Joseph Lenthall ready to fight for the IPRA NSW crown in 2026

Last year has been a roller coaster for the 2024 IPRA NSW Champion Joseph Lenthall. His car sustained serious damage during the Bathurst 6 Hour and took Joseph out of the next two rounds, effectively erasing any chances of successfully defending the title.

Fast forward to 2026 and Joseph is back, with a lighter and (hopefully) faster car, a new attitude and a fresh plan to reclaim his spot on the podium.

We caught up with Joseph as he was preparing his BMW for the upcoming season.

What were your highlights of the 2025 season?

Bathurst is always hard to beat. Especially with the muddled-up practice and qualifying sessions, which meant I started in front of 50 other competitors and alongside the fastest cars in the country. It was a real pinch-me moment, which ultimately lasted about 1km up the mountain straight until the big V8s roared past.

However, the most enjoyable moment in 2025 came at Winton, during qualifying. While being coached along by my dad over the radio, I managed to eke a couple of tenths off on several laps to post a PB lap on the ninth lap. This put me on the second row of a combined Victorian and NSW grid, which was heaps of fun!

There have been some rule changes for the 2026 season, how are they going to affect you?

Two new rules for 2026 directly affect the M3. The first is a category-wide change from the Yokohama A050 tyre to a Bridgestone RE-71RS. The Bridgestone isn’t well known in Australia; however, it is really well liked overseas and early signs from competitors interstate are great. Fingers crossed it's a positive change for the category.

The second is a change in minimum weights for naturally aspirated cars. This is to bring them in line with the restricted turbocharged cars and their weight limits. The result is a potential 70kg weight drop from the M3, which hopefully will help us catch the front-runners.

What's different about the 2026-spec JLR BMW?

The main changes have been to the car's weight. I’ve managed to obtain aluminium doors, a new lithium battery, a new lightweight clutch and flywheel combination, and removed some lead ballast from the car. The driver's also been on a diet! Fingers crossed, we can get the car right on the new weight limit.

The next exciting change is a gearbox swap and all the associated parts. The super-reliable factory M3 five-speed has been replaced in favour of a Holinger H-Pattern six-speed dogbox.

This was all made possible due to the generosity of a good friend. I’ve added a shift-cut gearknob for clutchless upshifts, which should make the car faster as well as feel more like a racecar to drive. With these two changes combined, I’m looking for about a second per lap in performance gain.

What's your plan of attack for the 2026 Season?

If the M3 can prove as reliable as it was in 2024, we should be near the front toward the end of the season. Hopefully, with the changes made, we could win a few races along the way.

The entry list for the first round boasts some very fast cars returning to the grid; it’s going to be hard work from the first race to the last.

We are just as excited about this season as you are and we can't wait to see that distinctive JLM-coloured BMW on the podium again!

Being a partner of JLM is a privilege. Everyone at JLM Australia is a joy to work with. Without their help, I would not have been able to compete in all rounds of the 2024 season and ultimately win the championship. I wouldn’t have been able to race at Bathurst in 2025, and I wouldn’t be looking forward to another full year of racing. Their contribution is the difference.

It’s also great to be promoting a brand that’s genuinely a great product. It makes my life very easy as I’m not afraid to tell people how good the product is, or use it in my own cars. I love working with the JLM crew and hope that I fly the flag high again for them throughout the year.