The home of British motorsport, Silverstone, played host to a memorable two days of British Automobile Racing Club action this past weekend (March 30/31) as six more championships launched their 2019 campaigns.
In what is a traditional fixture on the Club’s early-season calendar, the International configuration of the Northamptonshire venue once again showcased a raft of wheel-to-wheel battles across all categories.
Headlining Saturday’s action was a pair of races from the Dunlop Endurance Championship, which boasted a record 36-car entry list. With a pair of one-hour encounters setting pulses racing, Tim Gray proved to be the man to beat in race one at the wheel of his VR Motorsport Praga R1T.
Gray took on the Lamborghini pairing of John Seale and Marcus Clutton, prevailing to narrowly take the chequered flag by little under two seconds. Seale and Clutton ensured they savoured victory too by dominating race two, lapping the entire field in their striking Huracan.
The Michelin Clio Cup Series saw the spoils shared as Luke Pinder and Simon Freeman took a win apiece. The pair were inseparable for a majority of the weekend as they vied for top spot in the Race Class with Ronan Pearson and Paul Bell rounding off the podium in each race respectively.
James Colburn bagged a brace of victories in the new-for-2019 Sport Class, whilst double Road Class champion Nic Harrison also enjoyed a double-winning performance as well.
Having reigned supreme in the 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship last year, Pete Sparrow began the defence of his title in fine style as he romped his way to a pair of victories – setting his stall out as the man to beat once more.
Rick Morris also enjoyed a stellar weekend as he too scored a pair of wins, this time in the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship. Heading what was a stellar entry list of experienced single seater racers, Morris was a tour-de-force in the opening encounter to fend off Mark Armstrong and John Village.
In race two, Morris then prevailed from a nail-biting 17-lap affair ahead of 1992 BTCC champion Tim Harvey – who was making a popular return to the series – whilst Armstrong picked up another rostrum finish.
Spoils were shared in the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship races as William Sharpe and Steve Darbey won overall. Never short of entertainment, the multi-class series is home to some of the most iconic machines from the MG brand however it was to be the MG ZR that reigned supreme – a car that Sharpe and Darbey both piloted.
Capping off the weekend’s action in Northamptonshire was a raft of races from the Caterham Graduates Championship. Another category which has forged a name for itself in recent years, amalgamated grids ensured there was plenty of action throughout each class.
The combined Mega/Classic/135/125 races came down to Luke Tzourou and Kevin Barrett, with the pair nip-and-tuck with each other and ultimately taking a win apiece. Elsewhere Samuel Wilson emerged as the man to beat in the Sigmax and 150 races as he romped to a brace of wins ahead of Jamie Ellwood.
To view the full classification of results across all championships from Silverstone, click here.