Shropshire racing talent Dillon Davis eyeing step up in class after stunning 2025 title success

Davis, 21, was almost unable to compete in last year's BRSCC (British Racing and Sports Car Club) Fiesta ST150 championship and faced an uphill battle in his opening races due to reduced preparation.

But the racing talent from the outskirts of Hinstock soon found his straps to ensure the 2025 campaign was a memorable one, capped by a nerve-shredding finale at Brands Hatch, where Davis starred in two races to see the championship over the line for his Derby-based team 20Ten Racing.

Davis, who raced in karts from the age of eight until shifting to Ford Fiestas for 2024, is optimistic that in 2026 he can step up in profile and class on to the Mini Challenge grid, which runs alongside the British Touring Car and British Truck Racing calendars, and is also broadcast live on ITV4.

Davis said: "I'm hoping to do the Mini Challenge this year. I've driven the car before, at the start of December, I drove it at Snetterton. To be honest, the car's a lot easier to drive than the Fiesta just because of how it's set up. They have specific wet tyres and slicks for the dry, whereas the Fiestas are just on one tyre.

"It's a lot bigger event because four of the rounds are with British Touring Cars and ITV, the crowds are a lot bigger.

"Definitely (it is a step up) and because the Minis is on the touring car package you can move into other things and obviously touring cars is always the aim for me at the end of the day.

"Going into the Minis after winning championships looks good on your resume. At the end of the day, all I want to do is race, no matter what it is. I'm not bothered what I'm racing. So it's anything, like touring cars, GTs. I have friends who race in British GT. They do that as a career, so anything like that really."

Davis competed in 17 races in last season's Fiesta ST150 class and achieved 12 podium finishes as well as three race victories. One was at Mallory Park in the second round of the campaign, another came at Silverstone and a timely third arrived in the dramatic final round at Brands Hatch in miserable conditions.

He bagged maximum points in race one of two in the latter on the final weekend, with 50 points plus bonuses for qualifying in pole and a fastest lap. Davis then calculated he required a top-four finish from a chaotic and soaked final race of the campaign and sailed home in third for the title.

The champion heaped praise on his 20Ten mechanic Nigel Hunt and coaches Peter Felix and Jenson Brickley.

Just a few weeks before the campaign got under way last April Davis - who works full-time in coaching the public in trackday supercar racing - was in the dark about whether he would race in 2025 due to costs.

The sport is not cheap but the talented youngster eventually received the all-clear and is now hoping to raise interest and funds via sponsorship to unlock the chance to shine on the Mini stage.

"The Mini Challenge is a bit more expensive to do because it's on ITV with the touring cars, so I'm looking to get sponsors. I'm hoping winning the championship can help get sponsors to do that," he added.

"The crowds are massive so that helps with sponsorship, and the television with touring cars helps with exposure."

Petrol head Davis said of his love for the sport: "I've always been around it. It's the only sport I've properly focused on.

"My dad (Richard) got me into it but he never raced, he couldn't afford it, but he was a mechanic when he left school.

"If I don't get sponsors this year to race, I can't race, but I'm testing a Mini soon at Donnington that I would potentially drive, so I'm going to go for the Minis."

Anybody interested in support Davis' burgeoning race career can contact the Shropshire racer on dillondavisracing@gmail.com