MAX HALL CLINCHES ROOKIE CUP TITLE AT MINI CHALLENGE JCW FINALE

Max Hall soaked up the spoils of victory at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 5-6) as he concluded his maiden season in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE JCW by clinching the coveted Rookie Cup title.

Capping off what has been a memorable season for the talented teenager with three blockbuster races around the world-famous Grand Prix layout, Hall also cemented second place in the overall Drivers’ Championship.

Stepping up into the single-make series with EXCELR8 Motorsport this year, Hall has without doubt been one of the breakout stars of the year with five wins and a further five podium finishes providing the backbone to his championship charge.

Arriving at the Kent venue in a commanding position in the standings, the 17-year-old wasted no time in getting reacquainted with his front-wheel-drive machine during Friday’s two practice sessions - where he featured towards the top of the times.

Qualifying on Saturday saw the Motorsport UK Academy driver maintain his blistering pace as he set the second fastest time, however this soon became pole position as a grid penalty for his team-mate Nathan Edwards was applied.

Hall converted his front row start into a flawless lights-to-flag victory later that afternoon in what proved to be a truncated opening encounter. Multiple incidents saw the race neutralised however when there were racing laps, the teenager looked in serene control out front.

Returning to the track on Sunday, Hall capped off a standout first full season in the series in style by charging to a brace of podiums, which in-turn guaranteed him both the Rookie Cup and overall runners-up laurels.

Max Hall: “To be standing here as the Rookie Cup champion and to have also finished in second place overall, in what has been my first full season in the series, is something that I’m extremely proud of.

“Stepping up to the JCW was a big jump to take but thankfully it’s paid off as we’ve been in the mix for wins and podiums at pretty much every round. We had our fair share of bad luck which cost us some big points but to have five wins and five podiums is still amazing.

“This weekend at Brands Hatch has been the perfect way to sign things off too. Any time you come away with a race win and two further podium finishes is mega; it’s probably up there with one of my best performances of the season.

“I’ve got to say a massive thank you to every single member of EXCELR8 Motorsport because they’re experience and expertises have been invaluable. Also, without the support of my family and loyal sponsors none of this would have been possible.

“We’ll celebrate this result for a few days but attention is quickly going to turn to next year. There are some exciting prospects that we’re talking about at the moment so fingers crossed we’ll have something to announce soon.”