7-Eleven: Charles Rainford
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Continuing the 7-Eleven series during the mid-season break, we turn to a driver who's built on his breakthrough rookie season: WSR's Charles Rainford. The Horsham driver has taken three podiums from the first 12 races, two of them wins, and is alongside Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) as the only drivers so far in 2026 to have won more than once.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Donington Park</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rainford's season began building on the foundations of his debut season with a podium finish. The #99 BMW 330i M Sport ran strongly throughout Race 1, holding off the chasing pack before Sutton and Mikey Doble (LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing) both found a way through late on, the latter completing the move on the run to the final chicane. Rainford's pace had been strong enough to stay well clear of the battle for fifth when Cataclean Plato Racing's Adam Morgan was handed a post-race penalty for a minor overboost infringement, restoring third place to Rainford.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Snetterton 300</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The victory breakthrough came at Snetterton, where Rainford's BMW finally suited the conditions, having already topped Saturday's Qualifying session and leading from lights to flag in the Qualifying Race. The #99 made a clean getaway from pole in Sunday's opener and resisted the early pressure to build a decisive two-second gap, one he preserved across the full 12 laps for his first win of 2026 and only the second of his career. Teammate Daryl De Leon backed it up with third to complete a double podium, WSR's best weekend of the season so far.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Oulton Park Island</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rainford added a second win of the season in the reverse-grid finale at Oulton Park. Starting third on soft tyres, he used the pace advantage to sweep around the outside of polesitter Chris Smiley (Restart Racing) at Cascades after a Safety Car restart to take the lead. Ricky Collard (Team VERTU) hounded the Horsham driver when the field closed up, at one stage closing to within a second, but Rainford held his composure to take the flag 1.319 seconds clear, his second win of the season and third of his career.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The WSR driver sits fourth in the Drivers' Championship across the mid-season break. The #99 and the rest of the grid return to action at Thruxton (25/26 July).</p>