PLENTY TO PLAY FOR IN BRANDS HATCH FINALE

Dan Zelos may have wrapped up the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE title with a round to go, but there is still plenty to play for as the JCW grid arrives at Brands Hatch for the season finale.

Two months have passed since the penultimate weekend of action at Knockhill, where Zelos took an unassailable lead in the standings because of his dropped scores, allowing him to take up the opportunity to make the step up into a British Touring Car Championship seat – where he continues this weekend.

Even if Zelos had been part of the grid, the focus this weekend is very much on the fight for second place overall, and also for the inaugural JCW Sport title.

EXCELR8 youngster Max Hall currently holds second spot but has just a three point buffer after dropped scores over Jamie Osborne, although the NAPA Racing UK man still has a drop of 26 in his back pocket going into the finale.

In short, should Osborne retire from one of the three races this weekend, he would gain those 26 points back, which could yet prove to be important.

Dominic Wheatley has also picked up more points than Hall before taking into account his dropped score, and heads four drivers who are covered by just 14 points ahead of what is set to be a highly competitive weekend of action.

Tom Ovenden is just seven points behind Wheatley, with Nathan Edwards and Lewis Selby seven further back of the outgoing Cooper champion and level on points.

With a total of 174 points still to play for once you factor in bonus points for pole position and fastest laps, expect plenty of twists and turns before racing draws to a close to determine who finishes where behind Zelos in the final reckoning

Elsewhere, Nelson King, Lydia Walmsley and Josh Porter round out the top ten, with Marlo Cordell bidding for a positive end to what has been a trying campaign after a number of issues left him down in eleventh.

The JCW grid is bolstered for the finale with two news additions in the shape of Cooper racers Harry Hickton and Frankie Taylor as they make their JCW debuts, with Hickton taking over the car normally raced by Zelos and Taylor joining up with JamSport.

Returnee Antony Sullivan meanwhile joins EXCELR8 for a second outing in the series having competed at Croft earlier in the year.

In JCW Sport, Dylan Hotchin leads the way for JamSport and has a buffer of 39 points over Cameron Richardson at the top.

The battle for the crown is likely to come down to those two although both Albert Webster and Ben Crossley are still in mathematical contention – with Webster looking to add to his impressive win record and Crossley chasing his maiden win.

Both however would need near perfect weekends, with the pair ahead running into trouble, to take the crown – meaning the title fight is realistically a two-way affair.

Chris MacKenzie is the only regular who can’t win the title going into the finale, with Lee Allen rounding out the Sport field in the Sustainable Fuel Development car.