [teammates; Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran, and Mike Conway] are at the top of their game, it’s awesome to have them around – I’ll learn as much as I can from them and they’re constantly giving me tips and reminders of just what I need to do. It’s all very useful stuff.”

Rick Parfitt, 2018 Sunoco 240 Challenge Champion:

“It’s been really good. Coming here with a brand-new car was a bit of a challenge, but GMG (Global Motorsports Group Racing) have done an amazing job and to be here with Sunoco is a dream come true. We’ve made amazing progress: I was the fastest Am in the final session, so we’re definitely flying the flag for us Brits in the GT4 class. I’m really looking forward to coming back to this incredible circuit for race day.

“Sunoco has done a good job placing me with this team as I get on really well with Daren [Jorgensen] and Cameron [Lawrence]. They’re a great team – there’s differences in abilities between us but everyone is pulling together towards a common goal. It can be difficult if you don’t get on with your teammates or there isn’t that sort of interaction but I’m pleased to say I’ve made some friends for life here.

“Race weekend is going to be great. I’ve always said, ‘if a team is happy results will follow’ and we’ve got a great team, our personalities really work together, and we’re going to do the best we can. I think it’s going to be really positive and great.”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd Managing Director:

“So far, it’s been good and very encouraging. I was a little bit nervous for Stuart as he’s never driven a car with downforce and we didn’t have the pre-Christmas test we would normally have. We went to the simulator in Indianapolis and he did a really good job there. For him to crack those times, 1m 38s, its early and we have a couple of test days before the race, so it is impressive.

“This year is especially great because we have Felipe Nasr back and he won the 2012 Sunoco Daytona Challenge, and it’s been a dream to get two winners together. Stuart is very excited about the whole prospect of racing with an ex-Formula One driver who is super-fast – and Felipe proved he is super-fast: he got everything out of the car to go fastest and take a stunning qualifying for the pit box.

“Rick has done a stunning job. They are trying to get all the drivers up to speed in the team. The car is box fresh, an Audi R8 GT4, which hadn’t turned a wheel before this. Coming from GT3 into a GT4 car is much harder than getting into a GT3 from a GT4 because you’re going back on what you learned. Rick is 1-1.2s off the pro drivers and he’s never been to the circuit before, so he is very impressive.”

What are the Sunoco Challenges?
The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years this season’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard a Whelen-sponsored prototype in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest the 240-minute Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-liveried GT4 car.

Mini rivals Hawkins and Hammond get-Snett for knockout 240 weekend

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The 2018 Sunoco 240 Challenge champion will be crowned at Snetterton this weekend when Mini Challenge Cooper class rivals Jessica Hawkins and Matt Hammond go head-to-head in an effort to oust Rick Parfitt Jnr from top spot.

The newly-crowned British GT3 champion has also led the chase for 2018’s Rolex 24 At Daytona support race prize drive since the first week of August. Now, only Hawkins or Hammond can deny him the trip to South Florida this January when they square off for the Cooper Pro class crown.

Parfitt Jnr currently leads Brett Smith by just 0.42 points, but – with the Mini Challenge JCW campaign already over – attention switches to Hawkins and Hammond in third and fourth. The pair start the weekend an average 5.2 and 5.46 points behind but could overturn their respective deficits by claiming pole positions, fastest race laps and victories.

With both requiring 375 of the maximum 420 points available, it’s clear that one driver must dominate the weekend’s three races if either is to beat Parfitt Jnr. A combination of three wins plus four maximum scores comprising fastest laps and poles would be enough, while six fastest laps/poles are required if one driver records a hat-trick of second place finishes.

Achieving that would see them follow in the footsteps of out-going Cooper champion Max Bladon whose dominant 2016 campaign earned him both 2017’s Sunoco 240 Challenge title and Daytona’s support race seat at the wheel of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4.

Meanwhile, current Sunoco Whelen Challenge leader Stuart Middleton must wait until the end of October before discovering whether he will be contesting the Rolex 24 At Daytona’s blue riband race after Stuart Moseley maintained his slim but mathematical chance of pinching the prize and crown.

The Radical European Masters ace heads to Barcelona on October 28/29 knowing that a low turnout of less than eight entries, which would result in fewer marks available, will prevent him from scoring the necessary points required. But anything above that number offers him at least an opportunity to pip British GT’s new GT4 champion with the final act of this year’s competition.

Middleton leads, for now at least, thanks to his final 78.10-point average. Moseley is currently 7.85 points shy of that total and needs 329 of the 420 available across the weekend in order to win the Whelen Challenge. 120 of those can be banked with three fastest laps and same number of pole positions, leaving 209 to find across the three races. Two seconds and a sixth would, for instance, be enough, but with grid numbers and his co-driver’s performance outside of his control, there are no guarantees.

Current Sunoco 240 Challenge standings

Racer                   Class                  Now           Rounds left        Max points       Min points

Rick Parfitt Jnr      British GT3AM    96.53         finished

Brett Smith            Mini JCW           96.11         finished

Jessica Hawkins    Mini Cooper       91.33        3                       99.44             76.11

Matt Hammond      Mini Cooper       91.07        3                       99.22             75.89

Jon Minshaw         British GT3AM    85.64        finished

Current Sunoco Whelen Challenge standings

Racer                   Class                  Now           Rounds left        Max points       Min points

Stuart Middleton   British GT4PRO    78.10         finished

Will Tregurtha      British GT4PRO     75.90        finished

Stuart Moseley     Radical Euro         70.25        3                       84.20              56.20

Matt Bell             LMP3 Cup             68.21        finished

Colin Noble Jnr    LMP3 Cup             68.08        finished

Next races:

Snetterton 14-15 Oct     GT Cup / Radical Challenge / Mini Cooper

Oulton 20-21 Oct           Britcar Endurance

Barcelona 27-29 Oct      Radical EuroMasters

What are the Sunoco Challenges?
The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years this season’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard a Whelen-sponsored prototype in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest the 240-minute Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-liveried GT4 car.

Middleton and Parfitt Jnr still on top after Donington finales

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The British GT and Mini JCW finales at Donington Park produced some very nail biting racing. 2017 Mini Challenge JCW racer Brett Smith was crowned Champion at Brands Hatch, with one round to go, but arrived at Donington with one aim in mind – score maximum points towards the Sunoco 240 Challenge. For the Middleton/Tregurtha British GT4 pairing, they knew that they had to beat Alex Reed and David Pittard in the Lanan Ginetta for the British GT4 Championship crown, but also had to score as many points as possible towards the Sunoco Whelen Challenge to stay in the lead.

Whelen: Stuart Middleton has laid down the gauntlet for Stuart Moseley
Stuart Middleton went into the British GT finale at Donington Park as the Sunoco Whelen Challenge leader, just ahead of co-driver Will Tregurtha, and knew he had to score high to keep his Daytona dream alive. Stuart’s real threat was Will who, if he posted fastest lap and took the pole position points, could leapfrog Stuart in the Sunoco Whelen Challenge.

Will Tregurtha was on track in the #55 HHC run Ginetta for the first GT4 qualifying when unfortunately a red flag situation meant he could not do better than fourth fastest. In the second part of the GT4 qualifying, Joe Osborne, in the Tolman Motosport McLaren GT4, then set a pole time no other GT4 pro driver could match. This meant that, at best, if Will put in the fastest lap in the race he could match Middelton’s average score. However, Stuart’s and Will’s combined qualifying saw them starting from fourth on the grid, and with no mistakes between the young driver pairing throughout the race, Stuart took the flag in second just behind Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson in the PMW McLaren 570S GT4.

Second place in the 2-hour endurance finale resulted in Stuart Middleton and Will Tregurtha becoming the youngest ever British GT4 Championship winners. And if Stuart wins the Sunoco Whelen Challenge, he will be the youngest ever winner in the Challenge’s nine years of running.

With this result, Stuart Middleton further increased his lead in the Sunoco Whelen Challenge over the only man who can still challenge him for the crown – Stuart Moseley in the Radical EuroMasters series. Moseley is now 6.45 average points behind Middleton but has 6 races to try to improve his average score. If he wins all remaining races, sets all pole positions and sets all fastest laps, he will end up on 97.97 points and win the Sunoco Whelen Challenge. However, to beat Middleton he must average 90.43 points per race out of a possible 140 (100 for winning, 20 for pole position and 20 for fastest lap) which is by no means a simple task. Stuart races at Monza from 30th September to 1st October and at Barcelona on 28-29th of October.

Current standings

Racer                   Class            Now           Rounds left        Max points       Min points

Stuart Middleton    British GT4   78.10         finished

William Tregurtha  British GT4   75.90         finished

Stuart Moseley      Radical Euro 69.94         6                       97.97              41.97

Matt Bell                LMP3 Cup     68.21        finished

Colin Noble Jnr     LMP3 Cup     68.08         finished

240: JCW racer Brett Smith in a league of his own whilst Parfitt Jnr maintains lead
Brett Smith in the Eurotech run #39 Mini Cooper JCW came to Donington Park as the 2017 JCW Champion and had nothing to lose when trying to maximise his Sunoco 240 Challenge points. Rick Parfitt Jnr, on the other hand, had everything to lose as he had to stay conservative with a focus on winning the British GT3 crown. But Rick, never having been to Daytona, had it in the back of his mind to try to get pole points and fastest lap points towards the 240 Challenge, and hope that Brett would not score enough points towards the challenge himself. However, pole points were not to be when Aston racer, Mark Farmer, on an Aston Martin suited track, stuck it on pole by 11 hundredths of a second just ahead of Rick. Brett Smith on the other hand was untouchable in qualifying and got both sets of pole position points.

After a dramatic start to the British GT finale, where Championship rival Jon Minshaw made a cracking start from third to second, Rick struggled and lost one place to fifth on cold tyres. Luck had it for Rick that Minshaw spun within a couple of laps. Rick held on to the gifted fourth position when he pitted after one hour with Minshaw in seventh. However, due to a twenty second success penalty for Parfitt Jnr/Morris having won at Brands in the previous round, Minshaw’s pro-driver Phil Keen came out just ahead of Parfitt’s pro-driver Seb Morris. Keen, in the Lamborghini Huracan set a blistering pace to try to chase down Jonny Adam in the #1 Aston Martin to try to win the race. However, it was not to be, and despite the fastest lap, Minshaw/Keen finished third and Parfitt Jnr/Morris fourth, meaning that Rick and Seb became the 2017 British GT3 Champions.

Meanwhile, after setting pole, fastest lap and winning race one, Brett Smith had one remaining race to improve his Sunoco 240 Challenge points. At that point he could still overturn Rick Parfitt’s 240 Challenge lead if he won the race and set fastest lap… Brett started from fourth on the reverse second race grid. Brett was in second within a lap and then outfoxed race leader Rob Smith into the first corner on the second lap and disappeared into the distance. He set fastest lap on his way to finishing off a very impressive final race weekend, scoring maximum points towards the Sunoco 240 Challenge and taking over the lead in the 240 Challenge from Parfitt Jnr by 0.57 average points.

However, that was not to be, as later in the evening Minshaw/Keen were excluded for overtaking under yellow flag which elevated Rick Parfitt Jnr and 2016 season Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Seb Morris to third in their race. Sadly for Brett Smith, this means that he finished just 0.42 average points behind Parfitt Jnr who finished on an amazing 96.53.

But the Sunoco 240 Challenge is by no means decided yet as two Mini Cooper racers can still climb to the top. Either third place Jessica Hawkins, or fourth place Matt Hammond, separated by just 0.26 average points, can still become the 2017 season Sunoco 240 Challenge winner. To do so, they will need to score 380 points over the remaining three races at Snetterton out of 420 points available. That means a combination of three wins and four poles or fastest laps; or 2 wins, one 4thplace and all poles and fastest laps – very tough, but not impossible.

We have to wait until 14-15th of October to find out at the Mini Cooper finale at Snetterton – exciting!

Current standings

Racer                   Class                  Now           Rounds left        Max points       Min points

Rick Parfitt Jnr      British GT3AM    96.53         finished

Brett Smith            Mini JCW           96.11         finished

Jessica Hawkins    Mini Cooper       91.33        3                       99.44             76.11

Matt Hammond      Mini Cooper       91.07        3                       99.22             75.89

Jon Minshaw         British GT3AM    85.64        finished

Next races:

Monza 30 Sept – 1 Oct    Radical EuroMasters

Snetterton 14-15 Oct     GT Cup / Radical Challenge / Mini Cooper

What are the Sunoco Challenges?
The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years this season’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard a Whelen-sponsored prototype in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest the 240-minute Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-liveried GT4 car.