Harry Hickton Signs Off 2026 Season With Brands Hatch Podium

Harry Hickton closed out his 2026 Power Maxed MINI CHALLENGE JCW season in style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 10-11) as he charged onto the podium.

Bringing the curtain down on a rollercoaster season in the competitive one-make series, Hickton saved his best till last as he showed his fighting to spirit to net third place in what was a frenetic finale.

Arriving at the legendary Kent circuit very much as the series’ in-form driver, the 20-year-old wasted no time in dialling in his front-wheel-drive machine across Friday’s trio of practice sessions.

Qualifying on Saturday proved to be somewhat of a chaotic affair with multiple incidents and red flag stoppages leading to discussions between teams and organisers as to how the grids would be set.

Unfortunately, the grid for race one lined up as per the result of race three at Silverstone, which meant that Hickton was forced to start towards the rear of the field, having been a retiree from that contest.

Making one of his textbook fast starts as the red lights went out, the Hampshire racer was a man on a mission as he got his elbows out and quickly started working his way forward, eventually taking the chequered flag in seventh.

Unfortunately, Hickton’s run of bad luck reared its head in race two. Starting on the second row of the grid, the former MINI CHALLENGE Trophy title winner made a flying start and was challenging for the lead as the field plunged down Paddock Hill Bend for the first time.

Running three-wide on the run up to Druids, Hickton’s position on the outside line ultimately cost him as contact from the inside pitched him into the gravel trap - where he dug in and almost rolled over.

Lining back up on the second row of the grid for the final race of the season, Hickton’s efforts were finally rewarded. The Millers Oils Ambassador quickly moved up to third on the opening tour, although come mid-distance he was shuffled back to sixth.

Not content with losing out on silverware, Hickton got his elbows out and fought back in the closing laps, making up three positions to end the year taking the chequered flag in third.

Harry Hickton: “What a way to end the season. Like we have done all year we were up against it but to be walking away with a trophy is a nice reward. I gave my everything in that last one and even when I dropped to sixth, I refused to accept that that was how we were gonna go out.

“If I’m to reflect on the season as a whole, it’s certainly been a rollercoaster. After the crash at the end of last year I didn’t know if we’d be back but thanks to the incredible support from my sponsors and family, we pulled it off.

“We’ve been one of the fastest packages throughout the year but like last season, bad luck really scuppered our chances of not only big results, but probably also mounting a serious challenge for the overall title.

“That being said, to claim my first JCW pole position and win, as well as some more podiums was mega. At the moment who knows what 2027 looks like; we’ve got some irons in fires and we’re working hard to put a competitive programme together. Watch this space.”