Stoney Shines in Radical Club Challenge Season Opener

Brands Hatch hosted the highly anticipated first round of the newly named Radical Club Challenge presented by 750 Motor Club. The excellent weather conditions certainly contributed to a collective sense of positivity and excitement in the paddock that we were back racing again.

Reigning champion Leon Morrell returned to the grid following his third consecutive title and fourth year in the championship, but this time in a new car. Entering a PR6 for the 2025 season means that he will no longer be competing in Class B and will now be fighting for the Class A title. When asked why he made the change, he had this to say: “It’s a new challenge. For four and a half years, you’ve been racing the same car and chasing the same goals. You’re racing the same people; it’s the same old thing. So, to get a new car, there’s a lot of new stuff to learn! There’s a whole new driving style to learn and every track you go to now is completely different. Where my car gets its lap time from is completely different to where my old one got it from.” When asked about his title chances this year, Morrell was keen to insist that this year was about getting familiar with the new car. “I’m motivated, but do I expect to win the championship this year? Probably not. It’s a new car for us. Everything is totally different. We’re not up against amateurs either; Stoney is super, super quick.”

Shane Stoney had an unfortunate run of bad luck last year despite his blinding speed and was keen to put his woes behind him: “I’m hoping for a better start this year, hopefully we have a clean day!” When asked about his competition, Leon and Joe, he knew how important it was to take advantage of his experience over them in the PR6: “I’ve got to make hay while I can! Joe is going to get quicker, we know he is going to get quicker, and then Leon is getting quicker in his PR6.”

The pressure was on.

Qualifying

The drivers were greeted with clear blue skies on Saturday, and the sun helped warm up the track. The track was busy, and at times it looked like the racing had already begun, with faster cars jostling for position with their slower competitors. Stoney set the pace immediately and put in a time of 45.178 to secure the Class A pole, over half a second faster than Morrell. Daniel Headlam (RJ Motorsport) split the two Class A cars by placing his SR3 RSX on the first row of the grid while RJ teammate Paul Seward joined Morrell on the second row.

Former British GT racer Gordie Mutch in the University of Derby team SR1 put in a very impressive time, one and a half seconds faster than the second fastest SR1. His time placed the car ahead of faster machinery and gave him a comfortable gap to his SR1 rivals. It was a qualifying to forget for Jamie Keevil, also with RJ Motorsport, who despite setting a decent time, damaged a front splitter after coming off at Clearways.

Race One

After a bizarre moment when the Safety Car lights fell off on the second formation lap, racing got underway! Stoney held the lead while Morrell immediately cleared Headlam ahead of Paddock Hill Bend. Joe Stables, who had qualified lower than usual, was immediately keen to move up the field, but Seward closed the door on him, taking the racing line into Paddock Hill Bend. Stables kissed the gravel but took the excursion in his stride and immediately challenged the front runners again. Stables had cleared Pedro Oliveira and Seward by the time they were making their way onto Clark Curve. Morrell tried to make a move on Stoney on lap one into Druids but couldn’t achieve enough grip on the inside to make the move stick. From that point onwards, Stoney was unchallenged and truly began to build a gap to the rest of the field.

Stables continued to impress and cleared the lead Class B driver Headlam on the start-finish straight at the start of lap three, and by the end of the lap had got the better of Morrell into Clark Corner. Morrell contested the position into lap four but could not keep up with the speed of Stables. It was later found that Stables was 11kg underweight for Class A, disqualifying him from the results. That said, Stables still drove an impressive race and finished second on track.

In Class C, Mutch initially continued his run of good form from qualifying and improved on his qualifying position of 11th, breaking into the top ten, but then started to slip back to his starting position as the faster SR3s of Stephen Bell (Tim Gray Motorsport) and Dean Hudson progressed through the field.

Alicia Barrett (RJ Motorsport) was present on the grid having just represented Formula Woman in the Finecut Radical Cup UK, as was Stephanie Hobeika who was racing in the UK for the first time with DW Racing. Unfortunately, Hobeika was forced to retire the car ten minutes from the end, forcing the Safety Car to make an appearance. It made for an exciting restart as many cars had already been lapped and were now out of position. Morrell benefitted from the restart as it gave him a chance to challenge Stables for second. Though he tried, Morrell could not make anything stick and Stables continued to push, racing in a lonely second place as Stoney continued to storm through the field of backmarkers, lapping them three times.

Overall, Stoney secured the race one victory. It was a statement win, Stoney’s pace was never in doubt. “Really good result, I’m really happy!” he exclaimed after the race. Morrell finished second after Stables’ disqualification, 17.472 seconds behind Stoney, a gap that would have been even bigger without the Safety Car. Doug Carter then completed the podium for Class A. Daniel Headlam secured the Class B win and finished third on the grid overall. Oliveira was not far off in second place while Philip Brown completed the top three. Mutch held on to his commanding SR1 lead to secure a dominant Class C victory in his SR1, while Aaron Rose and Vikram Sudera (North Motorsport) secured their spots on the podium. Mutch put his success down to the team behind him. “The result is more testament to the job that the students are doing.”  

Race Two

The second race was a worthy successor to race one, with plenty of action and drama. Stoney once again set the pace and led the field, a job made easier when Morrell’s PR6 experienced a terminal issue that saw his car slide down the order. Headlam was lucky to avoid contact with Morrell as the three-time Bikesports Champion’s race came to a premature end. With Stables forced to start from the pit lane and Morrell retired, Stoney was largely unchallenged. Seward in the SR3 XX briefly took the lead after Stoney locked up his PR6 into Druids, but it only took two laps before he was back out in front.

Druids Corner was the place to be, as the spectators there were treated to many overtakes, spins, and off-road excursions.

John Davis of DW Racing was left in a rather dangerous position after Headlam made contact with Davis so the Safety Car helped to slow down the traffic enough to allow him to rejoin the track without outside assistance. Oliveira and Hudson also had a hairy moment at Druids each, with Oliveira going wide after the Safety Car restart and Hudson losing the car on the inside kerb while he tried to make a move on the inside of Stephen Bell. Fortunately, he rejoined the track after wrestling his SR3 RSX off the grass.

Mutch had an even better performance this time around in the Class C SR1, finishing in the top ten and taking part in some exciting battles with the Class B drivers. Aaron Rose was comfortable in the second-place spot of the SR1 Class while Hobeika and Sudera fought over third.

In the end, privateer Stoney had the perfect weekend at Brands Hatch, securing the win this time by 16.649 seconds, despite the Safety Car and the best efforts of a resurgent Stables, who charged through the field to earn second. Stoney was a popular winner, and many felt that he deserved the success given the misfortune of his previous season. Jamie Keevil also ran an impressive race; he too had to make his way through the field to secure his spot on the Class A podium. Headlam once again took the Class B victory, while Seward achieved second, followed by Brown in third. Mutch took the top step for the SR1 Class, Aaron Rose claimed another second-place finish, and Hobeika managed to take third place from Sudera in the closing stages of the race, her first podium in cars.

“I ran back for Radical!”

Stephen Bell

The Radical Club Challenge

Radical’s increased involvement in the championship since 2024 has been received with great enthusiasm from the participating drivers. “It’s really nice to see Radical supporting the 750 paddock” remarked Morrell. Ten out of ten to Radical, for getting involved and helping things along!” Morrell’s sentiments were echoed by the rest of the drivers. “I ran back for Radical!” claimed SR3 RSX Driver Stephen Bell. “Radical’s involvement is the main reason I came back to the championship.”

The partnership with 750 MC and Radical Motorsport has also been strengthened this year with the addition of a dedicated class for SR1 models. As the most cost-effective entry point into Radical circuit racing, the SR1 models go hand-in-hand with the ethos of 750 Motor Club – known as the UK’s Home of Affordable Motorsport – opening up new opportunities for those keen to take the steps into circuit racing in a Radical.

The University of Derby is one of several participants that have benefited from the backing that Radical has provided to the teams running in the SR1 class. Driver Gordie Mutch explains: “Radical have been absolutely fantastic in helping support the University of Derby motorsport programme and helping us actually get onto the grid. It’s a great car and a fantastic series for the students to learn in.” The University of Derby motorsport team has been supported by Radical Motorsport for the last few years and the programme has supported several students in starting their motorsport careers.

Formerly the Bikesports Championship, the 2025 Radical Club Challenge is for Radical sports racing cars powered by motorbike engines. All models are eligible from the earliest Clubsports and Prosports, through PR6s, SR4s, SR1s and all incarnations of the hugely popular SR3. It now also features a dedicated class for SR1 models in what was previously Radical Cup UK specifications. The Radical Club Challenge is the perfect option for those looking for a cost-effective, yet competitive and exciting racing series.

For more information about the Radical Club Challenge click here.

Photo Credits: Charles Loble-Dott | Loble-Dott Media