My first Media Day and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really experienced a lot, including: mechanical issues, tracking shots, a different driver coach, being towed, practice start (with lights!) and being on two wheels!!!

Firstly, Stu wasn’t available for today, so I had a different driver coach, Coach Marc. Marc was great and obviously very good at what he does. His driving style, however, was very different to my style and the style I have been developing with Stu, but I was still learning a lot and progressing throughout the day.

Mechanical issues: For the first time I experienced misalignment. Early in the day I thought the car felt “weird”, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just knew something felt “off”. As the morning sessions progressed the issue revealed itself when the car failed to go into gear while on track. I pulled over, off the track and waited to be towed back (another first) to the pit lane. We examined the issue and, thanks to the amazing team, we were able to get back on track. Immediately I could feel the difference in the car, it felt so much better and I was able to improve on my lap time, consistently hitting times in the 2:22s Another practice start at Snetterton, this time with lights (yup, another first!). This start was much more successful with no stalling. However, I still need to work on these.

Finally, a mistake in my last run of the day involving over-rotation in the second to last corner ended with me hitting the sausage curb into the last corner, sending me up onto two wheels and close to flipping. Fortunately all was good and the car returned to its designed four wheels.

All in all, another really positive day out where I learned a lot and all of the experiences will be crucial in my development as a racing driver.

Murray

The post Murray’s diary: mini challenge media day 2025 appeared first on Alliance Racing.

“We have just finished the first of two tests in the MINI.

“Day one rolling the car out at a sunny Brands commenced with some very quick times as I found the transition from the Fiesta that I raced last year to the new MINI very comparable in feel and driving style. i finished day one with times that would position me towards the sharp end of last years grid.”

“Day two saw a lot of learning and testing different setup changes and understanding the effects of those changes to put me in good stead for this season.”

“We then headed to Snetterton to continue our testing program where our times once again confirmed that we should be in a very healthy position to bring the fight to the championship.”

“Day two once again was a learning day where we continued to test different adjustments on the car that made the car a bit of a handful at times but still fast nevertheless. Then at midday we bolted on a fresh pair of boots ready to go for a qualifying run where i set my fastest lap of the test.”

“We have got our MINI Challenge media day next week Wednesday so I’m sure the cars will stand out once again and hopefully also turn some heads with some impressive times.”

Alfie

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BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

On Saturday, Ash Sutton demonstrated his exceptional driving skills by securing his third BTCC pole of the season at Oulton Park, beating Jake Hill by only 0.225 tenths.

Sutton managed to secure second place in both Race One and Race Two, earning crucial points. Unfortunately, in Race Three, contact with Tom Ingram resulted in a DNF on the first lap. Meanwhile, teammate Dan Cammish had a consistent weekend, scoring consecutive points in all three races.

Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborne faced some challenges in the first races of the day, but they persevered and showed what they were capable of in the final race as Rowbottom stormed from P21 to P8, while Osborne gained a fantastic eight places.

MINI CHALLENGE JCW

For the first race of the weekend, Osborne qualified in an impressive 7th place and Lewis Selby followed closely behind in 12th. Once the race began, Osborne skilfully overtook two cars on the opening lap and managed to finish in an impressive 6th place overall, thereby winning the Graduates Cup. Selby also showcased his exceptional driving skills by overtaking two cars on the track and eventually finishing in a solid 10th place.

In the second race, the starting grid was determined by a reverse draw, which placed Osborne in pole position after finishing, the previous race, in 6th place. He had a brilliant start and maintained his lead into the first corner despite Nelson King’s attempts to catch up. Despite the pressure, Osborne managed to widen the gap and keep his lead. Selby also made impressive progress with some successful overtaking manoeuvres until he, unfortunately, had to retire due to an incident.

Osborne emerged triumphant as the race ended, crossing the finish line, and clinching the final victory of the weekend. With this momentous win, he secured his first overall win of the season.

THE TEAM

PETE OSBORNE – TEAM PRINCIPAL

“To get the first outright JCW win for Jamie & NAPA Racing UK alongside another class win is just amazing! The whole team has been working so hard and people forget that the MINI is an all-new project for us, so there’s been a lot of learning and it’s been hard work for all of us. Today all that hard work has paid off so I’m over the moon for everyone involved! And I won’t lie, it was really special for me on Father’s Day to see Jamie get that first win.

A good points haul for the BTCC side of the squad to keep the momentum going for the Championship fight. We’ve seen this weekend how tight the BTCC is at the top and just how quickly things can turn around, but a brace of P2 podiums and top 6 finishes keeps the team Championship lead and Ash’s overall lead going into the summer break. We now have a bit of a break from racing but certainly not from workload, we keep developing and pushing behind the scenes as no doubt our rivals will be doing the same!”

Sutton’s recent qualifying dominance ensured he holds sway in the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the BTCC heads into its mid-season break.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1^st – Ash Sutton: 218

5^th – Dan Cammish: 160

^8th – Dan Rowbottom: 103

16^th – Sam Osborne: 37

JACK SEARS TROPHY

4th – Sam Osborne: 202

TEAM STANDINGS

1^ST – NAPA Racing UK: 378

MANUFACTURERS / CONSTRUCTORS

2nd – Motorbase Performance / Ford: 408

The post A solid points haul in the BTCC as Jaime Osborne takes his maiden win in the Mini Challenge JCW appeared first on Alliance Racing.

QUALIFYING

Sutton claimed his second pole position of the season during qualifying at Thruxton on Saturday, 3rd June, with a stellar lap time, blasting to pole position with a 0.210 gap over Tom Ingram.

Basking in the bright sunshine, drivers found it challenging to maintain the same level of grip and balance they had during earlier practice sessions. However, Sutton was wheel-perfect to set a benchmark time of 1:15.489.

RESULTS

Ash Sutton – 1^st

Dan Cammish – 9^th

Dan Rowbottom – 14^th

Sam Osborne – 20^th

RACE 1

A packed out crown on Sunday, June 4th at Thruxton witnessed Sutton’s outstanding performance in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car opener. Despite the scorching heat, he showed his remarkable skills and led the race from the beginning, leaving no chance for his competitors to catch up. His domination and impeccable driving skills were evident throughout the race, as he maintained his lead, crossing the line with a 2.5-second gap from second-place, Ingram.

After starting in ninth place, Dan Cammish quickly made his way through the field, eventually finishing in fifth. Despite great progress, Rowbottom experienced a late rare puncture dropping him down the order.

Meanwhile, Sam Osborne’s efforts were hindered by unavoidable damage, leading to a drop in his position to 21st.

RACE 2

Sutton’s determination and skill were on full display in the second race as he once again started from pole. Despite the pressure of defending his previous victory, Sutton remained focused. With a powerful start, he quickly established a significant lead of over two seconds ahead of his closest competitor. His unwavering commitment to excellence paid off as Sutton secured yet another win, taking three consecutive double race weekend victories to extend his lead.

After starting near the back of the grid, Rowbottom drove an incredible race, making his way through the field, eventually finishing in P11.

RESULTS

Ash Sutton – 1^st

Dan Cammish – 5^th

Dan Rowbottom – 11^th

Same Osborne – P18

RACE 3

Rowbottom rounded out an incredible weekend for the team.  Despite starting fifth after a three-place penalty from race 2, he wasted no time in working his way up the order and hunting down pole-sitter Adam Morgan before making the decisive move as they sped towards the fastest corner to claim the lead before Church, and headed to his remarkable first win of the season.

RESULTS

Dan Rowbottom – 1^st

Dan Cammish –   8^th

Ash Sutton – 12^th

Sam Osborne – 20^th

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB

After a few weeks break, Hugo Ellis was back out in his Porsche for qualifying on Saturday (3^rd June). With track temp of 40’c, the Porsche is notoriously difficult to drive with drivers building up speed to bank the perfect lap, with the chequered flag out, Ellis qualified in 11^th place.

As the second race of the day commenced, the track temperatures noticeably increased, presenting a new challenge for the drivers. As the lights went out, Ellis demonstrated some impressive driving skills moving his way up the field. Unfortunately, after some great battles, he succumbed to 11th place and finished in P5 in the Pro category.

MINI CHALLENGE TROPHY

Cam Richardson and Callum Eason jumped back into action last weekend as the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy joined the TOCA package for the first time this year. As qualifying commenced, both drivers were setting some great times, eventually finishing in P21 for Eason and P22 for Richardson.

As race two began, both drivers got off the grid well with Eason flying past competitors and making some excellent overtakes to move up the field. Unfortunately, he was involved in an unavoidable accident that caused a DNF.

With his teammate out of the race, it was down to Richardson to bring the car home. From an extraordinary P16 on the grid, he fought his way through the field and into P10, finishing his best-ever career to date.

THE TEAM

OLY COLLINS – TEAM MANAGER

“What an amazing weekend. Thruxton is always a tough place to come to and we were well aware that qualifying was a key part towards a successful weekend. Ash did an incredible job when it mattered and continues his amazing run of form. I was really pleased for Dan (Rowbottom) too, he hasn’t been blessed with the luck this season and it looked to bite him again in Race 1. His comeback in race two was just brilliant and he really deserved that win! A really solid weekend for Dan (Cammish), slightly out of place in qualifying but came back to score some great points and then Sam just had terrible luck having a great start to the weekend ruined by getting caught in someone else’s incident.

As a team you always aim for this kind of success and you can’t do it without having the depth of talent that we have across our four-car team. Since we started this journey as NAPA Racing, everyone involved has constantly pushed to improve both as individuals in themselves and as a collective as a team and that keeps going. It’s almost contagious where the engineering department have improved the car, so has the reliability from the mechanics, and then the presentation, the promotion, the media and so on. It’s an absolute joy to be part of something so special and we’ll keep working hard to keep this momentum going.”

ANTONIO CARROZZA – CHIEF ENGINEER

“We’re in such a good place with the car at the moment and still trying to develop little bits here and there – everyone else should be working hard to catch up so we can’t sit on our laurels!”

DAN ROWBOTTOM – NAPA RACING UK, NO.32

“I made up places at the start and then it was a good battle with Aiden [Moffat]. Aiden put up a great challenge, but our car was fantastic and so once we got clear and into second, I set about chasing Adam [Morgan] down. I didn’t plan to make the move into Church, but it was a great feeling to take the win. 

The team have been brilliant all week – Ash [Sutton] won the first two races and we’ve won the third. I did not feel as positive at the end of Race 1 after the issue we had – I wondered if the weekend was finished – so to come back from that and show the pace that we had in Race 2 and in Race 3 is a great feeling. It’s a fantastic end to the day.”

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1^st – Ash Sutton: 183

5^th – Dan Cammish: 128

6^th – Dan Rowbottom: 95

16^th – Sam Osborne: 35

JACK SEARS TROPHY

2^ND – Sam Osborne: 173

TEAM STANDINGS

1^ST – NAPA Racing UK: 312

MANUFACTURERS / CONSTRUCTORS

1^st – Motorbase Performance / Ford: 339

Next stop, Oulton Park for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the BTCC championship on the 17th/18th June.

The post NAPA Racing UK achieves Thruxton triple appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Having established ‘The Motorbase Academy’ in 2021 it continues to go from strength to strength helping promising young talent to reach their potential across a variety of disciplines in circuit racing.

Will Jenkins – Porsche Sprint Challenge GB

Chase Fernandez – Ginetta Juniors

Finn Harrison – Ginetta Juniors

Jenson Mason – BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship

Alfie Garford – Formula TKM

Will Jenkins (above) will join the ranks of the Motorbase with Wera Tools programme, with headline support from Wera Tools contesting the Porsche Sprint Championship with rounds supporting the BTCC weekends.

The 18-year-old talent, who last season finished as vice-champion in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge and was previously a race-winner in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Chase Fernandez (above) was crowned the latest winner of the coveted Ginetta Junior Scholarship last October. 14 year old Fernandez impressed the judges throughout the process to become the youngest winner of this scholarship. He will now continue into his first full year of car racing in the Ginetta Junior championship for 2023.

Finn Harrison (above) will join Chase in the Ginetta series having debuted in the series last season. With a season under his belt in Juniors under the Assetto Racing team, this should be a promising year for the youngster after showing his pace recently by topping the time sheets at the official Media day.

Jenson Mason, (above) 14 is making the progression from karting to begin his car racing career in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship. After 5 years in the karting arena he makes the jump to the Fiesta junior series.

Alfie Garford (above) continuing into his second year in the Motorbase with Wera Tools Academy will enter the 2023 season as one of the youngest ever competitors to enter the senior division in the British Kart championships. Having won the Junior British kart championship back in 2021, he will be aiming to repeat the success in the senior TKM category at the first attempt.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Team Owner

We’re delighted with this years line up for the academy. We have a fantastic bunch of young racing drivers with us this year. I really love being part of this, the chance to support young characters in Motorsport and hopefully help them realise their potential as they come up through the ranks is a great. Ian & I are strong believers in nurturing young talent and that’s what this Academy is all about. We’re not just limiting our efforts and support for drivers either, we’re doing the same with our staff in the garage and behind the scenes in giving youngsters that little bit of help at the start of their careers.

Ian Walford  – Managing Director Wera Tools UK

Pete Osborne and I with Motorbase and Wera Tools respectively, have a common goal to try to form a route through to top line racing for young drivers. The two organisations have enjoyed a great partnership for several years now and I’m so proud that we are able to support this great new line-up of racers for 2023. These drivers have shown great potential so far and with our support and their determination they should have every chance to gain the success necessary to carry them forward in their journeys. They will all be very prominent at the circuits racing the distinctive black with green that is synonymous with the tools brand. In another step to assist a wider motorsport community, Wera and Motorbase will announce soon another dimension to the Academy following a further tie-up that will help young mechanics and technicians to also gain support in their aims to work in top flight teams.

The post The Wera tools with Motorbase Academy 2023 appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Mitchell, who lives in Wrotham a stone’s throw from Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship team Motorbase’s headquarters, qualified fourth fastest in his JWB Motorsport-run MINI and stormed to second place in race one, just 0.8 seconds shy of the win.

Adding a third place result in race two, having started the contest on the front row, Mitchell then took his second runner-up finish of the event in the last race of the year and was a mere 0.2 seconds away from victory – taking his podium tally for the season into double figures, including four wins.

Team-mate and fellow Motorbase Driver Academy racer Jamie Osborne claimed a top three Rookie class finish in the opening encounter, 14th overall, and then took a weekend best of 12th position overall and third in the Rookies again in race two.

Unfortunately, race three wasn’t as fruitful and a tougher encounter ended with seventh in the Rookie class and 20th in the overall classification. Osborne’s maiden season in MINI racing concluded with him sixth in the Rookie Cup standings.

Harri Reynolds’ bid for third place in the Ginetta Junior Championship standings sadly didn’t go to plan over the course of a vexing final event of the season. Qualifying fourth and looking well placed to battle for more podiums, he was unfortunately disqualified from the opening race having taken the flag in sixth.

Lining-up third on the grid for race two, Reynolds had to settle for an eighth place finish and after not contesting the third and final encounter he concluded the championship in fourth position for Assetto Motorsport. Over the course of 2022, Reynolds took 12 podiums including three wins.

In the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship, JTR-run NAPA Racing UK backed driver Hugo Ellis experienced a nightmarish end to an otherwise strong season when he was wiped-out in the opening race at Graham Hill Bend. He had qualified eighth in the Pro-Am class and the incident also ruled him out of the second encounter. He ended the season fifth in the Pro-Am standings.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“We were delighted to see Jack take a clean sweep of podiums at Brands over the weekend, so close to a couple of wins, but it’s been a great season for him in MINI. Jamie has shown some fantastic promise and has had some real standout performances, and he raced well again this weekend on the GP track which is a proper test of a driver’s abilities.

“Unfortunately for Harri and Hugo their respective challenges didn’t end as planned in Juniors and Porsche, but it’s been a very impressive year for both of them and there have been some fantastic highlights. It’s been a real delight supporting such talented young racers in the Motorbase Driver Academy this year, we can’t wait for 2023 now!”

The post BRANDS GP PODIUM HAT-TRICK SECURES ACADEMY RACER MITCHELL THIRD IN MINI STANDINGS appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Marking a true homecoming for the 24-year-old, who lives just a stone’s throw from the Motorbase workshops in the Kent village, Mitchell was linked with the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship squad back in 2014 when racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship – winning the title.

This past weekend at Donington Park in Leicestershire, where Motorbase got its 2022 BTCC season underway with its NAPA Racing UK and Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan entries, Mitchell joined the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE at the eleventh hour and starred, delivering two superb podiums with third place in round two, plus the fastest lap, and third in round three. He is third in the championship.

With the support of Motorbase, Mitchell will now contest the one-make category’s full campaign as part of the JWB Motorsport squad as team-mate to fellow Motorbase Driver Academy racers Jamie Osborne – younger brother of BTCC racer Sam, son of Motorbase owner Pete – and Ru Clark.

Since claiming his Ginetta Junior crown in 2014, Mitchell has raced in a variety of championships and disciplines including the Renault UK Clio Cup, Ginetta GT4 Supercup, British GT Championship and the BTCC itself.

Winning the British GT4 title in 2018, driving a BMW M4 GT4, he graduated to GT3 the following year and claimed two podiums in a BMW M6 GT3 before becoming a race winner in British GT3 in 2020 driving a McLaren 720S GT3. Mitchell raced a Cupra Leon in the BTCC last season and looked likely to be on the sidelines this year, before joining the Motorbase Driver Academy.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“All of us at Motorbase are absolutely delighted to bring Jack back into the fold, he thoroughly deserves his place in the Motorbase Driver Academy and what a terrific start he made to the MINI CHALLENGE season at Donington over the weekend. Jack’s quality, whether in tin-tops or GT cars, is more than proven and having only had his first run in the JWB car last Friday, to come away with two podiums was outstanding. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the season develops, he should be a title contender for sure.”

Jack Mitchell – MINI CHALLENGE racer:
“I’m over the moon to be part of the Motorbase Driver Academy, any young driver needs that support and it’s great to be back with the team after my first involvement with Motorbase back in 2014. I’ve grown up in the village of Wrotham so it’s fantastic to be associated with my local team again and I can’t thank Pete Osborne enough. Motorbase is going from strength to strength, with some great drivers in the BTCC this season, and I’m looking forward to working with them.

“I only had my first run in the MINI during the Friday test at Donington, so we were a little bit on the back foot, but the JWB guys gave me the car to do the job and give me confidence. Taking two podiums away was a good start, we’re aiming to be fighting for the championship and then hopefully progress back to touring cars.”

The post MOTORBASE HOMECOMING FOR JACK MITCHELL AFTER JOINING BTCC TEAM’S DRIVER ACADEMY appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The 21-year-old, who away from his racing is studying for a degree in Accountancy and Finance at the University of Glasgow, was a podium finisher in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship feeder category last year and ended the season 11th in the standings, second in the Rookie class.

Clearly a driver to watch, Clark – who will again race for the JWB Motorsport squad with whom Motorbase has partnered through its expanding ladder of progression – will undoubtedly go into the new MINI CHALLENGE season with a great opportunity to challenge for honours.

Starting his motorsport career in karting, Clark moved up into cars in 2017 in the BMW Compact Cup where he was a podium finisher. Graduating into the Volkswagen Racing Cup the following season, he starred with two race victories, three other podiums and ended the year as Vice-Champion.

In 2019 Clark was only able to contest a part season in VW due to A-level commitments, but he was still impressive – securing six podiums in seven races, including another win. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, his planned move into MINI CHALLENGE in 2020 was delayed until last year.

Now, with the support and backing of Motorbase Performance, Clark will have the opportunity to not only learn from the team’s BTCC squad, but also the Motorbase touring car drivers Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Sam Osborne and Ollie Jackson.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“I’m delighted to welcome Ru onto our Young Driver Programme and looking forward to seeing how he progresses in MINI CHALLENGE this year. Ru has shown himself to be an extremely capable driver in the headline JCW class, becoming a podium finisher in his debut season, and he enjoyed a lot of success in the VW Cup as well. He also, of course, enjoys the great continuity of racing with JWB Motorsport again this year in MINI so we’re all confident it should be a successful season.”

Ru Clark – MINI CHALLENGE racer:
“I’m very excited for the year ahead and to be joining the Motorbase Performance Young Driver Programme, it’s a fantastic development for my career as it moves forward. It’s going to be great learning from Motorbase’s BTCC drivers, including two of the top stars in the championship. I am incredibly grateful to have been selected for this opportunity and I intend to repay the faith Pete Osborne and Motorbase have put in me this year.”

Racing as part of the BTCC package, the 2022 MINI CHALLENGE will get underway over the weekend 23rd/24th April at Donington Park National Circuit in Leicestershire.

The post MINI CHALLENGE RACER CLARK JOINS MOTORBASE YOUNG DRIVER PROGRAMME appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Motorbase has a glowing history of supporting outstanding drivers, providing debut BTCC tests or races for a raft of talent including current NAPA Racing UK duo Dan Cammish and Ash Sutton, BTCC race winner Rory Butcher, multiple British GT Champion Jonny Adam and rising star Jack Mitchell.

Now, the Wrotham-based squad has established a ladder of progression which can take drivers all the way from the junior levels of karting and up into touring cars. Partnering with JWB Motorsport and Assetto Motorsport, the programme will enable racers to graduate from karts into the Ginetta Junior Championship, MINI CHALLENGE and TCR UK en-route to the BTCC or GT3 endurance racing.

Aimed at drivers who begin their careers at a very young age, significantly the programme also provides key opportunities for aspiring team personnel – often an overlooked area where openings within the sport are concerned.

From race mechanics and engineers through to HGV drivers, commercial and marketing roles, plus everything in between, the alliance of all three teams opens the chance for individuals to progress their careers within the motor racing industry.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“I’m delighted to launch such an exciting Young Driver Programme, it’s something incredibly exciting to be part of along with Assetto and JWB and it is also something very close to my heart. We have all been working on this for a while now, so it’s great to see it coming to fruition.

“Motorbase has a great history of supporting young drivers in their motorsport careers and we’re now taking that ethos to another level. We have already signed-up Matt Wilson and Harri Reynolds, and there are more to come. I’m in the process of seeing my two sons’ driving careers going through the ranks, so I know just how important these opportunities are.

“Trusting and reliable relationships within motorsport are important and we feel that between the three teams we can offer a complete package for young talent. In my experience it’s as important to offer this kind of opportunity to team members as well as drivers, after all that’s what makes the team. We’re as proud of our drivers as our crew when they make the jump to the next level, so hopefully this programme will produce part of the future of talented drivers and team members.”

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