The History of 20Ten Racing

As the name would suggest 20Ten racing were formed in 2010 when team boss Simon Hunt teamed up with business partner and Renault Clio UK racer Darren Wilson.

Hunt had over 20 years experience in motorsport before striking up the partnership, in 20Ten Racing and 20Ten Garage Services running parallel.

In 1988 Simon took part in his first stage rally, navigating in a Mini for brother Nigel. The siblings shared a Fiat Uno a year later, before moving on to navigate for other drivers as well as driving himself, mainly in the East Midlands Championships.

After retiring from the 1998 Somerset Stages when his driver Neil Beardsley rolled their Peugeot 205 Gti, Hunt left the stage scene, but continued in road rallying.

He decided to take the wheel himself even more, but not as a rallying driver, taking part in the 750MC Stock Hatch Championship with a Peugeot 205 Gti from 1998.

In 2004 he came to the fore by finishing fourth overall in the Championship, changing to a Peugeot 106 the following year. He had his first win at Donington Park in 2005 and continued to contest Stock Hatch until 2009, with regular success, finishing fourth in the Championship three times.

During his Stock Hatch racing career he was battling it out with Darren Wilson, who after moving into the Renault Clio UK Cup in 2009, forged the partnership in 2010 with Hunt, that became 20Ten.

In that first year Wilson was 12th overall and fourth in the Masters class, as the team also ran Graham Mulholland and Craig Currie at one meeting each.

In 2011 Wilson continued as the main driver, but Tim Sweet had a one-off too, while Andy Gorton came out for the final two meetings.

It was 2012 when the team hit the headlines, with the then budding BTCC hopeful Josh Cook completing a full season. He gave the team their first championship win with a double victory at Silverstone, as rookie of the year and fifth in the championship.

Wilson was 23rd and third best Masters that year and the team also gave Graham Field and Andy Wilmott runs in the Championship too.

With Wilson moving on from Clio’s in 2013, Field was the teams only regular driver. He finished runner-up in the Masters class, while the experienced Peter Felix also had a run out in the Rockingham rounds.

With Jordan Stilp joining the line-up the team were back to the fore for 2014. He took three wins through the year and finished third in the championship, only fractionally behind former driver Cook.

Mark Howard and Craig Milner did most of the season too, finishing third and fourth in the Masters.

It was also the first year of the Clio Cup Series, which saw Tom Barley have a couple of races in his plan for 2014.

Stilp stayed on for a second Clio UK Cup year, but didn’t complete the season. He had podium finishes, but no victories. But despite missing the later rounds was still ninth in the championship.

He wasn’t the only podium finisher the team had that year, as now GT racer Jack Mitchell had a strong first season and was seventh overall in the final standings.

It had been a busy year as Field, Tom Butler, Felix, Ben Palmer and Sam Watkins all ran from 20Ten’s awning. Field and Felix finishing second and third in the Masters Class.

It was a busy year in the Clio Cup Series too. Brett Lidsey was fifth overall, with brother Tyler third in his class too, while Barley finished ninth overall.

2015 was also the teams first foray into the Ford Fiesta Championship, running South Wales siblings Sam and Josh Watkins at three meetings, finishing fourth and fifth on their debut at Silverstone,

Butler, Milner and Felix all came out again in 2016, for what proved to be the last season that 20Ten Racing appeared independently in the Clio Cup UK.

Josh Cook and Rory Collingbourne also came out for one meeting in the Clio Cup series, which from thereon faded in popularity and numbers.

Josh Watkins returned for three more meetings in the Fiesta’s too, finishing sixth at Rockingham.

With the Clio Championship having all but ended, 20Ten moved into the BRSCC Fiesta Challenge full time, having joined the Championship initially in 2015, alongside the Clio campaigns.

Both Sam and Josh Watkins became regulars in the Fiesta Championship for 2017, both securing their first wins for the team at Cadwell Park early into the season.

It was one of five podiums for Sam, while Josh had three visits too.

Richard Ashmole also joined the line-up part way into the season, securing his first podium with a third place at Silverstone.

Sam Watkins sat out the first half of 2018, but ended it with wins at Silverstone and a double at Brands Hatch, while Josh’s best was the early season Cadwell, with second in both races.

Ashmole had been a regular again and added a third place at Rockingham to his podium tally, while Ollie Hunt, Simon’s son, debuted at Cadwell too, before a late season second place at Silverstone.

Sam Watkins became a title contender in 2019, his double home win at Pembrey was the highlight, but he had four other podium finishes too.

Both Josh and Ashmole joined in later in the year, along with Ethan Rogers and Ollie Hunt, who both had one-offs.

The team had also run a BMW 116 in the new 750 Motor Club Series. Ethan Rogers had teamed up with coach Howard Hunt at Brands Hatch, before taking second place at Croft. Rogers appeared again at Snetterton, with Ollie Hunt having replaced Howard.

Sam Watkins’ promise came to fruition in the shortened 2020 season, when a run of four consecutive victories crowned him Fiesta Champion.

Josh had also had a win at Cadwell and with Rogers pushing them hard too, he had three podium finishers out of the six races.

Ashmole returned as a regular top six finishers, while the experienced Ben Winrow, grabbed a couple of third places too.

Last year was also the team’s first outing in the Fiesta Juniors, when Jenson Brickley joined them for the last two meetings of the year, finishing third at both Donington and Croft.

The team now look forward to more success in 2021 in both the Senior and Junior Fiesta Championships.

PUBLISHED BY PETER SCHERER FOR 20TEN RACING, MARCH 8TH 2021