On a weekend where Motorbase and its NAPA Racing UK entry secured its first race victory of the season in the headline Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with Ash Sutton, for the young Academy drivers it was a less fruitful outing by and large with a series of luckless incidents.

For Scottish racer Clark, though, his home races went well and particularly in round nine of the MINI CHALLENGE where he stormed through the order from an uncharacteristic 20th on the grid to finish an excellent 12th overall and second in the Graduate class for JWB Motorsport.

Repeating the runner-up result in the Graduates in round 10, the Perth racer – who celebrated his 22nd birthday this week – was an improved ninth overall. Unfortunately, his run ended in round 11 with retirement on the opening lap.

Team-mates Jack Mitchell and Jamie Osborne both endured a tough weekend with the latter posting two unfortunate non-finishes, in rounds 10 and 11, and Mitchell having a mountain to climb in the second and third races after his MINI ground to a halt just off the startline in round nine.

Conversely, Osborne raced to a fifth place finish in the Rookie class and the top 15 overall in the opening contest but his visit to Knockhill then unraveled in the next two races to bring a frustrating end to the event for the JWB driver.

Mitchell, who had qualified fourth fastest for race one, had to begin round 10 from the back of the grid after the enforced retirement in the opener and he charged through the order brilliantly from 27th on the grid into 14th place at the finish. More fantastic progress was made in round 11, slicing through from 14th at the start into the top six – salvaging vital points for second in the standings.

Ginetta Junior Championship contender Harri Reynolds experienced his most vexing event of the year by far, picking up a total of just seven points at Knockhill with a 14th place finish in race two of the weekend, round 12. After qualifying eighth for round 11, a mechanical issue forced him out on only lap three and in round 13 another non-finish occurred on the fourth lap of the encounter.

Star rookie in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship, Hugo Ellis, endured a Knockhill nightmare when a start-line accident, involving five cars, ruled him out of the first race of the weekend on the spot and the damage sustained to his car also prevented him from participating in race two. On the positive side, Ellis was thankfully uninjured in the incident as were the other drivers.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“We’ve seen, and celebrated, some fantastic success for the Motorbase Driver Academy over the first half of the season so we mustn’t be too disappointed with how the Knockhill weekend turned out for our drivers. Harri and Jamie had some terrible luck in Ginetta and MINI, and the crash in the first Porsche race was pretty worrying. We were so relieved to see Hugo walk away uninjured.

“Looking at the positives, Ru delivered two outstanding drives in the MINIs and Jack fought back very impressively after the frustration of race one when he was forced to stop as soon as he’d started. Obviously, it was great to see Ru finish second in class twice at his home track, particularly in front of such a great Knockhill crowd – oh, and happy birthday Ru from everyone at Motorbase!”

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Qualifying second fastest for the opening race, Mitchell – who lives just down the road from the Motorbase team HQ in Wrotham, Kent – went on seal the runner-up spot in race one and made it a brace of podiums with second place in race two at the wheel of his JWB Motorsport prepared car.

Team-mates Ru Clark and Jamie Osborne had a mixed outing at Oulton, with Scottish driver Clark racing to 12th position overall and third in the Graduate class in round seven after a great battle and then 13th overall, third in class again, in round eight.

Nottinghamshire driver Osborne, brother of Motorbase’s Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship racer Sam, took away a best of fifth in the Rookie class and 19th overall in the second MINI contest, having sliced through from a lowly 27th on the grid following a luckless retirement early in race one.

Also in action at Oulton, NAPA Racing UK’s Hugo Ellis achieved a pair of top four results in Pro-Am in Porsche Carrera Cup GB after qualifying fourth in class – even with three laps disallowed for track limits infringements. In round five, which was re-started after a red flag stoppage, Ellis took his JTR-run car to 11th overall and in round six he was 11th overall again.

Karting sensation Alfie Garford made a return to the Junior TKM class for the first time this year during a club meeting at Kimbolton and was the dominant force. Featuring mixed grids of more than 25 karts, Garford sliced his way through all three to claim a magnificent hat-trick of wins.

Going from eighth to first in Heat One, he was even more impressive in Heat Two after winning from 16th on the grid. In Heat Three, Garford claimed victory again from eighth at the start. In the Final he had to settle for third, after a terrific battle at the front late on. Leading from pole, and opening a good lead, he was on course for the victory but slipped to third at the finish. Still a star weekend.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“Alfie was clearly the star driver on his return to Junior TKM at the weekend at Kimbolton, what a series of performances! Three wins was outstanding and it was very nearly four, we’re looking forward to seeing what he can achieve in the ‘O’ Plate just under a couple of weeks from now.

“Jack continued his great season in the MINIs, two second places shows the consistency and speed he has and he left Oulton a very healthy second in the championship. It wasn’t quite the weekend either Ru or Jamie wanted, but I know they’ll both be looking to hit back at Knockhill at the end of July after the break in the MINI calendar. In the Porsches it wasn’t quite a podium for Hugo, but he raced well and the consistent finishes are obviously very positive as he learns more and more.”

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Added to a double podium for Motorbase’s NAPA Racing UK driver Dan Cammish in the headline Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, in the supporting Ginetta Junior Championship points leader Reynolds further increased his advantage at the top of the table with two podiums.

After racing to fifth place, from ninth on the grid, in a dry round four on Saturday, Reynolds secured third place in round five later in the day. On Sunday, in slippery damp conditions, he bagged his third victory of the season with Assetto Motorsport and now leads the standings by 12 points.

Mitchell, driving for JWB Motorsport in the MINI CHALLENGE, stormed to pole position in qualifying for round four and converted it into a lights-to-flag win on Saturday – his first. Although slipping to fourth at the start of a damp round five on Sunday, Mitchell battled back to make it two consecutive victories. Unfortunately, round six delivered a non-finish after contact late-on from a rival.

Team-mates Jamie Osborne and Ru Clark didn’t enjoy such a fruitful weekend sadly, with the former taking a best finish of 14th position in the red-flagged wet sixth round – fifth in the Rookies. Race one brought an unfortunate non-finish, but Osborne battled through the order to 20th overall in race two.

Clark faced a monumental challenge after problems in qualifying meant he had to begin round four from the back of the grid in 30th position. Impressing with a great drive to 16th place, he followed Osborne home in round five in 21st spot but a tough finale ended with 23rd position.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB driver Hugo Ellis produced a sensational qualifying performance in his JTR run NAPA Racing UK car, claiming his maiden Pro-Am pole position in fifth overall – a mere 0.107 seconds shy of the outright pole.

Round three on Sunday started dry but when rain arrived, several drivers encountered difficulties and the race was red flagged. After the resumption, drivers having been able to change to treaded tyres in the meantime, Ellis eventually finished his first wet race 21st overall and seventh in Pro-Am. In round four, Ellis took his second Pro-Am podium after charging to third place in class, 14th overall.

At Warden Law Kart Club, teenager Alfie Garford prepared for this weekend’s second round of the Wera Tools British Karting Championship at the Sunderland venue by competing in the third round of the LGM series.

Having never visited Warden Law previously, Garford spent much of the weekend learning the track and the Heats produced a mixed bag of results – fourth in the opener, 21st place in the second Heat after a collision and then 14th place in the third Heat. Starting the Final 16th out of 42 competitors, after slipping back early on he fought through to 10th place with times a match for the top four.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“Harri and Jack go from strength to strength in Ginetta Junior and MINI, they both performed superbly at Brands Hatch. It was great to see Harri take his third win of the year, and enhance his championship lead, and brilliant to see Jack take his first two wins in the MINIs. Jamie and Ru had a mixed weekend unfortunately, in difficult conditions, but I know they’ll both bounce back.

“In the dry qualifying for the Porsches, Hugo’s pace was sensational – taking Pro-Am pole was great but to only be a tenth off the outright pole was fantastic. After an unlucky race one, it was good he got back on the podium in race two. Alfie made some good preparations up at Warden Law for the second round of the British Championship this weekend too, we’ll be watching with interest!”

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All three championships began their respective campaigns at Donington Park a couple of weeks ago, where Motorbase also got its BTCC season underway, and in the Ginetta Junior Championship 15-year-old Harri Reynolds starred with a magnificent series of performances to lead the standings.

Driving for Assetto Motorsport, with whom Motorbase has partnered, Reynolds was quick throughout practice and qualified second for round one and on pole position for round two. Taking third place in the opening race, he emerged from a tremendous battle in race two with his maiden victory in cars and then led from lights-to-flag in round three to make it a superb double success.

In MINI CHALLENGE, three competitors from the Academy got their season underway with partner team JWB Motorsport. Jack Mitchell arrived in at the deep end after signing an eleventh hour deal, but he impressed from the outset by qualifying second fastest.

Only missing a round one podium by 0.4 seconds, Mitchell confirmed his prowess after hardly any practice running in the MINI JCW and stormed to third place in both rounds two and three to end the event third in the points – a big early warning shot for the 2022 title contenders.

Jamie Osborne put together a brilliant debut weekend, qualifying sixth quickest – only 0.4 seconds shy of pole – and then taking ninth overall and second in the Rookie Cup in race one. Finishing ninth again in round two, Osborne – son of Motorbase team owner Pete – charged to his maiden Rookie Cup victory with a superb drive.

Although race three delivered an unfortunate non-finish, Osborne concluded the weekend second in the Rookie Cup standings. Like his older brother Sam, who races with Motorbase in the BTCC, Jamie is running as No.77 in MINI CHALLENGE in memory of late racing driver Tom Walker.

In the third JWB car, Scottish driver Ru Clark produced a strong weekend and was delighted to qualify fifth fastest. Although a stall at the start of race one dropped him to 16th place, Clark battled back to be in the fight for seventh before settling for 10th after a tyre issue.

His weekend best came in round two, moving up from 10th on the grid to finish in the top eight after Safety Car interventions limited the opportunity for more progress. In round three he finished in 12th position and departed Donington third in the Graduate Cup standings.

Driving the NAPA Racing UK liveried JTR-run car in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship, racing returnee Hugo Ellis qualified sixth fastest in the Pro-Am class and charged to a superb podium finish in his maiden outing, third in Pro-Am and 12th overall. In the second contest, Ellis was fourth in Pro-Am and 13th overall to end the weekend third in the Pro-Am standings.

One week earlier, across Easter weekend at Oulton Park International Circuit in Cheshire, Matthew Wilson started his season in the TCR UK Championship with JWB Motorsport. Putting together a consistent showing, only his third time at the wheel of the new Cupra Leon Competicion, Wilson achieved his aim of a top 10 finish in race two – having earlier finished 11th in round one.

In addition to the circuit racers who are part of the Motorbase Driver Academy, support is also being provided for two young rising stars in the karting world – 2021 Junior TKM British Karting Champion Alfie Garford and Daniel Ricciardo Series racer Bryn Calder

Garford made a strong start to his first season in the Junior X30 Championship, being named the ‘Wera Tools Driver of the Day’ during round one at Shenington Kart Club. Racing against some of the best karters in Europe, he was quick during practice – top four pace – but in qualifying he was stuck behind another driver on his hot laps and ended up a frustrating 27th overall from 48 competitors.

Racing to a 13th place finish in Heat One, from 18th on the grid, he battled for the top 10 in Heat Two until a debatable move from a rival on the last lap dropped him to 14th place. In the Final he stormed from 19th on the grid into the top 12 on the first lap alone and progressed into ninth. Into the latter stages, two rivals ahead collided and Garford had to take avoiding action – finishing 10th.

Calder got the opening round of the DRS100 championship underway this past weekend at Clay Pigeon Kart Circuit and the 14-year-old delivered strong pace. Lapping a superb second fastest in practice, a slow puncture in qualifying limited him to 11th in his session.

Rain arrived for raceday where Calder fought through to seventh in Heat One, before an incident dropped him to 10th place. Making great progress in the Pre-Final, he finished seventh and the combined points at that stage meant a 19th place start for the Grand Final. Producing pace a match for the front-runners, Calder raced impressively to end the encounter in 11th position.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“What a start to the year for our Motorbase Driver Academy stars, each of them performed very impressively. Obviously, Harri absolutely starred in Juniors with two wins and Jack did a fantastic job in MINI. It was a very proud moment for me to see Jamie take his first Rookie class win in only the second MINI race, all three guys in MINI did a great job with Ru showing very strong pace as well.

“Hugo’s first outing in Porsche was impressive, taking a Pro-Am podium, and Matt showed there is much more to come from him after a consistently strong start to the TCR UK season. Alfie and Bryn are two very talented young kart racers and we’ve been delighted to extend some support to them as well. It all looks set to be a very strong first year for the Motorbase Driver Academy.”

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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.

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