Racing Without Limits

James, director and chief driver, entered his first race in the Lotus Elise Trophy in a Lotus Elise S1. Starting as a mid-pack driver, he worked his way up the field and took his first win in his first year against some big names in British motorsport, including two current BTCC drivers and an ex-Formula 1 driver.

Our first race car was bought: the very first Lotus Elise Cup R, the prototype car. James raced again in the Lotus Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup UK, taking multiple wins, winning the Lotus Cup UK championship and finishing runner-up in the Lotus Elise Trophy. He still holds a lap record in the series.

The first year James raced something other than a Lotus. Invited to fill in at a round of GT Cup in a Ferrari 458 Challenge similar to our own car, he surprised a few people by winning two races and setting two fastest laps.

A new challenge: Jake, chief spanner rattler, got his race licence and got behind the wheel. James and Jake entered the Citroën C1 Challenge, which has grown into one of the most competitive series in the UK.

Having raced mainly modern cars, JL Motorsport moved into modern classics with a Ferrari 355 Challenge. After some teething troubles, James took the Pirelli Formula Classic championship by storm, winning 11 of 12 races and setting new lap records. That success earned him the Sir Anthony Bamford Trophy, awarded to the most successful Ferrari Owners Club driver of the year.

Our biggest year yet. We continued with the Ferrari 355 and Citroën C1 and entered the British Endurance Championship with leading Porsche team Valluga, taking class wins. The Ferrari kept winning, and James and Jake cemented themselves as the most successful C1 drivers to date, winning four races back to back and breaking two lap records.

A C1-only year that started with a European adventure alongside new partners PK4FUN. Running third for most of the race, a coil pack failure dropped us down the field near the end. In the UK, James and Stu Ratcliff won in the pouring rain at Donington, making James the leading and most successful C1 driver. More wins followed, with Stu, Jake and James proving hard to beat.

We raced at Le Mans, in the support race for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For James, Jake and Stu it was their first time racing on a public road, alongside 140 other VW Funcup cars in front of more than 200,000 fans. James and Jake teamed up with Mark Starling and James Cannings for the Funcup 25 Hours at Spa, where car trouble cost us a good finish. In August, James, Jake, Stu and David Alstadter took the overall and class win in the C1 class at the Snetterton 2CV 24H. We closed the year at Estoril with a team of five (Jake, James, Stu, James C and David) running two cars in different classes, and came away with two second places.

A year of what-could-have-beens, with engine troubles hitting our first C1 Cup BE championship. After tenth at the opening round in Zolder, we topped first practice and qualified in the top six at Magny-Cours before the engine expired. The year ended on a high: a six-driver team (Jake, James, Stu, James C, David and John Gladman) took first and second in the UK and BE classes at the C1 Eurocup 24H Portimão. It was also the start of our partnership with RABsport, who engineer our UK spec C1 entry.

A double podium at the Silverstone 24H: P2 in the EU class and P3 in UK Pro, with six drivers across two cars alongside PK4FUN and RABsport. Next up, the C1 Eurocup 24H at Portimão.