Mini Challenge UK

The Mini Challenge UK is a one-make race series began in 2002 and since 2020 it has run as a support package to the British Touring Car Championship.

Mini Challenge UK
CategoryOne-make racing by Mini
Country United Kingdom
Inaugural season2002
ClassesJCW Class
Open Class
Cooper Pro Class
Cooper Am Class
ConstructorsMini
Tyre suppliersDunlop
Drivers' champion Nathan Harrison
Teams' championExcelr8 Motorsport
Official websiteMini Challenge UK
Current season

Throughout the championship's history it established itself as one of the main routes into topline Touring Car racing, and drivers went on to do well in the Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom, British Touring Car Championship, World Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship. Past and current drivers such as Jeff Smith, Charlie Butler-Henderson, Harry Vaulkhard, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Brett Smith, Paul O'Neill, Nick Foster, Arthur Forster, Stewart Lines, Martin Depper, Chris Smiley and Ant Whorton-Eales.

The cars

Mini F56 (2015-Present)

Introduced in 2015 the F56 is the first purpose built race car to race in the championship, a 2 litre turbocharged BMW engine and a 6 speed sequential gearbox means that it is also the most powerful car in the championship with 275bhp.

Mini R56 (2010-Present)

Introduced in 2010 as the new JCW it has a 1.6 litre turbocharged BMW engine along with slick tyres and a 6 speed gearbox to produce 220bhp.

Mini R53 (2004-2010, 2016-Present)

Introduced in the third season the R53 has a 1.6 litre supercharged BMW engine producing 195bhp along with slick tyres and a 6 speed gearbox.

Mini R50 (2013-Present)

Introduced in 2013 as a replacement for the Cooper's with slick tyres, a 6 speed gearbox and a 1.6 litre BMW engine producing 135bhp.

Mini Cooper (2002-2012, 2017-Present)

Introduced in the first season the Cooper is the basic entry level car with treaded tyres and a 5 speed road gearbox along with an ordinary engine producing 120bhp.

Champions
Cooper Cooper S/ Open (2017–Present) JCW Open (2016)/ Cooper Am (2017-Present)
Season Driver Team Driver Team Driver Team Driver Team
2002 Steve Meli Mark Fish Motorsport
2003 Mark Speller Mark Fish Motorsport
2004 Gary Robertshaw Robertshaw Racing Martin Wallbank Mark Fish Motorsport
2005 Barney Craggs Sussex Road and Race Arthur Forster Forster Motorsport
2006 Gareth Nixon Nixon Motorsport Freddy Nordström Advent Motorsport
2007 Jenny Ryan Mark Fish Motorsport Oly Mortimer Tynecastle Racing
2008 Graham Parsons Advent Motorsport Martin Depper Forster Motorsport
2009 Luke Caudle Mark Fish Motorsport Oly Mortimer Team Formula Racing
2010 David Ogden Mark Fish Motorsport Lee Allen Truck Align Luke Caudle Excelr8 Motorsport
2011 Ant Whorton-Eales Excelr8 Motorsport Chris Knox Excelr8 Motorsport
2012 Henry Gilbert Excelr8 Motorsport Lee Allen Truck Align
2013 Shane Stoney Coastal Racing Chris Smiley IN:MINI
2014 Shane Stoney Coastal Racing Chris Knox Excelr8 Motorsport
2015 Nathan Harrison Coastal Racing Neil Newstead Oakfield Motorsport Charlie Butler-Henderson Oakfield Motorsport
2016 Max Bladon Excelr8 Motorsport Scott Jeffs Privateer David Grady Unitec Motorsport Keith Issatt Lawrence Davey Racing
2017 Matt Hammond Excelr8 Motorsport Ben Dimmack Sussex Road and Race Brett Smith Eurotech Racing Stuart McLaren Hybrid Tune Motorsport
2018 Kyle Reid Privateer Will Fairclough AReeve Motorsport Ant Whorton-Eales JamSport Racing Alex Nevill Privateer
2019 Robert Dalgliesh Privateer Dan Butcher-Lloyd Privateer James Gornall Privateer Lee Pearce Privateer

References

[1]

  1. "JCW 2019 CALENDAR". MINI CHALLENGE. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
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