MINI CHALLENGE - Croft | Rounds 9 & 10

The MINI CHALLENGE JCW Sport season continued at Croft Circuit for Rounds 9 and 10, with Henry Howarth, Archie Johnson, and Nicky Gauci all looking to carry momentum from a strong showing at Oulton Park as the fight for championship points heats up.

Friday's practice sessions ran smoothly in warm and sunny conditions, giving the team a great opportunity to dial in the cars. Archie was the quickest Jamsport driver in every session, with Henry and Nicky not far behind.

Qualifying on Saturday was cut short after a red flag ended the session prematurely, just as our drivers had switched to new tyres, frustrating timing, but neverhteless Archie secured P2 for both races. Henry was just three tenths behind in P3, and Nicky slotted into P5.

In Race 1, Henry made a strong start and capitalised when Archie locked up at Tower while battling for the lead, allowing Henry to move into second place. Henry held his position firmly and secured another solid podium finish. Archie recovered well from the lock-up to finish third and also claimed the fastest lap of the race. Meanwhile, Nicky drove a clean and consistent race, maintaining pace to bring the car home in fourth.

Sunday’s Race 2 brought some fantastic wheel-to-wheel action. Archie took the lead on the opening lap and, after an early safety car, controlled the restart perfectly. He pulled away to take his second win of the season by six seconds, with another fastest lap to add to his points haul. For Henry, it was a heartbreaking end to a promising race. He was locked in a three-way battle for second and looked to have the upper hand before running wide and suffering a driveshaft failure just two laps from the finish. It marked his first DNF of the season. Meanwhile, Nicky was running P4 for much of the race and was part of the same battle for second. He made his move on the final lap to take a brilliant P2.

After four intense meetings, just three weekends remain in the 2025 season. Henry still leads the championship, but Archie is now just 24 points behind, with Nicky holding strong in fifth. With the championship points tightening and no dropped scores in play, the final stretch promises to be an all-out fight to the finish.