A Dream Born Trackside
Sussex Motorsports sparked to life after a late-2023 conversation with Student Motorsport boss John Paul ‘JP’ Latham at Silverstone. By early 2024, Shiv Bhagnari and Nathan Lee, then Deputy Team Principal, had the team rolling and were scoping out the Snetterton season opener to prepare for their Oulton Park debut.
Two Cars, One Mission
Fast-forward to 2025:Sussex Motorsports (SMS), still led by Shiv Bhagnari but with a beefed-up leadership crew, gears up for its second Student Motorsport season – now as a two-car squad.
New Blood Hits the Grid
Joining the South Coast team for 2025:Alex Jackson and Toby Owen. Jackson, a 20-year-old karting ace, steps into car racing with zero laps but a glowing resumé – 2024 Daytona DMAX Superchamps S2 and S3 titles, plus National Kart Cup and Whilton Mill runs. Toby Owen, Grid Finder’s Sim Series Director, brings Enduroka experience (2021-23) and a 2024 CityCar Cup run – ninth overall and ten top-ten finishes in the #42 Black Sheep Racing Toyota Aygo.
Writing the 2025 Playbook
Since Brands Hatch closed out 2024, Shiv Bhagnari and the SMS crew have reviewed their options for 2025.
“We confirmed Alex for the first race seat early in the New Year and we were considering an entry into MX5 as well,” said Team Principal Shiv Bhagnari. “However, the car owner wanted a full season commitment and we struggled to find a driver who wanted to commit for the year. We had plenty of interest in one- and two-race commitments but not for the whole year so we let that one pass.
“Late in 2024 we had been thinking about a second car in the Student Motorsport series and when Toby Owen approached us, we put together a package and now we have a two-car team in only our second year of racing.”
Tested and Ready
A pre-season Oulton Park test put SMS’s cars through their paces – and the team’s buzzing.
“Toby is quick, experienced and knows exactly what he wants from the car and at Oulton he and Alex worked very well together,” he said. “It was so nice to see them bonding as teammates and luckily they don’t live far apart from each other so I think they will really push each other and we will be in for an exciting season.”
South Coast Springboard
At SMS’s core? Handing South Coast students a motorsport opportunity of a lifetime and a possible launchpad into pro careers. Has the reality lived up to the dream?
“It’s definitely been in line with our expectations,” says Shiv. “We have now probably close to 15 team members who are a consistent team which is fantastic to see. Brighton is not necessarily known for a massive amount of motorsport opportunities and our programme has exposed a lot more people to motorsport.
“The great thing with our team is that it’s also exposed a lot more people to leadership. At Sussex Motorsports everyone has an influence on the team and our structure is so malleable that if they want to change something, they have the right to do so. So, we’ve not only given people motorsport experience, we’ve also given them leadership experience as well and that has been great.”
Revamping the Structure
Doubling to two cars forced a management shake-up. “We’ve diversified the roles a lot more this year because of the expansion and also another major project we have in the planning stage.” says Shiv. “We’ve appointed Lazo Barzanji as Head of Engineering while Dan Clark has been promoted to Deputy Team Principal replacing Nathan Lee.
“We also have a Head of Marketing and an accountant so those responsibilities don’t now fall to me. As a result, we’ve spread the responsibilities out and it’s working brilliantly because the team doesn’t now rely on two or three people. The team members in non-management positions are still taking their own responsibility and we feel really confident in giving them tasks to do.”
Sponsorship Surge
Motorsport’s cash-hungry – Sussex Motorsports clawed its way onto the 2024 grid through grit and determination. For 2025? “I’m delighted to announce that we’ve raised over six times the amount of sponsorship for the 2025 season than we did last year,” says Shiv, with a smile. “We now have enough to cover certain expenses that came out-of-pocket last year so it’s a big stepping stone to where we want to be.
“Taking the time over the winter to diversify roles within the team and having more experience, we have now got a much better idea on how to engage with our partners and what we can offer them. So far, we’ve been successful with obtaining partnerships and everybody in the team is happy to help out in any way they can.”
Eyes on the Future
The team’s vision? “We want to grow the back end of the team a lot,” says Shiv. “We want to develop everything we can to catch up with the teams at the front. Because we’re an independent team, we have a battle with the teams who are consistently funded so it’s critical to build the systems and hardware to compete and grow our knowledge base to obtain more sponsors.
“I have no doubt that we have the right attitude but we need the external support so that we can give Toby and Alex the best opportunity. That’s what we’re working on – and we’re the paddock’s hardest grafters!”
The Student Motorsport series, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, fires up at Snetterton on April the 5th and 6th. Sussex Motorsports is primed to steal the show.