Reigning Mini Challenge Clubsport champion Oli Willmott is on a roll in 2026 too – and into the top 10 of the Autosport National Rankings for this week.
The Swiss-based snow sports man and ex-Britcar racer started the season with a triple win with his Cooper S at Brands Hatch in the R56 class, which fights out overall victories in the Clubsport series. And he added a further pair of victories last weekend at Thruxton. Only an uncharacteristic fourth place in the middle race of the three at the Hampshire circuit prevented a rise to second place in the Rankings. As things stand, Willmott is up 31 positions to eighth in the table.
Willmott is one of those who sits on five race wins for the 2026 season, two adrift of Rankings-topping F1000 ace Matt Higginson.
The Autosport National Rankings is based on the simple premise of who wins the most races across the British and Irish car racing season, with each carrying equal weight – from a Modsports race at Knockhill to last weekend’s Citroen C1-based 24 hours at Silverstone.
Willmott is the only upwards mover in the Rankings top 10 for this week, but just outside that top echelon are a host of drivers on the climb.
Craig Ewing, the man to beat in Northern Ireland’s Modi-5 series for Mk1 Mazda MX-5s, was another to encounter a rare defeat at the annual Bishopscourt race weekend, but he took class honours in the other race – the Japanese machines were combined with Irish Touring Cars and Historics to form a bigger grid. That moves him up 12 places to 13th.
Ethan Hall
Photo by: Jonathan Mills
Will Sharpe, the form man in the MG Owners’ Club’s class for older cars with his Midget, was another to be denied. OK, he won his class in both races at Oulton Park, but the first of them could not quite muster the requisite six cars in class for the win to be registered in the Rankings. That restricts Sharpe to 14th, albeit up 17 places in the table.
Adam Morrison is on fine form in his class in Scottish Modsports this term, and a double win at Knockhill marks him out as the highest new entry to the Rankings top 50 this week in 15th place. He is one spot in front of Scottish Legends ace Michael Weddell, whose two victories at the same venue also elevate him into the top 50.
Some way adrift of this pair is the next highest-placed new face in the top 50. Ethan Hall scored twice at Snetterton to remain unbeaten this season in the Porsche Club’s Boxster Cup, and this puts him in 28th position.
Autosport National Rankings
| Pos | Driver (Car) | Overall | Class | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Higginson (Jedi Mk6/7) | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | Ollie Smith (Citroen Saxo VTR) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Connor Kay (Lotus Elan 26R/MG Midget/TVR Tuscan) | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | George Line (Dallara F308) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Lewis Goff (Ginetta G40 Junior Evo) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Michael Gibbins (MCR S2n) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | James Cossins (Mazda MX-5 Mk3) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Aaron Cooke (Legends Ford Coupe) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Chris Needham (Legends Ford Coupe) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Rich Hockley (Honda) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Luke Cooper (Swift SC20/Swift SC92) | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Richard Jepp (Peugeot 108) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Gary Pearson (Lister-Jaguar/Jaguar XK120 Mistral/Jaguar E-type) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Tom Ovenden (Mini F56 JCW) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Jordan Pimley (Mazda MX-5 Mk1) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 16= | Corey Webber (Honda Civic) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 16= | Adam Sparrow (Mazda MX-5 Mk1) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 18 | Jordan Dempsey (Medina Sport BH23) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 19 | Ash Sutton (Ford Focus Titanium) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 20 | Richard Davies (Caterham 7 Roadsport) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 21= | Tyler Read (Legends Ford Coupe) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 21= | Michelle Hayward (Phantom P82TR) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 | Callum Grant (Van Diemen/March 79B) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 24 | Aydan Hassan (BMW 1 Series F20/F21) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 25= | Craig Ewing (Mazda MX-5 Mk1) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 25= | Greg Jenkins (Rover Mini) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 27 | Mike Jenvey (Jenvey-Gunn TS6) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 | Simon Hill (Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk5) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 29 | Hugh Simpson (MG Midget) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 30 | Harrison Morrow (Reynard 92FF) | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 31 | Will Sharpe (MG Midget) | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 32 | Aaron Chalk (Citroen DS3 1.6VTi) | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 33 | Dara McInerney (Ford Fiesta Zetec S) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Paul Cook (BMW M3 E46) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Brian Thornton (Caterham 7 270R) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 | Paul Oggelsby (Caterham 7 270R) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 37= | Joe Marshall (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 37= | Leon Morrell (Radical PR6) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Oli Willmott (Mini Cooper S) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 40 | Rudi Friedrichs (Alvis Firefly Special/Cooper T53) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 41 | William Antrobus (Mazda MX-5 Mk3/Ginetta G56 GTP) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 42= | William Harris (Caterham 7 310R) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 42= | Oli Schlup (Legends Ford Coupe) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 44 | Nathan Boyle (Hyundai Coupe) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 45 | Thomas Langford (Mazda MX-5 Mk3) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 46= | Bob Barron (Honda Civic EG) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 46= | Neven Kirkpatrick (Classic Mini 1275) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 48 | Steve Dance (Ford Capri RS3100) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 49= | Max Scharfegger (Citroen Saxo VTR) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 49= | David Lawrence (SEAT Leon Cupra) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 49= | Callum Voisin (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
All car races in UK and Ireland are included except qualification/repechage, consolation and handicap races. No races in other countries. Class wins are only counted when there are at least six starters in the class, except: when the race is part of a multi-stage event where six or more have taken part in earlier heats that feed into a semi-final or final; when multiple championships are merged in the same race, the ‘overall’ winner from the slower championship can count a class win as long as that championship has at least 10 starters across all classes. Only classes divided by car characteristics are included, not those divided by driver characteristics such as ability, professional status, age, experience (for example rookie or pro-am classes). Each race counts only once, so an overall winner’s class win is not added. Where there is a tie, overall wins take precedence. Where there is still a tie, average grid size for a driver’s wins determines the order.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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