The latest rounds of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge series recently took place in Norfolk, as the third weekend of the season took place at Snetterton.
At 2.97-miles, the Snetterton 300 includes the longest lap of the season. And the weekend saw
extremely hot temperatures for Rounds seven, eight, and nine.
This year’s JCW MINI Challenge racecars have been upgraded and refreshed to align closely with the latest Gen. 3 F56 MINI Hatch, which the official MINI Challenge website claims”โฆbrings a modernised look and enhanced structural performance” for the drivers.
Napa Racing UK duo, Joe Tanner and Cameron Richardson, both finished outside the top ten on Saturday’s un-televised race (Round 7) which was won by EXCLER8 Driver Development Programme driver Josh Porter.
Race Two (Round 8)
Sunday’s first Power Maxed MINI Challenge race (Round 8) was the usual Reversed Grid Race, which saw Cameron Richardson line up 11th on the grid and Joe Tanner in 20th place.
As the 20-minute race got underway, Richardson dropped down a couple of places while Tanner managed to remain in place as the field raced through Riches.
The latter was up into eighteenth by the second lap, after getting by SBR Motorsport’s Anthony Sullivan before Will Crooks (EXCLER8 Motorsport) caught a Kwik Fit banner across his MINI’s nose which overheated the engine.
Lap four saw Tanner overtake Pro Alloys Racing driver Ned Anthony, before getting by Cemil Cipa (EXCLER8 Motorsport) on the run through the Bomb Hole and Coram section.
Up ahead, teammate Richardson defended well from Owen Hillman (Pro Alloys Racing), as Tanner closed in following his eighth-lap pass on Chris MacKenzie (Bitcoin Racing).
With Archie Johnson (Jamsport Racing UK) joining the battle, both him and Hillman got by Richardson after the Napa Racing UK driver had a brief excursion off-track. However, he got a place back to take the chequered flag in thirteenth place.
Joe Tanner finished two places behind his teammate in an exciting race, which Charlie Hand (BPC Motorsport) won.
Race Three (Round 9)
The third and final Power Maxed MINI Challenge 20-minute race (Round 9) of the weekend saw Cameron Richardson line up in 12th place, alongside teammate Joe Tanner in 13th.
The latter got the better getaway as the lights went out, and he leapfrogged Richardson to position the number 11 Napa Racing UK MINI in eleventh place. Meanwhile, Richardson found himself down in fourteenth place before Pro Alloys Racing driver Sam Gornall got by the number 15 further round the opening lap.
Ned Anthony (Pro Alloys Racing) relegated Richardson further back on lap two, before EXCLER8 Motorsport driver Will Crooks also got past. Up ahead meanwhile saw Tanner lose out to Gornall, leaving him to fight for his position with Jamsport Racing UK driver Archie Johnson while looking to challenge previous race winner Charlie Hand (BPC Motorsport) for a top ten finish.
However, Tanner ran out of time/laps and saw the chequered flag in a solid eleventh place. Teammate Richardson continued to fall backwards sadly. Cemil Cipa (EXCLER8 Motorsport) got by on the penultimate lap to see Richardson finish sixteenth. But, Jamsport Racing UK driver Johnson was hit with a penalty, which promoted Richardson to 16th place in a race that was won by Josh Porter (EXCLER8 Driver Development Programme).
As the dust settled on another busy Power Maxed MINI Challenge racing, Joe Tanner occupies 11th place in the JCW Drivers’ Championship table with 278. Cameron Richardson sits right behind his teammate in 12th with 269 points. Tanner also occupies second place with 450 points in the JCW Directors Cup, while Napa Racing UK sits in fifth place with 547 points in the JCW Teams Championship table.
By Chris Palmer
