Race Reports ⸱ 9th June 2026 11:47 AM

Daytona Championships (23rd-29th) May

Thursday Night League – Round Nine

Daytona Sandown Park

Round Nine of Thursday Night League delivered another competitive evening of racing at Daytona Sandown Park, with packed SODI and DMAX grids producing close Qualifying sessions, intense battles and no shortage of drama across the twenty-minute sprint races.

The SODI Lightweight category opened the evening with one of the closest Qualifying sessions of the season. Dylan Hourican secured pole position, but the margins throughout the field were remarkably small, with the top ten drivers covered by little more than half a second. Sid Stubbings, Rufus Sessions, Conghao Sun and Olly Ripley all remained firmly in contention, underlining the depth of competition across the grid. Hourican converted pole position into victory after twenty minutes of relentless pressure from behind. Stubbings finished just over a second adrift in second place, while Sessions secured another podium finish in third. Further back, Jack Harrison produced one of the standout drives in SODI Lights, climbing from tenth on the grid to finish fourth, while Callum McGarvey recovered from seventeenth to ninth by the chequered flag. The competitiveness of the field was reflected in the final standings, with much of the top ten separated by only a handful of seconds after the full race distance.

The SODI Heavies category was equally competitive in Qualifying, with Spencer Roest claiming class pole position ahead of Louie Paterson and Tim Love. Less than two tenths of a second covered the leading trio, setting the stage for a closely fought race. Despite Roest’s strong Qualifying performance, the race produced a significant shake-up. Paterson emerged victorious after a composed drive, while Love also moved ahead of Roest to secure second place. Roest’s challenge was compromised by an ABC Loading penalty involving Paterson, ultimately leaving him third in class. Elsewhere, Jude Simpkins received an ABC Bump and Pass penalty following contact with Myles Goodliffe as race control remained busy throughout the evening.

The DMAX category once again delivered some of the closest racing of the night. In the Lights class Steve Hannon secured pole position with a lap of 46.799, edging Callum Bendelow by less than a tenth of a second. The top seven drivers were covered by under half a second, highlighting just how competitive the category had become. The following Sprint Race produced arguably the drive of the evening. Adam Palmer started eighth on the grid but carved his way through the field to secure victory after twenty minutes of racing. Despite receiving an ABC Bump and Pass penalty involving Charlie Hoffer, Palmer maintained enough pace to remain at the front and take the win. Bendelow converted his front-row start into second place, while pole-sitter Hannon completed the podium after spending the race firmly in contention. Jonathan Fuchsel also came under the scrutiny of race control after receiving an ABC Bump and Pass penalty involving Hannon following side-to-side contact. In the Heavies contingent, Liam Duffett topped a highly competitive Qualifying session ahead of Alfie Shrubb and Mikhail Sitnikov, with several drivers remaining within a second of pole position. The Sprint Race saw another change from the Qualifying order as Shrubb produced a measured and consistent drive to secure victory. Sitnikov continued his impressive recent form with another podium finish in second place, while Duffett completed the top three. Warren Gomm’s race proved significantly more challenging after receiving two separate ABC Bump and Pass penalties involving Daniel Read, preventing him from mounting a stronger challenge towards the front of the field.

Round Nine ultimately belonged to Dylan Hourican, Louie Paterson, Adam Palmer and Alfie Shrubb. Hourican controlled a highly competitive SODI Lights field, Paterson overturned the Qualifying order to secure SODI Heavy honours, Palmer delivered the recovery drive of the evening from eighth on the grid to victory in DMAX Light, and Shrubb converted front-running pace into another DMAX Heavy win. With championship battles continuing to tighten across both categories, Thursday Night League once again produced an evening of close, hard-fought racing at Daytona Sandown Park.

Daytona Tamworth

A dry circuit greeted competitors for Round Nine of Thursday Night League at Daytona Tamworth, with two healthy grids producing another competitive evening of racing across the N35-ST and DMAX categories.

The N35-ST Lightweight category saw a rare off-night for championship leader Charlie Walsmley-Ryde who found himself outside of the podium positions in fourth. His misfortune was capitalised on by title rivals Tom Webster and Joseph Smith, who produced one of the closest battles of the evening. The pair ran nose-to-tail throughout the twenty-minute race, battling cleanly for the lead before Webster emerged victorious by just four tenths of a second at the chequered flag. Smith was forced to settle for second after a determined challenge, while Tyler Sharp completed the podium in third. The N35-ST Heavies category belonged to Adrian Watkins. Watkins controlled proceedings at the front and added the fastest lap of the race to secure a commanding victory. Dylan Morrall finished second after another strong performance, while Tim Avery completed the podium in third place.

The DMAX Lights category saw championship leader Lucas Gathercole continue his impressive form with another dominant display. Gathercole built a commanding advantage throughout the race and eventually crossed the line twelve seconds clear of the field to secure victory. Fin Imber finished second, while Caelan Wilson completed the podium in third, although he remained eleven seconds adrift of the runner-up position in what proved to be a relatively straightforward race for the leading trio.Much of the drama in DMAX came from the Heavy category. Dan Knowles was the only driver able to break clear of the competition, securing victory with a comfortable five-second margin at the front. Behind him, Rhys Collier and Finlay Stewart produced one of the closest battles of the evening, with Collier ultimately holding on to second place by just over a second at the chequered flag. Brandon Gathercole finished fourth after remaining in contention throughout the race.

Round Nine belonged to Tom Webster, Adrian Watkins, Lucas Gathercole and Dan Knowles. Webster strengthened his championship challenge with a hard-fought N35-ST Lights victory, Watkins dominated the Heavies category, Gathercole continued his commanding form in DMAX Lights, and Knowles secured a controlled win in DMAX Heavies to round off another entertaining evening of Thursday Night League racing at Daytona Tamworth.