F1000 ace Matt Higginson is at the top of the Autosport National Rankings table as we begin our weekly updates for the 2026 season.
Higginson has taken seven victories to date at the wheel of his Jedi, a treble at Silverstone last weekend moving him to the top of the leaderboard.
We traditionally wait until at least 50 drivers have scored three wins or more before publishing our National Rankings table – over the weekend just passed, that figure exploded from the low forties to 61 as the national and club racing season kicks into gear.
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 Legends heat to the British Grand Prix.
Lancastrian Higginson is a multiple 750 Motor Club champion, but he started his season by taking in the opening Monoposto triple-header – also at Silverstone – and taking victory in all three races. He then picked up one win in the F1000 curtain raiser at Brands Hatch, to the two of Tom Westworth, before his steamroller last weekend.
Higginson’s latest successes knocked Junior Saloons title favourite Ollie Smith from the top of the tree. Smith started his season perfectly with three wins at Donington Park before earning a further pair at Cadwell Park, then added one more at Croft. The three races he hasn’t topped have been won by Max Scharfegger, who sneaks in at the bottom of our top 50.
Connor Kay
Photo by: Steve Jones
Completing the top three is Connor Kay, who has been an ever-increasing force in 1960s sportscar machinery in recent seasons. He has used Lotus Elan 26R, MG Midget and TVR Tuscan to notch up his six wins, his most recent success coming with a shared drive in the Pall Mall Cup at Donington’s historic festival at the beginning of May.
More Monoposto representation comes from George Line in his Formula 3 Dallara in fourth place. He has enjoyed the biggest average grid size (our tiebreaker when drivers are equal on victories) of those on five wins to head Ginetta Junior standout Lewis Goff, Sports 2000 king Michael Gibbins, Miata Trophy man-to-beat James Cossins, and Legends pair Aaron Cooke and Chris Needham.
Keep on eye too on drivers from the British Touring Car Championship. That series’ addition of a fourth race at each event has helped points leader Ash Sutton into an early 19th place following his pair of victories at Brands Hatch last weekend.
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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