Harper wins season finale to lift 7th EWS Title
Elliott Harper won the final round of the 2025/26 Essex Winter Series this weekend – which meant he also secured a record-extending seventh EWS title. Elliott came into the finale tied on points with Kyle Branson, with Alex Thurston just two points back – meaning any one of the three could win the overall series title in the LRP Modified class. Elliott was the class of the field from the start, setting the best time in the opening three qualifying rounds with his Schumacher to secure the TQ position and put the championship outcome firmly in his hands. Despite some mixed results throughout qualifying, the contenders would line up on the grid in championship order – Kyle starting second with his ToniSport-backed Mugen after winning the fourth qualifier when Elliott rolled his car off the track in the final minute, and Alex starting third for Mugen after second-place runs in Q2 and Q4. Harley Eldridge led the Xray charge in fourth, mixing it with Kyle and Alex particularly in the opening few rounds, with Bailey Graves (Schumacher) rounding out the top five on the starting grid. The single-leg A Final saw Elliott determined to win the championship in style – and he quickly opened a gap over the first few laps of the race. The first to effectively drop out of the championship battle was Alex – a mistake on the opening lap saw him drop down the field, promoting Harley up to third in the race. Elliott built a 3-second lead at the front, which allowed him to cruise to the victory and the championship win. Kyle stayed well ahead of the chasing pack – solidifying his position as the championship runner-up, but not able to bring the fight to Elliott this time. Harley rounded out the podium on the day, securing her fourth in the standings. Daniel Robins moved up the grid in the finals to take fourth in the race, with Alex recovering to fifth place and thus completing the championship podium.
LRP MODIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Elliott Harper 600
2. Kyle Branson 596
3. Alex Thurston 594
4. Harley Eldridge 581
5. Peter Eagles 572
6. Daniel Robins 570
7. Stefan Chodzynski 567
8. Chris Grainger 566
9. Bailey Graves 563
10. Matthieu Dambrine 562
With Zak Finley wrapping up the Rush Stock class championship earlier in the season, the focus for today was on the second place battle. Whilst most expected Zak to complete a clean sweep of the season, he had his work cut out – after topping Q1, an incident with a backmarker in Q2 saw him on the back foot, but he managed to secure the overall TQ with a return to form in Q4. Behind Zak’s Zombie/ToniSport supported Awesomatix, Finley Whitelock lined up second ahead of Andy Murray – the two Schumacher drivers fighting to be best-of-the-rest in the rankings. Ethan Southall lined up fourth with another Schumacher, and Sam Nicholl’s MB Models-backed Awesomatix completed the top five on the grid. Looking to complete his white-wash of the season, Zak led the A Final away and built a gap, as the fight for second place on the track was effectively the fight for second in the standings. Finley managed to soak up the pressure from
Andy behind as the two cars ran never more than half-a-second apart for the entire run. Andy, the designer of the Schumacher touring car platform and former 1/12 th Stock World Champion tried everything he could to pass Finley – who has demonstrated this winter he is a future star of on-road racing – but the younger driver showed great maturity in managing the race and keeping Andy firmly behind him. The top three crossed the line in the order they started, with Ethan holding on to fourth and Adam Southgate moving up to fifth at the flag.
That meant Andy and Finley were tied on points for second place. After the organisers carefully checked the results, it took until the sixth level of the tie break process to split the two – with Finley being confirmed as series runner-up!
RUSH STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Zak Finlay 600
2. Finley Whitelock 593
3. Andy Murray 593
4. Sam Nicholls 582
5. Adam Southgate 579
6. Ethan Southall 575
7. Billy Fletcher 571
8. Martyn Ross 567
9. Chris Ashton 555
10. Tim Hancock 554
With the ToniSport Front Wheel Drive champion, Dan Blake, absent from this event due to work commitments, there was a chance for someone else to stand atop the podium this time. Michael Chapman opened up with the best time in Q1, with BTCC Champion Jake Hill topping Q2. Jake then set the best time in Q3, with Thomas Looney taking the final qualifier – meaning Jake would start on pole position for the first time at EWS (but certainly not the first time he’s been on pole position for a race!). Thomas lined up second on the grid, with Stuart Collard having consistent runs to start third. Michael couldn’t repeat his Q1 pace and started fourth, with Nathan Parker rounding out the top five. Jake led the A Final away and, whilst the top three circulated closely to start with, after about a minute Thomas
dropped back a little from Jake and had to focus on defending the position from Stuart. While Jake then pulled away at the front, Thomas managed to fend off his fellow Southend clubmate to take second in the race, with Stuart third. Mark Burgess rounded out a great indoor season by moving up to fourth, and Nathan crossing the line in fifth. Those results confirmed Michael as series runner-up, with Jake jumping up the order to take third in the points.
TONISPORT FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Dan Blake 600
2. Michael Chapman 594
3. Jake Hill 593
4. Nathan Parker 585
5. Thomas Looney 584
6. Stuart Collard 573
7. Sid Lawrence 572
8. Mark Burgess 570
9. Gary Taylor 559
10. Jon Seals 556
With the season now complete, the organisers want to thank all the racers for a fantastic series of races, as well as all the sponsors for their support. Work is already underway on planning for the fifteenth season of EWS!
Source: EWS [ewsevents.co.uk]
