In a UK first for the MINI CHALLENGE the Wera Alliance Racing Academy have announced a four car all women’s team to compete in the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy in 2026. Team Avago will be running the team.
Making up the four car team are Ellena Reece, Beanie Reece, Lexie Powell and Liona Theobald.
Sisters Ellena and Beanie Reece will be making their debuts in the MINI CHALLENGE this season with older sister Ellena coming from a pre war car racing background and Beanie making the cross over from a successful career on two wheels in Motocross.
Ellena had this to say about joining the academy and her hopes for the season
“Joining the Wera Alliance Racing Academy is a fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the MINI Cooper this season. My background in historic motorsport has shaped my passion for racing, and I’m looking forward to building experience, improving consistency, and learning as much as possible alongside such a supportive and driven team. I’m hugely grateful for the opportunity and so excited for the year ahead!”
Beanie is looking forward to testing her skills on four wheels but realises it is going to be a massive learning curve,
”I’m incredibly excited and truly grateful for the opportunity to compete in the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy as part of a four-car women’s team. It means so much to be involved in something new and inspiring through the Wera Alliance Academy. I know it will be a steep learning curve, but I’m ready to embrace the challenge and can’t wait to get started.
This season also marks an exciting new chapter for me as I make the transition from two wheels to four wheels. My goal is to gain as much experience as possible in the car, continually develop my race craft, and improve with every round. I’m determined to learn from every session, build consistency and confidence, and make strong progress throughout the season.”
Lexie Powell is no stranger to motorsport with her father enjoying a successful career in Truck Racing. Last season Lexie was racing in the JSCC and is looking forward to progressing her career in the MINI Challenge. She had this to say about the season ahead and joining the academy:
“Joining the Wera Alliance Racing Academy is a really big deal for me, I am still so new to racing and to have Wera support and believe in me means so much. I hope this is the start of a long and successful journey.”
“I am excited about the move into MINI CHALLENGE, the cars look and sound amazing and I really think they will suit my driving style. I have a lot to learn but I cannot wait to get started and see what I can achieve this year “
Liona Theobald first started racing in 2021 in the Ginetta Juniors Winter Series and then the full season in 2022. Having raced in other Ginetta classes as well as Caterham’s she moved up to the GT4 achieving a number of podiums in that category.
She is looking forward to testing herself in a different racing category and had this to say about joining the Wera Alliance Racing Academy,
“I am absolutely thrilled to join the Wera Alliance Racing Academy for the 2026 season in MINI CHALLENGE Trophy alongside Team Avago. I am very grateful to everyone who is involved in making this possible and I am so excited to start this new journey together! I can’t wait for the racing to begin, to develop as a driver, learn new techniques, enjoy every minute in the car and of course push for those results together. See you on track!”
Alliance Racing Team Principal and Wera Alliance Racing Academy founder Pete Osborne had this to say:
“I’m really excited with this team, I believe this is the first all female team in the MINI Challenge so I’m proud to be a part of that. As with all of the members of the academy we pride our selves on promise, talent and characters. These four young ladies have all of that in abundance. They’ve already enjoyed some testing together they had a great first test and were straight on the pace and all get on so well. Its important to us that we’re surrounded by like minded people and we all have the same goal of representing these great brands while enjoying the experience and that’s exactly what we have in this team. I’m also pleased to team up with Dave at Team Avago for what is a really important first year in the academy for all the girls.”
Ian Walford, Managing Director, Wera Tools UK, said
“Pete Osborne and I are extremely excited about our WeraTools/Alliance Racing Academy plans for this season including what we believe is the first time for an all-female team of drivers competing in a mainly male dominated championship. We welcome Beanie Reece, Ellena Reece, Lexie Powell and Liona Theobald into the Academy for the first time and look forward to their rookie year in the very competitive MINI CHALLENGE Trophy. It is an objective of the Academy to select drivers from a young and starting position in a competitor development programme to help them on the way in their racing careers and this very much includes females. Along with the experience of Team Avago, we will provide support and motivation for them to progress and we look forward to celebrating eventual podiums and championships with them.“
Dave Sutton from Team Avago, who are running the team in the MINI CHALLENGE this season didn’t need asking twice when the call came.
“When I first got the call asking if I would like to run the Girls Wera Alliance Racing Academy Cooper Team there was no hesitation in saying yes!
We are proud and excited to welcome the girls into our Team. Their dedication, courage, and enthusiasm for racing bring fresh energy and perspective to our environment, and we are committed to supporting their development every step of the way.
We look forward to seeing them grow in confidence, push boundaries, and inspire others, as we continue building an inclusive team where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
We truly believe that everyone should be able to follow their passion so to help give these girls this opportunity, we feel truly blessed and can’t wait to see them succeed.”
