The Wera Alliance Racing Academy is delighted to announce a multi-car entry into the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy for the 2025 season.
The team will run three cars in the highly-competitive one-make series with an all-rookie line-up joining the grid for the first time.
Jenson Mason will embark on his third season of car racing after two years in the Fiesta Junior Championship and will once again join forces with Alfie Garford, who joined the Fiesta grid last year on the back of an astonishing 2023 that saw him become the youngest ever Senior British Karting Champion at the age of just 14.
Both drivers scored race wins last season – with Garford winning at Silverstone and Mason victorious at both Snetterton and Thruxton – en-route to fourth and fifth in the standings, and now graduate into senior circuit racing for the first time.
Alfie Garford said: “I’m excited and proud to say that I will be continuing my partnership with the Wera Tools Alliance Academy for 2025. Working with them for a fourth year is fantastic and to have their support and expertise on my journey up the motorsport ladder has been invaluable.
“This season will see me step up into the ever thrilling and Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy and having picked up plenty of silverware in 2024, I’m aiming for more of the same this year, With big grids, nose-to-tail racing and a lot of experienced drivers, it will be a challenging season but I’m ready and raring to get racing.
“The focus now is to get stuck into our winter programme so we can come out all guns blazing when we get to Snetterton for round one in April!”
Jenson Mason said: “I am extremely proud to be a part of the Wera Alliance Racing Academy again in 2025, and to receive their continued support is both a huge honour, and testament to what we have achieved together so far.
“My target for this season as I move up to the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy is to consistently compete at the front end of the field and challenge for race wins. The partnership between Wera Tools and Alliance Racing is simply the best and I feel extremely privileged to be a part of the Wera Alliance Racing Academy for this new challenge.
“Now I just can’t wait to get back on track.”
Garford and Mason will be joined in the Wera Alliance Racing Academy MINI line-up by Murray Richardson, who is set to take part in events at Brands Hatch, Thruxton and Donington Park.
Richardson will be embarking on his first season of competition as he looks to follow in the footsteps of older brother Cameron, who competed in the Cooper class himself back in 2023 and has since graduated into the headline JCW category.
Murray Richardson said: “I am under no illusions that I have a lot to learn, but being in the Wera Alliance Racing Academy gives me a lot of confidence and I’m really excited to get going.
“I know I can learn from those around me who have already been in my position and have the experience. It’s a fantastic team to be a part of and I’m really looking forward to starting my test programme soon and getting out in the race car to prepare for my first race.”
The Wera Racing Academy was established back in 2021 to support young talent across a range of racing disciplines, with the MINI CHALLENGE programme this season being operated by the Alliance Racing team in conjunction with Wera Tools.
Running under the NAPA Racing UK banner, Alliance secured the BTCC title in 2023 with Ash Sutton and also runs a multi-car programme in the MINI CHALLENGE’s JCW class, where it has scored race wins in each of the past two seasons.
Pete Osborne, Wera Alliance Racing Academy Team Principal, said: “With thanks to Wera tools, we’re delighted to continue our journey with both Alfie and Jenson for another year. They both had fantastic seasons last year as team-mates in the Wera Alliance Racing Academy and worked really well together, so it makes sense to keep them together as a team.
“Having known them for a number of years, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching Alfie and Jenson grow together both as racing drivers and as young men, and the fact they get to share these experiences is something I believe is very important to their ongoing development.
“The step up to the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy is an obvious one and it’s a great championship for young drivers to improve their craft on the best circuits in the UK. We’ve been part of the Championship since 2022 as a team and it gets better and better, plus it’s a great opportunity for youngsters to get a taste of what it is like to compete on the BTCC package for three events.
“We’re also thrilled to add young Murray to the team as this is the very start of his racing career and I’m really keen to see how he gets on in his first car races. He’s impressed with his approach to getting his race licence and we have a decent amount of testing for him prior to his debut in May. I’m sure he will learn plenty from Alfie and Jenson.”
Ian Walford, Managing Director, Wera Tools UK, said: “Everyone at Wera Tools UK is delighted to be supporting Alfie and Jenson again for the 2025 season. Both drivers showed great speed and maturity last year, and we were proud to see them lift so much silverware. I look forward to the friendship and competition continuing in the MINI CHALLENGE for 2025.
“We are also delighted to welcome Murray to the Wera Alliance Racing Academy. I have no doubt he will learn from Alfie and Jenson as he embarks on his first year in racing. He will also be welcomed by the wider Wera Alliance Racing Academy family, which will continue to grow and thrive over the season ahead.”
