The latest rounds of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge series took place in Cheshire, where the drivers tackled the lovely but narrow 2.23-mile Oulton Park circuit.
Race One (Round 10)
Saturday’s un-televised Round Ten saw Napa Racing UK’s Joe Tanner execute a superb drive to finish on the podium in the first twenty-minute Power Maxed MINI Challenge race at Oulton Park.
Having picked up splitter damage during the opening exchanges, Tanner drove an excellent defensive race to keep the EXCLER8 Driver Development Programme MINI of Tom Ovenden behind, as he took the chequered flag in second place behind Sam Gornall (Pro Alloys Racing).
Cam Richardson finished in a solid seventh place, behind Olivier Algieri (EXCLER8 Motorsport) and in front of the Pro Alloys Racing MINI of Max Edmundson.
Race Two (Round 11)
Sunday’s second Power Maxed MINI Challenge race (Round 11) saw Joe Tanner start on the second row (third), while Cam Richardson lined up his number 15 Napa Racing UK MINI in eleventh.
The latter held position at the start of this twenty-minute race, which served up thirteen laps of exciting MINI racing. He was fighting hard with Archie Johnson, until the Jamsport Racing UK driver slithered wide at Lodge Corner to promote Richardson into the top ten.
Meanwhile, Tanner also got away well to get ahead of the Pro Alloys Racing MINI of Sam Gornall at Old Hall Corner, only to lose out to the number 96 at Cascades to start lap two in third.
Charlie Hand (BPC Motorsport) was proving to be quite a handful in Tanner’s mirrors and, when Gornall pushed race leader Josh Porter (EXCLER8 Driver Development Programme) off at Lodge Corner on the fourth lap, Hand snuck his MINI by the number 11 racer of Tanner.
The Napa Racing UK driver continued to chase Hand’s BPC Motorsport machine, but ultimately had to settle for a second podium (3rd place) finish of his weekend.
Cam Richardson, meanwhile, chased after eighth place throughout the remainder of the race and was rewarded for his efforts when the Pro Alloys Racing MINI of Max Edmundson locked up and went off the track at Island Bend.
After a solid weekend’s racing from both Napa Racing UK MINI drivers, Joe Tanner leads his teammate in the JCW Drivers’ Championship with 278 points to 269 points… that translates to eleventh place for Tannner and twelfth place for Richardson.
Tanner occupies second place in the JCW Directors Cup with 450 points, while Napa Racing UK sits in fifth place of the JCW Teams’ Championship with 547 points.
The Power Maxed MINI Challenge series now takes its mid-summer break, and will return to action at Knockhill on the 8-9th of August.
By Chris Palmer
