{"id":27922,"date":"2025-04-11T11:11:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T10:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/?p=27922"},"modified":"2025-04-11T09:17:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T08:17:23","slug":"nathan-edwards-readies-for-favourite-slot-in-jcw-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/2025\/04\/11\/nathan-edwards-readies-for-favourite-slot-in-jcw-return\/","title":{"rendered":"NATHAN EDWARDS READIES FOR FAVOURITE SLOT IN JCW RETURN"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NATHAN EDWARDS READIES FOR FAVOURITE SLOT IN JCW RETURN<\/h2>\n

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Nathan Edwards will go into the new Vertu MINI CHALLENGE season as the man to beat after confirming his return to the grid with EXCELR8 for the 2025 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Edwards enjoyed a fine rookie season last year to finish third in the standings behind Dan Zelos and Max Hall, and with that pair both moving on to pastures new, the 26-year-old will be the highest-placed returning driver on the grid during the year ahead.<\/p>\n

Having stepped up from the Cooper class last year, Edwards had kicked off his 2024 programme with a focus on gaining experience of the more powerful JCW machine, although his final results would far exceed pre-season expectations.<\/p>\n

After a Rookie Cup win early on in the campaign, Edwards scored pole at Oulton Park before storming to a stunning double win, and would then qualify at the head of the field again at both Knockhill and Brands Hatch for the final two meetings.<\/p>\n

Three additional wins in the final four races left him second only to title winner Zelos in terms of race wins, having been the form driver of the second half of the campaign.<\/p>\n

With a season of experience in the JCW car behind him, and with a new look to his entry thanks to support from 11:11 Management, Edwards now heads to Donington Park later this month for the season opener with one goal in mind as he looks to launch a bid for the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cA multi-year campaign in JCWs was always the plan, so I\u2019m delighted to be back with EXCELR8 for 2025,\u201d he said. \u201cOur performance last season – taking the most pole positions and the second-highest number of wins – far exceeded expectations, and to finish third in the overall championship in my rookie season was the icing on the cake. But now, the aim is to go two places better.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a winter of hard work, I\u2019ll be doing everything I can to repay the faith shown in me by my partners – without whom, I simply wouldn\u2019t be racing. This is one of the toughest championships in the country to win races in, and going for the title will be an even greater challenge.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Edwards added that he felt he was in the best place possible to achieve his goals in what will be a third successive season in EXCELR8 colours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of competition, both from teams and drivers, is seriously high – but I\u2019m in the best place I\u2019ve ever been, and I\u2019m ready to give it everything,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s always been an honour to race for EXCELR8, but to win for them is an even better feeling.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single member of the team works incredibly hard, and it\u2019s my job to repay that with results. I\u2019m proud to represent the team on and off the track, and I\u2019ll be pushing with everything I\u2019ve got to stand on the top step in 2025.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Nathan Edwards will go into the new Vertu MINI CHALLENGE season as the man to beat after confirming his return to the grid with EXCELR8 for the 2025 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":27924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1462,1465],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-jcw"],"yoast_head":"\nNATHAN EDWARDS READIES FOR FAVOURITE SLOT IN JCW RETURN - MINI CHALLENGE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/2025\/04\/11\/nathan-edwards-readies-for-favourite-slot-in-jcw-return\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NATHAN EDWARDS READIES FOR FAVOURITE SLOT IN JCW RETURN - 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