Late penalty denies Nickolas Ellis Silverstone podium

Manxman part of penultimate Ligier European Series round

A late-night penalty saw Manx racing driver, Nickolas Ellis denied a podium finish on his sports-prototype debut at Silverstone last weekend.

In what was the penultimate round of the 2026 Ligier European Series, Ellis and teammate, Gabriel Doyle-Parfait initially took the Trajectus Motorsport team to third in the standings in Race 2 last Saturday (12 September).

However, nearly three hours after the chequered flag, Trajectus Motorsport was handed a 163-second time penalty for not pitting within the designated pitting 'window.'

As a result, that demoted Ellis and Doyle-Parfait to 12th in class and 16th overall for the event.

Prior to that, the pairing had managed to claim a commendable seventh-placed finish in Race 1.

Despite the eventual disappointment of the second showdown, Ellis remains upbeat following the team's performance, saying: "It was an incredibly special ‘home’ weekend and even though we were denied a podium result in the end, Gabriel and I celebrated our success in the moment and I’m still very proud of what we achieved at Silverstone. Winning is not always measured by trophies. 

"A huge thank you to the entire Trajectus Motorsport team for supplying such a fantastic car. Race 1 was a strong result, I consistently set fast lap times and climbed five places despite coming out the pits with a significant gap to reduce. 
 
"To have such incredible support around me made this ‘home’ soil race even more meaningful. My former High School teacher and Wilson Consulting, who had all travelled over from the Isle of Man, and seeing so many familiar faces, made the weekend truly special."