MANNPOWER MOTORSPORT PAIR CONFIDENT HEADING FOR OULTON PARK

Mannpower Motorsport duo Charlie Hand and Harry Hickton have both set their sights on silverware this weekend when the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE heads for Oulton Park for the third meeting of the season for the JCW field.

Hand emerged as one of the stars of the weekend last time out at Snetterton as he powered his way to a pair of top four finishes in Norfolk, with those results allowing him to move up into the top ten in the championship.

Those results came on the back of a tricky opening round in which he had to settle for a single top ten finish, with Hand now hoping to impress again on his return to Oulton Park – the circuit where an accident in Britcar back in 2023 forced him onto the sidelines for a lengthy period.

“We only got the car three weeks before Donington Park so round and it’s also the first season for the team with the JCW, so the first weekend was just a test,” he said.

“You’re trying to compete against teams like EXCELR8 and NAPA Racing that have a lot of experience, so to then come out and perform like we did at Snetterton was great. We were right in the mix and I know now that I have the pace to be up near the front.

“I’m loving being back behind the wheel again and you don’t realise how much you miss something until you aren’t doing it. It took me a little while to get back up to speed, but there is no feeling like being out on track competing.”

Team-mate Hickton endured an even more difficult opener after stepping up as the Cooper champion, as he failed to finish two of the three races at Donington Park.

However, top five finishes in the final two races at Snetterton were an indication of his potential, with Hickton also now eager to impress at Oulton Park.

“It was nice to bounce back with three strong results at Snetterton, and the aim now is to build on that across the two races we’ve got over Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

“Due to the nature of the circuit qualifying is going to be absolutely crucial on Saturday morning so if we can put ourselves on those front few rows then I’ve no doubt that we can be in the mix come the races.

“I really want to be on that podium this weekend. Everyone at Mannpower Motorsport is working so hard – both at the track and back at base – so it would be great to reward their efforts with some silverware. Let’s see what we can go and do!”