Rounds 3 & 4 - Event Report

The third and fourth rounds of the 2026 Miata Trophy season took place on Sunday (12 April) at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

After an action-packed two races, Hills Motorsport teammates James Cossins and Aidan Hills shared the spoils with a race victory apiece, with less than a second splitting the pair across the finish line in both races.

Qualifying

Cossins started the morning’s qualifying session strong, but faced competition for the front from the likes of Declan Lee, Max Brown and William Antrobus. The latter was at the top of the timing sheet, before early pacesetter Cossins answered back with two superb laps to secure pole position for the day’s opening race.

Fellow Hills Motorsport driver Kamal Kalsi came closest to Cossins’ best time of 2m30.494s and was rewarded with P2 on the grid, while Brown pipped Antrobus to P3 by only 0.003s. Lee lined up fifth and was joined on the third row by Oliver Allwood.

Jack Brewer, Hills, John Langridge and Tyler Mcalpin completed the session’s top ten, with Misty Racing’s David Robinson the fastest Masters qualifier.

Race One

An epic battle for victory and the podium places dominated the day’s first race. Cossins managed to maintain the lead through the opening lap, but there was plenty of competition in close proximity behind. Brown and a fast-starting Hills were now second and third, with: Kalsi, Lee, Brewer, Allwood and Langridge just behind.

Plenty of overtaking saw a regular change in which drivers were running in the top three, including a number of swaps for the race lead. Cossins, Hills and Allwood each crossed the timing line at the front of the field at the end of a lap, with the competitiveness of the race demonstrated by a mere 0.440s covering the leading four cars after the fifth lap.

There was a whole host of battles going on further down the order to keep spectators constantly on the edge of their seats.

A change of conditions mid-race only added more excitement. Mcalpin was on a charge, while Cossins had reclaimed the lead. The #24 driver wouldn’t look back from this point, fending off all challenges to take the chequered flag to secure a well-earned victory.

Reigning Champion Hills finished just 0.915s shy of Cossins in second, while in a sensational finish, Mcalpin would beat Allwood to the line for the final spot on the podium by only 0.022s. Lee and Brewer finished only narrowly behind, as Langridge, Brown, Kalsi and Antrobus completed the race’s top ten finishers.

Less than ten seconds separated the top ten, once more highlighting the competitiveness of Miata Trophy.

There was further delight for Hills Motorsport in Race One, with driver Charlie Fulk securing first in Masters, while it was Allwood who set the session’s fastest lap with a time of 2m30.848s.

Race Two

A storming opening lap from reigning Champion Hills saw the driver finish the opening lap in the lead – having started the race seventh. Lee had also made solid ground into second, but found himself with Langridge and Will Powell in close proximity.

Courtesy of the reverse grid, Cossins had started the race in P15, but was clearly keen to make an impression and was on the rise through the order. Some excellent driving saw him back into second place after the third lap.

There was overtaking aplenty throughout the field and the battle for the podium places was once again extremely exciting. Two former Miata Trophy Champions in Lee and Langridge were enjoying a good battle, with Antrobus, Allwood, Brewer and Mcalpin amongst it once more.

As the battles behind unfolded, Hills had managed to create some breathing room up front. Cossins had managed to do the same and was now hunting down the leader. The gap between the two continued to get smaller, right until the moment the chequered flag fell.

Hills had seen off the challenge to finish just 0.121s ahead of Cossins and secure his first win of the season. Cossins would have to settle for second, while once again the battle for the final spot of the podium went right to the wire. Ultimately Lee managed to keep Allwood behind by just 0.275s to take the final trophy, with Mcalpin and Brewer only 0.100s and 0.109s behind Allwood respectively. Antrobus, Langridge, Powell and Brown completed the top ten.

Charlie Fulk managed to fend off Damon Wellman by 0.791s to win the Masters trophy for a second time, earning the vote of MX-5 Owners Club for their Driver of the Day award in the process.

In pursuit of Hills, Cossins set the race’s fastest lap with a time of 2m37.984s.  

Miata Trophy returns for Rounds 5 & 6, supporting GT World Challenge Europe on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, on Saturday 2 May.

Enter here.

Photo: Gary Hawkins Photography