Silverstone National Showdown: Team Northbrook Racing Consolidates Lead in Dramatic Double-Header

Words by: Andy Lloyd – Head of Media

Images by: Bernice Bradley – Photography Lead

Jepp and Dyer split victories on a weekend defined by high-pressure student engineering, professional paddock seminars and crucial future collaborations.

TNR1 Weathers the Storm to Hold Competition Advantage

The battle for the 2026 Student Motorsport Competition intensified at Silverstone, as rounds five and six delivered relentless on-track drama around the 1.64-mile National Circuit. Competing within the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, Team Northbrook Racing 1 (TNR1) successfully consolidated its position at the top of the title standings.

Driver Richard Jepp guided the Shoreham Airport-based squad’s #65 Peugeot 108 to a masterful class victory in Race One, backed by a resilient second-place finish in Race Two. The opening race triumph marked a season’s fifth win in class for Emma Norton’s squad. TNR1 departed Northamptonshire on 61 points (accounting for dropped scores), holding a narrow three-point cushion over chief rivals Boston College Racing 1 (BCR1) and driver Andrew Dyer.

 

Rounding out the Competition title standing’s top three was the #5 JAS/HW Motorsports Peugeot 107. Driver Jenson Jackson delivered a remarkably consistent weekend, picking up crucial points with seventh- and fifth-place finishes across the two 15-minute contests to leave Silverstone on 48 points.

Qualifying: Dyer Sets the Baseline as 16 Competition Entries Take to the Grid

The weekend adopted a revised, standard double-header format, bringing the entire CityCar Cup grid. Qualifying unfolded under pristine conditions, though the Competition grid was reduced to 16 entries following the unfortunate withdrawal of the #21 East Surrey College Racing Peugeot 107, which sustained severe damage during a practice session incident. Driver Carter Steel was thankfully uninjured but took no further part in the weekend.

BCR1’s Andrew Dyer made an immediate statement, hooking up a superb 1:18.712 on his fifth flying lap to claim both overall and class pole. He was joined on the front row by teammate Alex Foden in the sister #42 BCR2 Citroen C1. TNR1’s Jepp secured third in class, while Waltham Forest College (WFC) Racing’s Harry Sutton celebrated his finest qualifying performance of the year, sealing the seventh-fastest time overall.

TNR2’s Jack Wheeler, Brooklands Technical College Racing’s (BTCR) Luke Bate, teammate George Antoniou and JAS/HW Autosport’s Jenson Jackson filled the next four qualifying spots in class followed by Pitlane Development’s (PLD) Reuben Lowe, NESCOT Racing’s Elliot Lettis, BTCR2’s Luke Power, QE Motorsport’s (QEM) Emilia Vincent and CCN1’s Isaiah Egwuagu, making his qualifying debut.

Paddock Speedshop’s (PS) Aby Bennett, CCN2’s Sean Feehan and QEM2’s Alex Turner completed the Competition qualifiers.

Race 1: Paddock Thrillers, Pitlane Triumphs and Heartbreak

The drama began before the green flag even waved as the interval between Qualifying and Race One was pushed forward by 40 minutes, catching teams by surprise. Compounding the pressure, City College Norwich discovered a problem with one of its fuel tanks, caused by a failed exhaust shielding. In a magnificent display of teamwork under the demands of a tight schedule, Leon Wilde’s squad executed a rapid fuel tank swap, getting the car to the grid on time – a massive credit to the students’ resolve and professionalism.

 

When the lights went out, Richard in a duel with BCR2’s Alex Foden, ultimately beating the Citroen to the chequered flag by less than a tenth of a second. Harry Sutton secured third, netting a historic first-ever Competition podium for the North East London-based Waltham Forest College squad in their debut season.

Conversely, it was a race of attrition for others. QEM’s Emilia Vincent suffered a brief loss of control at Brooklands and was swept up a fellow competitor, resulting in a DNF. BTCR2’s Luke Power joined her on the sidelines on lap seven with engine gremlins. Proving the true spirit of the Competition, the QEM students immediately got to work on the damaged Peugeot and successfully repaired it for the second race.

Championship contender Andrew Dyer faced, from the sidelines, what appeared to be a mysterious drop in performance, finishing a season low fifth in class. A post-race strip-down revealed a broken gear linkage that had left the BCR1 driver stuck in third gear for the second half of the race.

 

Joining their drivers for the podium presentation, kindly hosted by Tom Pledger of P1 Productions, were Alex Hatcher (Team Northbrook Racing), Troy Clark (Boston College Racing) and Shawn Hines (Waltham Forest College)

Race 2: Dyer Bounces Back as Vincent Delivers Drive of the Day

Race Two delivered an equally competitive narrative. On lap nine, BCR2’s Alex Foden suffered terminal front-end damage, ending his podium hopes. BTCR1’s George Antoniou was also forced to retire the #14 Peugeot after 10 laps for safety reasons due to fluid leakage; although later revealed to be benign washer fluid rather than coolant, the cautious call was entirely justified. CCN2’s Sean Feehan also registered a DNF following wheel arch damage from track contact.

Luke Power in the #22 BTCR2 Peugeot was back out after the team’s students had worked to midnight to install a new engine, resuming work at 6.00am in order to have Power back in the fray for Race Two. Team Principal Marios Katzis was immensely proud of his learners who had ‘refused to quit’ in the face of an extremely difficult situation.

 

At the front, Andrew Dyer maximised his repaired gear linkage to storm to his second SMo victory of the season; taking the chequered flag 4.5 seconds clear of Richard Jepp. WFC’s Harry Sutton capped off a dream weekend for the debutant squad – led by Shawn Hines, Surya Suresh and Theseus Joseph – by collecting his second podium trophy.

Drive of the Day: The undisputed star of Race Two was Emilia Vincent. Starting from the absolute back of the grid due to her Race One DNF, the QE Motorsport driver sliced through the field with precision and determination, making up 14 places overall and six in class to finish a magnificent 10th in class. It stands as one of the greatest recovery drives in the history of the Competition.

 

Again, joining their respective drivers for the podium presentation, hosted by P1 Production’s Tom Pledger, was Callum Wilkinson (Boston College Racing), Bobby Williams (Team Northbrook Racing) and Shawn Hines (Waltham Forest College).

Beyond the Track: Industry Seminars and Future Grid Expansion

The Silverstone paddock was a hive of commercial and educational activity away from the pit lane. Ollie Walsh, founder of Pitlane Development, hosted a highly attended career seminar in the PLD awning. With Team Northbrook Racing making exceptional use of the opportunity, the session provided practical advice on navigating corporate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and standing out to recruiters. The presentation was so well received that Walsh now plans to make these seminars a permanent fixture of the paddock, with the next iteration slated for Croft.

 

The Competition was also privileged to welcome BTCC Race Engineer Craig Porley to the paddock. With over two decades of high-level industry experience spanning Xtrac and Red Bull Racing, Porley spent Saturday evaluating the Competition alongside Series Organiser John Paul ‘JP’ Latham and Boston College Racing Team Principal Lee Crisp. Interviewed by the media team’s Isabel Clark for an upcoming YouTube feature, Porley revealed his visit was aimed at establishing a potential grid entry for 2027 – with discussions already pivoting toward a potential guest entry later this season, subject to BRSCC approval.

 

Highlighting the unique camaraderie of the Competition, an increasing trend of inter-team collaboration was evident, exemplified by a recent technical workshop visit by Waltham Forest College to Boston College’s facilities.

Additionally, Robert Stanger for East Surrey College introduced Kerry Neary, founder of the Girls in Sport directory app, laying the groundwork for a possible future collaboration. Waltham Forest College’s Theseus Joseph also brought a cohort of ten engineering students to sample the paddock environment firsthand, ensuring a steady pipeline of fresh talent for future campaigns.

 

 

Next Stop: The North Beckons

The Student Motorsport Competition extend its sincere gratitude to its vital partners and supporters: the BRSCC, Nankang Tyre UK, MHR Teamwear, Bernice Bradley Photography, Tuff-Tile Ltd, Motorsport UK and Runyourfleet.com.

The grid will assemble next at the high-speed Croft Circuit for the first highly anticipated triple-header of the 2026 season on July the 11th and 12th.