Stewart Secures Third GT15 Title at Stewartby

Poppy Stewart secured a third consecutive GT15 British Championship title at Stewartby with a masterclass performance that saw the 14-year-old claim three victories from four heats across the weekend.

The Lowestoft driver’s commanding display extended her championship advantage to 17 points over Tate Mantripp, with Zachary Jelf maintaining his challenge in third place just one point further back after claiming pole and Saturday’s opening heat.

Stewart’s triple triumph crowns a dominant season for the British and World GT15 speed record holder, who will now step up to the GT30 class for 2026 having comprehensively defended her title.

Jelf Draws First Blood

The SWSC driver served notice of his intent in Saturday’s opening heat, producing a flawless performance in overcast conditions to finish 7.17 seconds clear of Stewart. Jelf’s winning time of 6:08.05 included the fastest lap at 1:00.16, underlining the pace advantage he held throughout the five-lap contest.

Mantripp secured third place, finishing 10.91 seconds behind the leader, whilst Riley Hudson claimed fourth for LOBMBC. Millie-Rose Bowman completed the top five ahead of debutant Jack Roberts, who finished over a minute adrift on his British Championship debut.

Stewart Strikes Back

The champion hit back emphatically in Saturday’s second heat, reversing the result to defeat Jelf by 2.52 seconds. Officials applied penalties under CPA Rule E19.5, docking both Roberts and Bowman one lap for infringements.

Stewart’s winning time of 6:11.84 came despite Jelf setting the fastest lap at 1:00.67, with Mantripp again claiming the final podium position some 12.95 seconds behind the victor. Hudson maintained his consistent run with fourth place, whilst the penalised Bowman and Roberts completed only four laps to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

Sunday Domination

Stewart stamped her authority on proceedings with back-to-back victories on Sunday morning in cloudy conditions at the Bedford venue. Heat 3 produced the closest finish of the weekend, with just 1.58 seconds separating Stewart from Jelf after five laps.

The champion also claimed the fastest lap at 1:01.33, demonstrating the consistency that has characterised her title-winning campaign. Mantripp maintained his stranglehold on third position, finishing over seven seconds clear of Hudson, whilst Bowman took fifth ahead of Roberts.

The final heat followed an identical pattern, with Stewart completing her hat-trick by defeating Jelf by 1.36 seconds. Mantripp secured his fourth consecutive podium finish, with Hudson again fourth and Bowman fifth. Roberts finished a lap down in sixth position, whilst Jelf recorded the fastest lap at 1:01.08.

Championship Decided

The battle for runner-up honours intensified throughout the weekend, with Mantripp’s consistency proving crucial. The 11-year-old’s four podium finishes moved him one point clear of Jelf, who saw his opening heat victory prove insufficient to overhaul his rival.

Bowman occupies fourth in the final standings on 41 points, just two points behind Jelf, whilst Hudson completes the top five with 39 points. Roberts claimed 10 championship points on his debut weekend.

Heat 1 Result

Pos	No	Driver	Club	Laps	Time	Gap	Fastest Lap
1	71	Zachary Jelf	SWSC	5	6:08.05	—	1:00.16
2	88	Poppy Stewart	LOBMBC	5	6:15.22	+7.17	1:00.22
3	23	Tate Mantripp	LOBMBC	5	6:18.95	+10.91	1:01.24
4	21	Riley Hudson	LOBMBC	5	6:32.36	+24.31	1:02.50
5	37	Millie-Rose Bowman	LOBMBC	5	6:34.73	+26.69	1:03.19
6	8	Jack Roberts	LOBMBC	5	7:16.94	+1:08.89	1:11.06

Heat 2 Result (Re-Issued)

Pos	No	Driver	Club	Laps	Time	Gap	Fastest Lap	Champ Points
1	88	Poppy Stewart	LOBMBC	5	6:11.84	—	1:00.70	400
2	71	Zachary Jelf	SWSC	5	6:14.36	+2.52	1:00.67	360
3	23	Tate Mantripp	LOBMBC	5	6:24.80	+12.95	1:01.20	324
4	21	Riley Hudson	LOBMBC	5	6:35.06	+23.22	1:02.69	292
5	37	Millie-Rose Bowman	LOBMBC	4	6:38.05	1L – 26s	1:03.81	262
6	8	Jack Roberts	LOBMBC	4	7:19.41	1L – 68s	1:10.95	236

Note: Boats 8 & 37 docked 1 lap – CPA Rule E19.5

Heat 3 Result

Pos	No	Driver	Club	Laps	Time	Gap	Fastest Lap	Champ Points
1	88	Poppy Stewart	LOBMBC	5	6:12.31	—	1:01.33	400
2	71	Zachary Jelf	SWSC	5	6:13.89	+1.58	1:01.39	360
3	23	Tate Mantripp	LOBMBC	5	6:21.67	+9.36	1:02.50	324
4	21	Riley Hudson	LOBMBC	5	6:32.28	+19.97	1:03.31	292
5	37	Millie-Rose Bowman	LOBMBC	5	6:45.41	+33.09	1:05.53	262
6	8	Jack Roberts	LOBMBC	4	6:24.14	1L – 12s	1:11.06	236

Heat 4 Result

Pos	No	Driver	Club	Laps	Time	Gap	Fastest Lap	Champ Points
1	88	Poppy Stewart	LOBMBC	5	6:13.61	—	1:01.11	400
2	71	Zachary Jelf	SWSC	5	6:14.97	+1.36	1:01.08	360
3	23	Tate Mantripp	LOBMBC	5	6:26.23	+12.62	1:01.95	324
4	21	Riley Hudson	LOBMBC	5	6:33.98	+20.38	1:03.76	292
5	37	Millie-Rose Bowman	LOBMBC	5	6:58.56	+44.95	1:08.62	262
6	8	Jack Roberts	LOBMBC	5	7:15.69	+1:02.08	1:10.77	236

Final Championship Standings

Pos	No	Driver	Club	POLE	LOBMBC	POLE	LPRC	POLE	SPHRC	Championship Points
1	88	Poppy Stewart	LOBMBC	1	20	1	20	0	20	62
2	23	Tate Mantripp	LOBMBC	0	13	0	17	0	15	45
3	71	Zachary Jelf	SWSC	0	11	0	15	1	17	44
4	37	Millie-Rose Bowman	LOBMBC	0	17	0	13	0	11	41
5	21	Riley Hudson	LOBMBC	0	15	0	11	0	13	39
6	8	Jack Roberts	LOBMBC	0	0	0	0	0	10	10