Round 2 of the 2026 MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport Championship brought Wera Alliance Racing Academy to the unforgiving Brands Hatch Indy circuit — another packed BTCC weekend played out in front of huge crowds and live ITV4 coverage.

Following a dream debut weekend at Donington Park, expectations were high for both Alfie Garford (#88) and Murray Richardson (#8).

What followed was another headline-grabbing weekend for the team — combining front-running pace, intense wheel-to-wheel battles and rapidly growing confidence from both drivers.

BUILD-UP – MOMENTUM ARRIVES AT BRANDS

Brands Hatch Indy is one of the shortest and most unforgiving circuits on the calendar. Tiny mistakes become massive instantly — especially through the dramatic drop of Paddock Hill Bend.

Garford arrived carrying championship momentum after his dominant Donington clean sweep, while Richardson entered the weekend full of confidence after major progression during Round 1.

QUALIFYING – BOTH DRIVERS IN THE FIGHT

Richardson once again showed impressive pace early in the weekend, looking increasingly confident around the fast-flowing Indy layout and firmly establishing himself amongst the leading JCW Sport runners.

Garford meanwhile maintained the form that had made him the benchmark driver at Donington, again putting himself right at the front of the field with another strong qualifying performance.

RACE 1 – RICHARDSON IMPRESSES, GARFORD DELIVERS

Richardson produced one of his strongest drives yet in JCW Sport, showing increased confidence and aggression in wheel-to-wheel combat while running competitively throughout the race.

At the front, Garford remained calm and composed around the tight Indy layout, once again delivering a major result and continuing his exceptional early-season form.

RACE 2 – HARD LESSONS AND BIG POINTS

Race 2 brought disappointment for Richardson after carrying slightly too much speed into Paddock Hill Bend on cold tyres, sliding into the gravel and becoming beached early in the race.

While frustrating, the incident highlighted the unforgiving nature of Brands Hatch and served as an important learning moment during only his second JCW Sport weekend.

Garford meanwhile continued delivering at the front, absorbing pressure and securing another major points haul in difficult, frantic conditions.

RACE 3 – INTENSE WET WEATHER TEAM BATTLE

Rain before the final race transformed Brands Hatch into a low-grip challenge, with standing water, slippery kerbs and poor visibility forcing drivers onto wet tyres.In the difficult conditions, Richardson delivered arguably his most impressive performance yet in JCW Sport machinery.

The rookie immediately looked comfortable in the wet and found himself locked in an intense battle with teammate Garford throughout the race.

The pair swapped positions several times in a thrilling fight, with Richardson even taking the lead from Garford during the race as both drivers pushed the limits of grip around the soaked Indy circuit.

Garford ultimately responded with the composure and racecraft that has defined his season so far, but the battle highlighted just how rapidly Richardson is progressing at the sharp end of the field.

DRIVER COMMENTS

“There’s loads to take from the weekend. The pace felt really strong and I’m definitely getting more comfortable every session. Race 3 in the wet was mega fun and battling properly with Alfie was a massive confidence boost.” – Murray Richardson“Brands Hatch is always intense because everything happens so quickly, especially in the wet. The racing was hard but fair all weekend and the team gave us another brilliant car.” – Alfie Garford

TEAM PRINCIPAL – PETE OSBORNE

“Overall this has been another extremely strong weekend for the team. Alfie continued exactly where he left off at Donington — fast, calm and consistently delivering results under pressure. But I’m equally pleased with Murray’s development. His pace this weekend was genuinely impressive and Race 3 especially showed just how quickly he’s progressing. To battle that hard with Alfie in wet conditions around Brands Hatch says a lot about his confidence and ability.

The Race 2 incident is simply part of the learning curve. Brands Hatch punishes tiny mistakes, especially on cold tyres, but Murray responded exactly how we wanted him to afterwards.”

SUMMARY

Round 2 reinforced the growing strength of the Wera Alliance Racing Academy line-up.Garford continued his outstanding start to the season with another front-running weekend, while Richardson showed major progression, including an impressive wet-weather performance and intense battles at the front.Two rounds into the season, momentum is building rapidly.

NEXT ROUND – SNETTERTON

The championship now heads to Snetterton in a fortnight’s time on May 23–24, where ‘Murfie’ will look to continue their impressive starts to the 2026 MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport season.With Garford continuing his championship challenge and Richardson rapidly closing the gap at the front, Wera Alliance Racing Academy arrive carrying serious momentum.

Jenkins was full of confidence heading into the event, following his sensational season opener at Donington Park. The Staffordshire-based talent secured his first overall pole position and a breakthrough PRO class victory to start the campaign.

Carrying the momentum from those milestone results, the Wera Alliance Academy driver was quick from the off around the 1.21-mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit. He finished second fastest overall in his Team Parker Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Friday’s official free practice sessions.

Saturday saw the debut of a new split qualifying format, with separate 15-minute sessions setting the grids for Sunday’s two races. A perfect performance in the opener saw Jenkins charge to the top of the timesheets to secure race one pole position, before he took second place on the grid for race two.

Jenkins produced a rocket start from pole to lead the field at the start of race one, before perfectly executing a safety car restart to stay in front. He slipped back to second soon after, but a composed drive from there saw him comfortably hold position to secure a brilliant podium finish.

Race two took place in tricky conditions, with sporadic rain showers overhead. The 21-year-old didn’t quite have the pace he’d hoped for on the low grip surface, but a battling performance saw him fight his way to fourth overall and third in the PRO class to earn another podium result.

Those results mean Jenkins has a 100% podium record in the PRO class so far this season, heading into the next round at Snetterton (23-24 May). He races thanks to the crucial support of his loyal personal partners Asset Alliance Group, The Reefer Trailer Centre, Hopkins Race Transporters, Barkers Finance, SAF Holland, The Green Group and WS Transportation.

Will Jenkins: “I’ve got mixed emotions this weekend. I’m delighted to get two more podium finishes and a great haul of points for the championship, but also frustrated not to get a bit more out of the races after our brilliant qualifying pace.

“We worked hard on the car setup on Friday and it paid off in qualifying, as the car was absolutely flying. If it wasn’t for a bit of traffic, it probably would have been a double pole position, and that’s thanks to the fantastic work of Team Parker Racing.

“Ultimately, we didn’t have the race pace needed to win on Sunday and that’s something we’ll work on ready for the next round and beyond. Still, to finish every race on the PRO podium so far is a great start and we know there is more pace to come.”

The two-day event attracted a highly competitive field, including a strong contingent of Scottish drivers who made the long journey south, adding even more depth to an already talented grid.

Across the Bank Holiday weekend, Nico took part in six hard-fought races, gaining valuable experience and continuing his development in the highly competitive Micro F2 class. With official results not published in Micro F2, the emphasis remains firmly on learning, progression, and enjoyment-areas in which Nico made real strides throughout the meeting.

Following his recent promotion to Blue Grade, Nico faced the added challenge of starting near the back of the grid for each race, meaning every outing required determination, smart overtaking, and strong race awareness to work his way through the field.

Despite the challenge, Nico showed growing confidence and maturity across the weekend, putting together some excellent drives and gaining crucial racecraft experience against some of the country’s best young drivers aged 7-11.

The atmosphere both on and off the track made for a memorable weekend, with fantastic support from teams, families, and spectators helping create a brilliant environment for young drivers to develop.

By the end of the weekend, there were plenty of tired faces-but for Nico, it marked another important step forward in his racing journey with the Wera Alliance Racing Academy.

Nico Tye headed to the famous Buxton Raceway for the annual Speed Weekend, set high in the stunning Derbyshire hills. The prestigious two-day event always attracts strong competition, making it the perfect test for Nico, who after fantastic results in his first season of racing in 2025 had earned promotion to the blue roof grade.

Wearing his new ARC Racing suit, which gave him an extra air of confidence, Nico looked ready for the challenge ahead.

As there were no red roof drivers entered, this meant Nico started from the very back of the grid in every race, but he showed determination, racecraft, and fantastic pace throughout the day.

With the drivers still being so young, Micro F2 rules don’t allow race results to be publicly published. At this stage it’s all about learning racecraft, building confidence, improving consistency, and most importantly keeping it fun.

In Race 1, Nico kept calm in the early laps, worked through the traffic, and delivered a superb drive to finish inside the leading few after battling his way forward from the rear of the grid.

Race 2 brought frustration after another excellent drive through the field. Nico had worked his way into a strong front running position and was looking set for another impressive result when a car spun in front of him, leaving little room to avoid the incident and the impact threw Nico’s drive belt off.

There was no drop in confidence for Race 3. Nico went back out fighting, producing another determined performance from the back of the grid to secure another front-running finish and round off the meeting on a high.

Nico showed all three qualities in abundance, charging through the field all day at one of the calendar’s standout meetings and taking another strong step forward in his progress.

Joe takes us through his weekend:

Qualifying P4/P2 – We were looking good sitting P1 during qualifying as we went onto the second set of tyres we hit traffic at the wrong point of the track which meant we couldn’t improve but I was confident we had a fast race car !

Race 1 P4 > P1– A lighting start and a bold move round the outside of turn 1 put us in a good spot to challenge the front two and that’s exactly what we did ! We pulled of another great overtake to take P2 and started to chase down the leader putting him under lots of pressure during the closing stages of the race, a little mistake going into coppice and we snuck up the inside and took the checkered flag in P1

Race 2 P2 >P1– We didn’t get the best start of the line but we held P2 going into turn 1 and started to hunt the leader down, I saw that the leader had a 5 second penalty for a jump start so it was just a case of not risking anything and finishing within 5 seconds ! 💥

Race 3 P1 > P1– Starting on the cleaner side of the track we got away like a scolded cat and never looked back , we started to pull a nice gap to P2 but once the safety car came out we all got bunched back up , the restart was perfect and we pulled a 1 second lead and started to extend but the red flag came out cutting the race short

Overall it has been a dream start to the weekend 3 races 3 wins and 6 in a row ! The team has been phenomenal and the support over the weekend from everyone has been amazing ! A huge congratulations to my academy teammates with their results as well WERA is well and truly ON TOP

A massive thankyou to my Partners this year aswell because without them I wouldn’t be doing what I love most

The 2026 MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport season burst into life at Donington Park on the BTCC stage, with packed grandstands, a busy paddock and live ITV4 coverage.

For Alfie Garford (#88) and Murray Richardson (#8), this marked a major step up into JCW Sport. Across the weekend, both drivers delivered — combining outright performance at the front with rapid development and consistency.

BUILD-UP

Garford arrived with momentum following a championship-winning season, targeting an immediate impact at the front of the field. Alongside him, Richardson entered the weekend focused on learning quickly and building confidence in a highly competitive class.

The objective was clear — deliver results while maximising progression — and both drivers executed their roles perfectly.

QUALIFYING – FRONT ROW LOCKOUT

Both drivers delivered standout performances in qualifying. Richardson impressed with a composed and precise lap to secure a front-row start in his first JCW Sport session, immediately establishing himself at the sharp end.

Garford then went one better, committing to a high-attack lap to secure pole position, completing a Wera Alliance front row lockout and putting the team firmly in control heading into Race 1.

RACE 1 – STRONG START ON BOTH FRONTS

Garford converted pole position into a controlled lights-to-flag victory, managing the race from the front with precision, pace and composure. Behind, Richardson delivered an equally important performance, handling the pressure of a debut race start, maintaining position and racing intelligently to secure a strong points finish.

While Garford set the benchmark at the front, Richardson laid the foundation for his weekend with a clean, confident and disciplined drive.

RACE 2 – CONSISTENCY AND PROGRESSION

Race 2 saw both drivers build on their Race 1 performances. Garford remained clinical at the front, absorbing pressure and delivering another controlled drive to secure his second victory of the weekend.

Richardson showed clear progression, becoming more confident in wheel-to-wheel situations and reducing the gap to the leading group. His increased pace and assertiveness highlighted how quickly he was adapting to the demands of JCW Sport.Together, the pair demonstrated both ends of the performance spectrum — winning pace and rapid development.

RACE 3 – COMPLETE TEAM PERFORMANCE

With the reverse grid in play, Race 3 demanded patience and racecraft. Garford delivered both, working methodically through the field to complete a perfect three wins from three races — a flawless debut weekend.

Richardson capped off his weekend with his strongest drive yet, combining confidence and consistency to secure another solid finish. Fully settled into the car, his performance underlined a steep and impressive learning curve.

The final race encapsulated the weekend — dominance at the front and clear progression just behind it.

DRIVER COMMENTS

“To come into JCW Sport and take three wins is unreal. The team gave me a mega car all weekend and we executed everything perfectly.” – Alfie Garford

“Massive step up this weekend. I improved every session and by the final race I felt confident pushing properly. A strong base to build from.” – Murray Richardson

TEAM PRINCIPAL – PETE OSBORNE

“This has been an excellent opening weekend for the team. Alfie has delivered exactly what we know he’s capable of — fast, composed and clinical at the front.

But just as importantly, Murray’s progression has been extremely impressive. To come into a new class and improve every time he went out, while delivering consistent results, shows real quality.
What we’ve seen this weekend is the balance we want — performance and progression. That puts us in a very strong position moving forward.”

SUMMARY

Garford: 3 wins from 3 races — perfect debut.
Richardson: Front row start, consistent finishes and rapid improvement.
A complete team performance combining immediate success and long-term potential.

NEXT ROUND – BRANDS HATCH
Round 2 takes place at Brands Hatch (May 8–10), where both drivers will look to build on a strong opening weekend.

Jenkins got his second season in the Carrera Cup GB off to a superb start at his ‘home’ circuit of Donington Park, with electrifying pace in qualifying netting him his first overall pole position, before he fought through to a breakthrough PRO class victory in race two.

Returning to the scene of his Carrera Cup GB debut last year, the Wera Alliance Race Academy driver got the season opener off to a great start in free practice on Thursday. Setting the pace in the opening session, he eventually ended the day second quickest to set himself up for qualifying.

The Staffordshire-based talent went on to excel on Saturday, charging to the top of the timesheets in his Team Parker Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. His best effort of 1m 04.801s around the National layout secured him pole position for the first of the two races on Sunday, with his lap impressively being two tenths of a second faster than anyone else.

Jenkins produced a great start to convert pole into the race lead heading into an early safety car period. Perfectly executing the race restart to maintain his advantage, he led a large portion of the race in front of the live ITV4 television cameras before unfortunately slipping back to second late on.

Comfortably holding second place to the chequered flag to start his season on the podium, the 21-year-old would therefore start fourth on the partially-reverse grid for race two. A great start saw him immediately grab a place into Redgate for the first time, moving him up to third.

Jenkins’ forward momentum continued at the same corner next time round, with a great switchback move securing him second overall and crucially the PRO class lead. With the overall leader not making any mistakes, he maintained a clear gap to those behind to earn his maiden PRO victory.

That result means that Jenkins holds a one-point advantage heading into the next round at Brands Hatch in three weeks’ time (09-10 May). He does so thanks to the crucial support of his loyal personal partners Asset Alliance Group, The Reefer Trailer Centre, Hopkins Race Transporters, Barkers Finance, SAF Holland, The Green Group and WS Transportation.

Will Jenkins: “What a way to start the season! Saturday was perfect getting my first overall pole position, and while it was a shame to miss out on the win in race one, I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more from the opening round and I’m delighted with how it’s gone.

“Team Parker Racing gave me a fantastic car from the off and I was so happy I could make the most of it in qualifying. To lead from the front of the field in race one was a great feeling and I gave it everything I could to hold on to the win, but it just slipped away from me.

“Starting fourth on the reverse grid for race two, I knew I needed to try and move forward quickly. I really enjoyed the couple of moves I made, and once I was into the class lead, my job was to hold that and the maximum points. Thank you to everyone involved in making this possible, to be Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship leader is incredible and I can’t wait for Brands Hatch next.”

Kimbolton Kart Circuit, Hunts April 12th

Wera Tools – Alliance Racing Academy driver, Felix Tandy, not only claimed his first Micromax class victory of the year, but followed it up with another three wins on the day, a maximum points haul for round 4, and moved to the top of the championship points table.

Round 4

Heat 1  Start     Finish

            2nd      1st      

Heat 2  Start     Finish

            8th       1st

Heat 3 Start     Finish

            7th       1st

Final    Start     Finish

            1st       1st                  

Saturday practice at the fast and flowing Kimbolton kart circuit went extremely smoothly for Felix, working with his driver coach and mechanics to fine tune his driving and chassis set up for competition against a strong grid of drivers on Sunday’s race day.

That hard work certainly paid off, the random grid heat 1 saw Tandy launch from a favourable front row starting position, into the lead around the outside of the pole sitter into turn 1. From there a succession of fastest laps, lapping close to track record pace, allowed the #127 kart to pull away into a sizeable lead that was never contested, finishing the ten lap race with more than an eight second advantage over the field.

Heats 2 and 3 had Felix starting further back on the grids, but both time he was able to use his speed, and his tactics, to drive to the front of the pack to take a further two victories, with six and three second margins respectively.

With the grid for the Final being determined by the highest cumulative points scored from the heats, a pole position start was assured. However, with all the faster drivers starting together up front for the first time of the day, a much closer challenge was expected.

This proved to be the case, Felix was able to lead every lap of the final, but a strong challenge from behind meant any mistake would be punished. Felix managed the pressure well, and with three laps to go started easing away from his rival to complete a clean sweep of victories on the day.

This maximum points score sees Tandy move into the championship lead, in what is already becoming an excellent rookie campaign in his new racing category.

Making their series debuts at Silverstone, the quartet of Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers adapted superbly to the challenges of the Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy. Switching from motorcross, Beanie Reece achieved a best result of 12th overall while she banked valuable experience starting from pole position in race two.

Moving up from the Junior Saloon Car Championship, teenage racer Lexie Powell achieved a highest finish of 14th, while Liona Theobald scored a pair of top-15 results on her first starts in front-wheel-drive machinery. Completing the quartet was Ellena Reece who drove maturely on her way to a trio of 20th place results as she made consistent progress over the course of the event.

In a landmark move for the Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy, Wera Alliance Racing Academy entered the series with an all-female, four car lineup supported by Team Avago. Featuring a quartet of young rookie drivers with big motorsport ambitions, the squad aims to develop their skills in one of the most competitive one-make championships in Britain.

Established in 2021, the Wera Alliance Racing Academy have supported drivers in a range of different championship across the last five years. From the British Rally Championship to Radical Cup UK, the initiative has pushed drivers to reach their potential. Following their support for teenage racers Alfie Garford and Jenson Mason last season, the Wera Alliance Racing Academy are no strangers to the Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy as they look to continue their quest to support emerging talents.

Liona Theobald entered the season as the most experienced of the quartet having began her circuit racing career in the Ginetta Junior Championship. Theobald then moved up into the GT Cup Championship where she sampled GT4 level machinery, before regularly contending for top-5 finishes in the Ginetta GT Championship. However, a switch to front-wheel-drive machinery was a new challenge for Liona and she was looking to hit the ground running with her knowledge of circuits such as Silverstone.

Stepping up from the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Lexie Powell was looking to rely on her single-make experience in her rookie season. The move from driving a Citroen Saxo to a Mini Cooper was a natural step for Powell who displayed superb improvements throughout the 2025 season. Powell finished the campaign 13th in the overall standings, eighth among the rookie drivers, while securing a best result of ninth in the season finale at Brands Hatch.

Completing the lineup are sisters Ellena and Beanie Reece who bring a wealth of varied motorsport experience. Ellena has previously competed in historic machinery, requiring a unique skill set in comparison to the more technologically advance Mini. Sister Beanie is switching from two wheels to four with her background in motocross showcasing a different route altogether. Both sisters are eager to learn alongside the Wera Alliance Racing Academy and all four drivers are supported by experienced Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy squad Team Avago.

On-track action began on Friday with the quartet of drivers banking valuable track time in both wet and dry conditions. Qualifying on Saturday morning took place with a fully dry track and therefore working together and utilising the slipstream was crucial to a fast lap time. As the session reached the halfway point, all four Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers sat inside the top-20 and were continuing to improve as they gained experience in the car.

At the end of the fifteen-minute session, Beanie Reece was the highest qualifier on her car racing debut as she set the 15th fastest time in her Team Avago machine, seventh among the Rookie class drivers. Reece was less than a second behind the pole-sitting time of Matt Luff to underline her excellent pace on debut.

Lexie Powell was less than a tenth of a second behind Reece as she qualified in 17th position on her senior racing debut. Switching to front-wheel-drive machinery, Liona Theobald began her season with a 19th place qualifying effort, while Ellena Reece set the 21st fastest time. All four Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers were covered by three-quarters of a second, further highlighting the close and competitive nature of the Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy.

The opening race of the season was held on Saturday afternoon and with the grid positions based upon the second fastest times set in qualifying, this resulted in some changes to the starting order. Beanie Reece lined up from 16th on the grid with Lexie Powell and Liona Theobald directly behind in 17th and 18th positions respectively. Ellena Reece’s debut race began from 20th position as all four drivers looked to gain valuable experience.

As the lights went out, the Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers all made clean starts with Beanie Reece holding her position while Powell and Theobald lost one position. Ellena Reece fell to 22nd place, however she was quickly on the move and gained back one spot on lap two. Theobald also gained a position on the second tour, while Powell fell to 22nd spot. Powell and Ellena Reece were then engaged in a close battle with Lexie coming out on top as she pushed back towards the top-20 after a challenging start.

On the fringes of the top-15, Beanie Reece was doing a superb job in her first car race as the young driver was remaining in contention with the leading group. After passing Jonathan Wild on lap four, Powell was continuing to gain ground and after an incident involving Josh Selvadorai and Henry Foote, she was up to 18th position. This contact also promoted Beanie Reece to 14th while Theobald was now inside the top-15 with Ellena Reece into 20th spot.

On lap six, Beanie Reece was now up to 13th after passing Leo Richardson and with the Graves Motorsport driver slowing with an issue, this led to opportunities for the remaining trio to move forward. Theobald was into 14th at the end of the following lap while Beanie Reece’s charge was progressing further as she moved up to 12th spot while remaining in realistic contention for a top-10 result on debut.

On lap nine, Theobald overtook Daniel Patterson while Richard Jepp passed both Liona and Patterson in a great-way battle for position. As Richardson continued to fall back, Ellena Reece moved into 19th position while both herself and Theobald began running personal best times. Following a pass on Wild, Ellena Reece was up to 18th position before coming under attack from a recovering Selvadorai on the final lap.

Reece was just unable to hold on with Wild also following Selvadorai through as she finished her first Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy race in 20th position. Powell displayed excellent speed in the closing stages as she crossed the line in 17th spot, while Theobald’s first start in front-wheel-drive machinery yielded a 14th place finish. Beanie Reece finished as the highest placed Wera Alliance Racing Academy driver as she took the chequered flag in 12th position, fifth among the Rookie drivers, and just seven seconds behind race winner Joshua Wilby.

Race two at Silverstone took place on Sunday morning and with the top-12 finishing positions reversed to set the grid, Beanie Reece lined up on pole position. Theobald started from the seventh row of the grid in 14th with Powell in 17th spot and Ellena Reece lining up from 20th position.

It was an extremely valuable experience for Beanie Reece starting from the front of the field, however she was shuffled back to 16th at the end of the opening lap. She completed lap one just ahead of Powell and Theobald who completed the first lap in 17th and 19th positions respectively. Ellena Reece also faced a challenging start as she fell to 23rd position, while becoming slightly adrift of the midfield runners.

On lap two, Beanie Reece fought back as she re-entered the top-15 following a pass on Daniel Patterson. Misfortune then struck for the polesitter as she was forced to retire from the race on lap three, ending a promising run for the Wera Alliance Racing Academy driver. Powell was now leading the remaining trio in 17th position with Theobald one position behind in 18th, while Ellena Reece climbed to 22nd spot.

Powell and Theobald continued to improve their lap times as the race approached the halfway stage with both drivers working hard to catch the group of drivers ahead. Although she was unable to benefit from the slipstream of those ahead, Ellena Reece was continuing to bank valuable experience of the Silverstone National circuit.

As Patterson and Finley Groom began battling ahead, Powell was doing a nice job to bridge the deficit to the battling duo. On lap 10, an incident at the head of the field involving Ashley Gregory, Louis Fleet and Giovanni Santora saw both drivers retire from the race with the Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers all benefiting. As a result, Powell was up to 15th position with Theobald in 16th spot, while Ellena Reece was now inside the top-20.

This incident necessitated the safety car being deployed and with the two cars requiring extensive recovery, the race was red flagged and with one minute remaining on the clock, a result was declared. Therefore, Powell was classified in 15th spot while finishing as the ninth highest rookie to improve on her result of 17th from race one. Theobald enjoyed another clean race as she banked solid points for a 16th place finish while Ellena Reece collected her second 20th place result in as many races. Following a post-race disqualification for Gregory, all three drivers gained one position with Powell up to 14th, Theobald in 16th and Ellena Reece in 19th position.

The final race of the weekend was held on Sunday afternoon and the grid positions were based upon the results from qualifying. After her incident in race two, Gregory was handed a ten-place grid penalty and as a result, this promoted Beanie Reece to 14th on the grid with Powell one row behind in 16th position. Theobald lined up from 19th spot with Ellena Reece looking to gain places from 21st position.

As the lights went out, it was a clean start throughout the field with Beanie Reece and Theobald holding their starting position, while Powell and Ellena Reece gained one position each. The top-15 drivers quickly began to break away from the field with Beanie Reece again doing a superb job against more experienced rivals.

After a challenging start of his own, Leo Richardson was moving forward and he passed Powell on lap two and Theobald on lap three. By the end of the third lap, Beanie Reece remained in 14th position while Theobald and Powell were running in 17th and 18th positions respectively. On lap four, Beanie Reece fell behind Finley Groom with a good battle emerging for positions just inside the top-15. However, this group of drivers were delayed and therefore began losing touch with the leading group who were utilising the powerful slipstream to break away.

Beanie Reece reclaimed 14th spot from Groom on lap seven, while Theobald and Powell started fighting for 17th position. Just a tenth of a second separated the two Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers who were honing their racecraft in a close battle on the Silverstone National circuit. Ellena Reece was enjoying a quiet race, however she came under pressure from Blair Dryburgh in the closing stages.

On the penultimate lap of the race, Richardson passed Beanie Reece, however the newcomer fought back on the final tour and crossed the line in 15th position, less than two hundredths of a second behind her rival. Theobald successfully held off Powell to finish in 17th, with Jonathan Wild separating the drivers with a final lap pass on Powell. Ellena Reece completed her debut weekend in the series with another 20th place result, underlining her consistency as she adapts to modern front-wheel-drive machinery.

It was a hugely encouraging weekend for the four Wera Alliance Racing Academy drivers who banked valuable experience at Silverstone. Beanie Reece starred on her car racing debut as she secured the best result out of the quartet with a 12th place result in race one. Both Powell and Theobald collected top-15 finishes, while Ellena Reece executed three clean races while battling with her fellow rookie drivers.

The next round of the Mairon Motorsport Mini Challenge Trophy takes place at Snetterton on the weekend of 23rd/24th May.

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

Kimbolton Kart Circuit, Hunts Jan 11th, Feb 8th, March 8th

Newly announced Wera Tools – Alliance Racing Academy driver, Felix Tandy, has begun his 2026 season in scintillating form, with not just two podium finishes, but also the high award of HKRC ‘Driver of the Day’ at round 2 of the series – a recognition which is awarded to any of the 217 drivers competing across eight classes over the race weekend.

Round 1

Heat 1  Start     Finish   Heat 2  Start     Finish   Final    Start     Finish

            P5        P20                  P22      P16                  P18      P7

Round 2

Heat 1  Start     Finish   Heat 2  Start     Finish   Final    Start     Finish

            P14      P2                    P15      P2                    P1        P2

Round 3

Heat 1  Start     Finish   Heat 2  Start     Finish   Final    Start     Finish

            P3        P4                    P18      P4                    P3        P3

Champion kart racer Felix has, this year, moved into the competitive world of British Cadet class racing on tracks across the UK. After two years schooling within the sport in the Bambino category, 2026 marks this young driver’s first season in a class provided for 8-12 year old racers.

A steep learning curve was expected, but Bedfordshire born Tandy has provided the established competition some fierce competition already.

Round 1 at Kimbolton proved the experience was necessary, some solid pace netted decent mid pack Heat finishes in the circa 30 kart grids, but progress was made in a wet Final and an excellent top ten finish.

The switch, however, seemed to flick for Felix at Round 2 in February. With random drawn, reverse grid Heats, the #127 kart was able to show front running pace, a cool head, and was rewarded with two second place finishes. This meant as highest points scorer, he would start the all important Final on pole position. A thrilling race saw the top three drivers together for most of the race, Felix pulling off a daring move on the final corner to steal second position, his first podium finish in his new category. On top of this, the club awarded Tandy with their ‘Driver of the Day’ award, listing his “calm and collected performance throughout the day”.

Round 3 carried on his fantastic form, always around the front of the pack throughout the day’s three races. An attempt for the lead around the outside at the first corner on lap 7 saw Tandy briefly out front, but eventually he settled for a hard earn third place finish, and many more valuable championship points.

Round 4 of the series comes up next, on April 12th.