MINI CHALLENGE - Donington Park | Rounds 1, 2 & 3
The 2025 MINI CHALLENGE season kicked off at Donington Park with Rounds 1, 2, and 3. Our JamSport Racing drivers – Henry Howarth, Nicky Gauci, and Archie Johnson – delivered a weekend full of strong performances, podiums, and victories.
The week began on Wednesday with a full day of testing. It was Archie’s first time out in his new car, focusing on building confidence and familiarity. For Nicky, it was his first race weekend in the UK, having joined us from Malta, and his first time at Donington Park. Henry used the day to continue developing his car and gain valuable track time.
Thursday brought the official MINI CHALLENGE test day and three free practice sessions, where we saw strong pace across the board:
• FP1: Archie set the fastest time, with Henry P3 and Nicky P5.
• FP2: Henry was quickest, Archie P2, and Nicky P4.
• FP3: Henry topped the session again, with Nicky P3 and Archie P5.
Friday was a preparation day, ensuring everything was ready for the race weekend.
Qualifying saw Henry running P1 for almost the entire session, securing a front-row start. Nicky qualified P4, while Archie faced challenges with power steering issues and a late pit stop, limiting his chance to set a representative time.
In Race 1, Henry made a brilliant start and led from lights to flag to take our first MINI CHALLENGE win of the season. Archie made a strong start and climbed up to the front, but an alternator failure forced him to retire. Nicky drove a fantastic race, finishing P2 and securing a JamSport 1-2 finish.
Race 2 brought a mixture of highs and lows. Unfortunately, Nicky was involved in an incident not of his own making, resulting in heavy damage that ended his weekend. Meanwhile, Henry and Archie enjoyed a great battle on track. Henry received a 10-second penalty for a start procedure infringement and a further 5-second penalty for track limits. Despite this, he finished P3, and Archie claimed his first race win of the season after a strong and consistent drive.
In Race 3, Nicky was unable to start due to the damage sustained in Race 2. Archie battled for the lead but suffered a puncture, forcing an unscheduled pit stop; he rejoined and recovered to finish P4. Henry led most of the race and crossed the line to take another race win for JamSport.
Overall, a great weekend for the team:
• 3 races
• 3 JamSport race wins
• 5 JamSport podiums
A strong start to our 2025 MINI CHALLENGE campaign!
