Harry Hickton Cruelly Denied Maiden MINI JCW Win At Knockhill

Harry Hickton came oh-so close to claiming a first-ever win in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE JCW this past weekend (16-17 August) at Knockhill, only to have it snatched away from him through no fault of his own.

The Mannpower Motorsport driver once again underlined his class as the one-make series took centre stage in Scotland however the 19-year-old was left to wonder what might have been despite tallying a hat-trick of top-five finishes and a Rookie Cup win.

Arriving at the Fife venue having enjoyed his best weekend of the season last time out at Croft, Hickton was immediately on the pace around the undulating 1.27-mile track during Friday’s free practice sessions as he worked to fine-tune his set-up.

Come qualifying on Saturday morning, last year’s MINI CHALLENGE Trophy title winner managed both traffic and track limits to punch in a string of impressive lap times to secure a spot on the deep inside the top ten.

Race one proved to be one of attrition for the Hampshire-based racer as he found himself in the thick of a multi-car battle for the outright lead. Running as high as third at one stage, the talented teenager narrowly missed out on the podium but did manage to claim Rookie Cup honours.

The weekend’s second bout ran in a similar vein as Hickton again battled tooth-and-nail towards the sharp end of the grid. Enjoying a number of close-quarter duels, Hickton continued his impressive run of form by snaring fifth place at the chequered flag.

It would be race three where the second-generation racer saw his chances of a breakthrough result sadly slip through his fingers.

Starting fifth, the JCW rookie quickly made up two positions on the opening tour and then just a few laps later he produced a remarkable overtake at Duffus Dip to go from third to first in one fell swoop.

Once out front, Hickton looked in complete control and was on course to clinch what would have been a maiden JCW win before he was unceremoniously wiped out of contention by second-place man Nathan Edwards at the hairpin.

With his car severely hobbled, Hickton put the frustration of the moment behind him to dig deep and salvage fifth place, however it could have been so much more.

Harry Hickton: “I’m absolutely gutted! That first win or even podium was there for the taking and due to a major error from another driver we’ve effectively come away with very little to show for the pace and promise that we showed.

“That not only would have been my first-ever win in but it would have been a first for the team in the JCWs as well so I’m equally as gutted for them. They’ve given me an incredible car all weekend so a massive thank you to every single member of the Mannpower crew.

“If you’re to find a positive I guess it shows just how far we’ve come that I’m heading home feeling a little disappointed with three top-five finishes and a Rookie Cup win. We’ve had phenomenal speed which is really encouraging heading into the final few events.

“There are two rounds left now so it will be full focus on making sure we rock up to Silverstone and Brands Hatch GP ready to contend for more top results. I’m fired up to make sure I bounce back in style!”

The Vertu MINI CHALLENGE JCW next heads to the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, for the penultimate event of the 2025 campaign on the 20-21 September.