Rising star Max Edmundson capped a terrific season by storming to his second Milltek Sport Civic Cup title with victory at Silverstone last weekend (12-13 October). Alistair Camp then won the season finale to clinch third in the standings behind Josh Files.
Qualifying
A wet Silverstone International circuit greeted the drivers for their final qualifying session of the year but Max Edmundson rose to the challenge by securing pole position for the fifth time in seven events.
It hadn’t looked to be going the Area Motorsport driver’s way but a red flag in the second half of the session changed the complexion. Taking the opportunity to pit and alter tyre pressures allowed most of the field to improve their times on the resumption, despite the track continuing to get wetter and wetter.
Edmundson ended up securing pole by just 0.007 seconds from team-mate Lewis Kent. Completing an incredibly close top three covered by less than 0.01s was Pro Alloys Racing driver Wesley Swain. In his first season in senior racing, the 16-year-old has made steady progress and revelled in the Civic FN2 model’s handling on the fast circuit to get among the EP3s and secure a career best qualifying position.
Liam McGill (Area) had looked set for a front-row start but dropped to fourth at the end, having been unable to improve on his last lap after encountering yellow flags at Stowe. Spencer Stevenson (Ben Sharpe Racing) was fifth ahead of Josh Files (Area), with the top six covered by barely a quarter of a second around the 1.85-mile circuit.
It was Files who caused the late yellow flags after brake calliper failure on his EP3, with Alistair Camp another of his Area team-mates to rue being further back in the queue and therefore unable to improve. Camp’s FN2 wound up ninth, behind Harvey Caton (Area) and the FN2 of Dave Marshall (DMR with KA Car Sales).
The top dozen were completed by Daniel Petters (Team Petters Racing), Alex Kite (Pro Alloys) and Jack Ruddell (MJB Motorsport).
SILVERSTONE FINALE QUALIFYING RESULT
Round 16 – Race Report
The track was much drier by the time of Saturday afternoon’s race, but was still damp off line.
That hampered front-row man Kent who lost out at the start, as Swain slotted into second behind Edmundson, with Stevenson also benefiting from the racing line to take third ahead of McGill.
The EP3s in particular were looking a handful through the fast corners, especially as light rain began to fall. But Edmundson was making light of the conditions, stretching his advantage out front. Nearly a second clear within a lap, he had built a 3s cushion by lap seven of 12 and eventually romped home 8s clear of the field for a dominant win.
While there was less of a lead battle than has come to be the case, it was a fitting way for Edmundson to clinch a second Milltek Sport Civic Cup title. It was his fourth consecutive victory and ninth overall of the season.
Swain may have been some distance behind the winner but he was almost as comfortable in second position as he drove a very accomplished race to claim a well-deserved maiden podium finish. He also took Paul Winfield Trophy honours for rookies and drivers with less frontrunning experience.
PWT champion-elect Stevenson was struggling a little with low-end power as he gradually slipped down the order. First McGill dived inside into the Club chicane on lap three, then Camp passed him for fourth having already overtaken both Kent and Files in one go as they battled.
As the laps wound down, Camp put the pressure on team-mate McGill. He lined up a move on the outside into Stowe on lap 10. But, very unusually for the Civic Cup, the cars made contact and Camp was pitched into the gravel.
Kent snatched third in the melee, while McGill dropped to fourth ahead of Stevenson, Files and the recovering Camp. Kent held on to finish third, his fifth podium of the season, McGill fourth and Files was fifth after passing Stevenson.
Camp was a disappointed seventh ahead of Daniel Petters. The short oval regular revelled in the low-grip conditions and had even passed Files at one point before running wide. Dave Marshall and Alex Kite completed the top 10.
SILVERSTONE FINALE ROUND 16 RESULT
Round 17 – Race Report
The season finale’s top-10 grid reversal would have put Kite on pole position but he had incurred a two-place grid penalty for first-lap contact with Harvey Caton in the opener. So it was Marshall who inherited pole position, with Petters starting alongside.
Marshall converted pole into the race lead while Kite slotted into second as Petters had a difficult getaway and then suffered the first of a number of lairy moments in what was looking a very unwieldy car.
Seeking his first Civic Cup win, Kite was straight on the offensive and pulled off an impressive move around the outside into Club to take the lead at the end of the lap. Behind them, McGill nipped inside Camp to take third with Kent following through. Regular rivals Files and Edmundson ran sixth and seventh.
A mistake from Kite at Village on lap three of 12 let both Marshall and McGill ahead. But Kite fought back and, as he eased past McGill, Camp pounced on the opportunity to further demote the Scot. Camp then got a run on Kite to take second and Kite dropped back further when he got into a big tank-slapper after a nudge from McGill into Club.
As the FN2s of Marshall and Camp set the pace out front, there was plenty of squabbling in the rest of the top six among a quartet of Area Motorsport EP3s. Files eventually got the best of that to head Edmundson, Kent and McGill.
But there was more drama to come up front. Marshall suddenly began to lose pace in his car and Camp simply drove past into the lead. Marshall was initially able to hold onto second, under pressure from Files, but on the last lap his car slowed significantly on the Hanger Straight, a cruel blow for the FN2 stalwart.
Taking the flag 1.4s clear of Files, with Edmundson third, Camp’s fourth win of the season secured third in the final championship standings, which were a reversal of the podium order.
Behind Kent and McGill, Kite finished sixth and Marshall managed to limp home seventh. From the back of the grid, Caton carved through to an impressive eighth ahead of PWT winner Stevenson and Jack Ruddell. After his Saturday heroics, Swain would have been disappointed to slip to 11th in the drier conditions, just ahead of team-mate Aydan Hassan.
After Goodyear Diamond Award (for drivers aged 40 and over) champion Mark Hughes had pipped him to class honours in the earlier race, Anthony Gannon ended the season on a high by scooping the laurels in the finale.
SILVERSTONE FINALE ROUND 17 RESULT
2025 MILLTEK SPORT CIVIC CUP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Driver Quotes
Milltek Sport Civic Cup champion and Round 16 winner, Max Edmundson
“It feels good. I won it last year, came back to prove myself and I’ve done that again, so I’m happy.
“Last year, I struggled at the start – I wasn’t expecting to be as fast as I was, so I was driving like a bit of an idiot. I kept my head level towards the end of the season and that’s how it came to me. This year, I’ve just come in with the same mentality.”
Round 17 winner, Alistair Camp
“Dave [Marshall] must have had an issue because he just shut off. I could see Josh [Files] coming but I knew where my car was stronger than his, so as long as I got the drive off where we needed to, it was good.
“When I’m right behind the EP3s I back off before we get to Turn 1 so we can we can get the run through, because they’re all out of shape. So we just shut off, keep it nice and planted so we can get the swoop for the right-hander which then sets you up for the back straight.
“It’s been nice this weekend to not have them buzzing round my ears, and I’m the one that’s buzzing round their ears – so they now know how I’ve felt all season!”
Next time – Donington Park – The 2025 Season Opener!
The Milltek Sport Civic Cup is back in action on the 22nd & 23rd of March, 2025, with the new season getting underway at Donington Park in Leicestershire, using the National layout.
To find out more about the Milltek Sport Civic Cup visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.
To find out more about the events on the 2025 Milltek Sport Civic Cup Calendar, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/2025-season-calendar/ for more info.
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