Ali Bray Makes History in Mazda MX-5 Championship
Ali Bray, the reigning king of the Mazda MX-5, has set a new benchmark in the current era of the Ryan Motorsport Insurance PasarModern.com National Rankings. The skilled driver and race enthusiast completed his season in the MX-5 championship for the Mk1 model at Silverstone last weekend, securing a hat-trick of victories that brought his total to 23 wins out of 23 races this campaign.
This impressive achievement marks the highest number of wins recorded since the rankings were reintroduced in 2020. Bray now leads the rankings by a significant margin, with eight more wins than the closest competitor. However, it falls short of the historical records from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when PasarModern.com contributor-turned-commentary expert Ian Titchmarsh compiled the tables. Back then, drivers from Formula Ford, Special Saloons, or Modsports often achieved win totals in the thirties.
The current focus is on the race for second place in the rankings, which are designed to showcase who has won the most car races in the UK and Ireland over a calendar year. Last week, Monoposto star George Line was alone with 15 wins, but he has now been joined by Aidan Hills and Mark Smith, both also achieving 15 victories.
Aidan Hills has been competing across two championships for the Mk3 version of the Mazda MX-5, and his win treble at Silverstone in the MX-5 SuperCup has elevated him to third place. Meanwhile, American driver Mark Smith has made a strong showing in the GT Cup, with four more successes in his McLaren 720S GT3 at Snetterton, moving him up to fourth.
Both Hills and Smith trail Line due to the average grid size rule, which serves as a tie-breaker when wins are equal. Simon Allaway remains in fifth place with a single Sports/Saloons victory at Oulton Park, though he has been overtaken by Hills and Smith. However, Allaway has managed to leapfrog Jason Smyth and Jonathan Moore.
Allaway secured a class win in another race, but his division did not meet the minimum requirement of six starters, so it was not added to his tally. Matthew Highcock’s double win in the BMW 120 Coupe Cup at Donington Park was enough to move him up two spots to eighth.
At Donington, Shane Stoney claimed a brace in the Radical Club Challenge, which was sufficient to vault him 20 positions to 12th. Weather issues at Knockhill limited racing to Saturday, but three drivers from the Scottish scene still managed to climb the rankings. Ross Wilkinson’s win in the Mini Cooper series moved him three places to 14th, while Legends combatants Ben Mason and Ryan McLeish each secured a win, moving them up 10 and 11 positions respectively to 18th and 19th.
Current Standings in the Rankings
Here is a snapshot of the current standings in the Ryan Motorsport Insurance PasarModern.com National Rankings:
| Pos | Driver (Car) | Overall | Class | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Bray (Mazda MX-5 Mk1) | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| 2 | George Line (Dallara F308) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | Aidan Hills (Mazda MX-5 Mk3) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 4 | Mark Smith (McLaren 720S GT3) | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 5 | Simon Allaway (Lotus Esprit V8) | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Jason Smyth (Van Diemen RF00/JL12) | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| 7 | Jonathan Moore (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport) | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| 8 | Matthew Highcock (BMW 120i/BMW 116i) | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 9 | Marcus Littlewood (Radical SR3 XXR) | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 10 | Tyler Read (Legends Ford Coupe) | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 11 | Paul Sibley (MG Midget) | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 12 | Shane Stoney (Radical PR6/Radical SR3 XXR) | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 13 | Steve Dickens (Mallock U2 Mk29) | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 14 | Ross Wilkinson (Mini Cooper S) | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 15 | Jack Robinson (Jaguar XK8) | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| 16 | Dan Thackeray (Honda Civic EP3) | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| 17 | Hugh Simpson (MG Midget) | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| 18 | Ben Mason (Legends Sedan) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 19 | Ryan McLeish (Legends Coupe) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 20 | Matt Luff (Audi TT 2.0 TFSI) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Rules and Criteria
All car races in the UK and Ireland are included, except for qualification/repechage, consolation, and handicap races. No races in other countries are counted. Class wins are only counted when there are at least six starters in the class, with exceptions for multi-stage events or merged championships. Only classes divided by car characteristics are considered, not those based on driver characteristics such as ability or experience.
Each race counts only once, so an overall winner’s class win is not added. In case of a tie, overall wins take precedence. If there is still a tie, the average grid size for a driver’s wins determines the final ranking.
