Double podium for Millie Hart at Croft

After a really strong weekend, Millie Hart retained her championship lead in the Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship as she twice stood on the podium at Croft, narrowly missing out on victory in race 1 and claiming the fastest lap in race 2.

Photo credits: James Roberts

Millie Hart retained her championship lead in the Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship as she twice stood on the podium at Croft. Hart qualified in third position and narrowly missed out on victory in race one as she stood on the third step of the rostrum. After a second third place finish of the weekend in race two where she claimed the fastest lap, Hart drove smartly in a damp race three to conclude the event with a sixth-place result.

Arriving at Croft for the penultimate round of the Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship, Hart was looking to extend her championship lead in 1 Series class. In her first full season of car racing, Hart has impressed as she has consistently battled at the head of the field while securing two victories. Hart has finished on the 1 Series class podium in all but one race, excluding guest drivers, prior to Croft and this has allowed her to open up a buffer of over 40 points to her nearest championship challenger.

Hart’s circuit racing career began at the end of 2024 as she claimed a class victory in the BRSCC Evolution Trophy. Excelling in mixed conditions at Brands Hatch, Hart laid the foundations for a strong 2025 as she moved into the new 1 Series class within the Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship.

The season began at Snetterton with Hart immediately making her mark as an early championship challenger. After claiming pole position by over a second, Hart achieved a best finish of second position while securing a hat-trick of fastest laps. Her consistency was impressive as she battled with more experienced drivers on her visit first to the circuit.

Round two of the championship was held at Oulton Park with Hart again beginning the event on the front foot by securing her second pole position in as many events. Hart went on to take a lights-to-flag victory in race one as she beat Thorburn Astin by a margin of just over a second while also claiming the fastest lap of the race. In a shortened race two, Hart finished in fourth position but she was still able to bank valuable championship points as she retained her lead atop the standings.

The Donington Park Grand Prix circuit hosted round three and Hart was beaten to pole position for the first time this season after she qualified in third position. Millie finished both races in third spot and although it was a more challenging weekend for the young driver, she still raced with the leading group and banked valuable experience in her rookie season.

The Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship drivers then faced mixed conditions at round four which took place at Snetterton. In an extremely wet qualifying session, Hart qualified in fifth before making good progress in the pair of races. In a dry race one, Hart finished in third position before again standing on the third step of the podium in race two, with conditions once again turning wet.

Three races were held on the Silverstone National circuit last month with Hart returning to form over one lap. Hart held provisional pole position for the majority of the session, before one final lap from Simon Waterfall denied her top spot. After finishing third in race one, Hart claimed victory in race two where she also secured the fastest lap of the race. A runner-up finish in race three rounded-off a successful trip to the home of British motorsport as Millie maintained her run of podium finishes.

Croft posed another challenge for Hart as she tackled another new circuit with three races held across the weekend in Yorkshire. Qualifying took place on Saturday and was a short fifteen-minute session with a total of 27 cars on track across the two classes. It was a consistent session for Hart who spent a short period at the top of the times, before Simon Waterfall and Aydan Hassan improved. At the end of qualifying, Hart’s fastest lap of a 1:37.783 placed her in third position as the times in the 1 Series class remained extremely close.

The first race at Croft was held on Saturday afternoon with Hart starting from third on the grid. It was a good launch for Millie as she quickly moved into second position ahead of Aydan Hassan as the drivers completed lap one. Hart’s speed in the early stages of the race was strong as she applied pressure to championship rival Simon Waterfall who was leading the way.

As Jenson O’Neill Going began to challenge Hassan on lap two, this allowed Hart to focus forward on Waterfall who was less than one second ahead. As a result, Hart was the fastest driver on track on lap three while she also claimed the overall quickest final sector. Millie continued to gain time through sector one and at the conclusion of lap five, the leading trio were covered by just one second.

On lap six, Hassan moved back ahead of O’Neill Going and this briefly relieved the pressure as the pair battled for third position. Hassan’s pace in the second half of the race was strong as he began cutting the deficit to Hart, while the leading 1 Series drivers encountered CC class traffic. On the penultimate lap of the race, a slower CC machine lost Hart some momentum onto the main straight and Hassan was able to run side-by-side into turn one.

Hart remained on the inside line and she initially held second position, before running wide on the exit of the corner. As Hassan looked to draw level, Hart made the sensible decision to take the run-off area in order to avoid contact as the pair arrived at the high-speed chicane. Millie held the position until Sunny In, where she ran wide on the exit of the corner and Hassan claimed the runner-up spot.

As a result, Hart came under pressure from O’Neill Going who made an ambitious move to the inside of the final corner. Contact was made between the drivers with O’Neill Going briefly moving ahead, before momentum on the outside line allowed Hart to cross the line in third position to claim a podium finish in the first race of the weekend.

Photo: BRSCC

The second race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon with Hart starting from third position with the grid based upon the results of race one. Hart got a good initial launch and ran side-by-side with Astin into turn one. Millie held the inside line and maintained third position before setting the overall fastest middle sector.

Hart completed lap one in third position and just a quarter of a second behind Waterfall as she aimed to continue her run of podium finishes. O’Neill Going was now behind and just as he shaped for a move at the end of lap two, the safety car was deployed. The tyre stack next to the chicane had been pushed onto the racing line and with the car of Alex Cawkwell also stopped on the entry to the pit lane, the race was neutralised.

The race was resumed with a little over five minutes remaining and Hart was forced to defend from O’Neill Going. The newcomer got an excellent run down the back straight and looked to the inside of Tower, however Hart’s momentum on the exit of the corner saw her pull clear into the Jim Clark Esses.

Despite this challenge from her rival, Hart set the fastest lap of the race and backed this up by setting an even quicker time on lap six. As a result, her margin to O’Neill Going behind briefly extended to over a second before the Bromley Motorsport driver fought back. On the final lap of the race, O’Neill Going moved ahead with a good overtake at Tower with the young racer also passing Waterfall.

Waterfall began struggling with a technical issue throughout the final lap and Hart was closing in as the drivers approached the complex. Millie looked to the inside at the final corner and Waterfall’s car then slowed on the exit which allowed Hart to cross the line in third position and extend her championship lead over her closest rival, while also claiming the fastest lap.

For the final race of the weekend, conditions had changed at Croft with a damp track leading to slippery conditions. Hart lined up from third position courtesy of her race two result with Waterfall down in seventh. As the lights went out, Hart fell to fourth position and she also came under pressure from Waterfall who made a fast start in the challenging conditions.

On lap two, Waterfall made his move with Hart settling into fifth position. Out front, the leaders were battling hard with Hassan finally making a break as he claimed top spot. Continuing her speed from the earlier races, Hart’s pace through the third sector was especially strong and on lap three, she was the fastest driver through the final part of the lap.

As the drivers continued to battle for grip, a six-way battle emerged for second position with O’Neill Going defending his position stoutly as he acclimatised to rear-wheel-drive machinery. After Waterfall got to the front of the queue, he pulled clear with Astin taking over third position. With these positions fiercely contested, Christoper Stretton passed Hart at the final hairpin and he moved his Bromley Motorsport prepared machine ahead.

Hart now ran in sixth position, however her lap times continued to improve as she gained confidence in the tricky conditions. Millie continued to close onto the rear of Stretton and O’Neill Going in the closing stages as Hart took the chequered flag in sixth position, just one and a half seconds away from a spot on the podium.

Hart enjoyed a strong weekend at Croft as she retained her lead atop the overall standings with just one round remaining. Her adaptability in both wet and dry conditions was impressive as she raced smartly to bank valuable championship points. Hart will now be looking to claim the Nankang Tyre BMW Supercup Championship title as the drivers head to the Silverstone International circuit for the season finale on the weekend of 11^th/12^th October.