Mini Challenge UK
{{refimprove|date=June 2020}}
{{short description|British motorsport race}}
{{Infobox motorsport championship
| name = Mini Challenge UK
| logo =
| image-size =
| caption =
| category = One-make racing by Mini
| country/region = {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
| inaugural = 2002
| folded =
| classes = JCW Class
Open Class
Cooper Pro Class
Cooper Am Class
| teams =
| constructors = Mini
| engines =
| tyres = Dunlop
| champion driver = {{flagicon|GBR}} Dan Zelos
| champion team = Excelr8 Motorsport
| website = [http://minichallenge.co.uk Mini Challenge UK]
| current_season = 2023 Mini Challenge UK
| race_director =
}}
The Mini Challenge UK is a one-make race series began in 2002 and since 2020 the JCW and JCW Sport championships have run as a support package to the British Touring Car Championship.
The series umbrella includes multiple classes:
- JCW Class, based on Gen 3 F56 MINI Hatch, target power 255bhp, circa 1170kg with driver{{Cite web |title=Classes |url=https://www.minichallenge.co.uk/the-mini-challenge/classes/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=MINI CHALLENGE |language=en-GB}}
- JCW Sport Class (added 2024), chassis as above but with 225bhp
- Cooper Class (added 2021), with less aggressive chassis modifications and 130bhp
Competition is organised into JCW Championship, JCW Sport Championship, and Cooper Trophy championships. For 2024 the first two will support BTCC for 7 weekends of the calendar and the Cooper Trophy will feature at three of those, with the other four weekends at Truck or BARC events.
There are various Cup competitions within this structure such as Rookie Cup and Graduate Cup.
Throughout the championship's history it established itself as one of the main routes into topline Touring Car racing, and drivers went on to do well in the Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom, British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship. Past and current drivers such as Jeff Smith, Charlie Butler-Henderson, Harry Vaulkhard, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Brett Smith, Paul O'Neill, Nick Foster, Arthur Forster, Stewart Lines, Martin Depper, Chris Smiley and Ant Whorton-Eales.
The cars
=Mini F56 (since 2015)=
Introduced in 2015, the F56 is the first purpose-built race car to race in the championship, a 2-litre turbocharged BMW engine and a 6-speed sequential gearbox means that it is also the most powerful car in the championship with 275{{Nbsp}}bhp.
=Mini R56 (since 2010)=
Introduced in 2010 as the new JCW, it has a 1.6-litre turbocharged BMW engine along with slick tyres and a 6-speed gearbox to produce 220{{Nbsp}}bhp.
=Mini R53 (2004–2010, since 2016)=
Introduced in the third season, the R53 has a 1.6-litre supercharged BMW engine producing 195{{Nbsp}}bhp along with slick tyres and a 6-speed gearbox.
=Mini R50 (since 2013)=
Introduced in 2013 as a replacement for the Cooper's, with slick tyres, a 6-speed gearbox and a 1.6-litre BMW engine producing 135{{Nbsp}}bhp.
=Mini Cooper (2002–2012, since 2017)=
Introduced in the first season, the Cooper is the basic entry-level car with treaded tyres and a 5-speed road gearbox along with an ordinary engine producing 120{{Nbsp}}bhp.
The classes
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:88%" | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan=31| Classes | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#EFEFEF;"
|width=5%|Car | width=3%|2002 | width=3%|2003 | width=3%|2004 | width=3%|2005 | width=3%|2006 | width=3%|2007 | width=3%|2008 | width=3%|2009
|width=3%|2010 | width=3%|2011 | width=3%|2012 | width=3%|2013 | width=3%|2014 | width=5%|2015 | width=5%|2016 | width=5%|2017 | width=5%|2018 | width=5%|2019 |
| colspan= 1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| Mini Cooper
|colspan= 11 style="background:#FFFF00;"| Cooper |colspan= 4 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 3 style="background:#FFD700;"| Cooper Am | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan= 1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| Mini R53
|colspan= 2 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 7 style="background:#FF8C00;"| Cooper S |colspan= 5 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 3 style="background:#32CD32;"| Open |colspan= 1 style="background:#32CD32;"| Cooper S | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan= 1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| Mini R56
|colspan= 8 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 5 style="background:#FF0000;"| JCW |colspan= 1 style="background:#FF8C00;"| JCW |colspan= 3 style="background:#32CD32;"| Open |colspan= 1 style="background:#32CD32;"| Cooper S | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan= 1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| Mini R50
|colspan= 11 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 4 style="background:#FFFF00;"| Cooper |colspan= 3 style="background:#FFFF00;"| Cooper Pro | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan= 1 style="background:#E0E0E0;"| Mini F56
|colspan= 13 style="background:#FFFFFF;"| |colspan= 1 style="background:#FF0000;"| F56 |colspan= 4 style="background:#FF0000;"| JCW | |||||||||||||||||
| style="background:#EFEFEF;"
|width=5%|Car | width=3%|2002 | width=3%|2003 | width=3%|2004 | width=3%|2005 | width=3%|2006 | width=3%|2007 | width=3%|2008 | width=3%|2009
|width=3%|2010 | width=3%|2011 | width=3%|2012 | width=3%|2013 | width=3%|2014 | width=5%|2015 | width=5%|2016 | width=5%|2017 | width=5%|2018 | width=5%|2019 |
Champions
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 80%; text-align:left"
!colspan="3"| Cooper !colspan="2"| Cooper S/ Open (2015–2019) !colspan="2"| JCW !colspan="2"| Open (2016)/ Cooper Am (2017-2019) |
| Season
! Driver ! Team ! Driver ! Team ! Driver ! Team ! Driver ! Team |
|---|
| 2002
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Steve Meli | Mark Fish Motorsport |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" colspan="2"| |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="8" colspan="2"| |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="14" colspan="2"| |
| 2003
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Mark Speller | Mark Fish Motorsport |
| 2004
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Gary Robertshaw | Robertshaw Racing | {{flagicon|GBR}} Martin Wallbank | Mark Fish Motorsport |
| 2005
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Barney Craggs | Sussex Road and Race | {{flagicon|GBR}} Arthur Forster |
| 2006
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Gareth Nixon | Nixon Motorsport | {{flagicon|SWE}} Freddy Nordström | Advent Motorsport |
| 2007
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jenny Ryan | Mark Fish Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Oly Mortimer | Tynecastle Racing |
| 2008
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Graham Parsons | Advent Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Martin Depper |
| 2009
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Luke Caudle | Mark Fish Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Oly Mortimer | Team Formula Racing |
| 2010
| {{flagicon|GBR}} David Ogden | Mark Fish Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lee Allen | Truck Align | {{flagicon|GBR}} Luke Caudle |
| 2011
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Ant Whorton-Eales |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4" colspan="2"| | {{flagicon|GBR}} Chris Knox |
| 2012
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Henry Gilbert | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lee Allen | Truck Align |
| 2013
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Shane Stoney | Coastal Racing | {{flagicon|GBR}} Chris Smiley | IN:MINI |
| 2014
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Shane Stoney | Coastal Racing | {{flagicon|GBR}} Chris Knox |
| 2015
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Nathan Harrison | Coastal Racing | {{flagicon|GBR}} Neil Newstead | Oakfield Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Charlie Butler-Henderson | Oakfield Motorsport |
| 2016
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Max Bladon | {{flagicon|GBR}} Scott Jeffs | Privateer | {{flagicon|GBR}} David Grady | Unitec Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Keith Issatt | Lawrence Davey Racing |
| 2017
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Matt Hammond | {{flagicon|GBR}} Ben Dimmack | Sussex Road and Race | {{flagicon|GBR}} Brett Smith | {{flagicon|GBR}} Stuart McLaren | Hybrid Tune Motorsport |
| 2018
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Kyle Reid | Privateer | {{flagicon|GBR}} Will Fairclough | AReeve Motorsport | {{flagicon|GBR}} Ant Whorton-Eales | JamSport Racing | {{flagicon|GBR}} Alex Nevill | Privateer |
| 2019
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Robert Dalgliesh | Privateer | {{flagicon|GBR}} Dan Butcher-Lloyd | Privateer | {{flagicon|GBR}} James Gornall | Privateer | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lee Pearce | Privateer |
| 2020
|{{flagicon|GBR}} Harry Nunn |AReeve Motorsport | | |{{flagicon|GBR}} Nathan Harrison | | |
| 2021
|{{flagicon|GBR}} Dominic Wheatley |PerformanceTek Racing | | |{{flagicon|GBR}} Dan Zelos |
| 2022
|{{flagicon|GBR}} Nelson King |Graves Motorsport | | |{{flagicon|GBR}} Sam Weller |Hybrid Tune |
| 2023
|{{flagicon|GBR}} Tom Ovenden | | |{{flagicon|GBR}} Dan Zelos |