Words by: Andy Lloyd
Images by: Andy Lloyd / James Roberts Photography / Ffion Noot-Williams / Aimeè-Grace Stevens (Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group) / Isabel Clark / Alex Jackson-Beale (Heriot-Watt)
The 2026 Student Motorsport Competition, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Championship, got underway on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit with a record 19 cars, five new teams and 12 drivers making their debut in the world’s leading motorsport competition providing real-world trackside experience to the next generation of industry professionals.
After a weekend which saw the Competition compete in a format first tested at Silverstone in 2025 – the CityCar Cup grid split into three groups with each group racing twice over the course of three contests – Team Northbrook Racing and driver Richard Jepp left Kent with two overall and class wins under their belt and a three-point lead in the title standings. Second in class after the opening weekend was the #15 Boston College Racing 1 Toyota Aygo driven by Andrew Dyer followed by Jepp’s TNR teammate Jack Wheeler on 32 points.
Qualifying: Wheeler Claims Pole on TNR Debut
The weekend got underway with qualifying and it was Jack Wheeler, making his debut for Emma Norton’s Shoreham-based Team Northbrook Racing squad, who took class pole position and second overall with a 1:03.169 on his sixth lap of 14 whilst BCR1’s Andrew Dyer went second quickest in class with a 1:03.195. Triple SMo title holder Richard Jepp was third quickest, less than a quarter of a second behind Dyer.
Qualifying fourth and fifth in class were Competition debutants George Antoniou, driving for Brooklands Technical College Racing, and JAS/HW Motorsport’s Jenson Jackson. East Surrey College Racing (ESC) saw Carter Steel, who had moved to the team for the 2026 season, qualify sixth in class with Pitlane Development’s Reuben Lowe seventh quickest.
The top ten qualifiers in the Competition class were completed by Waltham Forest College (WFC) Racing’s Harry Sutton, making his car racing debut at Brands Hatch, newcomers Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group’s (NSCG Racing) Luke Sawyer and ESCR1’s Luke Bate.
Alex Foden, driver of the #41 Boston College Racing 1 Citroen C1, incurred a penalty during qualifying which meant that he started from the rear of the grid for his two races.
When the groups were announced for the first race of the weekend, 14 Competition cars were on the grid out of the 19 entered in total. TNR’s Jack Wheeler was second on the overall grid, lining up alongside Alistair May, with teammate Richard Jepp starting from the second row. BTCR’s George Antoniou started fifth overall and third in class with JAS/HW’s Jenson Jackson on the third row.
Pitlane Development’s Reuben Lowe was on the sixth row, one row ahead of WFC Racing’s Harry Sutton. The Competition grid was further complimented by NSCG Racing’s Luke Sawyer, QE Motorsport’s Emilia Vincent, NESCOT’s Elliot Lettis, BTCR’s Luke Power and NSCG Racing’s Jake Gittus. Competition debutants Alex Turner, at the wheel of the #88 QE Motorsports’ Gen II Peugeot 108, and Aby-Jayde Bennett, driving the #8 Paddock Speedshop Citroen C1, completed the 14 SMo starters.
Race One: Jepp’s “Rocket Start” Secures the Win
TNR’s Jepp had a plan going into the start and had quickly passed teammate Jack Wheeler. The South-Coast driver then passed Alistair May for the lead which he then held to the chequered flag. BCR2’s Alex Foden had a spectacular start to his Competition career, making up 20 places and setting the fastest overall lap with 1:02.879.
Richard Jepp was delighted to open his 2026 account with an overall win.
“I already had a game plan from before we started,” he said. “I know Alistair May runs quite loose on the rear end for the first few laps so I knew I had to get the job done early,” he said. “I had a rocket start and managed to get up the inside of Jack and I was already pressing on May. So I got the job done early like I planed and then it was just defending with everything I had.”
Race Two: Dominance Continues for Team Northbrook
Race Two on Sunday for groups B and C saw three of the most experienced CityCar drivers starting at the front of the 26-car grid with TNR2’s Jack Wheeler on overall pole and BCR1’s Andrew Dyer and Race One winner Richard Jepp on the second row.
This time Jepp knew exactly what he had to do and, taking advantage of some wheelspin from his competitors, got to the front after which he had to fight off a hard-charging Andrew Dyer in the #15 Toyota Aygo. Further down the field there was disappointment for Pitlane Development’s Reuben Lowe who suffered a mechanical failure on the warm-up lap and suffered a DNF as a result.
Jepp took the chequered flag just under four seconds ahead of BCR’s Andrew Dyer with teammate Jack Wheeler completing the Competition podium positions, finishing fifth overall. Dyer’s teammate Alex Foden drove another solid race and moved from the back of the grid to finish ninth overall and fourth in class.
WFC Racing’s Harry Sutton showed his promise as a podium contender with a fifth-in-class finish and tenth overall, setting the fastest lap for the Competition rookies with a 1:03.435.
Race Three: Dyer Delivers for BCR as New Faces Find the Podium
The final Competition race took place under bright sunshine and some of the stiffest breezes of the weekend. Andrew Dyer was the class pole-sitter and with Jepp, Wheeler and Foden having driven their two races, the door was open for new faces to enjoy podium success. Dyer’s experience showed through as the Pontcynon-based pilot battled with Alistair May for the overall race win and clinching the Competition victory. However, it was all smiles on the faces of Brooklands Technical College Racing’s George Antoniou and JAS/HW’s Jenson Jackson and their respective teams as they clinched their first podiums on their debuts in the SMo Competition.
Team-by-team Breakdown: Breakthroughs and Resilience
After a highly successful first weekend’s racing in the Student Motorsport, Team Northbrook Racing left the iconic Kent circuit with a narrow lead in the standings. The #65 TNR1 Gen II Peugeot 108 driven by Richard Jepp leads on 40 points while the sister #57 Peugeot 107 piloted by Jack Wheeler lies third on 32 points.
For Richard Jepp, it was the advancement of the skills and experience of the team, led by Emma Norton, that stood out.
“They’re learning more and more, not just about what to do on the car but how to perform checks and adjustments,” he said. “We found some things that were wrong on Sunday morning as we were doing ride height checks just before the race. We actually made two adjustments because we failed our own ride height checks so there was a little bit of panic but that’s the pressured environment of motorsport. This, in turn, gets the learners used to that environment and that’s going to get them through.”
Team Principal Emma Norton was delighted with the team.
“This weekend has been absolutely incredible!” she said. “I am really proud of both drivers and the team has been fantastic. We couldn’t want for more.
“We’ve been busy all year and we didn’t really slow down after the end of last season so there hasn’t been much of an off-season. This weekend has been incredible for the beginning of the season and I hope it stays that way!”
Boston College Racing picked up where they left off in 2025 with a class win and two further podium finishes with their evolved driver lineup. The #15 BCR1 Toyota Aygo driven by Andrew Dyer is currently second in the standings on 37 points while the #41 BCR2 Citroen lies ninth on 19 points, penalty points for Alex Foden’s qualifying infraction pushing the car down the standings. However, nothing can detract from Foden’s pace and it looks highly likely that the #41 car will be challenging for class and overall honours as the season progresses.
“It was a disappointing start for Alex, having to start from the back for both races but to come through the field like he did and the car to come of it unscathed, he’s done extremely well,” said Team Principal Lee Crisp. “The potential is definitely there going forward. We saw his potential last year and I think he’s a great signing for us. Alex has set his mark and people can see that today.
“We’re very happy with Andrew. His car is good and very well prepared and we hope he will bring us a lot of silverware this season.”
Brooklands Technical College Racing could be safely titled the ‘breakthrough’ team of the weekend. Having joined the Competition at the Oulton Park round and having spent last season learning how to develop a race team, Marios Katzis’ squad arrived at Brands Hatch determined to make their mark.
Brooklands alumnus George Antoniou set to work to repay the college’s faith in him and rewarded BTC Racing with a top five finish in class in Race One and a podium in Race Two, leaving the #14 BTCR1 Peugeot fourth in the title standings. Luck, however, was not on the side of teammate Luke Power in the sister #22 entry, recording a DNF in both contests. Power showed evidence, though, of the promise he brings to the team, qualifying 13th in class with a 1:05.444 and improving his best lap time by over .3 of a second in his second race.
For a team with its hub less than two miles from the site of the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, the weekend’s results proved moving for Team Principal Marios Katzis.
“This is the first of many,” he said. “This weekend has been really emotional and is the start of history in the making. We’re bringing Brooklands back to motorsport!”
The season could not have started any better for JAS/HW Motorsports, the team formed from the partnership between Jenson Jackson and Harry Smith’s JAS Autosport and the Heriot-Watt University Motorsport Society. Driver Jenson Jackson had previous experience in the CityCar Cup and used that to qualify the team’s #5 Peugeot 107 fifth in class and 12th overall. A fourth-place finish in class in Race One was improved on with a podium in Race Three, recording the first silverware for the squad.
Jackson’s results mean that the #5 JAS/HW Motorsports entry now lies fifth in class, tied on points with BTCR’s George Antoniou.
For Heriot-Watt’s Mirren Angus, the result vindicated the huge amount of effort that had gone into pre-season preparation..
“It was an incredible weekend. We’re so, so happy,” said Mirren Angus. “Everyone’s in very high spirits after it.
“We were more than hoping that Jenson had the pace to get on the podium in Race Three, especially after the promise that Race One showed. Traffic was a problem in Race One – if we’d had one more lap, we think we might have placed higher in Race One, too.
“We’ve learned a huge amount this weekend and we’re planning on going on from here, learning absolutely everything and continuing on like this!”
East Surrey College endured a frustrating season in 2025 but the opening weekend of 2026 showed that the team, led by Laurence Sait, has a lot of promise. Luke Bate, driver of the #95 ESCR1 Peugeot drove to eighth and fourth place finishes in class and missed out on a Competition podium in Race Three by less than 5.5 seconds. Teammate Carter Steel drove to a strong sixth in class in his first contest but suffered an unfortunate DNF in Race Three. Steel’s pace, however, was improving throughout the weekend and he was nearly half a second quicker in his first race than he was in qualifying.
With the #95 ESCR1 entry now sixth in the Competition standings, the team showed that resilience and grit always pay off and Bate and Steel will surely be potential podium contenders as the season progresses.
Harry Sutton and Waltham Forest College Racing made their racing debut at Brands Hatch and their smartly-presented #96 Citroen was testament to the hard work that Theseus Joseph, Shaun Hines and Surya Suresh had put into making sure the team made the grid for 2026.
After a minor off-track excursion during testing, Sutton belied his rookie status to qualify the #96 car eighth in class and went on to record seventh and fifth place class finishes, lapping just a quarter of second slower than race winner Richard Jepp in the first contest on Sunday morning. WFC Racing left Brands Hatch seventh in the Competition standings and full of confidence for Snetterton in May.
“I’m very happy with the team, the car and our driver,” said a beaming Shaun Hines on Sunday afternoon. “We had some great results and I’m very happy.
“We’ve learned a lot over the weekend such as the importance of good preparation, logistics and making sure you have everything in place. The weekend was a good eye-opener and we really appreciated everything.”
QE Motorsport, led by Helen Snuggs and Elizabeth Smith-Dodsworth, displayed two very smartly presented Gen II Peugeot 108s with drivers Emilia Vincent and partner, and rookie driver, Alex Turner ready to contest the 2026 season.
Emilia Vincent qualified the #174 car 12th in class while Alex Turner, on his first competitive track outing, lapped in 1:08.120, an impressive result with 40 cars out on the 1.21 miles of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Vincent brought the #174 car Peugeot home ninth in Race One and fifth in the final CityCar Cup race of the weekend, improving her qualifying time by nearly three-quarters of a second in the process.
Alex Turner was lapping 1.4 seconds a lap quicker than he qualified when an unfortunate contact in his final race resulted in a non-finish. QE Motorsport left Brands Hatch with the #174 car eighth in the class standings and the opportunity to continue building confidence and experience when the Competition visits Snetterton.
City College Norwich, led by Leon Wilde, had their work cut out at Brands Hatch with an engine change required over the course of the weekend. Despite the challenges, drivers Ollie Anslow and Sean Feehan finished both their races with top seven finishes in class in their second outings so must leave Kent full of confidence that the team can compete for class honours in 2026.
Anslow, driving the #444 Citroen, qualified at the rear of grid but went on to finish 11th in class in his first race with a quickest lap time of 1:05.274 and improved to sixth for his final race, bettering his quickest lap time by nearly three-quarters of a second. The #444 CCN Motorsport 1 entry is currently 10th in the standings.
Sean Feehan also had a solid weekend. The rookie qualified at the rear of the field but steadily improved his lap times over his two races by over 2.3 seconds. More experience will see this young pilot moving up the field as the season progresses.
Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG Racing) were a further team making their Student Motorsport Competition debut at Brands Hatch. The squad, led by Andy Stevens and supported by Media Manager Aimeè-Grace Stevens, was represented by drivers Luke Sawyer and Jake Gittus, both also making their Competition debuts in 2026.
Both drivers recorded top eleven finishes in class across both their races with Sawyer finishing 10th and seventh in the #34 Toyota Aygo and Gittus recording 11th and 10th place finishes. The team moves on to Snetterton currently 11th and 14th in the Competition standings.
For Aimeè-Grace Stevens, the story of the weekend for NSCG Racing was one of determination and teamwork.
“The teamwork at Brands Hatch this past weekend was on another level,” she said. “From the moment we arrived, the team faced serious challenges with the #12 car of Jake Gittus showing up without gears or brakes. But through pure determination and serious teamwork, the issues were tackled head-on. Every single student represented NSCG Racing with maturity, enthusiasm and professionalism.
“The drivers took to the track, stayed focused on maintaining their positions rather than solely gaining and communicated amazingly to the team what they needed changing to help them do so. We have changes for the cars lined up and can’t wait to take to Snetterton next month!”
For Pitlane Development, it was a weekend of two halves with driver Reuben Lowe, at the start of his racing career, finishing sixth in class in his first contest but suffering an unfortunate mechanical failure at the start of his second race resulting in a DNF.
The team, led by Pitlane Development founder and ex-F1 and GT mechanic Ollie Walsh, was staffed by work experience candidates and the very smartly presented #25 Peugeot 107 was a credit to the work that both team and driver had put into preparing for the 2026 season.
Reuben Lowe, supported by P1 Productions, lapped in 1:04.080 to qualify seventh in class and in the top half of the 40-car grid. Race One saw Lowe putting in a 1:03.663 on his eighth lap to finish 14th overall and sixth in class on his Competition debut.
Team Principal Ollie Walsh was delighted with the team’s first outing in the SMo Competition.
“Overall it was a fantastic start to the season,” he said. “With a brand new team, new driver and new Competition for us, I think we showed the paddock how we intend to operate going forward. Although Sunday was disappointing, there were so many positives to take away fron the weekend.”
NESCOT College Racing opened their 2026 account with two top nine finishes. Elliot Lettis, who joined the team last season, lapped the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in 1:05.195 to qualify 11th in class and 29th overall before finishing eighth in class in his first race and ninth in Race Two. The team will travel to Snetterton currently 12th in class.
Team Principal George Keith knows how to compete for wins in the Student Motorsport Competition, having narrowly missed out on the title in its opening season in 2022. As a result, expect to see the distinctive #3 Citroen C1 moving up the Competition grid as the season progresses.
Paddock Speedshop, also making their Competition debut at Brands Hatch, enjoyed a solid weekend in Kent with ex-Autograss racer Aby-Jayde Bennett gaining in confidence with every lap. Bennett put in a 1:08.445 to qualify 16th in class and improved her best lap time by over a second to record 13th and 12th place finishes in class.
Paddock Speedshop owner and Team Principal Craig Blake-Jones was delighted at how both team and driver had performed for their first weekend in the Competition.
“We had a great weekend,” he said. “For Aby it was the first time circuit racing and the first time on tarmac so there was a lot of getting used to the car which I thought she did great. The car’s gone back on the trailer exactly the same as it came out which always makes me happy!
“Brands Hatch isn’t the easiest track for novices but I thought everyone raced brilliantly. It was good fun, we’ve had a good weekend and Aby’s done very well so onwards and upwards!”
For Student Motorsport founder and Competition organiser John Paul ‘JP’ Latham, the weekend was a great success.
“It was fantastic to see the Student Motorsport Competition paddock re-assembled after the long winter break and to welcome so many new teams and drivers, “ he said. “As ever, the weekend offered up its usual challenges for many teams and that is what makes the Competition so relevant – it allows learners to experience what the real-world motorsport industry is all about and adds immense value to their CVs.
“Congratulations to Team Northbrook Racing and Boston College Racing, our winners this weekend. I am sure, with the talent, determination and hard work within our paddock, we shall see many teams competing for wins in 2026 so I am looking forward to another exciting and highly competitive season.
“Huge thanks go out to our supporters and commercial partners who make these weekends, and this Competition, possible, including the BRSCC, Motorsport UK, Nankang Tyres, Acorn Printing Services (MHR Teamwear), Raceparts and Racecar Engineering.
“ We can’t wait to go racing again at Snetterton in May and enjoy more exciting on-track action in Norfolk!”
The Student Motorsport Competition, part of the BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Competition, races next at Snetterton on May 9th and 10th. All Student Motorsport Competition standings are provisional until confirmed by the BRSCC.