After 15 hard-fought rounds that have seen the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, visit many of the UK’s most iconic circuits, the global leader in real-life motorsport experience and competition for learners of all ages returns to Brands Hatch, Kent for its season finale.

The Student Motorsport Challenge and CityCar Cup will form part of the BRSCC Gerrit Van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival and the series will join a packed paddock for a celebration of the life of the Dutch double-Festival winner who sadly passed away earlier in 2024.
For the final two rounds at Brands Hatch, the Challenge will be supported by Paddock Speedshop, Nankang Tyre UK, P1 Graphics, Raceparts, Motul, 3D360 and PBS Brakes.
Paddock Speedshop is a business and community that exists to show young people that the world of classic cars is not a closed door for them. The Paddock Speedshop team of Craig Blake-Jones, Lucy Busby and Ethan Blake-Jones not only restore and run classic cars themselves, they also produce video content, attend events and run a historic race team, all with the objective of sharing their passion for classic car preservation and ownership.

Currently, in the final stages of production, the Paddock Speedshop TV series is being overseen by legendary director Andy Morahan and is due to have a global release by a major US distributor.
Paddock Speedshop will be hosting the live video coverage of the Pit Stop Challenge which takes place on the afternoon of Saturday October the 19th. The team will also take part in qualifying for the CityCar Cup with the Nankang Tyres UK car to be driven by Harvey Blake-Junes and run by Barracksport. Subject to grid sizes, Blake-Jones will compete in the two 15-minute races as a guest feature entry.
Nankang Tyre UK is the national distributor for Nankang, widely acknowledged as a leading tyre brand worldwide. Nankang Tyre is a dynamic and growing brand positioned at the cutting edge of the tyre market, offering a complete service to trade and retail customers alike.
Nankang Tyre UK, a long-standing supporter of the Challenge is kindly providing a set of tyres again for the winner of the Student Motorsport Pit Stop Challenge.

P1 Graphics helps connect motorsport teams, drivers and sponsors with their fans on-track, online and in the paddock.

Owned and run by Tom Pledger, P1 Graphics delivers high quality material for online social media channels, web sites and physical media. Tom has ‘raised the bar’ in the provision of graphical content and is available for work across all domestic and international race series. P1 Graphics will be designing, making and supplying trophies for both the Fastest Lap awards and the Pit Stop Challenge.

Raceparts (UK) Ltd is the first one-stop warehouse for motorsports parts and spares. Raceparts has been manufacturing and supplying top quality motorsport and rally car parts worldwide since 1970. In much-appreciated support of the Student Motorsport Challenge, Raceparts will be providing a pit stop lollipop as one of the prizes for the Pit Stop Challenge.

Motul, founded in 1853, is a French company with an international footprint specialising in the formulation, production and distribution of high-performance lubricants for engines. The brand launched the very first 100% synthetic multigrade lubricant in 1971 which went on to become its flagship product; Motul 300V. Motul is kindly supplying motor oil to form part of the prizes for the Pit Stop Challenge.

3D360 has supported Student Motorsport and the Challenge events over the last two seasons. Their mission is to challenge traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques and to educate manufacturers, engineers and the next generation of young engineers on the infinite possibilities and benefits, on both production and environmental levels, that 3D printers and additive manufacturing can provide.
3D 360 can provide equipment, training, dedicated technical support

PBS Brakes is a leading race and track day brake pad manufacturer and supports a number of MSA championships, delivering a combination of passionate racing as well as professional manufacturing. Pbs Brakes is kindly supplying brake fluid which will be presented to the winning teams of the weekend’s two races.

The 2024 Pit Stop Challenge Final
An important part of the weekend will be the third running of The Student Motorsport Pit Stop Challenge, an annual competition which sees Challenge teams compete against the clock to complete set tasks such as changing wheels, adjusting cambers and replacing air filters on a race car during a simulated pit stop.
In 2023, East Surrey College, then led by George Keith, won the Pit Stop Challenge with a display of well-planned and expertly coordinated pit work. For 2024 the teams will once again have been practicing hard to perfect their pit work with the goal of winning a set of Nankang tyres and other prizes.
The 2024 Pit Stop Challenge Final is set to further ignite the excitement of the Final at Brands Hatch, marking another thrilling aspect of the end of the season for our Student Motorsport Challenge teams. Supported by several of our Student Motorsport partners, this aspect of our event showcases the practical skills, teamwork and resilience that have been honed throughout the season, reinforcing the invaluable hands-on learning and work-readiness focus that lies at the heart of our motorsport programme.

This competition is not just about speed; it’s a testament to the growth and development of our student participants.

The Challenge has provided our student-based teams with a real-world platform to learn and develop those all important work-ready skills since it’s inception in 2022, the Pit Stop Challenge, and any of our race weekend events allows our teams to demonstrate everything they’ve learned, applying their technical knowledge they have gained from coming under race-day pressure.

From perfecting their work throughout the season the students will demonstrate their ability to perform key tasks such as wheel changing, tyre pressure and suspension adjustments, air filter changes, and even a driver swap. all on the featured Nankang Tyres race car.

Taking place on Saturday, 19th October at 1pm, the Nankang Tyre-sponsored Pit Stop Challenge will be presented by Andy Lloyd, Head of Media at Student Motorsport, alongside guest presenter Ben Latham from Barracksport, a team that has proudly competed in the Challenge for three seasons.
Adding to the energy of the event, we’ll also have presenters and a film crew from our event partner Paddock Speedshop, capturing the excitement as teams race against the clock.

This final event is not only an adrenaline-pumping competition, but also a celebration of the hard work and dedication these students have put into their motorsport journey. It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of competition, teamwork, and learning that the Student Motorsport Challenge represents.
Onto The Main Event!
Brands Hatch will see 12 Student Motorsport Challenge entries compete on the CityCar Cup grid, with a featured appearance (non-scoring) from the Nankang race car under ‘Paddock Speedshop by Barracksport’, the racecar, team operations, Pit Stop challenge and extracts from the weekend will be filmed by Paddock Speedshop as part of an ongoing production for a TV programme to be aired in the near future. This will also serve as a nice ‘send-off’ to one of our graduating teams in 2024…more on that later.
Team Northbrook Racing has enjoyed another solid season for its #65 TNR1 Peugeot 107. Driver Richard Jepp has stood on the top step of the class podium on seven occasions in 2024 alongside the Harwin-backed double Challenge title winner also taking his first overall CityCar Cup win at Oulton Park in May.
Barring a disaster, Jepp and TNR1 look on course to secure their third title at Brands Hatch but the season has not all been plain sailing. An engine problem meant that the #65 car was down on power at Cadwell Park and a fuel pump issue saw Jepp record his first DNF of 2024 at Silverstone last time out.
“It’s been a very tough season and Brady Pollock and West Suffolk College have pushed us all the way so I’m glad that it looks as if we will come out on top!” said Richard Jepp.
“We will still be trying to put on a show at Brands Hatch to make the weekend a fulfilling one for our students and maybe go for that second overall CityCar Cup win.”

Teammate Ari Barker, driver of the #87 TNR2 Peugeot, has encountered some challenges in 2024 but recorded his best weekend of the year at Silverstone in September with an 8th-place and a pair of 7th-place finishes in class on the National circuit at the home of British motorsport. Barker, who began racing cars for the first time this season after a successful karting career, will be looking to continue that momentum for the final weekend.

West Suffolk College ME has fought hard this year and, regardless of the outcome at Brands Hatch, can finish the 2024 season proud of their achievements and those of their drivers.
Brady Pollock, pilot of the #12 WSC ME Toyota and 2nd in the Challenge standings, may be a little too far behind Richard Jepp to mount a title challenge in Kent but with just 33 points separating 2nd down to 6th in the Challenge standings Pollock will need to be on top form to make sure that WSC ME finish the season on a high. A missed gear change at Silverstone resulted in a blown engine in the #12 car and required overnight replacement. Alan Barrett’s squad will be hoping for better luck at Brands Hatch.

Andrew Payne returns to drive the #73 WSC ME2 Peugeot for Rounds 16 and 17. Payne’s best result of the season was 6th in class at Donington Park. Currently 8th in the Challenge standings, Payne is just 11 points behind the #52 Boston College Racing 2 Citroen so the supercar driver and instructor will be bringing all his experience to bear for a strong season-ending performance.

QE Motorsport enjoyed one of its most successful weekends in the Challenge last time out at Silverstone when Haydn Payne, driver of the team’s #72 Citroen finished on the podium twice. Payne and teammate Joshua Jackson went on to make history for Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate when both young drivers finished on the class podium in Race Three. In a close-fought battle, Jackson held on to take second in class with Payne less than half a second behind.

The weekend was marred only by a DNF for the #72 car in Race One due to a faulty fuel pump. With just one point now separating the team’s entries and Haydn Payne, currently 5th in the class standings on 172 points, only 11 points behind the #26 CCN1 entry, QE Motorsport will want a perfect weekend at Brands Hatch if they are to see one of their two hard-charging pilots finish in the top four of the standings.

City College Norwich took its first overall win in the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship at Silverstone and Elliott Lettis, driver of the #26 CCN1 Peugeot, now has the car firmly dialled in in the search for more podium success. City College Norwich 1 is only five points behind East Surrey College in the fight for third in the standings and the experience and competitiveness of drivers Lettis and ESC’s Jack Wheeler and the steady team management of CCN’s Leon Wilde and ESC’s Laurence Sait will make Brands Hatch an intriguing battle between the two teams.

Glenn Bee, pilot of the #19 CCN2 Citroen, is the only driver to have started in, and completed, all 15 rounds of the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge. Bee’s experience and confidence continues to grow with every outing and the novice driver enjoyed his best finish in class with an 8th place finish last time out at Silverstone. Glenn Bee will be looking to finish the season on a high as he makes plans for a potential return in 2025.

Sussex Motorsports enjoyed a consistent weekend at Silverstone with two 7th– and an 8th-place finish in class. The #319 Citroen now sits 8th in the Challenge standings, five points clear of the #73 WSC ME entry driven by Andrew Payne. Having been on a steep learning curve since their Challenge debut at Oulton Park in May, Team Principal Shiv Bhagnari, Deputy Team Principal Nathan Lee, driver Colin Dunn and the whole team will be looking to use all their newly acquired experience and knowledge to challenge for a top six finish in class at Brands Hatch.

East Surrey College looked like a team transformed at Silverstone as Laurence Sait took charge of the squad for the first time. Sait, recently appointed as Coordinator for Motor Vehicle and Motorsport Lead at the college, has previous experience running his own kart team and has worked within the automotive and motorsport industries for many years. The team took two class wins last time out, including an overall CityCar Cup win for driver Jack Wheeler, and a 4th to close the gap to second in the Challenge standings.

Having enjoyed the feeling of overall victory, Sait, Wheeler and all the team members will be fully focused on challenging for the runners-up spot in the title standings when the Challenge visits Kent for the season finale.
Boston College Racing will see Liam Browning return to the #34 BCR1 Toyota Aygo and potentially a new guest driver in the #52 BCR2 entry, regular driver Rory Pickles having decided to step away from the Challenge for the final weekend.
Lee Crisp’s team have worked hard in 2024 with the result that the #52 BCR2 car is currently 7th in the Challenge standings after 4th– and 5th-place finishes in class at Silverstone. For Brands Hatch a guest driver, yet to be announced, will take over the driving duties in the #52 car, making a huge statement of confidence in Crisp’s Lincolnshire squad.

Liam Browning returns to the team in which he took his first two Challenge wins a little over a year ago at Donington. On Browning’s previous visit to Brands Hatch with BCR, a podium finish was followed by unfortunate contact in Race Two resulting in a DNF. The #34 driver will be looking for better luck round the Indy circuit in 2024.

James Smith’s decision to step away from the Challenge for the final weekend after an engine failure at Silverstone means that Harry O’Donoghue’s and Ben Latham’s Barracksport will not be present on the Challenge grid at Brands Hatch. However, providing all goes to plan Harry O’Donoghue and Ben Latham’s team will be running the Nankang Tyre UK car in support of Paddock Speedshop’s Harvey Blake-Jones.
The team will also be supporting the Student Motorsport Challenge paddock with media duties and during the Pit Stop Challenge as O’Donoghue and Latham review options for 2025.

Track action for Rounds 16 & 17 of the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, gets underway with qualifying on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit at 11.30am on Saturday October the 19th with the green flag dropping for the start of Race One at 3.45pm. Race Two starts at midday on Sunday the 20th. Tickets for BRSCC Gerrit Van Kouwen Anniversary Formula Ford Festival can be bought here.
The weekend will be streamed live on the BRSCC YouTube Channel.