Robbie Dalgleish wins Daytona drive after season-long battle goes to wire

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In a tense battle which went right to the final weekend for five separate championships, Robbie Dalgleish secured the once-in-a-lifetime drive at Daytona International Speedway in January as he was also crowned Mini Challenge Cooper Pro champion.

Coming into the past weekend (October 19/20), five different drivers remained in contention for the prize drive in IMSA’s four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona, in a Sunoco-liveried car, thanks to the Anglo American Oil Company.

At Snetterton, the final races for the F3 Cup, and the Mini Challenge JCW and Cooper Pro drivers helped the final standings take place. Despite podium finishes and championship titles for Cian Carey in the former, and James Gornall in JCW, neither managed to maintain their average point score to finish ahead of Kelvin Fletcher, whose GT4 title in the British GT Championship left him right in the mix.

With only partial points on offer in the Cooper Pro class, Toby Goodman also fell out of contention, leaving just series-rival Robbie Dalgleish and Fletcher in with a chance of the prize. However, with a second-place finish in the final race of the season, Dalgleish claimed not only the championship title but also the Challenge seat.

Robbie follows last year’s Sunoco 240 Challenge victor Kyle Reid in claiming the drive after taking the Mini Challenge Cooper Pro title and will now begin preparations for a step into GT4 machinery around the fabled Daytona International Speedway road course.

The prize drive is available thanks to the generosity of the Anglo American Oil Company, which has helped a number of European racers enjoy a life-changing drive at Daytona. The entry fee from all Challenge hopefuls, as well as donations from members of the public, is given to Team Fox for Parkinson’s Research, a worthy cause.

Final Sunoco 240 Challenge standings (average points per race):

Robbie Dalgleish (Mini Challenge Cooper Pro): 98.53
Kelvin Fletcher (British GT Championship – GT4 Am: 96.36
James Gornall (Mini Challenge JCW): 95.58
Rob Keogh (Ginetta G40 Cup): 94.71
Toby Goodman (Mini Challenge Cooper Pro): 94.00

Robbie Dalgleish, 2019 Sunoco 240 Challenge winner

“At the start of the year we said we wanted to win the Mini Challenge, Scottish Mini Cooper Cup, and the Sunoco 240 Challenge, but that wasn’t really realistic, yet we’ve gone and done it!

“It was such a tense weekend – everything that has gone on has been crazy. If someone had said ‘you’d write a car off, get a spare car, all the politics…’ you wouldn’t believe it, but we’ve got the result. I have to give a big shout out to the team, my dad has set up the car, my mum has supported me so much, and my sponsors Evolution BPS without whom we wouldn’t even be racing.

“I am ecstatic to win the Sunoco 240 Challenge. I just have to let my new job know that I’ll be off to Daytona in January!”

Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd

“We have another Mini Challenge champion! Sometimes you might think we want someone from another series, but it demonstrates that the winners of the Cooper Pro class are really good and that they can make the jump from the low-powered Mini to a GT4 car without any problem.

“I’ve been impressed with Robbie’s racing this year. He doesn’t make mistakes and that is how you win championships as well as the Challenge and his consistency and speed have been impressive all season long. It will be great to have another group of mad Scottish people along with us in January too!

“This prize is something to give back to the racers. I know how hard it was when I raced myself, so to win something like this where you go to another continent and race a car with a new team is quite an experience. It is all paid for, the flights, licence, race suit, everything. It is a life-changing prize that the drivers will never forget, even if they don’t go any further in their career.”

To find out more about the Sunoco Challenge please visit: http://www.sunocochallenge.com/

To find out more about Team Fox, the grassroots community fundraising program of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, please visit: https://www.michaeljfox.org/teamfox

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.

This year’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully-funded race seat at the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona, courtesy of Whelen. Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest Daytona’s 240-minute BMW Endurance Challenge support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-supported GT4 car.

The Sunoco Challenges are organised by Sunoco Racing Fuels’ official European distributor, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd.

Sunoco Whelen Challenge-eligible series:

BRDC British Formula 3 Championship
British GT Championship – GT3 Pro and GT4 Pro

Sunoco 240 Challenge-eligible series:

British GT Championship – GT3 Am and GT4 Am
F3 Cup
GT Cup Championship
Mini Challenge – JCW and Cooper Pro
Radical UK Challenge
Ginetta GT5 Challenge
Ginetta G40 Cup
Touring Car Trophy / TCR UK

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.

 

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”

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 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.

Lundqvist & Reid Remain On Course For Sunoco Challenge Titles

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Linus Lundqvist tightened his grip on this year’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps where the BRDC Formula 3 Championship was joined by British GT. Meanwhile, at Oulton Park, Kyle Reid’s march towards Sunoco’s 240 Challenge was slowed only slightly during the latest Mini Challenge Cooper and JCW rounds.

Whelen: Lundqvist’s Competition To Lose

Linus Lundqvist’s lead now stands at a very healthy 14 points after two victories helped maintain his 102-point season average.

By contrast, Phil Keen scored just 55 points during his British GT3 outing in Belgium, which cut his overall average by 4.58 to 88. That might have been enough to retain second overall but the Barwell driver now requires an exceptional end to his 2018 campaign and a dip in Lundqvist’s form if he’s to become the first-ever two-time Sunoco Challenge winner.

Troubled weekends for several other British GT3 Pros and F3 drivers has allowed Radical European Masters racer Stuart Moseley to move back up to third. However, he will be relying on bigger grids next time out if he’s to apply serious pressure on Keen and Lundqvist ahead.

Lundqvist’s bid for this season’s British F3 crown and Sunoco Whelen Challenge Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive both benefitted from a poor weekend for Nicolai Kjaergaard who’s now unlikely to recover from his current 68-point season average, while British GT3 Pro team-mates Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim also saw their slim chances effectively ended at Spa. The TF Sport pair are separated by just 0.79 points in fifth and sixth, the latter a position Thiim now shares with British GT title rival and former Whelen winner Jonny Adam.

Yelmer Buurman and Kush Maini both remain inside the top-10 and one place ahead of new British GT4 Championship leader Jack Mitchell whose consecutive class victories have helped improve his season’s average no end.

240: Reid Gives Rivals A Glimmer Of Hope

Kyle Reid’s supreme start to the season ensured even a slight wobble would impact on his high average score, and so it proved for the first time in 2018 at Oulton Park. Nevertheless, extra points for Race 2 pole position and victory ensured his overall score remains a still formidable 116.67.

That’s 14.59 more than Radical Challenge racer Steve Burgess, who wasn’t in action last weekend, and another 3.51 ahead of Mini Challenge JCW championship leader Ant Whorton-Eales who rocketed from eighth to third after improving his average by more than 10 points.

Dominic Jackson, just like Radical rival Burgess, has another chance to make inroads into Reid’s advantage next weekend, while Mini Challenge JCW duo Nathan Harrison and Jordan Collard complete the top-six with 90 and 88.57 points, respectively.

Kelvin Fletcher has slipped from fourth to seventh despite finishing second in British GT4’s Pro/Am class. Robbie Dalgleish (Mini Challenge Cooper), Jon Minshaw (British GT3 Am) and Rob Smith (Mini Challenge JCW) complete the top-10.

Lundqvist & Reid Gear Up For Crunch Sunoco Challenge Weekends

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There’s been little change at the top of both Sunoco Challenge standings despite two bumper weekends featuring myriad Whelen and 240-eligible series.

Instead, attention has switched to Spa-Francorchamps and Oulton Park on July 21/22 when both competitions’ current front-runners – Linus Lundqvist and Kyle Reid – continue their respective BRDC British F3 and Mini Challenge Cooper campaigns.

However, that’s not to say recent events have had no impact at all on the pursuit of a fully-funded seat in 2019’s Rolex 24 At Daytona and its official 240-mile GT4 support race.

Indeed, the senior Sunoco Whelen Challenge now appears a two-horse contest between current leader Lundqvist and 2015 winner Phil Keen – currently 9.92 points behind – following Stuart Moseley’s frustrating Radical European Masters outing at the Hungaroring last weekend.

 

Moseley once again demonstrated his undoubted pace en route to a brace of victories, another podium, two pole positions and one fastest lap. However, an entry comprising just five cars meant far fewer marks were available for each of those achievements, which reduced his overall season’s average by almost 10 points. Thus, Moseley’s new 75.89-point total is not only 26.61 lower than Lundqvist’s current benchmark but also only good enough for fifth overall.

The two beneficiaries, Nicolai Kjaergaard and Nicki Thiim, ensure that British F3 and British GT3 Pro drivers now lock out the overall top-four, as well as filling positions six to nine. Patrik Matthiesen is the best placed British GT4 Pro in 10th, while Brad Smith remains LMP3 Cup’s leading contender in 15th despite another low turnout at Spa two weeks ago.

It’s a similar story in the Sunoco 240 Challenge where runaway leader Kyle Reid must continue his incredible start to the Mini Challenge Cooper campaign at Spa next weekend if he’s to once again strengthen an already significant advantage.

The SCK Motorsport driver’s lead has actually increased in recent weeks after both Steve Burgess and Dominic Jackson failed to make inroads during their Radical UK Challenge outing at Spa. Their respective deficits now stand at 21.49 and 26.9 points ahead of Reid’s upcoming assignment at Oulton Park.

A host of leading British GT3 and GT4 Am drivers will also be competing simultaneously at Spa-Francorchamps where Kelvin Fletcher will be eager to continue his recent climb up the rankings. Fletcher has been British GT4’s standout amateur in recent rounds and now lies less than 10 points behind Jackson in fourth.

Robbie Dalgleish has the power to boost his own 240 score while taking points out of Cooper rival Reid when he also visits Oulton Park, while Jon Minshaw is best placed of British GT3’s Am contingent in sixth overall.

Relentless Reid Retains Sizeable 240 Challenge Lead At Silverstone

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Kyle Reid maintained his stranglehold on this year’s Sunoco 240 Challenge last weekend at Silverstone where a further victory, fastest lap and pole positions helped Mini Challenge Cooper Pro’s runaway leader remain on course for a fully-funded GT4 seat in the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona’s support race.

With the next round of Sunoco Whelen Challenge-eligible series not in action until early July, all eyes were on Silverstone where both the Mini Challenge Cooper Pro and F3 Cup championships had assembled for their latest 240 outings.

Reid arrived at the event on 124 points, 21.78 more than nearest rival Steve Burgess whose tricky recent Radical Challenge UK appearance at Spa had helped the Mini ace inherit a comfortable advantage.

Reid’s season average was so good – drivers can accumulate a maximum 140 points per race – that only a similarly strong showing at Silverstone would keep him on course for the highest score in the competition’s 10-year history. And although he was beaten for the first time this year, a victory to go with second place, two pole positons and a fastest lap meant his overall total was trimmed by just 0.43 points.

Race 2 victory went to Robbie Dalgleish, whose earlier podium and fastest lap also helped increase his season’s average by more than five points. That vaulted the JRD Motors driver up to fifth overall behind Dominic Jackson (Radical Challenge UK) and Kelvin Fletcher (British GT4 Am).

F3 Cup’s unpredictable season also continued at Silverstone where the spread of winners, podium finishers, pole positons and fastest laps again prevented a leading Sunoco 240 Challenge contender from emerging.

Stuart Wiltshire started and ended the weekend as the championship’s best placed representative, albeit seven positions and 11.5 points lower than where he started after only scoring points for two podiums. On the flipside two wins and a fastest lap helped Cian Carey jump 20 places to 14th, while former front-runner Shane Kelly is one spot further back after suffering another inconsistent outing.

Lundqvist & Reid Continue To Set Sunoco Whelen & 240 Challenge Pace

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Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps welcomed BRDC British F3, British GT, Mini Challenge JCW and Radical UK Challenge drivers last Saturday and Sunday on a bumper weekend of Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenge action.

However, two familiar names remain top of their respective standings after Linus Lundqvist defended his Whelen lead thanks to another winning British F3 performance, and Kyle Reid extended his 240 advantage despite the Mini Challenge Cooper championship enjoying a weekend off.

 Whelen: As you were at the top

 Linus Lundqvist maintained his healthy lead in the race for January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive courtesy of another fast and consistent British F3 outing at Silverstone. A victory, pole position and second place in the championship’s two Sunoco points-paying contests helped him average 102.5 for the weekend, the same number as his pre- and post-event totals.

A slight improvement from his nearest rival Phil Keen – who finished second in British GT’s race at the same venue – saw the overall gap between them close by 0.18 points. However, Lundqvist’s new 9.92-point advantage remains significant as the season enters its second half. Indeed, the Swede will likely require a poor weekend if the likes of Keen and third place driver Stuart Moseley are to make serious inroads.

Lundqvist’s F3 title rival Nicolai Kjaergaard remains fourth, albeit 24.37 points adrift, while a second victory and third podium in as many British GT3 races has brought Nicki Thiim into play. The Dane made a sluggish start to the season but has risen up the rankings in recent weeks and now lies just 2.05 points behind his fellow countryman.

TF Sport team-mate and ‘Dane Train’ partner in crime Marco Sorensen picked up extra marks for a third consecutive British GT3 fastest lap at Silverstone and lies sixth, one place ahead of Kush Maini who added 10 to his season’s total by claiming two British F3 podiums, a pole position and fastest lap.

British GT3 rivals Yelmer Buurman and Jonny Adam are next up, while the same championship’s best placed GT4 Pro driver, Patrik Matthiesen  rounds out the top-10.

240: Reid extends lead without turning a wheel

 A weekend off for leader Kyle Reid offered his Radical UK Challenge, British GT3/4 Am and Mini Challenge JCW rivals an opportunity to close the gap.

Steve Burgess went into the weekend as Reid’s nearest challenger after enjoying a strong start to this season’s Radical UK Challenge campaign. However, high average scores are only maintained through consistently strong results, and at Spa Burgess suffered his weakest weekend of the season so far. Indeed, just one podium and pole position across the three races reduced his average by more than 20 points to 102.22.

That’s 21.78 fewer than Reid and just 3.33 more than Radical rival Dominic Jackson who added 10 points to his season’s average by claiming three wins, two fastest laps and a pole position in Belgium.

Kelvin Fletcher also continued his climb up the standings thanks to another excellent British GT4 Am performance. Class victory and fastest lap sees him move up two places and nine points to fourth ahead of F3 Cup’s Stuart Wiltshire, who didn’t race last weekend, and Jon Minshaw who finished second in British GT3.

A perfect British GT3 weekend for Mark Farmer, which featured victory, fastest Am lap and pole position, sees him lie less than two points behind championship rival Minshaw and a similar number ahead of Mini Cooper Pro racer Robbie Dalgleish.

Ant Whorton-Eales picked up a brace of podiums to remain best-placed Mini Challenge JCW driver in ninth, while British GT4 Am Nick Jones rounds out the top-10.

 

 

First Win Of The Season For Collard & Smith In JCW’s

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Jordan Collard took his first win of the 2018 MINI Challenge JCW campaign at Silverstone. The MINI UK VIP driver was on-form and fought his way back to the lead despite a poor start off the line.

A clean opening sector was soon shattered when a number of cars found each other at Club. George Sutton punctured his rear tyres but limped back to the pits without losing a lap, but retirements for Rory Cuff and Steve King brought out the safety car.

Despite starting third, Ant Whorton-Eales made a lightning start, taking the lead into the first corner, controlling the restart, as polesitter Collard hounded the leader. The threat was soon eradicated though as Collard’s failed overtake into Club put him behind Nathan Harrison and into chasing pack.

Ant failed to break away though, as Collard came back, retaking the lead into Luffield. This closed up the group with Rob Smith and Jac Maybin making up the leading quintet.

Collard though finally got his break, pulling away in the final two laps to take the win by 1.8 seconds. Rounding out the podium would be Whorton-Eales and Harrison, with the trio now establishing themselves as the championship leaders.

Smith would lead home Maybin with the latter continuing his strong run of results from Snetterton. Rounding out the top eight would be Ollie Pidgley, some five seconds behind, as he held off Louis Doyle and Jack Davidson.

“I think I did the most I could, putting it on pole gets me a few extra points.” said Collard. “I knew Ant was going to be quick so I had to finish in front of him. He’s grown a few points on me in the championship recently, but the next few weekends I hope I can draw some back and make it closer at the front.”

“Ant’s one of those rare drivers that’s hard but very clean, we must have been side-by-side for about half a lap. It was a ‘close your eyes and hold your breath’ moment, but overall it was a mega race.”

Race 2

In a shortened second MINI Challenge – JCW race at Silverstone, it would be Rob Smith who survived the affair to come out on top, taking his first win of the year with MINI UK VIP.

The second MINI race of the weekend started with a dramatic circumstances as Jac Maybin hit Ollie Pidgley on their formation lap. Maybin broke his front right tyre and was out almost immediately while Pidgley was forced to start from the pits, with rear left damage.

Even with the missing second row, the start was still a dramatic affair, as Jack Davidson after taking the lead into the first corner, lost control at Maggots, spinning into the gravel. This upset Jordan Collard behind, with the MINI UK car taking a trip across the grass at Becketts.

Polesitter Brad Hutchinson didn’t have it any easier either, dropping back behind the charging Smith as he too fell into the pack.

With an extended safety car, the race came down to a final lap shootout, as Smith held on to his advantage for his first win of the year. It proved to be a surprisingly regular podium set as Ant Whorton-Eales led home rival Nathan Harrison due to both avoided the drama in the opening lap.

Despite his off, Collard charged from eighth to fourth in the final lap ahead of Henry Neal, who will pleased to have recovered after his disaster of a Saturday. Lewis Brown started outside the top ten, but eventually moved up to sixth ahead of Hutchinson as David Robinson rounded out the top eight.