EXCELR8 ADD OLIVIER ALGIERI, MATT LUFF FOR COOPER FINALE

EXCELR8 has confirmed the addition of multiple race winner Olivier Algieri and newly-crowned Audi TT Cup Racing Championship title winner Matt Luff for the final rounds of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy season at Brands Hatch.

Algieri will join forces with the team having competed for both Westbourne Motorsport and Graves Motorsport, whilst Luff will be making his series debut having also raced previously in the likes of the Civic Cup and Ginetta Junior Championship.

The pair will join forces with Louie Capozzoli in a three-car line-up after Gabe Fairbrother was ruled out of the weekend as a result of the injuries he picked up in the multi-car incident in race three at Silverstone.

Algieri’s move to EXCELR8 for the final three races of the campaign comes as he evaluates his plans for the 2026 season, which includes a potential move up into the JCW category.

“I’m hugely excited to be joining forces with such a huge outfit as EXCELR8,” he said. “They are a team that I’ve always looked up to as a driver, and I couldn’t be happier to now have the chance to be part of the line-up for the final round of the Cooper season at Brands Hatch.

“Hopefully this can be the first step towards what could potentially be an even more exciting 2026 and I’d like to thank Carlos from NEX3PL Global Logistics for the never ending support, Bianca from 24 Productions and also Justina at EXCELR8 for all the support in getting me out on track for the finale.”

Luff meanwhile makes his debut at the end of a fine season in the Audi TT series, where he secured the title with 10 wins from 19 starts – including all three in the Silverstone season finale.

Luff also won the Civic Cup title back in 2022 and brings extensive experience of competing in a wide range of different one-make championships.

“The MINI CHALLENGE is a great place to race and although it wasn’t on my radar for this year, when the opportunity came along, I wasn’t going to turn it down – particularly with a front-running team like EXCELR8,” he said.

“I’m aware how competitive the racing is having watched from the sidelines but that is something I’m used to having raced in multiple single-make championships since I moved up from karting.

“Results don’t really matter so much this weekend when I’m not racing to win a championship but it doesn’t mean I won’t be pushing as hard as ever to score the best possible results.”