MINI CHALLENGE GETS A BIG BREAK
ALL-ACTION RACERS TO JOIN BTCC SCHEDULE
As predicted in last week’s Motorsport News, the Mini Challenge revealed at Autosport International that it would replace the Renault UK Clio Cup on the British Touring Car Championship support package.
The move had been rumoured for some time and it is something that series chief, ex-competitor and team boss Antony Williams has been working on for a while, describing it as a “defining moment” for the series.
Having been in existence since 2002, Williams took over the series in 2013 and in recent years it has supported the British GT Championship, with grids rising in its various categories to the point where the series has effectively merged into two grids.
The top class features the JCW Mini Cooper S F56, with 256bhp on tap, it’s what Williams likes to call a “Mini touring car”, making its jump to the BTCC support-package that bit more relevant than the Clio it replaces. It regularly gets upward of 25 entries per round. And last year the title was won by an EX-BTCC racer, Ant Whorton Eales.
Its other main grid (there’s also another smaller standalone one for the older Cooper S) provides a feeder series, with Cooper Am and Pro categories yielding another 20+ entries at most rounds. It will also get two rounds supporting the BTCC while the JCWS will get the lion’s share with eight rounds to itself. It’s a ginormous step for the championship, taking on the increased spectators, TV coverage and publicity that TOCA offers.
“It is for sure a defining moment,” says Williams. “As Alan Gow [BTCC boss] often says, it is the only show in town.
“It has unrivalled media coverage, unrivalled pedigree, unrivalled exposure for drivers and teams alike.
“It is something I’ve been working on for a few years. Alan is a loyal guy and ultimately until Renault decided it didn’t want to be there, there was no slot for us. We did a very good job of running the championship on the British GT package, they have been very good to us, I would recommend other championships to seriously consider that.”
What the announcement has done is put the series in what could be described as a holding pattern, with 2019 JCWS again supporting the British GT Championship, for one last time.
Onlookers might be forgiven for thinking that entries may drop or stagnate this year for that very reason, but a shrewd move by the organiser could actually see the series boost its entries for 2019, in anticipation of its step up in 2020.
“Based on the unprecedented number of enquiries we’ve received at Autosport International, I think that we are looking at being over subscribed in 2020,” adds Williams. “We’ve had a significant number enquiring about 2019 too.
“The people who race in 2019 will get first refusal in entries for 2020. In addition to that, we’re also going to be offering competitors who enter in the 2019 season a 20 per cent discount on their 2020 entry fee, and even more discount for teams that have been around for many seasons to reward the loyalty they have given me. There’s up to a 35 per cent discount on offer.”
A possible reduction in the amount of testing allowed for 2020 could also encourage more entries in the JCWS, as teams hoping to hit the ground running that year will have to do rounds in 2019 to prepare. So 2019’s interim year could yet see the series grow even further.
One thing the series has regularly done to help improve entries and promote the category is to put ‘star’ drivers in a Dunlop guest car.
BTCC racewinner and now ITV4 commentator, Paul O’neill, has done multiple rounds in the series and describes it in his unique manner.
“They’re just awesome,” says O’neill. “It’s probably the most difficult front-wheel-drive car I’ve ever driven. They’re really stiff, keep you on your toes and it reminds me of the Chevrolet Cruze S2000 [BTCC car]. Stiff and they want to do their own thing.
“There’s too many front-wheeldrive cars now that are numb to drive, because they have a wider track. With the Mini it’s the opposite and you have to be really careful, which I think is excellent.
“The competition at the front is immense. I’m really happy it’s supporting the BTCC and I’d love to do a round of it while it’s on the TOCA package.”
The only way the JCW series has stumbled in recent years is with a few instances of driving standards issues. O’neill explains: “The only issue I have and I’ve voiced my opinion on this to the drivers as Rob Collard has before, there are a few too many red flags in the series.
“It improved towards the end of the year, but because the cars don’t heat the rear tyres up very quickly, it’s tough to handle the cars at full-pace early in the race. I have to say though, the drivers were really receptive to feedback.”
Driving standards is a touchy subject, but what must be remembered is that this series is not on the BTCC support package yet. No doubt when it is, it will attract a higher calibre of driver and team, and standards will inevitably rise. The current series features many more drivers who are competing for fun than the current Renault UK Clio Cup does, because of the relative stature of the two series.
There’s no major plans to make car changes to the JCW for 2019, and the current car will be in use until at least 2025. That means the series doesn’t have to replace its car so regularly as other manufacturer- backed single-make series often have to do.
Make no mistake, 2019 isn’t a write off year for the Mini Challenge. It has big boots to fill replacing the mighty Clio Cup in 2020, but the ingredients are there to make it a mainstay in the shadow of British Touring Cars. ■