FUN CUP ENDURANCE 2025 – ROUNDS EIGHT & NINE– OULTON PARK – PREVIEW
OLYMPIAN GRD & UVIO HOFMANNS GO HEAD TO HEAD IN TITLE DECIDERS
After 26 hours of racing it’s down to the wire with just three points separating Olympian-GRD’s Chris Dovell, Simon Rudd and Riley Phillips, from UVio Hofmann’s Farquini and Fabulous Randaccio.
Champions for the last two seasons Olympian GRD started the year as they had finished 2024, with four straight wins. But they have only made the podium once in the second half of the season, taking second place at Silverstone.
UVio Hofmanns had a string of podiums last season, but it took until the Croft Sprint race to get back to winning ways. Second place in the Enduro brought them back into the reckoning, before their victory last time out at Donington made them title contenders.
Vlad Vassiliev was the nearly man last season, but with Ted Bradbury joining him in the Vapeclub EDF car they became first time winners at Silverstone. They have had three other podiums so far, including second at Donington, which leaves them a strong third in the points table.
Currently fourth in the table are AxiaMetrics, with Chris Weatherill/John Perrott/Greg Evans. Last season they seemed totally void of any luck, that’s improved in 2025, but they have still had their fair share. Third place at the Brands Hatch opener was their best result, equalled at Anglesey and Silverstone.
Gary Bate and Paul Turner have proved a good match in the Greenheath car. Their pace has been fairly consistent, but so far a podium has eluded them, with fourth at Anglesey keeping them fifth in the points.
Red River Motorsport ae both sixth overall and lead the Masters Championship at present by 13 points from Olympian GRD. Johnny Mowlem, Gareth Williams and Bonamy Grimes have relied on consistency, with their seasons best coming with sixth at Brands Hatch and Anglesey.
Sherardize UK have been the only other winners this year with Peter Belshaw and Teddy Wilson, taking the spoils in the Croft Enduro. They have had three other podiums, but their season has tended to be podium or retire, having exiting the Donington round very early, with both their car and Championship hopes going up in smoke.
GCI’s Craig Butterworth/Ian Wood were Champions in 2022, but haven’t done a full season since. They have proved to be on the pace each time out, with third at Croft. But a fuel miscalculation at Donington last time out cost them dearly.
Racelogic were Champions for four consecutive years before Julian Thomas focused on his historic racing career. After turning out occasionally in recent years with Peter Denyer joining, they have done a full season and recorded their best result with fifth at Anglesey after changing cars.
Morpheus Motorsport are back with a two-car team. They were set for victory at Donington with Chris/Charlie Hart until running out of fuel, but still limped home in third. Steve Walton/Harry Mailer share the second car and were second in the Anglesey Enduro.
Neil Plimmer is Mr Fun Cup having contested it from the start and been Champion three times. With Tim Wheeldon sharing for all but two weekends, they have brought their PLR car home twice in the top five and have been at the sharp end in the Masters Class too.
Demon Tweeks are another two-car team. Jason Minshaw has brother Guy and nephew Jack sharing, while Mark Burton and Graham Pattle are in the second car.
The Ninky Nonk was a winning car last season with Neil Burroughs and Ted Bradbury. It has reappeared late in the season but continues to be on the pace, with Formula Vee racer Matt Hyde and car racing debutant Neo Clarke sixth at Donington, having led the race for a while. This weekend they are joined by Tom Balfe, who contested the first two rounds of the Championship with Dad Shaun.
Former BMW Compact Cup, Mini, MX-5 racer and C1 24hr race winner Joe Wiggin has his second outing sharing Rob Croydon’s Race Vinyl TLR car, deputising for regular driver Matt Larbey.
Having missed the Donington round Team FFS are back with Nick Highton sharing with father and son Barry and Lewis Thompson. They were fourth at Brands Hatch in round one, and a blown engine at Anglesey cost them a possible podium at Anglesey.
Signature RV are former race winners, but having focussed on setting up a brand new car this season, John Whitehouse, Steve Ruston and Marcus Clutton’s best results came in the last two rounds at Silverstone and Donington, taking fifth.
Team Pesky’s Andrew Dyer and Alex Foden came into Fun Cup part way into the season from the City Car Cup, using the ex Racelogic car. It’s a learning year, but they have already proved they have pace.
Seed Data’s Mike Devlin and Matt Hogg made a lot of progress last season and had hoped to continue in a similar vain. Sixth at Silverstone is their best so far, but consistency has deserted them.
Former bikers Jonathan Railton and Angus Gough formed their own new team B.E.R.T. It’s Railton’s second Fun Cup season, having raced with AxiaMetrics last term, but he seems to have inherited his former teams misfortune as they wait for their luck to turn.
FF Corse have run various drivers this season. Andrea Seminara is back this weekend, with the vastly experienced Michael Broadhurst sharing.
The Sunoco Racing Team made their Fun Cup debut at Silverstone, with Phil Keen sharing with Anders and Axel Hildebrand. They were challenging at the top until Anders tried to continue without oil and suffered the obvious consequences.
There are two more father and son duos with Andre/Pierre Renom and Nick/Rupert Adcock. The Renom’s have done the whole season, with father Pierre having previously raced in Formula.
Nick Adcock has spent the year as a globetrotting endurance racer, focussing on the European Le Mans Series. Before moving to South Africa, he raced Radical’s, Renault Clio’s and VW’s in the UK, while son Rupert is more of an occasional racer. They previously shared in Fun Cup at Silverstone a few years ago.
Youngster Josh Phelps is set to race with Michael Lyons at Oulton Park. Phelps debuted at Croft, while Lyons raced in the Demon Tweeks team earlier this year.
Fun Cup super star Garry “Gold Chain” Summers has another different co-driver this weekend, with experienced Sports 2000 racer Mike Fry joining him this time out.
Ex British F3/3000 and polo player Guido Basile has former Junior Saloons racer and Oulton Park marshal Jamie Goode in the car alongside another Fun Cup debutant, Steven Cartwright. Whilst Ryan Slaney-Smith teams up with Kristian Rose in the iLockerz Racing car and there’s a race debut for Pit Happens, with Fun Cup newbies Chris Heys, Jonny Lang and Nigel Perplus.
It’s an early start on Saturday morning, with qualifying at 8.30. The one-hour Sprint Race starts at 10.25 and it’s lights out for the three- hour finale at 14.25.
All the action can be followed via livestream from the Fun Cup Endurance website.
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, October 22nd 2025
To find out more about the Fun Cup Endurance Championship visit www.funcup.co.uk for more information and how to get involved.
To view the championship calendar, visit https://funcup.co.uk/events/ for more information.
