Wera Alliance duo deliver under pressure at Snetterton
Round 3 – Snetterton 300 | MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport | 23/24 May 2026
The Wera Alliance Racing Academy arrived at Snetterton for Round 3 of the 2026 MINI CHALLENGE with momentum, expectation and two young drivers continuing to build their reputations in the JCW Sport class.
Following strong showings at Donington and Brands Hatch, the pairing of Murray Richardson #8 & Alfie Garford #88 – quickly becoming known around the paddock as Murfie – headed into the Norfolk weekend ready for another test.
And Snetterton delivered exactly that. Across three races on the long, fast and technical 300 layout, both drivers had to battle more than just the stopwatch. With hot, dry weather beating down across the weekend, cockpit temperatures rose, tyres were pushed hard, and concentration became just as important as outright pace.
For Garford, it was another weekend of calm execution and front-running control in the Sport Rookie class. For Richardson, it was another important step forward – with clear improvements, stronger pace and valuable race mileage in only his early stages of JCW Sport competition.
BUILD-UP – FROM MOMENTUM TO MANAGEMENT
Snetterton is very different to Donington and Brands Hatch. Long straights, heavy braking zones and technical sequences mean the car has to be balanced, the driver has to be patient, and mistakes can cost huge chunks of time.
For Garford, the aim was to keep stacking results and protect the momentum he had built over the opening two rounds. He arrived with confidence, but also with the pressure that comes from being the benchmark in the Sport Rookie class.
Richardson’s objective was equally important. After showing flashes of speed and bravery at Brands Hatch, particularly during the wet-weather Race 3 battle, Snetterton was about turning that confidence into consistency. In the heat, over a full race distance, there was nowhere to hide – unless you count hiding in a MINI cockpit slowly turning into a greenhouse.
QUALIFYING – SPORT ROOKIE BATTLE SET
Qualifying took place in sunny, dry conditions, giving both Wera Alliance drivers a clear opportunity to set the tone for the weekend.
Garford led the Sport Rookie classification, placing the #88 Wera Alliance MINI 1st in Sport, with a best lap of 2:10.203. Richardson backed that up with 2nd in Sport, recording a 2:11.829 as he continued to build confidence around the long Snetterton lap.
The second-fastest qualifying times, used for later grid setting, kept the same Sport order: Garford remained 1st with a 2:11.180, while Richardson was 2nd on a 2:12.325.
It gave Wera Alliance a clear platform: Garford with the class benchmark, Richardson close enough to keep learning, chasing and applying pressure.
RACE 1 – RICHARDSON BANKS STRONG MILEAGE, WHILE GARFORD CONVERTS
Race 1 was about survival as much as speed. With the track bright and dry, and the field tightly packed, Garford delivered exactly what was needed. Starting deep in the overall order among the mixed JCW field, he kept the race clean, controlled the Sport contest and brought the car home 1st, setting a best lap of 2:10.972.
Richardson also made important progress. He finished 2nd in Sport, gaining race mileage and producing his best lap late in the race with a 2:13.209 on lap nine, showing that he was still pushing and still improving even as the heat and tyre degradation made life tougher.
For Garford, it was another composed class win. For Richardson, it was a disciplined finish and another step in the right direction. The result was a solid Wera Alliance one-two in Sport Rookie – the sort of tidy team result that looks simple on paper but is anything but in a boiling hot race car.
RACE 2 – RICHARDSON LEADS EARLY, GARFORD TAKES CONTROL
Race 2 gave Richardson one of his strongest moments of the weekend. The #8 Wera Alliance MINI made an excellent early impression, leading the Sport class on the opening lap before Garford took over from lap two onwards. It was a small but important marker – proof that Richardson’s confidence and reaction in race conditions were moving forward quickly.
There was frustration too, with Richardson receiving a five-second penalty for an out-of-position start, but he still completed the race 2nd in Sport, setting a best lap of 2:12.914.
Garford then settled into his rhythm and managed the class battle with maturity. He finished 1st in Sport, recording a best lap of 2:11.586, again delivering the kind of controlled performance that has become a theme of his early JCW Sport campaign.
It was another strong two-car result: Richardson showing sharper race instinct and Garford showing the calm execution needed to keep a championship campaign moving.
RACE 3 – HOT TRACK, HARD WORK, AND MORE PROGRESSION
By Race 3, the weekend had become a real physical test. The final race was again run in sunny, dry conditions, and after two previous races the drivers were dealing with heat, fatigue and the constant demand of the Snetterton 300 layout. The long lap gives no real rest – fast straights, heavy stops, technical corners, then back to doing it all again while the cockpit cooks you like Sunday dinner.
Garford produced his fastest race lap of the weekend in the finale, setting a 2:09.645 on lap seven and 1st in JCW Sport. It was his sharpest race pace of the event and another example of how he can still find more as the weekend develops.
Richardson also found a clear gain, recording his best race lap of the weekend with a 2:11.798 and finishing 2nd in Sport. That improvement mattered. Across the races, his best laps moved from the 2:13s into the 2:11s, showing genuine adaptation and a better understanding of how to extract performance from the JCW Sport car.
Garford again delivered the result. Richardson again delivered progress. Together, they gave Wera Alliance another strong class finish and more evidence that the Murfie pairing is becoming a serious asset for the team.
DRIVER COMMENT – ALFIE GARFORD #88
Alfie Garford #88 “Really happy with the weekend overall. Snetterton was a proper challenge, especially with the heat in the car, but the team gave me a strong car and we kept getting the job done. The main thing was staying consistent, keeping it clean and taking the points when they were there. It is easy to make mistakes when it is that hot and the tyres start moving around, so I am pleased with how we managed it. Murray was pushing on as well, and it is good for both of us because we are always learning from each other and pushing the team forward.”
DRIVER COMMENT – MURRAY RICHARDSON #8
Murray Richardson #8 “It was a hard weekend physically, probably one of the toughest so far with the heat, but I feel like I made another good step. There were a few things to tidy up, especially Race 2, but the pace improved through the weekend and I felt much more comfortable by Race 3. Getting the lap time down and understanding the car better was the big positive. Alfie is obviously setting a strong benchmark, so having him there gives me something to chase. I am learning every time I go out, and Snetterton felt like another proper step forward.”
