MINI CHALLENGE - Snetterton | Rounds 4, 5 & 6
The 2025 MINI CHALLENGE season continued at Snetterton with Rounds 4, 5, and 6 of the JCW Sport, with Henry Howarth, Archie Johnson, and Nicky Gauci all back behind the wheel. The team approached the weekend looking to build on the foundations laid at Donington and continue progressing through the early stages of the championship.
Free practice ran smoothly overall, with all three drivers showing consistent form. The team used FP3 to scrub tyres in preparation for the weekend ahead, and as usual we had a Friday evening track walk with the drivers and team pricipal, Jamie and driver coach Ant.
Qualifying on Saturday proved challenging, with changeable conditions making tyre choice a gamble. Despite the tricky track, Henry secured P3, Archie took P4, and Nicky lined up P6.
Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 brought mixed emotions. Nicky delivered an excellent drive to finish P3, earning his second podium of the season. Archie made a few mistakes at the start, which dropped him to the back of the field, but he recovered well to finish P4 and also set the fastest lap. Henry was caught in contact on the opening lap, forcing a pit stop and leaving him two laps down, eventually finishing P6.
Race 2 saw both Henry and Archie running at the front in what was shaping up to be a close fight for the win. Henry started from P3 due to a grid penalty and moved into the lead early on. Archie closed the gap and made a move for the lead just before a red flag brought the race to an early end. With the results rolled back a lap, Henry was awarded the win and Archie was classified P2. Archie also picked up the fastest lap of the race. Nicky had a calm and consistent run, starting and finishing in P4.
Race 3 was another eventful contest. It was another podium finish for Nicky Gauci after a really good race, he started p6 had some really good racing and crossed the line in p3 after a consistent race fighting in the top pack. Henry started P3 and climbed to P2, managing the car well despite struggling slightly for outright pace. Archie got off to a decent start, closed in on the race leader, but suffered power steering issues mid-race and had to carefully nurse the car home, finishing in P6.
It was a very positive weekend overall for JamSport, with five podium finishes out of a possible nine, a race win for Henry, two fastest laps and 1 podium for Archie and 2 podium finished for Nicky.
In the championship standings, Henry now leads the points, Archie holds P3, and Nicky sits in P6 after two unfortunate DNFs at Donington. With no dropped scores this season, every point counts – and the team is already focused on keeping the momentum going into the next round.
