Wera Alliance Racing Academy brought the curtain down on an outstanding 2026 MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport season with a dominant display at Brands Hatch, as Alfie Garford and Murray Richardson secured three consecutive one-two finishes.

Garford, who had already secured the JCW Sport Championship at Silverstone, completed his title-winning campaign with a clean sweep of all three victories around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Richardson followed his teammate home in second in each race and secured the fastest lap in Race 2, completing an impressive season as JCW Sport Championship runner-up.

It meant the two Academy teammates ended the year first and second in the championship having shared all 20 JCW Sport race victories between them.

QUALIFYING – DOUBLE RED FLAG DISRUPTION

The weekend got off to a frustrating start on Saturday as qualifying was disrupted by two separate red flags.

Each stoppage delayed the session and severely restricted track time, preventing around half of the grid – including Garford and Richardson – from setting representative lap times.

More importantly, neither driver was able to record the second-fastest qualifying lap normally used to determine the Race 1 grid.

With the necessary qualifying times unavailable, the starting order reverted to the result of the previous race at Silverstone.

It was an unusual beginning to the weekend, but once racing started, the Academy pair quickly returned to familiar territory.

RACE 1 – GARFORD LEADS HOME ACADEMY ONE-TWO

Garford immediately established himself at the front of JCW Sport, with Richardson following closely behind.

Despite another interrupted race, Alfie was confirmed as the class winner, with Murray taking second to secure the Academy’s first one-two of the weekend.

Garford also recorded the fastest JCW Sport lap.

Race 1: Garford P1 + Fastest Lap | Richardson P2

It was Alfie’s 16th victory of the season and the perfect start to his final weekend as the newly crowned champion.

RACE 2 – RICHARDSON TAKES FASTEST LAP

Sunday morning saw the Wera Alliance pair once again control the JCW Sport contest.

Garford secured victory number 17, but Richardson remained close throughout and demonstrated his pace by recording the fastest JCW Sport lap of the race.

The teammates crossed the line just over a second apart to record another Academy one-two.

Race 2: Garford P1 | Richardson P2 + Fastest Lap

For Murray, taking fastest lap against the driver who had dominated the championship was another indication of the progress made during his first full season of racing.

RACE 3 – THREE FROM THREE

The final race of the season offered one last opportunity to finish the campaign on a high.

Garford duly delivered.

The #88 driver took his third victory of the weekend and added another fastest lap, completing a perfect Brands Hatch hat-trick.

Richardson again followed home in second, meaning all three races at the season finale ended with the two Wera Alliance cars occupying the top two positions in JCW Sport.

Race 3: Garford P1 + Fastest Lap | Richardson P2

For Alfie, it completed a remarkable season with 18 victories from 20 races.

For Murray, another podium secured an impressive second place in the championship.

And for Wera Alliance Racing Academy, it was the perfect conclusion to a year in which its two young drivers had set the standard in JCW Sport.

2026 SEASON REVIEW

ALFIE GARFORD – JCW SPORT CHAMPION

Garford’s first season in JCW Sport proved to be exceptional.

After stepping up from the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, the 17-year-old immediately adapted to the faster machinery and began winning from the opening weekend at Donington Park.

That momentum continued throughout the year.

By the time the championship reached Silverstone, Garford had built an advantage large enough to secure the title with a meeting still remaining.

He ended 2026 with:

18 victories from 20 races
2 second places
20 podiums from 20 starts
Never lower than second
2026 JCW Sport Champion

Beyond the statistics, the season represented another significant step in Alfie’s development.

His speed was clear from the opening round, but as the season progressed he added greater consistency, race management and confidence when dealing with championship pressure.

Having previously won British championships in both junior and senior karting, Alfie has now added a major car racing championship to his CV.

Plans for 2027 are already being worked on, with both driver and team looking towards another significant step forward.

MURRAY RICHARDSON – JCW SPORT VICE-CHAMPION

For Richardson, 2026 represented his first full season of car racing – making his eventual championship result even more impressive.

Murray developed considerably as the year progressed, becoming increasingly competitive with his more experienced teammate and taking two JCW Sport victories of his own.

His Silverstone Race 3 victory was arguably one of the highlights of his season.

After making a rare mistake earlier in the day, Murray responded superbly in difficult wet conditions while running on slick tyres.

He and Alfie produced a captivating battle for the lead, with the television cameras following the teammates as they traded moves throughout the race.

Murray ultimately produced a brilliant switchback from the final corner to gain the momentum required to beat Alfie to the line.

It demonstrated not only his outright pace but the racecraft and resilience he had developed throughout the season.

Ending his first full campaign as JCW Sport Championship runner-up, with race wins, fastest laps and regular podium finishes, gives Richardson a strong platform from which to build.

PETE OSBORNE – TEAM PRINCIPAL

Pete Osborne said:

“When we look back at the season, I’m incredibly proud of what both drivers have achieved.

“With Alfie, the numbers are exceptional. Eighteen wins from twenty races and never finishing lower than second shows the level of performance and consistency he’s reached.

“But we’ve seen development beyond simply becoming faster. His understanding of races, technical feedback, decision-making and ability to deal with pressure have all moved forward significantly.

“He’s now won British championships in karting and cars and I think he’s demonstrated that he’s ready for another challenge. We’re already working hard on the next step and we’re setting our sights high.

“Murray’s progression has been equally rewarding to watch. You have to remember this has been his first complete season of car racing.

“At the beginning of the year he was learning almost everything. By the end of it he was capable of genuinely taking the fight to Alfie, winning races and setting fastest laps.

“Silverstone probably summed that development up perfectly. He made a rare mistake in one race, reset himself and then produced one of his best drives of the season a few hours later.

“That’s exactly what development is about.

“They’ve also been very good for each other. Alfie has given Murray an extremely high benchmark to work towards, while Murray’s increasing pace has continued to push Alfie.

“They share data and information away from the circuit, but once they’re on track they’re racers and they both want to win.

“For Wera Alliance Racing Academy to finish the season first and second in the championship and to have won every JCW Sport race between the two cars is something everyone involved should be extremely proud of.”

ALFIE GARFORD

Garford added:

“It’s been an unbelievable season.

“Winning the championship was obviously the biggest moment, but probably my favourite race was the final one at Silverstone with Murray. We were on slicks in the wet, racing side-by-side and throwing moves at each other, and the TV cameras really picked up on it.

“That was just proper racing and I loved it.

“Then going to Brands with the championship already won and taking three wins was the perfect way to finish the season.

“I’m really proud of the 18 wins, but finishing all 20 races inside the top two probably means just as much because it shows the consistency we’ve had all year.

“A massive thank you to everyone at Alliance, the Academy and all the partners who make it possible.

“We’re already working on next year. Nothing is confirmed yet, but we’re aiming high and I definitely feel ready for the next challenge.”

MURRAY RICHARDSON

Richardson said:

“When I look back at where I started the season compared with where I finished it, I think I’ve made a massive step forward.

“I’ve learned so much from the team and also from having Alfie alongside me. He’s set an incredibly high benchmark all year and that’s forced me to keep improving.

“The Silverstone win is probably the moment that stands out most. After making a mistake earlier in the day, to come back and have that battle with Alfie and then win it with the move out of the final corner was a great feeling.

“Finishing second in the championship in my first full season is something I’m really proud of, but it’s also made me hungry for more.

“Brands was a great way to finish with three one-twos and taking fastest lap in Race 2. Now it’s about taking everything I’ve learned this year and using it for the next step.”

Navarra was a weekend full of positives, even if Lady Luck wasn’t always on our side!

Qualifying started brilliantly, setting two purple sectors and looking on course to challenge for pole position. Unfortunately, I was impeded in the final sector, leaving us P8 on the grid. Frustrating, but we knew we had the pace to fight our way forward!

Race 1 – P3

What a race! Starting P8 in a hugely competitive field of 36 drivers, we fought our way through with some great overtakes, plenty of action and strong race pace to take the chequered flag in P3!

Another Spanish F4 podium and more silverware to bring home! A fantastic reward for all the hard work and a real confidence boost after the technical challenges we’ve faced over the previous two rounds. It felt brilliant to be back fighting at the sharp end and showing what we’re capable of!

Unfortunately, the remaining two races didn’t quite go our way.

Sprint Race – DNF

Running P6 on the opening lap, another driver suffering from a puncture failed to brake and drove straight over the top of my car, ending our race before it had really begun.

Race 3 – DNF

Another flying start saw us gain eight places on the opening lap, putting us well into the points. Sadly, two drivers ahead collided, sending a front wing flying straight into my car and bringing another promising race to an early end.

Two frustrating incidents completely outside our control, but they certainly don’t take away from the positives of the weekend!

We were consistently amongst the fastest on track, had the pace to fight at the front and, most importantly, we came away from Navarra with another podium and a trophy to add to the collection!

A huge thank you to everyone at Drivex for their hard work throughout the weekend, especially getting the car repaired and back out after the incidents.

Now we look ahead to Barcelona and the final round of the Spanish F4 Championship!

After the technical difficulties of recent rounds, it’s great to have our pace back. We’re heading into the season finale full of confidence, knowing we have what it takes to fight at the sharp end.

One final round, one final push. Let’s finish the season on a high!

Nineteen-year-old Beanie Reece was the star of Wera Alliance Racing’s efforts at Donington Park by securing two top-15 finishes and often finding herself leading the four-car squad’s charge in the races. Liona Theobald matched Reece’s pace all weekend and was the team’s highest-qualifying driver in 16th, while Ellena Reece and Lexie Powell ended their weekends on a positive note by securing a top 15 in race three.

The weekend began on Thursday, with the first two practice sessions of the weekend, which were headlined by wet conditions. Across both sessions, Powell and Ellena Reece traded fastest laps within the team, as they set the 18th- and 19th- fastest times throughout the day, as Beanie and Theobald gathered valuable experience in the treacherous conditions.

On Saturday, racing action resumed with qualifying taking place in the morning on a dry track. In more favorable conditions, Theobald set the 16th-fastest time and was closely followed by Beanie Reece in 17th, while Ellena and Powell qualified 20th and 22nd respectively. Second-fastest laps from qualifying were used to determine the grid for race one, meaning Beanie and Theobald swapped places on the grid, as Ellena was 18th and Powell lined up 22nd on the grid.

Later that day, race one commenced. On the opening lap, Theobald overtook Beanie to take 16th, while Ellena dropped to 20th behind Blair Dryburgh and Louis Fleet. As the leading pair of the team held their positions in the early stages, Ellena was passed by Finley Groom and Powell on lap three as she slipped to 22nd. Two laps later, the Newton-born racer moved herself back up to 20th ahead of Groom and Powell, while Powell was passed by Adam Curtis on lap six.

The rest of the race proved to be a quiet one for most of the Wera Alliance Racing outfit, as Theobald and the Reece sisters maintained their positions as the checkered flag fell, while Powell decisively passed two cars in the closing stages to cross the line 21st.

On Sunday morning, race two took place, in which the results of race one were used to make up the grid, with the reversal of the top nine finishers. It was a clean start for Beanie, who moved up to 16th, as Theobald slid to 19th, directly ahead of Ellena and Powell. However, the race was then halted on the following lap due to a crash for Harry Smith, which required extensive repairs to the tyre barriers at the chicane.

As a result, all four Wera Alliance Racing drivers were promoted up a place in time for the restart with a handful of minutes on the clock. While Beanie maintained 15th in the closing stages, Theobald and Ellena both overtook Dryburgh to move themselves to 17th and 18th on the restart, as Powell followed them closely in 20th as the race drew to a close.

At the start of race three, Beanie overtook Theobald to once again move herself up to 16th, while Theobald was also passed by Fleet and thus dropped to 18th. All four cars then moved up a place following Luca Marinoni Osborne’s off-track excursion on lap two, as Powell moved past Ellena for 19th on lap four. In parallel, Theobald began her quest to regain lost positions, by passing Fleet on lap four and then finding her way past Dryburgh to move herself up to 16th in the second half of the race.

With a handful of minutes left on the clock, Powell and Ellena began to battle for 18th, after passing Fleet, with Powell staying on top after a decisive defence at Goddards with six minutes left on the clock. In the closing stages of the race, drivers in close proximity to the Wera Alliance squad began receiving track limit penalties, but with two laps to go, all four moved up three places following a collision between Josh Selvadorai, Richard Jepp and Henry Foote on the exit of the Melbourne hairpin.

As the checkered flag waved at the end of the following lap, Beanie rounded out a positive weekend in 12th, ahead of Theobald in 13th. Ellena and Powell followed suit in 14th and 15th, after taking advantage of Dryburgh’s five-second penalty for track limits.

Following a clean weekend, Theobald enters the final two rounds 13th in the overall standings on 308 points, as Powell sits on 252 in 16th, as Beanie and Ellena Reece are on 242 and 240, in 18th and 19th respectively. The Wera Alliance Racing quartet will be back in action next weekend at Croft, on September 4–6.

Race report from https://www.racers-behindthehelmet.com/

HKRC Aug 8/9th

For the next twelve months, Wera Alliance Academy driver Felix Tandy, will be wearing a new number on his black and green kart. As winner of the Festival held at Kimbolton, he will replace his usual #127, with the honour of competing as #K, a number given annually only for those who come out on top of the circuits most prestigious weekend of racing.

Round 6

Qualifying        1st (overall and class)

Heat 1              Start     Finish

                        18th     1st      

Heat 2              Start     Finish

                        18th     1st

Heat 3              Start     Finish

                        18th     4th (1st class)

Festival Final  Start     Finish

                        18th     1st     

Tandy set the fastest time in Saturday qualifying, with a combined cadet class grid of Rotax Micromax, plus the Honda powered cadet drivers all competing on track at the same time. This meant even though Tandy’s JTR prepared kart was fastest overall, he and his fellow Rotax class competitors would start all the event’s races at the rear of the Honda pack.

Not put off, and seeing another challenge ahead, Felix got to work in the weekend’s heat races, storming through the field in both heat one and two to overtake seventeen drivers and cross the line first. Heat three saw him come up narrowly short, but did end taking maximum championship points from all races in class.

The Festival Final was a longer twelve minute duration, so whilst having to think carefully about managing his own points race with the Rotax drivers, hopes were high of having enough time to get through right to the front again. Tandy didn’t disappoint – taking the overall lead with two laps to go and eventually finishing over seven seconds clear of his nearest Micromax rival.

To top an excellent weekend, another maximum point haul also extends Felix’s lead in the championship race with four rounds left to come.

The call came just days before the event, giving the 18-year-old British driver virtually no preparation time before joining an established Eurocup-3 field midway through the season.

Already racing with Drivex in the 2026 Spanish F4 Championship, Nathan was given the opportunity to experience the next level of single-seater competition in the significantly faster and more powerful Eurocup-3 car.

The challenge was considerable. Nathan arrived at Monza having never driven a Eurocup-3 car, never raced at the circuit and with zero testing or practice beforehand. His opening laps of the weekend were therefore about learning both a completely new car and one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.

Nathan relished the opportunity and made significant progress with every session, steadily building his understanding of the car and finding more pace as the weekend developed.

Strong debut in Race 1

That progress translated into an encouraging opening race.

Against a competitive 30-driver field, Nathan came through to finish P15 overall and P10 Rookie on his Eurocup-3 race debut.

Considering he had arrived only days earlier with no experience of either the car or circuit, it was an extremely positive start and demonstrated how quickly he had adapted to the step up.

Rapid progress continues in Race 2

Race 2 provided an even clearer indication of Nathan’s growing confidence.

Starting further back in the field, he immediately began working his way forward and gained more positions than any other driver on the grid.

As the race developed, Nathan climbed into P12 overall and was pushing towards the championship points positions – a remarkable progression considering he had only driven the Eurocup-3 car for the first time that weekend.

Unfortunately, his charge was brought to a premature end through no fault of his own when a car spun ahead, collected another competitor and left Nathan with nowhere to go.

Although the result didn’t reflect the performance, the pace and progress shown throughout Race 2 provided an extremely positive conclusion to Nathan’s first Eurocup-3 weekend.

Nathan said:

“What an incredible opportunity. A few days before the weekend I didn’t even know I’d be racing, so to suddenly find myself at Monza in a Eurocup-3 car was amazing.

“There was a huge amount to learn, but I genuinely enjoyed every single minute. Every time I went out I felt more comfortable, understood the car better and could feel myself getting quicker.

“Race 1 was really positive and then in Race 2 everything started to come together. We made up a lot of positions and got into P12, so it was frustrating for it to end the way it did, but that’s racing.

“The biggest thing I’ll take away from the weekend is how much progress we made in such a short space of time. I’m incredibly grateful to Drivex for putting their trust in me and giving me this opportunity.

“I’ve definitely come away wanting more!”

For Nathan, the weekend was about far more than the final classification. It was an opportunity to test himself at the next level, learn a new car and circuit under intense time pressure, and demonstrate his ability to adapt against drivers with significantly more Eurocup-3 experience.

From arriving at Monza with zero laps in the car to fighting towards the championship points in Race 2, the weekend represented another exciting step forward in his development.

For the Wera Alliance Racing Academy, it was another proud moment as Nathan seized an unexpected opportunity, maximised every lap and showed that he is ready to keep pushing towards the next level of his motorsport career.

From the moment we hit the track, the pace was there. The team worked incredibly hard throughout the weekend, and we were consistently fighting at the sharp end of the field.

Race 1 was a fantastic start to the weekend. A strong performance saw us secure a P2, claiming a well-earned podium finish and valuable championship points. The pace was competitive throughout the race, and it was great to reward the team’s efforts with silverware.

In Race 2, we continued to show strong speed and racecraft, crossing the line in P5 after another hard-fought battle. While just missing out on the podium positions, it was another solid points-scoring result that demonstrated our consistency and competitiveness.

Unfortunately, Race 3 brought a frustrating end to the weekend. Running in P2 and looking set for another podium finish, our race was cut short following contact from behind, resulting in a DNF. It was a disappointing way to finish what had otherwise been a very positive weekend. 

Across the weekend, we showed excellent speed, fought at the front, and proved we have what it takes to challenge for podiums and strong results consistently.

A huge thank you to the team, sponsors, partners, and everyone supporting the journey.

Now the focus shifts quickly to Round 3 at MotorLand Aragón, which is just over a week away. We’ll take the lessons learned, build on the positives, and come back ready to fight once again.

See you in Aragón.