Mini Se7en front-runner James Loukes is joining the John Cooper Challenge for the balance of the season and will make his championship debut at Croix-en-Ternois over the weekend of 10/11 July.Loukes, who will dovetail the John Cooper Challenge campaign with his existing Mini Se7en programme, will race the car formerly driven by Ed Stark for the Oxford Associates Race Team. The Club Class car is tended by a group of BMW employees from the Cowley plant during their spare time."I've had quite a lot of dealings with the new MINI, so it seemed a logical step," says Loukes who is now into a fifth season of racing his Mini Se7en. His extensive Mini experience should make him a strong contender in the highly competitive Club Class.However, after the French weekend, Loukes will have to miss the double-header at Silverstone in early August due to a previous commitment. He will be taking part in a charity bike ride from Land's End to John O'Groats in aid of 'Prospects', a charity that provides housing for the mentally ill and disaffected. The ride is expected to take about 10 days to complete.