JOSH PORTER REMAINS WITH EXCELR8 FOR THIRD JCW SEASON

Josh Porter says he is keen to display his ‘real potential’ after confirming his return to the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE with EXCELR8 for 2025.

Porter will be competing in his third season in the JCW class as he extends a relationship with the team that first started back in 2019 when he made his debut in the Cooper Am class at just 16-year-old.

The now 23-year-old joined the JCW field for the first time in 2023 as he returned to competition following a year on the sidelines, with a number of top ten finishes helping him to end the campaign in sixth place in the Rookie Cup.

Returning to the field in 2024 with his focus firmly on pushing towards the sharp end of the field, Porter picked up a career best fifth place on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, and would also bag top six finishes at both Snetterton and Knockhill across the course of the campaign.

Although he would end the year with a highly-competitive showing in the season finale on the famed Brands Hatch GP layout, a number of challenging races during the year meant Porter had to settle for ninth in the championship standings, having been the only full-season entrant not to make it onto the podium.

Porter becomes the second member of the EXCELR8 line-up to be confirmed in the JCW field after Tom Ovenden, with further drivers still to be confirmed prior to the opening rounds at Donington Park in late April.

“After showing our true pace at the last round of 2024 following a difficult year, I feel more than ready to return to the MINI CHALLENGE this season and am more than ready to fight for the title,” he said.

“I am extremely grateful to have the support of EXCELR8 again this year, and it continues to be a huge privilege for me to work alongside a team that has been so successful in both the MINI CHALLENGE, and in the BTCC.

“Personally, it is also fantastic for me to have the backing of a new partner in Aalco, and I can’t wait to show my true potential with them by my side this season.”

EXCELR8 Team Owner, Justina Williams expressed her pleasure as keeping Porter onboard for 2025, not least due to his long relationship with the team to date.

“Josh has been a valued member of the team for a number of years, both on and off track, and we’re delighted to have him onboard again for 2025,” she said. “We know what he is capable of on track, and with two years of knowledge and experience in the JCW car behind him, I am looking forward to him challenging for some strong results during the year ahead.