The Month in Millers Oils Motorsport – April

April marked the start of the motorsport season across our partner network, delivering a busy opening month filled with strong performances, race wins, podiums, and hard-fought recoveries.

Barry Sime – CTCRC

Barry began his season at Donington Park in March (slightly ahead of this update), where he experienced a challenging opening race. A CV joint failed on lap one, resulting in a DNF, an unexpected issue following winter preparations and rebuild work. The team responded well, making the necessary repairs in time for Race 2, where Barry delivered a strong recovery drive to finish P9, having started from the back of the grid.

Adam Smalley – GT World Challenge Endurance

Adam Smalley’s GT World Challenge Europe season got underway at Paul Ricard with a challenging but valuable opening round for the #4 Optimum Motorsport McLaren. After avoiding first-lap incidents, early contact forced the car to pit for suspension repairs, dropping it to the back of the 54-car field. Despite the setback, the team showed resilience to fight back and complete the full six-hour race, finishing 7th in the Gold Cup class after 169 laps.

Jodie Sloss – FFSA GT4

Mirage Racing drivers Jodie Sloss and David Levy made a strong start to the GT4 France season at Nogaro, securing two podium finishes in the AM category with their Aston Martin Vantage GT4. They delivered an impressive performance in Race 1, taking P2 in class and P8 overall, despite minor issues in qualifying that carried into the race. They followed this up with another strong result in Race 2, finishing P3 in the AM category to cap off a successful opening weekend.

Team VERTU – BTCC

Team VERTU secured a double podium finish in a dramatic opening weekend of the BTCC season at Donington Park, with both highs and setbacks across the three races. Tom Ingram showed strong pace throughout the weekend, originally taking podium finishes in both Race 1 and Race 3. However, a technical penalty saw him excluded from Race 1 results, before he delivered a superb comeback drive to finish P2 in Race 3.

Ricky Collard impressed on his return to the series, securing a podium in Race 3 after a strong recovery from earlier setbacks, including a Race 1 retirement due to a puncture in his first BTCC outing back. Tom Chilton and Nicolas Hamilton also showed solid pace, with Chilton scoring points, although both were caught out by incidents during the weekend.

Dan Zelos – Porsche Sprint Challenge

Dan Zelos made a great return to the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB at Donington Park, stepping in at the last minute and immediately hitting the ground running. Despite limited preparation, he quickly found form, finishing P3 and P4 in practice before a punctured radiator in qualifying left him starting mid-pack. Undeterred, Zelos delivered a standout weekend of drives, finishing P5 in Race 1 with the fastest lap, P4 in Race 2 narrowly missing the podium, and again P4 in Race 3 after running in contention for victory before a red flag.

MINI CHALLENGE JCW

Defending champion Tom Ovenden made a perfect start to the MINI CHALLENGE season with three wins from three at Donington Park. Starting the final race from pole, he led from lights to flag despite an early red flag following an incident involving Charlie Hand and Archie Johnson. The race was shortened and restarted behind the safety car, with Ovenden pulling clear to win by four seconds and secure maximum points, including all three fastest laps.

Alfie Garford also secured the hat-trick in the JCW Sport class, holding off Chris Mackenzie in a close final race. After a restart, Garford stayed in control and edged clear in the closing laps to maintain his run.

Harry Hickton – MINI CHALLENGE JCW

Harry Hickton endured a frustrating start to the MINI CHALLENGE JCW season, in his own words, it ‘wasn’t the weekend that he had hoped for’, with strong pace not reflected in results. The Mannpower Motorsport driver qualified fourth and showed consistent top-five speed, finishing 5th in Race 1. However, contact in Races 2 & 3 dropped him to 11th and 9th respectively. Despite the setbacks, Hickton’s front-running pace was clear throughout the weekend. While disappointed not to secure a podium, he remains optimistic for the season ahead.

MINI CHALLENGE Trophy

The MINI CHALLENGE Trophy season kicked off at Silverstone, where Matt Luff made an excellent start to his first full campaign. Although he crossed the line in third in the opening race, post-race penalties promoted him to victory. Defending champion Alex Keens also enjoyed a strong start, securing P2 in Race 1 before taking wins in both Race 2 and Race 3. Overall, it was a standout weekend for Graves Motorsport, with both drivers delivering impressive results.

Derek Tohill – British Rallycross

Derek Tohill made a dominant start to the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill, securing victory in both opening rounds. Demonstrating strong pace and consistency throughout the weekend, he completed a clean sweep to take maximum points and establish an early lead in the championship standings.

Charlie Ziemlis – CSCC Tin Tops

Charlie enjoyed a positive and progressive weekend at Donington Park, building confidence during qualifying to secure a midfield grid position. Challenging wet conditions in the race made things difficult, particularly on slick tyres, but the focus remained on keeping it clean and gaining experience. Despite the tough conditions, Charlie successfully brought the car home, taking valuable lessons from the weekend.

Adam Marshall – SW Motorsports Clubsport Trophy

Adam Marshall’s first round at Snetterton was treated as a valuable test in the rebuilt car. He qualified P12 after a short session to reacquaint himself with the package, before finishing P13 in the race following a challenging run with power and temperature issues. Despite the setbacks, the focus remained on learning, building experience, and gaining a better understanding of the car.

That wraps up an eventful first month of the motorsport season for Millers Oils. With early-season form taking shape, and points building, we look forward to seeing progress throughout the season.  Read more about our partners here.