Boston College Racing (BCR) dominated the opening weekend of the 2025 Student Motorsport Competition on the Snetterton 300 circuit with drivers Stuart Bliss and Andrew Dyer taking six Student Motorsport podiums between then, including two wins in class and one overall victory for 2024 BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Champion Bliss.
Weekend Support
The weekend was supported by Pitlane Development with its founder and owner Ollie Walsh being present in the Student Motorsport Competition paddock throughout Saturday.
Pitlane Development is on a mission to bridge the gap between education and starting a career in the motorsport industry and Ollie Walsh was available to provide student career support. Pitlane Development also offered 1-2-1 career guidance sessions at a discounted Student Motorsport rate.
Fuelling Future Motorsport Careers
The roar of engines at Snetterton wasn’t just the sound of competition; it was also the vibrant hum of opportunity as Student Motorsport proudly launched its expanded 2025 Work Experience Programme.
The Media Team for the weekend was augmented by the addition of new work experience students supporting photography, social media, live streaming and video presenting. With the objective of Student Motorsport to provide real-world trackside industry experience, the expansion to the media team was a testament to the valuable work that series organiser JP Latham and his team are carrying out.
Demonstrating a deep-rooted commitment to nurturing the next generation of motorsport and media professionals, this initiative offers an unparalleled chance for enthusiastic individuals to immerse themselves in the dynamic world of UK motor racing. Moving beyond the traditional focus on participating race teams, Student Motorsport is creating pathways for aspiring talent to gain invaluable real-world experience directly at the heart of the action.
Opening Weekend
The opening weekend saw six talented students step into crucial roles within the Student Motorsport media team.
Capturing the electrifying moments through the lens were Photography & Videography candidates Katie Wells (Graduate and season 2 with Student Motorsport, Boston College) and Isabella Graney (Creative Media, Wiltshire College).
Telling the compelling stories of the weekend were Journalism & Presenting recruits Max Lovejoy (Sports Journalism, University of Derby) and Millie Johnson (Sports Journalism, Lincoln University).
Amplifying Student Motorsport’s reach and engagement were Social Media Coordinators Aarya Shenoy (Media, Communications and History, Newcastle University) and Isabel Clark (Broadcast Journalism, Nottingham Trent University), with Isabel contributing remotely.
Under the expert guidance of Head of Media Andy Lloyd and Head of Photography Bernice Bradley (Creative Arts in Photography, University of Derby, hosted at Boston College), these budding professionals were fully engaged and brimming with enthusiasm. Their roles provided a superb opportunity to put their learning into practice, gaining hands-on experience in a fast-paced environment. From capturing stunning trackside imagery and conducting insightful interviews to crafting engaging social media content, the work experience candidates were integral to the Student Motorsport media operation throughout the Snetterton weekend. Their seamless integration and proactive approach underscore the immense potential this programme is unlocking.
“Expanding our offering beyond the incredible efforts of our racing teams has always been a core tenet of Student Motorsport,” commented JP Latham, Managing Director. “Providing these tangible work experience opportunities is ingrained in the very make-up of what we do. Witnessing the passion and dedication of our first cohort of media candidates at Snetterton was truly inspiring. My sincere thanks go to Andy Lloyd and Bernice Bradly for their invaluable support in developing this programme and preparing these talented individuals for what promises to be an exciting season ahead in motorsport and media.”
Our developing work experience programme signifies Student Motorsport’s unwavering dedication to fostering talent and building a sustainable future for the motorsport industry, both on and off the track. The success of the Snetterton weekend is just the beginning, with more opportunities on the horizon for aspiring professionals to accelerate their careers with Student Motorsport.
The Weekend’s Racing Action
The weekend began on the Friday with test sessions attended by many of the Student Motorsport teams on a circuit which was bathed in sunshine with ambient temperatures touching 25 º C by mid-afternoon.
Qualifying – Saturday
Saturday dawned with bright sunshine but cooler temperatures due to a strong breeze. Qualifying got underway for the huge 44-car overall field with the BCR cars immediately looking quick. At the end of the 15-minute session, BCR had locked out the front row for the start of Race 1 with Andrew Dyer in the #15 Toyota Aygo putting in a 2:34.805 on his final lap to take pole position and joined at the front by teammate Stuart Bliss who was just 0.025 seconds back in the #18 car.
2024 title contender Brady Pollock in the #12 West Suffolk College (WSC) ME1 car qualified third in class with a 2:35.295 while 2025 teammate Haydn Payne was fourth quickest in class and three places back on the overall grid.
Richard Jepp, on his first competitive outing in Team Northbrook Racing’s (TNR) #65 Gen II Peugeot 107, could only manage fifth in class while Sussex Motorsports’ (SMS) Alex Jackson, making his debut in CityCar Cup competition, qualified sixth in class. Jepp’s teammate Ari Barker was seventh quickest in class followed SMS’s second 2025 entry: Toby Owen in the #42 Citroen C1, qualifying eighth.
Race 1 – Saturday
Race One saw BCR’s Dyer and Bliss leading the field away with Bliss in the #18 car having the better start but Dyer fighting hard to retain the lead. The safety car was deployed after two minutes after Richard Jepp had enjoyed a great start, moving the #65 TNR1 Gen II Peugeot up to eighth overall.
Green flag racing resumed with just nine minutes remaining with WSC’s Brady Pollock in fifth overall and third in class as he pushed the ex-Student Motorsport driver Joshua Jackson from less than two-tenths behind. Stuart Bliss meanwhile held a narrow advantage of under half a second ahead of Philip House in the #25 Peugeot with Andrew Dyer sitting in third overall.
Bliss’s lead narrowed slightly as Jepp applied the pressure on Pollock in a bid for the final class podium position. Dyer dropped back to fifth overall but kept ahead of Pollock as BCR came home for its first 1 – 2 finish and first overall victory for Lee Crisp’s squad while WSC ME2’s Payne passed Jepp for fifth in class.
Toby Owen brought the #42 SMS Citroen home to finish sixth in class followed by TNR2’s Ari Barker, SMS’s Alex Jackson and East Surrey College’s Jack Wheeler. Paul Mellor, at the wheel of Student Motorsport debutants NESCOT Racing #22 Peugeot 107, completed the class finishers.
Race 2 Saturday
Stuart Bliss got away well at the start of Race 2 but there was disaster for WSC ME’s Brady Pollock who went off at Turn 1 and made heavy contact with the barrier. Thankfully, the young driver was unhurt but the #12 car was returned to the paddock to play no further part in the race weekend. The incident promoted Pollock’s teammate Haydn Payne into third in class with TNR’s Jepp fourth in class and seventh overall.
After three laps, Bliss was passed by Joshua Jackson and Alistair May, relegating the BCR driver to P3 overall but still retained the class lead. Payne was second in class followed by Andrew Dyer. The safety car was called and racing resumed with three minutes remaining, allowing time for two racing laps.
Haydn Payne dropped back after contact, promoting Richard Jepp to a podium finish. As the chequered flag fell, Bliss took his second Student Motorsport victory of the day, followed by Andrew Dyer and Richard Jepp, the latter taking the first podium finish for TNR’s Gen II entry.
WSC ME2’s Payne, TNR2’s Barker and SMS’s Jackson finished fourth to sixth respectively while SMS’s Owen, ESC’s Wheeler and NESCOT Racing’s Mellor completed the class finishers.
After the race, East Surrey College reported that Wheeler’s #57 Citroen was down on power, an issue that could not be resolved before Race 3 on Sunday.
Race 3 – Sunday
For the reverse grid for Race Three, BCR’s Andrew Dyer started on the front row with Richard Jepp starting from third. Haydn Payne lined up alongside Stuart Bliss on the fourth row of the grid, the young WSC pilot starting from P7.
Dyer got off to a good start, following pole-sitter Ben Spencer in the #113 car through Turn 1. Dyer kept the pressure on Spencer, closely followed by Richard Jepp in the #65 TNR car.
After two laps, Jepp had passed Dryer for second and was less than half a second behind Ben Spencer in the leading #113 Toyota Aygo. However, Chris Mackenzie in the #21 car was on the attack and passed Jepp and Spencer to take the overall lead on the third lap. The TNR driver moved into second overall.
The safety car was then called, and the race subsequently red-flagged, after an incident on the start-finish straight involving three cars, two of which were Student Motorsport contenders. Thankfully no drivers were injured in the incident but it was a stark reminder that even in low-powered city cars, accidents can have serious consequences.
The race stoppage meant that triple-Student Motorsport title-holders Team Northbrook Racing and Richard Jepp took their first class win of the season with BCR’s Bliss and Dyer taking second and third respectively. WSC’s Barker equalled his best finish in class with a fine fourth in class and P9 overall. Alex Jackson brought the #47 SMS Citroen home fifth in class followed by ESC’s Wheeler, NESCOT’s Mellor and SMS’s Owen.
Standings
After the opening three rounds, Boston College Racing 1 / Autobliss leads the Student Motorsport standings on 58 points, followed by Boston College Racing 2 / RTW Vans and Conversions on 49 points. Team Northbrook Racing 1 is one point behind in third followed by Team Northbrook Racing 2, Sussex Motorsports 1 and Black Sheep Racing / Sussex Motorsports 2. East Surrey College is seventh in the standings followed by West Suffolk College ME2, NESCOT Racing and West Suffolk College ME1.
Boston College Racing Team Principal Lee Crisp was delighted for the team after the opening three rounds.
“I think it’s great for the team,” he said. “We’ve put a lot of effort and time into this – both students and staff – and weekends like this, this is what it’s all about. Everybody’s over the moon! We’ve got podium finishes in every race so what more could we ask for really?
“The beauty of it is, we’ve got two good, dedicated drivers in the series. We’ve been down on power on the #15 car (Andrew Dyer’s) all weekend but we’ve battled with it, we’ve tried to change things and we’ve not got to the bottom of that but we will do for Oulton Park. Stuart’s driven strong races and it would have been nice to take victory in the third race but we’ve got two cars home and we’ve got very little to do on them for Oulton Park apart from preparation, which is great. All told, what a weekend!”
TNR’s Richard Jepp reflected on a challenging weekend that resulted in the team’s hard work being rewarded with a class win and 3rd in the standings.
“It’s been a tough weekend,” said Richard Jepp. “Yesterday in qualifying we were 16th overall which is not what we’re used to but we knew it was going to be tough this season with the new car. We’re learning all the time and I still think there’s some pace in it as well.
“It’s great to be back and it’s testament to the team as to how hard they’ve worked and how much data we’ve been looking at over the weekend. Hopefully more of the same throughout the season.”
The Student Motorsport Competition, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, next convenes at Oulton Park on May the 10th for Rounds 4 & 5.