Achieving a hat-trick of wins in a category with a reputation for frenetic action like the Mini Challenge Trophy is no mean feat. Prior to Rhys Hurd’s treble triumph at Donington Park last weekend, the previous driver to complete a clean sweep was Nelson King back in 2022. But what made Hurd’s success all the more remarkable was the fact he started each race from outside the top five.
The Westbourne driver was also only making his second appearance of the season having been unable to secure the budget for the full campaign, but he certainly did his future prospects no harm with a series of impressive displays.
He only qualified eighth for the opener but was up to third within four laps before dispatching Henry Smith at McLeans, then disposing reigning champion Alex Keens from the lead on the inside of the Melbourne Hairpin on lap seven of 11 to begin the weekend in style as Keens was shuffled back to fifth.
Hurd’s chances of a repeat in race two appeared slim when he drew out a starting place of ninth on the reversed grid and a red flag – for a dramatic crash for Smith at the Fogarty Esses – reduced the time for him to make progress. The restart consisted of only three racing laps but it was still enough for Hurd to surge from fifth to the lead, with another move at the Melbourne Hairpin on pre-event points leader Matt Luff proving decisive.
Reigning champion Keens now enjoys a narrow points lead over Luff
Photo by: JEP
“I’m speechless,” said Hurd of another unexpected victory. “I knew I had the pace but, as soon as the red flag came out, I knew it was going to be tricky to get on the podium. I got two out of Redgate and just got into the tow of Matt.”
Luff had title considerations on his mind, especially after struggled to nail the right set-up for qualifying so was only 10th on the grid in the opener and progressed to seventh. He was therefore eager to outscore Graves Motorsport team-mate Keens in race two. “The important thing was to finish ahead of Alex – I’m not too worried about wins,” explained Luff.
But he was back behind his rival in the finale as Keens finished third while Luff was only sixth – again a legacy of his qualifying troubles – all of which has now given Keens an eight-point advantage.
However, their battle was just a subplot at an event that was all about Hurd. He grabbed the race-three lead at mid-distance with a Coppice pass on Keens to finish his weekend unbeaten. “I’ve missed it not being in the car for nine months,” Hurd said of his layoff prior to returning last time out at Thruxton. It seems he is certainly making up for lost time.
Head shakes up the Caterham contenders with a hat-trick
Multiple champion Head (r) battled his way to victory each time at his first event of the season
Photo by: JEP
Hurd was not the only hat-trick hero at Donington as Aaron Head also enjoyed triple Caterham Seven Championship UK glory as the category made its second 2026 appearance on the British Touring Car bill.
A healthy grid of 20 drivers were in action in Leicestershire with several former stars tempted back to the fray, including three-time champion Head. But, just like Hurd, Head also endured a tricky qualifying. “I tapped my team-mate and broke the radiator so only did four laps,” he explained of his lowly eighth-place start. “It’s been a year since I’ve raced so I was like, ‘Let’s see if I’ve still got it.’”
It was not long before Head answered that question emphatically and was part of the opener’s lead group, aided by an early safety car. Points leader Taylor O’Flanagan led initially before being jumped at the Esses by Justin Armstrong. But his lead was brief as he picked up a puncture in the frantic battling, giving son Matt the advantage, before Head moved in front at Redgate on lap seven of 12. He was then just about able to keep Charlie Lower behind to the finish.
That pair had another close fight in race two with Head sealing the win through the Craner Curves on the final tour as reigning champion Matt Armstrong also demoted Lower. But Head joked that his third triumph was “boring” as he broke clear after a safety car period following a frightening crash for fellow returnee Stephen Lyall on the run to the Esses having touched wheels with Louis Darling.
Van Langendonck’s absence overshadows British F4 weekend
Points leader was rapid during Thursday testing but was then banned from racing
Photo by: JEP
The Donington British Formula 4 weekend was more notable for what happened off the track than events on it as points leader Dries Van Langendonck was forced onto the sidelines.
The McLaren junior had accumulated 12 penalty points on his licence earlier in the year but it was only on Friday that he was formally handed his one-event ban. However, fifth, second and third placed results for nearest rival Lewis Wherrell (JHR Developments) were not quite enough for him to overcome the Belgian’s advantage with the Rodin driver still enjoying a four-point lead heading to Croft next month.
In terms of the racing, the utterly processional opener was led throughout by Thruxton winner Jaber Alsabah (Xcel Motorsport), who scored back-to-back triumphs after jumping polesitter Tommy Harfield at the start. Hitech’s Red Bull Junior Scott Kin Lindblom then achieved his maiden success in the partially reversed-grid second contest, having also grabbed the lead off the line.
The finale featured two safety car periods and a red flag amid myriad maladies, one of which included Harfield tangling with Ethan Jeff-Hall when contesting the lead at McLeans. Virtuosi’s George Proudford-Nalder was declared the winner on a weekend when there was little virtuous to say.
Voisin again victorious in Carrera Cup
Century Motorsport racer was again unstoppable and now enjoys commanding points lead
Photo by: JEP
Unlike the other categories that featured clean sweeps at Donington, there was never really any doubting Callum Voisin’s double Porsche Carrera Cup GB success.
The Century Motorsport driver continued his march towards a likely title with another pair of wins from pole, only a slightly wide moment at Coppice in the second race briefly causing concern – but also serving to demonstrate how the Porsche GB Junior was continuing to push.
It looked like Isaac Phelps’s charge up from eighth would net Century a 1-2 in race two, but he was demoted a place back behind Will Jenkins for an overly optimistic tap at Goddards with four minutes remaining that sent the Team Parker racer wide.
Jenkins’s road to runner-up spot in the opener was not straightforward either. He had lost out to Graves Motorsport’s Sid Smith into Redgate at the start and it took him until the 16th lap of 19 to finally regain the place through the Craner Curves in a move that started at the Melbourne Hairpin on the previous tour. Jenkins’s team-mate Jack Sherwood also dived up the inside of Smith at Coppice on the last lap to snare the final spot on the podium.
Smith had been on course for a podium in the opener until Jenkins and Sherwood attacked late on
Photo by: JEP
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– The Autosport.com Team
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