Words by: Andy Lloyd – Head of Media
Images by: Bernice Bradley / James Roberts Photography / Katie Wells / Waltham Forest College / Marios Katzis – Brooklands Technical College / JAS/HW Motorsports / P1 Productions / Aimeè-Grace Stevens
The Student Motorsport (SMo) Competition, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, kicks off the 2026 season, its fifth since its inception in 2022, with a record opening round grid of 19 cars, representing 12 teams. For the new season, the SMo Competition welcomes five new teams to its expanding grid as more schools, colleges, universities and student-led teams discover the benefits of providing the next generation of motorsport professionals with real-world trackside industry experience that proves invaluable as they prepare for their future careers.
A Landmark Fifth Season: Growth and Evolution
For Student Motorsport founder and series organiser John Paul ‘JP’ Latham, the growth that the Competition is experiencing is testament to the huge amount of work that the organisers, teams, drivers and students have put into creating a unique racing experience for students and learners.
“Looking back at the success of our first four seasons, the growth of this project has been nothing short of remarkable, “ he said. “What began as a mission to integrate formal education with the high-pressure environment of competitive racing has flourished into a diverse ecosystem. Today, we are a bridge connecting colleges, sponsors and students, supporting a vast array of industries that keep the motorsport world turning.
“As we launch this landmark fifth season with our largest grid to date – 12 teams and 19 race cars, the sense of momentum is palpable. This year we’ve placed a significant focus on expanding our support for accommodating relevant training organisations. Ensuring we are actively cultivating the next level of motorsport professionals. It’s incredibly rewarding to see more educational bodies than ever before engaging ever more students with the project, alongside the introduction of six complete novice drivers who are beginning their journey with us.”
The Grid Split: A New Format for a Record Entry
The 2026 SMo Competition will be contested over seven events and 17 rounds. Due to the increasing popularity of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, the double-header rounds will see the grid split into three groups with each group competing twice over the course of three races. First tested at Silverstone in August 2025, the format allows for bigger overall grids and the opportunity for a range of teams to taste podium success.
12 SMo Competition teams will be on the grid at Brands Hatch over the weekend of April 11th-12th.
The Title Defenders: Boston College Racing (BCR)
Reigning Competition title holders Boston College Racing (BCR) have announced that Alex Foden will join Andrew Dyer in a two-car assault on the 2026 crown. With Stuart Bliss, who secured the title for BCR at Silverstone in October, taking a year out of motorsport, an opportunity to drive alongside Andrew Dyer meant that an established relationship with Alex Foden could evolve into an invitation to drive for the Lincolnshire-based squad.
Foden has competed in CityCar Cup racing since 2023, completed his first full season in 2024, and went on to finish on the overall podium on three occasions last year, culminating in a fifth-place finish in the 2025 Championship standings.
Team Principal Lee Crisp and his staff and students have prepared a new Gen I Toyota Aygo for Andrew Dyer and have rebuilt Alex Foden’s Citroën C1 in readiness for the new season.
“When we first started in Student Motorsport in 2023, we established a good relationship with Alex,” explained Lee Crisp. “Because of his closeness with the team and being a driving partner of Andrew Dyer (Foden and Dyer competed together in selected rounds of the Fun Cup Endurance Championship in 2025), there were always conversations that if there was an opportunity with the team, he’d like to be considered.”
“When Stuart decided to take a year off, I contacted Alex, had a chat and he took the opportunity there and then. I think we’ve got a great driver who can produce some good results. He could have won at least one race at Croft last year. He was extremely quick there!”
Surrey’s Sophomore Surge: BRooklands Technical College Racing (BTCR)
Brooklands Technical College Racing (BTCR) is entering its sophomore season in the Student Motorsport (SMo) Competition with a singular focus: the podium. After a debut year defined by a steep learning curve and a strong 5th-place finish in class at the Silverstone finale, the Surrey-based squad is transforming its operations for Competition success in 2026.
The team, led by Marios Katzis, made its debut at Oulton Park last season and, after a DNF in its first ever race, went on to finish every round for the rest of the season. Driver Junior Gravina-Read drove the team’s #2 Citroën C1 to its best finish in class at Silverstone in October and finished the year 9th in the SMo Competition class and 4th in the CityCar Cup novice standings.
The team expanded to two cars when Carter Steel joined the squad for the Silverstone rounds in August and drove the sister #210 Citroen to best-in-class finish of 5th in only his second race for the team.
For 2026, BTCR has refreshed its driver line-up and welcomes Luke Power and George Antoniou to the squad. Team Principal Marios Katzis spoke to a number of drivers about the available seats, some of whom had immediate race-winning potential but he left the choice for one of the seats to the students.
“There were some seasoned professionals amongst the drivers that would have guaranteed us a podium but I put it to the team and explained that, within the options we had, Luke, who had only started last year, wanted to learn and develop himself as well as help develop the team,” explained Marios. “I asked the students to discuss it, have a vote and come back to me when they had decided. All of them said they wanted Luke because they want to learn and develop with a like-minded driver.”
Teammate George Antoniou is returning to the college at which he studied at over 20 years ago, to start his racing career. A mechanical engineer who specialises in transmission and driveline systems, George spent eight years working at multiple WRC champions M-Sport Ltd where he became Head of Transmission Engineering before moving to McLaren Automotive Ltd at which he is currently Transmission and Driveline Manager.
Experience Meets Academia: JAS/HW Motorsports
JAS Autosport, the team led by Harry Smith and driver Jenson Jackson, has partnered with the Heriot-Watt University Motorsports Society in a joint entry for the 2026 Student Motorsport Competition, under the team name of JAS/HW Motorsports.
JAS Autosport first entered the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship in 2025 when Jenson Jackson drove the team’s #5 Peugeot 107 to 30th overall and 7th in the Rookie standings. Over the course of the season, Jackson recorded a best overall finish of 15th in Race 1 at Silverstone in August.
Heriot-Watt University Motorsports Society, led by Mirren Angus, had been considering an entry into the Student Motorsport Competition but wanted to gain experience with an existing CityCar Cup entry before building and competing with their own car.
“I discovered the Student Motorsport Competition and thought that it would be a great idea for us to enter but we quickly realised that building our own car was not going to be feasible for us for the 2026 season,” said Mirren Angus. “We connected with Jenson via social media and the relationship has developed really well. We carried out a shakedown at Snetterton in early March and it was incredible to get to see the car on track. It just seems like the perfect pairing!”
The Triple Champions Return: Team Northbrook Racing (TNR)
Shoreham Airport-based Team Northbrook Racing (TNR) and triple-title winner Richard Jepp will be returning for their fifth season in the Student Motorsport Competition and will be joined for 2026 by Jack Wheeler who moves from East Surrey College.
Richard Jepp is the Student Motorsport Competition’s most successful driver, having been one of the original pilots on the grid when the Competition made its debut at Oulton Park in 2022. Jepp, an Advanced Engineering Manager at Portsmouth-based Harwin plc, has stood on the class podium 56 times in a Competition career which has included 24 class wins in addition to two overall BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship wins and the team’s three Competition titles.
Jack Wheeler has competed in the Student Motorsport Competition since 2023 and finished as runner-up in the title standings in his first season. Since entering the Competition, Jack has driven for East Surrey College (ESC), firstly under the leadership of George Keith and latterly with Laurence Sait. Over the course of three seasons, Wheeler has stood on the class podium on 22 occasions, including seven Competition class wins and one overall win.
“We’re very excited for this season,” said Team Principal Emma Norton. “Last year we had the excitement of the new 108. It was a development year from the car’s point of view but it went remarkably well considering that.”
“This year we’re going to consolidate on the 108 and we’re also going to have the excitement of a brand-new driver. I think Jack Wheeler is an excellent match for our team and his calm, steady and communicative approach will work well with our students.”
Elite Engineering Debut: Pitlane Development (PLD)
Reuben Lowe is joining the Student Motorsport Competition grid for 2026 with Pitlane Development (PLD), a new team founded by ex-F1 and GT mechanic and engineer Ollie Walsh. Dedicated to launching careers in motorsport, the PLD CityCar Cup team is staffed with aspiring young industry professionals, creating a high-performance environment, guided by experience and built on excellence.
With a long-term vision to become a works driver for Mercedes or Porsche, Reuben’s forthcoming season is a vital first step on the motorsport ladder. Combining a relentless work ethic with a focused approach to commercial partnerships – guided by P1 Productions – Reuben’s motorsport journey is driven by determination, resilience and ambition at the highest level.
Innovation and Inclusion: NSCG Racing (Stafford College)
Stafford College, part of the Newcastle Stafford College Group (NSCG), is launching its two-car assault on the 2026 SMo Competition when the season gets underway at Brands Hatch.
The team, led by Motorsport Engineering Lecturer Andy Stevens and supported by Media Producer Aimeè-Grace Stevens, spent the 2025 season closely observing the SMo Competition paddock to glean as much information as possible before setting about building their team.
Driving for the team, named NSCG Racing, will be Luke Sawyer and Jake Gittus. Luke is in his second year studying Motorsport Engineering at NSCG. 2026 will be Luke’s first season in the SMo Competition but he has been the record holder for Fast Lane Karting in Stoke and regularly takes part in professional sim racing championships.
Jake Gittus is a previous student of NSCG Motorsport Engineering and finished his course in 2025. Like his teammate Luke Sawyer, Jake is a keen sim racer and regularly competes in karting.
“Our objective, for our first year in the Student Motorsport Competition, is just to do the best we possibly can,” said Aimeè-Grace. “Our drivers Jake and Luke have got their own personal aims of where they want to be over the course of the season and our objective is to support them in their aims. We want to build our squad and become more of a family than just a race team.”
A New Era for East Surrey College (ESC)
East Surrey College (ESC), led by Laurence Sait, returns to the Competition for 2026 with a new driver line-up. With Jack Wheeler moving to TNR, ESC will be fielding Carter Steel, who previously competed for Brooklands Technical College Racing, and Luke Bait. Luke has karting experience and was looking for a Competition drive in 2026. The introduction to ESC was made by SMo Competition series organiser JP Latham.
“I’d been aware of Luke from karting,” explained Laurence Sait. “The connection was made and we reached out to him, had a test and pushed things forward from there. We already have a good working relationship.”
The squad has worked hard, as have all the grid, over the winter to prepare their two cars and have evolved their team structure to devolve some authority and decision-making down to the team members.
“ It’s gone well,” explained Laurence. “We executed it at our pre-season test at Brands Hatch which was the first test of the concept with our new cohort. They’ve grabbed it by the horns and they’re pushing it forward. We’ve got a good team going into Brands Hatch who all know exactly what they’re going to be doing and it is operating like clockwork. Everything I wanted to try last year is now in place.”
Restoration and Racing: Paddock Speedshop
Paddock Speedshop, supported by Nankang Tyres, is making its debut in the Student Motorsport Competition in 2026 and will be fielding Aby-Jayde Bennett to drive its Gen 1 Citroën C1. Paddock Speedshop was set up by Craig Blake- Jones, supported by Lucy Busby and Craig’s son Ethan, with the objective of promoting the classic automotive industry to the next generation of mechanics and restoration specialists. Since its inception, Paddock Speedshop has been working on a documentary on life in the classic automotive industry and the team has also competed in classic events.
The aim of the Paddock Speedshop programme is to provide an increasing amount and diversity of students from Birmingham and the surrounding areas with an opportunity for trackside experience. For the first event, however, the team will be joined by students from a wider catchment.
Driver Aby-Jayde Bennett began her motorsport career in Autograss and worked with Guy Martin when he was filming a show about the sport. Aby-Jayde is making her circuit racing debut in 2026 with Paddock Speedshop.
The Return of the Champion: NESCOT and Elliot Lettis
North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT), the Ewell-based team led by George Keith, have retained Elliot Lettis for 2026. 2023 CityCar Cup Champion Lettis joined NESCOT part way through the 2025 season and went on to drive the #333 NESCOT Peugeot 107 to a best finish in class of 5tht at Croft. NESCOT closed out the 2025 season 8th in the Competition standings.
Norfolk’s Driver Newcomers: City College Norwich
Two new drivers to the Competition will be on the 2026 grid with City College Norwich. Oliver Anslow and Sean Feehan have signed with Leon Wilde’s Norfolk-based squad and will open their season at Brands Hatch. Ollie Anslow began his racing career in 2023 when he acquired his racing licence and went on to compete in the Silverlake C1 Endurance Series in 2024 and 2025. Anslow, alongside teammate Richard Alexander, had their 2025 season-best finish at Snetterton when they brought the #396 SCR entry home in 12th.
Sean Feehan is making his car racing debut with City College Norwich, having competed in karts previously.
Family and Extra-Curricular Excellence: QE Motorsport
QE Motorsport, the team that races as an extra-curricular activity of Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, will enter its fourth season in the Competition with a two-car entry.
Emilia Vincent returns for her second season with the North Yorkshire-based squad and will be joined by her partner Alex Turner in the team’s second entry.
QE Motorsport, led by Team Principal Helen Snuggs and Deputy Team Principal Elizabeth Smith-Dodsworth, first entered the Student Motorsport Competition in 2023 with a single entry, piloted by Arthur Simondet. After a season which saw the team take two podium finishes on their way to a 4th-place in the Competition standings, QE Motorsport expanded to two cars for 2024 with young drivers Joshua Jackson and Haydn Payne.
Emilia Vincent joined the team for the 2025 season, making her return to the Student Motorsport Competition class after debuting in 2023. A season’s best result of 6th in class at Silverstone saw the driver of the team’s #174 Gen II Peugeot 108 go on to finish 10th in the SMo Competition class. But for an overheating issue at Silverstone in August, Emilia would have scored her second Competition podium finish of her career after finishing third at Brands Hatch in 2023.
Overcoming Adversity: Waltham Forest College (WFC Racing)
After a two-year journey defined by perseverance and technical preparation, Waltham Forest College has officially arrived on the motorsport stage. Making their highly anticipated debut in the Competition, the team – branded as WFC Racing – successfully completed a flawless shakedown of their newly-built Citroën C1 at Brands Hatch in mid-March.
The team, led by Theseus Joseph, Shawn Hines and Surya Suresh, rolled out their entry to almost perfect conditions on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit where driver Harry Sutton was waiting to put it through its paces for the first time.
Waltham Forest College first indicated their interest in entering the Competition over two years ago. Operational challenges have meant that the timeline to prepare a car was extended but, in 2026, the team is now ready to compete.
“It’s been a learning curve for us and we’re enjoying it to the fullest because, although we tried to get the car up and running before, to have it happening right now is a dream come true; for the College and for the students because it’s just something out of this world,” said Senior Lecturer Shawn Hines. “Every department in the College wants to be involved in the racing programme and it’s just an exciting experience.”
A Vision for Diversity: JP Latham on the 2026 Season
SMo Competition organiser JP Latham reflected on the huge grid with five new teams and six new drivers.
“”Entering our fifth season with a record 12 teams and 19 cars is a monumental milestone,” said JP Latham. “Student Motorsport has become a vital hub, bridging the gap between education and industry by bringing together colleges, students and partners. I am thrilled to welcome five new teams and six novice drivers to our paddock and wish them the best of luck for a successful season.
“We are also delighted to welcome Motorsport UK’s Race for Diversity programme, which will visit us at Brands Hatch as we develop the next generation of professionals.
“I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the many organisations who have supported us on this journey. In particular I would like to thank the BRSCC for their unwavering support, Motorsport UK for their vital guidance and all the officials and volunteers at the circuits we will be visiting.
“Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to all the teams and drivers who will be part of our paddock in 2026. The work required to get a team to the grid is huge and we are delighted you are all part of the Student Motorsport Competition family this season!”
Track action for the opening weekend gets underway with qualifying on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit at 10:15am on Saturday April 11th. The lights go out for Race One at 1:55pm on Saturday with two further races (each team competes in two out of the three contests) on Sunday April 12th.