Author: Chris Ashby

ROKiT British F4 extends partnership with TOCA until 2026

The ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA has today (July 26) announced that it will remain on the TOCA package – supporting the British Touring Car Championship – until the end of 2026.

Providing the first step on the road to Formula 1, the single-seater series has established itself as one of the UK’s premier one-make categories and is set to continuing reaping the benefits of racing on the BTCC support bill for a further three years.

Eve Lake-Grange, ROKiT British F4 Championship Manager, said: “Being on the TOCA package is very much part of the DNA of British F4. Our drivers really appreciate showcasing their skills both to a massive free-to-air terrestrial TV audience at home and in front of the enormous crowds that BTCC and the support package generate.

“The benefit of the reach and profile of the TOCA package, combined with a festival atmosphere at each and every round is very special. It made sense to be able to announce the continuity of the package for the next three years and give certainty for our teams, championship partners and prospective drivers alike.”

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, added: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the F4 British Championship that will see it remain on the TOCA package until at least the end of the 2026 season.

“Having been on the bill since its inception back in 2015, the F4 British Championship has already helped shape some of the talent on the current Formula 1 grid, as well as entertain the millions of fans that have tuned in to watch the action.

“The F4 British Championship will continue to benefit from the huge trackside audience that the TOCA package attracts as well as the many hundreds of thousands more that enjoy ITV’s live free-to-air coverage. I am sure this will be another hugely successful period ahead and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.”

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend – July 29/30

The British Automobile Racing Club is poised for an action-packed two days of on-track entertainment this weekend (July 29/30) as both Croft Circuit and Thruxton Circuit play host to race meetings – and they’ll both be available to watch online.

Below is all the information you’ll need to know to keep up-to-date with all the action that is being broadcast live:

CROFT CIRCUIT

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns from its annual summer break with what promises to be a full-throttle visit to Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire.

Kick-starting the second half of the season, the battle for supremacy in the fight to be crowned champion is set to intensify and every point will be crucial across the weekend’s three blockbuster encounters.

As always, the BTCC will be joined at Croft by a bumper support package which includes the Legends Cars Elite Cup, ROKiT British F4 and MINI CHALLENGE Trophy.

Saturday 29th July // 15:15 – WATCH HERE

Sunday 30th July // 11:30 – 18:15 (ITV4) – WATCH HERE

THRUXTON CIRCUIT

At the fastest circuit in the UK, the Thruxton Summer Festival is guaranteed to get pulses racing as the likes of Caterham Cars, the Junior Saloon Car Championship and Track Attack

Saturday 29th July // 13:15 – WATCH HERE

Sunday 30th July // 11:00 – WATCH HERE

To find out more information about this weekend’s race meetings, CLICK HERE.

Ginetta produces G-Fest extravaganza at Cadwell Park

Ginetta Cars continued its 65th anniversary celebrations at Cadwell Park this past weekend (July 22/23) as the Yorkshire manufacturer’s championship trio wrote the latest chapter of their 2023 campaigns in action-packed style. 

Making a long-awaited return to the Lincolnshire venue for the second edition of G-Fest, Ginetta served up a total of nine blockbuster encounters across both days, with a number of drivers taking centre stage in what were challenging conditions at times. 

In the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship – which is open to drivers aged 14 to 17 – R Racing’s Freddie Slater edged closer to title glory as he claimed an impressive brace of race wins. 

Arriving at Cadwell Park holding a commanding championship lead courtesy of picking up 14 victories already this year, the teenager blitzed the opposition in qualifying to clinch pole position and for the first two races he was wheel-perfect. 

Comfortably beating Mikey Porter and Alisha Palmowski in the opening encounter, Slater then went on to reign supreme ahead of Finn Harrison and Chase Fernandez in what was a frenetic second contest. 

Unfortunately, a non-finish in race three prevented him from clinching a hat-trick as Scholarship winner Fernandez charged to his third victory of the season ahead of Porter and Charlie Hart in the weekend’s finale.

In the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT Championship, Ruben Hage gave his title hopes a much-needed boost as he claimed two wins; however he was a denied a clean sweep by series leader Luke Reade.

Rounding out the track action were three races from the Ginetta GT Academy, two of which were won by Ravi Ramyead whilst Nick White picked up the spoils in the remaining contest.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Cadwell Park, CLICK HERE.

Track Focused triumph in Britcar 6-Hour at Donington Park

Track Focused wrote their name into the history books at Donington Park last Saturday (July 22) after claiming victory in the Britcar Endurance 6-hour race. 

On what proved to be a momentous day for the the KTM GT4 duo of Mike McCollum and Teddy Wilson, the Independent outfit reigned supreme in style around the Leicestershire venue by converting pole position into a wheel-perfect victory – finishing two laps clear of their nearest challengers.

Billed as being a non-championship round on the challenging National layout, the six-hour contest also provided the first step on the road for the coveted Britcar 24-hour race to one day make a welcome return to the UK motorsport calendar.

Boasting a varied grid of machinery, qualifying for the all-important bout saw the battle for pole position boil down to the duo of McCollum and Wilson and Team BRIT’s McLaren GT4 quartet of Bobby Trundley, Paul Fullick, James Whitley and Chris Overend.

In what proved to be a competitive duel for top spot, the 1:17.052 from Track Focused ultimately proved to be enough to clinch top spot – albeit by the slender of margin of just four tenths of a second. 

As the lights went out, battle between the top two continued with both teams enjoying stints out front on multiple occasions. Team BRIT topped the classification at the end of the first two hours before Track Focused struck back to lead at the end of hour three. 

That back-and-forth duel would continue across the next couple of hours before McCollum and Wilson established a stranglehold on proceedings in the final hour to pull clear by more than two laps and clinch outright honours. 

Team BRIT ultimately went on to finish a valiant second whilst the County Classic Porsche 996 pairing of Ken Briddom and Jackson Goodrum completed the podium in third. 

To view the full results from all sessions of the Britcar 6-hour event at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend – July 22/23

Cadwell Park provides the backdrop for the second instalment of Ginetta G-Fest this weekend (July 22/23) with two days of blockbuster track action from the Yorkshire manufacturer guaranteed to get pulses racing.

Following on from the 65th Anniversary celebrations that took place at Silverstone in early June, the twists and turns of Cadwell Park now provide the next challenge for those competing in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship, Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT Championship and Ginetta GT Academy.

Below is all the information you’ll need to know to keep up-to-date with all the action that is being broadcast live:

Cadwell Park

Saturday 22nd July // 11:25 – WATCH HERE

Sunday 23rd July // 11:40 – WATCH HERE

Goodwood locks in 2024 Festival of Speed dates

Goodwood has announced that the 2024 edition of the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard will take place from Thursday 11th – Sunday 14th July next year.

Hot on the heels of a momentous weekend where the event celebrated its 30th Anniversary, plans are already afoot for the four-day spectacle to return bigger and better than ever.

Billed as motorsport’s ultimate garden party, fans flocking to the famous West Sussex venue next year can once again expect to see a plethora of legendary motorsport personalities, global car launches, futuristic technology and much more.

Further announcements – including the theme of the event and high-profile attendees — will be confirmed in due course.

Ticket information regarding the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed is available to view at https://www.goodwood.com/. 

Goodwood celebrates 30th Anniversary of Festival of Speed in style

The Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard celebrated its 30th Anniversary in spectacular style this past weekend (July 13-16) as a bumper crowd flocked to West Sussex for the 2023 edition of motoring’s greatest garden party. 

Bringing together a host of eclectic road and competition cars, legendary drivers, riders and global manufacturers, this year’s Festival of Speed was one of milestone accolades as it focused on the past, present and future for both the venue and industry as a whole.

Sadly, the event did see a 30-year first take place as organisers were forced to cancel Saturday’s planned schedule in response to a Met Office weather warning for high winds, with 50mph gusts battering the south coast.

The event resumed as planned on Sunday and – along with the action that took place across Thursday and Friday – those in attendance were treated to fest of edge-of-the-seat moments that will undoubtedly live long in the memory. 

In addition to it being the 30th year of the Festival of Speed, this year’s theme – Goodwood 75 – saw the world-famous attraction celebrate 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood whilst the likes of Porsche, Lotus and McLaren also marked their own special anniversaries.

As always, a stunning Central Feature took pride of place outside Goodwood House and this year it commemorated 75 years of Porsche. The incredible sculpture, created by Gerry Judah, paid homage to more than seven decades of the German marque with several iconic models taking centre stage.

Whilst the Central Feature stood tall for all to see, jaw-dropping machinery was around almost every turn with a wave of new cars launched, the Supercar Paddock showcasing exotic machines and Electric Avenue offering a glimpse into the present and future for the automotive industry. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Festival of Speed without a plethora of star names and this year proved to be no different with the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Travis Pastrana, Oscar Piastri, Casey Stoner and Mick Schumacher being just some of the motorsport royalty that attended.

On the coveted one-mile Hillclimb layout, all manner of cars and bikes entertained the masses and on Sunday afternoon the all-important Hillclimb Shootout saw Marvin Kirchhofer claim bragging rights as he piloted the brand-new McLaren Solus GT to a time of 45.34 seconds.

As always, the British Automobile Racing Club continued its tradition of playing a critical role in the organisational side of the multi-day event too by overseeing driver sign-on and providing marshals and officials.

With hundreds of trade stands, live entertainment, an action arena and aerial acrobatics from the Red Arrows – plus much, much more – the 2023 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by MasterCard staked its claim to being one of the best yet.

You can watch back all the action from the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard HERE.

To view the full classification of results from Sunday’s Hillclimb Shootout, CLICK HERE.

Dates for the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard are expected to be announced in due course.

BARC’ing Mad Podcast: Episode 3 – July 14th 2023

Episode 3 of the British Automobile Racing Club’s new-for-2023 podcast, BARC’ing Mad, is now live and available to listen to.

In partnership with BP Fleet Solutions UK, the fortnightly podcast – which is hosted by Alan Hyde and Ian Waterhouse – is packed with full-throttle news, reviews and unmissable interviews.

The series’ third episode sees the hosts discuss the latest news and results from around the Club with David Wheadon before delving into some of the biggest topics in world motorsport with Motorsport News Editor Matt James.

They’re also joined by BARC President, the Duke of Richmond & Gordon, to talk about all things Goodwood ahead of this year’s milestone-filled Festival of Speed; gaining insight into behind the scenes stories and standout moments.

BARC’ing Mad is available to listen to across all popular podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Super Touring Power 2 confirmed at Brands Hatch for 2024

Brands Hatch and the Classic Touring Car Racing Club have confirmed that Super Touring Power, which debuted at the Kent circuit in early July this year, will return for a second edition in 2024 on June 29/30.

The new event, which transported fans back to a golden era of the British Touring Car Championship, looks set to build on this year’s success with another bumper programme of racing set to be complemented by a selection of special displays, demonstrations and guest appearances.

Competitive action will again be primarily curated by the Classic Touring Car Racing Club and the British Automobile Racing Club – which played a pivotal role behind the scenes of the 2023 edition – and will take place across both the longer Grand Prix and more compact Indy circuit layouts.

Whilst Super Touring machinery will form a focal point of the two-day meeting, Super Touring Power 2 is set to see a much broader celebration of touring car history with a new highlight for next summer being a planned Group A race for the likes of Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s and BMW M3 E30s.

“The response from the CTCRC drivers has been phenomenal,” said Stuart Caie, Classic Touring Car Racing Club Chairman. “None of us could ever have expected how well the event would be received by the fans.

“I am sure a lot of you have seen on social media people asking for it to happen again and of course once Autosport published the ‘super idea too good not to be repeated’ article, so how could we not?

“In 2024 we will add a Group A race as we feel the crowd would like nothing more than to see the fire breathing RS500s and BMWs fighting it out on the GP circuit as they did in period!”

Further details of Super Touring Power on 29/20 June 2024, including special content, the complete race line-up and other details will be revealed over the course of the coming months.

Bumper crowd savours blockbuster Convoy on the Plain at Thruxton

Thruxton Circuit provided the setting for an unmissable two days of on and off-track entertainment this past weekend (July 8/9) as the British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage on home turf for Convoy on the Plain. 

Living up to its promise of being a festival for all things trucking, a bumper crowd flocked through the gates of the Hampshire venue to soak up everything from wheel-to-wheel racing and dazzling show trucks to real life transformers and live music – plus much more. 

Whilst there was plenty to see and do off-track, edge-of-the-seat thrills were in full force on it as no less than seven championships tackled the fastest circuit in the UK; with the British Truck Racing Championship topping the bill.

Returning to action after a near two-month hiatus, the heavyweight behemoths left a lasting impression as they produced four blockbuster contests around the 2.356-mile layout.

Division 1 spoils were split between Ryan Smith, Stuart Oliver and John Bowler while Paul Rivett and John Powell claimed a pair of wins apiece in Division 2. Those triumphs however were somewhat overshadowed by a scary incident that took place in the weekend’s fourth race on Sunday afternoon.

Approaching mid-distance in the contest, series newcomer Neil Yates suffered a throttle pedal jam upon entry into Allard which resulted in his DAF hitting the armco barrier and rolling over the catch fence. 

Thankfully, nobody was injured in the incident however the lengthy clean up operation resulted in the BTRC’s final bout – as well as the Pickup Truck Racing Championship’s third race – being cancelled.

Prior to the Pickup Truck Racing Championship’s finale being canned, the series had enjoyed a memorable outing with defending champion Reece Jones bolstering his title charge with a near wheel-perfect double-winning performance.

In the Kumho BMW Championship, Jason West and Michael Vitulli chalked up a win each whilst Ross Alexander and Freddie Hewitt did the same in the MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport. 

Elsewhere, Scott Bugner and Steve McDermid’s captivating back-and-forth battle for supremacy in the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship further intensified as the pair enjoyed a share of the spoils on Sunday. 

Fine margins proved to be the difference when it came down to the Morphmy Caterham Graduates Championship. Richard Groom and Ben Wheatley scored a victory each in the two Sigma 135 bouts whilst Amanda Anderson and Harry Senior topped the rostrum in the amalgamated Sigma 150/Sigmax races.

The weekend also saw a triumphant return for OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires stalwart Wayne Rockett. Having previously announced he was stepping back from the popular single-make series, a resurgent Rockett reigned supreme around his home track to win twice.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Thruxton, CLICK HERE.

All of the weekend’s action from Thruxton is also available to watch on the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE.

North West Centre delivers action-packed Oulton Park outing

The British Automobile Racing Club delivered a memorable day of blockbuster wheel-to-wheel action at Oulton Park this past Saturday (July 8) as five championships continued their 2023 campaigns. 

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the one-day meeting – which took place around the 2.692-mile International layout – saw the likes of the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Classic 2CV Racing Club and others take on starring role at the picturesque Cheshire venue.

Undoubtedly one of the headline acts to come from the day was the North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship.

Boasting a bumper entry list which exceeded 30 cars, the multi-class series produced a pulsating encounter which saw former champion Paul Rose reign supreme at the wheel of his Sakar S1-500.

Blitzing the opposition to clinch pole position in qualifying, Rose punched in a superlative performance to triumph by more than half a minute ahead of Roddie Patterson in his Caterham C400 and Arron Armiger in his Vauxhall Astra. 

Those in attendance also witnessed a feast of thrills and spills when it came to the Junior Saloon Car Championship, which is renowned as being one of the UK’s premier one-make categories for teenage racing drivers.

On what was an action-packed outing for the series, Cameron Pratt-Thompson and Daire Flock scored a win apiece however due to a number of on-track incidents and technical infringements, both race results currently remain provisional until all Motorsport UK Judicial’s have been heard.

The Classic 2CV Racing Club’s penultimate meeting of the season had everyone on the edge of their seats as they served up a brace of captivating contests to set the scene ahead of next month’s 24-hour season finale at Snetterton.

Kristopher Tovey emerged as one of the series’ leading lights as he produced a clinical display to claim an emphatic lights-to-flag victory in the day’s opening encounter; a feat that he then came oh-so close to repeating a few hours later in race two.

Locking horns with experienced multiple champion Pete Sparrow, Tovey missed out on clinching a clean sweep of victories to the former title winner by less than half a second whilst reigning champion David O’Keeffe completed the podium in third.

The Track Attack Race Club welcomed one of its largest entries of the year and it didn’t disappoint with a glittering array of tin top machines all going bumper-to-bumper in a pulsating 20-minute bout. 

At the wheel of his Honda Civic, there was no stopping Ben Griffiths as he lit up the timesheets in qualifying and then followed it up with a commanding race-winning performance ahead of Paul Roddison and Tim Evans,

Concluding the day’s action were two races from the Adrian Flux Insurance Caterham Academy. Nick Highton narrowly edged out Jonathan Emery to win the ‘Green’ race while Daniel Neale comfortably triumphed in the ‘White’ contest.

To view the results of all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

BARC Annual General Meeting Notice: July 2023

NOTICE

The Annual General meeting of the British Automobile Racing Club will be held in the Committee Room of the Royal Automobile Club, 89, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS 0n 26th July, 2023 at 7.00pm.

The Agenda for the meeting is as follows.

1.  Welcome

2.  Receive the Report of the Council

3.  To consider and if thought fit to pass the following resolutions.

a)  Special Resolution:

THAT the draft set out below be adopted as Article 30.1 of the Company’s Articles of Association in substitution for and to the exclusion of the existing Article 30.1:

30.1  No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present.

Save as herein otherwise provided ten members present in person or by proxy shall be a quorum.

b)  Ordinary Resolutions:-

   1)     To receive and agree the accounts of the Club for the year ended 31st. December, 2022

   2)      To re-appoint Moore (South) LLP as auditors and to fix their remuneration.

   3)      To elect His Grace The Duke of Richmond and Gordon as President

   4)      To elect Mr John Holroyd and Mr Dennis Carter as Vice Presidents

   5)      To elect as Honorary Treasurer Mr Peter Chubb

   6)      To elect as Honorary Legal Advisor Mr Tony Scott Andrews

In accordance with the provisions of Article 10.8, there being no other nominations for membership of the Council, the retiring members of Council are deemed to have been duly elected and no vote shall be taken.

Please note that:

A Member is entitled to appoint another person as his or her proxy who may carry out, such members right to attend the meeting, to speak and to vote.

The form of proxy notice is available at the Company’s registered office upon request and upon completion must be delivered to the Registered office by post or e-mail not less than 48 hours (excluding any part of a day which is not a working day) prior to the start of the Annual General Meeting.

At the conclusion of the AGM, time permitting, there will be an opportunity for members to raise questions on matters of interest to them should they so wish.