Harry Hickton Shows Fighting Spirit At Challenging Donington Park Opener

Harry Hickton endured a frustrating start to the Power Maxed MINI CHALLENGE JCW season at Donington Park this past weekend (18-19 April) as his pace ultimately went unrewarded across three frenetic races.

Embarking on his sophomore season in the popular one-make series, the Mannpower Motorsport driver showcased top-five pace however multiple bouts of contact subsequently cost him the chance of a claiming silverware.

Revealing his striking new livery during what was a competitive outing across Thursday’s two practice sessions, Hickton - who is touted by many as being one to watch this year - continued his front-running form into qualifying on Saturday.

Taking a little while to bed into the session, the 19-year-old began to come alive as the battle for pole position reached its crescendo. He would ultimately go on to secure the fourth fastest time and finish a few tenths of a second shy of top spot.

Second fastest times set the grid for the opening round of the new campaign which meant that the Hampshire racer would start from sixth. In what was a relatively tame affair, Hickton would keep his nose clean and fight his way up a position to finish fifth.

Sunday would sadly see the fortunes of the Hampshire racer change, starting with race two. Lining up third on the grid, the former MINI CHALLENGE Trophy champion was In the lead battle when he sustained a sizeable hit approaching the final chicane.

The aforementioned contact sent Hickton spinning and while he was able to rejoin the fray, he could only fight his way back up to 11th with a hobbled car.

The weekend’s third and final race saw Hickton start from the second row of the grid but like earlier in the day, the rising star found himself on the end of some excessive driving, all of which meant that he tumbled down the order to finish ninth.

Harry Hickton: “If I’m honest it wasn’t the weekend that I had hoped for. We showed some really strong pace during practice and were able to translate that across to qualifying. Knowing that we have that sort of one-lap pace is something to be encouraged by moving forward.

“That being said, when you start up near the front you always hope to come away with some trophies and that wasn’t possible. I don’t think there is too much to say on the driving standards, we’ve felt the brunt of them.

“I’ve got to say a big thank you to the team and my sponsors. It’s a long season so hopefully this is our bogey round and we can bounce back in a big way at Brands Hatch in three weeks time.”

The 2026 Power Maxed MINI CHALLENGE JCW campaign continues at Brands Hatch on 9-10 May.