Team Northbrook Racing and its driver Richard Jepp extended their lead in the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge after Jepp drove the #65 Harwin-backed Peugeot 107 to victory in the Challenge class in Race Three at a sweltering mid-August Cadwell Park.
Jepp’s nearest challenger, Brady Pollock, who drives the #12 West Suffolk College ME Toyota Aygo, had solid weekend with a class win followed by a 4th and 3rd place finish but Jepp’s consistent scoring record earlier in the season meant that his 7th place finish in class in Race One counted as one of his three dropped scores.
The #12 West Suffolk College ME entry now lags TNR1 by 15 points but with five rounds left in the 2024 season, there is still all to play for.
A 13-car Student Motorsport Challenge grid assembled in Lincolnshire for the BRSCC 2024 Cadwell Park Summer Race Weekend. The #11 Barracksport Citroen C1 was missing from the paddock after damage sustained by driver James Reilly in its previous outing could not be repaired in time. Harry O’Donoghue’s Oxford-based squad is focused on getting the car back out for the penultimate Challenge weekend at Silverstone in September.
It was a packed paddock with a wide range or activities taking place from teams and Student Motorsport.
The Student Motorsport Challenge was supported at Cadwell Park by Driven Minds and Pitlane Development. Driven Minds, founded by Katie and Nick Ramsay-Gough and Eliza Chapman, is a Community Interest Company focused on mental health within the motorsport and automotive communities. The Driven Minds team led a ‘trackwalk and talk’ around the 2.19 miles of the Lincolnshire’s ‘Mini Nürburgring’ on the Saturday evening, an event that was supported by Student Motorsport Challenge teams.
Pitlane Development, founded by Ollie Walsh, works to bridge the gap between education and starting a career within the motorsport industry, making something that seems an unachievable goal a reality. Ollie Walsh spoke to learners from the Challenge paddock on Saturday and was available for consultations throughout the afternoon.
Qualifying
QE Motorsports took its second Challenge pole position of the 2024 season when Haydn Payne put in a 1:55.239 to put the team’s #72 Citroen C1 on the front row of the 29-car grid for the first of the weekend’s three 15-minute contests. Payne’s previous best race start was from 2nd in class so Cadwell Park represented the first time the young QE Motorsports pilot had started from the Challenge pole position.
Second quickest of the 13-car Student Motorsport Challenge grid was the #12 West Suffolk College ME Toyota Aygo driven by Brady Pollock who lapped in 1:55.404 on his final lap of eight to go third quickest overall.
Completing the top three in class was Haydn Payne’s teammate Joshua Jackson in the #27 QEM2 car who lapped in 1:55.408.
The session got underway under an overcast sky but dry and warm track conditions. The red flag came out after just over five minutes when Joe Moss in the #23 Citroen went off at Gooseneck. The session was neutralised to allow for the safe recovery of the stricken car with Moss thankfully unhurt but shaken by the incident.
The session re-started and after the chequered flag was shown, Challenge cars occupied five of the top six grid positions for the first race for the BRSCC Nankang Tyre City Car Cup Championship triple-header at Cadwell Park.
Elliot Lettis in the #3 City College Norwich 1 Peugeot qualified 4th in class followed by Jack Wheeler in the #57 East Surrey College entry. Rory Pickles, driving the #52 Boston College Racing Citroen qualified 6th in class followed by Ari Barker in the #87 Team Northbrook Racing 2 Citroen. Teammate Richard Jepp in the Challenge standings-leading #65 TNR1 entry was 8th quickest in class. Jepp reported that the rear end of the car felt unstable but was confident that a solution would be found ahead of the first Challenge contest of the weekend. The #65 car had gone off the circuit during the previous day’s testing which resulted in damage to the chassis.
Barracksport GSR’s Matty Prance, substituting for regular pilot James Smith, was 9th quickest, followed by Sussex Motorsports’ Colin Dunn and WSC ME2’s Andrew Payne.
Boston College Racing’s Liam Browning, returning to the Challenge from the Cadwell Park rounds onward, could only manage a single lap in qualifying after a gear linkage problem. The team was confident however the car would be ready for the first race.
Glenn Bee, at the wheel of the #10 CCN2 entry, completed the Challenge qualifiers.
QE Motorsports’ Haydn Payne was calm and focused after taking his first pole position in class.
“The car felt slower today than it did in testing yesterday,” he said. “It felt like the car had a lot less grip but looking at the times, they got quicker and quicker. I’ve not had a lot of experience around this circuit, just four 25-minute sessions during testing, but it’s good fun round Cadwell Park. The cars behave like go-karts here.
“We hope we can convert our pole position in class to my first Challenge victory,” continued Haydn Payne. “Brady (Pollock) and I will work together over the first part of the race and bring Joshua (Jackson) with us and hopefully build a gap to the rest of Challenge field.”
Race 1
Victory in Race One, however, went to Brady Pollock, driver of the #12 West Suffolk College ME Toyota Aygo, who took the chequered flag to win the Challenge class and finish second overall in the BRSCC Nankang CityCar Cup Championship.
Pollock crossed the line just over half a second ahead of Haydn Payne in the #72 QEM2 car. Completing the podium positions in class was the #3 East Surrey College Peugeot 107 piloted by Elliot Lettis.
The grid for Round 10 took to the track 20 minutes later than originally scheduled. Thankfully by the time the lights went out for the 29-car CityCar Cup grid, the light rain experienced earlier in the afternoon had had moved away and sunshine bathed the Lincolnshire circuit.
Payne led the Challenge field away from class pole position followed by Brady Pollock in the West Suffolk College entry.
With a maturity belying their years, Payne and Pollock kept to their agreement prior to the race that they would compete sensibly and not risk taking each other off and, as a result, the QE Motorsports car maintained a slight advantage throughout the opening laps.
Richard Jepp, meanwhile, was on the move in the #65 Team Northbrook Racing 1 Peugeot 107, moving up to 8th overall after starting 14th. Jepp’s progress moved him to 6th in class.
With just eight minutes remaining, Payne held on to the class lead followed by Pollock, Jackson, Lettis and Wheeler.
Boston College Racing’s Rory Pickles maintained his consistent run of form and passed TNR’s Richard Jepp for eighth overall and 6th in class.
With the race entering its final laps, Pollock saw his opportunity and passed Payne to take second overall move into the Challenge lead on his 7th lap. The WSC ME car kept the class lead to take the chequered flag in second overall, just over seven seconds behind race winner Stuart Bliss in the #18 Toyota.
Payne’s teammate Joshua Jackson brought the #27 QEM 2 car home fourth in class followed by ESC’s Jack Wheeler, Boston College Racing’s Rory Pickles and TNR’s Richard Jepp.
Matty Prance drove the #49 Barracksport GSR Citroen to 8th in class with Sussex Motorsports’ Colin Dunn in 9th and BCR’s Liam Browning in 10th. Browning had passed WSC ME2’s Andrew Payne in the closing minutes with Payne finishing 11th in class less than half a second back. CCN’s Glenn Bee completed the Challenge finishers.
Race 2
Challenge class pole-sitter Pollock started from the front row of the 29-car BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship alongside Stuart Bliss in the #18 car. Pollock seemed to get bogged down at the start and was swallowed up by the chasing pack, allowing ESC’s Jack Wheeler to move into the class lead. Drama for Joshua Jackson saw the young #27 QE Motorsports 1 driver pull to a stop shortly after the start due to a mechanical problem. The safety car was called to recover the stricken Citroen.
When racing resumed, Wheeler in the #57 ESC Citroen consolidated on his solid start to hold on to second place overall followed by Brady Pollock and CCN’s Elliot Lettis.
Bliss and Wheeler pulled away from the rest of the field with Richard Jepp, who had started 9th overall on the grid, starting to put pressure on Brady Pollock.
As the 15-minute contest approached its final minutes, Wheeler looked certain to secure the class win with Lettis and Pollock fighting for second and third. Richard Jepp, however, knew that his car had more pace than it had on the Saturday and the Harwin-backed TNR1 driver saw his opportunity to pass on the final lap, overtaking Lettis and Pollock to secure second in class and 4th overall.
Jack Wheeler was delighted to secure his first Challenge win of 2024.
“The start played into my hands quite well, I think,” said Wheeler. “I got a good launch off the line and a couple of people ahead got some slower starts and then up through turn one and turn two some cars got contact which opened the door for me.
“I had the speed and managed to drive past them all and get up behind Andrew Dyer who was 3rd and then on the restart after the safety car I got in front of him and tried to check out.
“I’m over the moon with that result as it is my first time racing at Cadwell Park.”
For class pole-sitter Brady Pollock, a frustrating start made it a difficult race from the beginning.
“The start made it more difficult for me and then there was a bit of carnage mid-pack with everyone fighting for position,” he said. “When the safety car came out, it was touch-and-go whether it was me or another driver in front. I thought he was ahead so I let him back through. Looking back at the footage I think it was me.”
Race 3
The final race of the Cadwell Park triple-header saw Pollock start from pole position with TNR’s Richard Jepp alongside the West Suffolk College car, the first time since Snetterton in April that two Challenge entries had started a race together on the front row of the overall grid.
Pollock looked set for his second victory in class of the weekend but the students of Team Northbrook Racing had worked hard on Richard Jepp’s #65 TNR1 Peugeot 107 and the orange-and-black entry had the pace to compete at the front from the start.
Jepp found his way through in the closing seconds of the 15-minute contest and brought the #65 car home for his first Challenge victory since Donington in June. Elliot Lettis in the #3 City College Norwich 1 Peugeot followed Jepp through to finish second in class with the #12 WSC ME car driven by Pollock in third. Jepp finished second overall, less than a second behind race-winner Stuart Bliss in the #18 Toyota.
QE Motorsports’ Haydn Payne finished 4th in class followed by Boston College Racing’s Rory Pickles and ESC’s Jack Wheeler. After the mechanical issue in Race Two, QE Motorsports’ Joshua Jackson had returned for Race Three but could only manage 7th in class.
With 12 rounds of the 2024 Student Motorsport Challenge completed, TNR1’s Richard Jepp remains at the top of the table on 177 points after adjustment for dropped scores. TNR1 has a 15-point advantage over WSC ME’s Brady Pollock with ESC’s Jack Wheeler moving into 3rd and CCN1’s Elliot Lettis in 4th after Joshua Jackson failed to finish Race Two at Cadwell Park.
QEM1 remains in 6th courtesy of another solid weekend by young Haydn Payne with BCR’s Rory Pickles 18 points behind. WSC ME2’s Andrew Payne moves into 8th in the standings ahead of the #49 Barracksport GSR entry. Sussex Motorsports moves up the table to 10th followed by the #11 Barracksport entry, CCN2, TNR2 and BCR1.
The Student Motorsport Challenge returns for its penultimate race weekend of 2024 at Silverstone on the 28th and 29th of September for the final triple-header before a spectacular season finale at Brands Hatch as part of the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival.