Author: Chris Ashby

Thruxton Circuit announces full-throttle 2024 calendar

Thruxton Circuit is delighted to reveal its calendar for the 2024 season, which will see visits from both the Kwik British Touring Car Championship and Bennetts British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli once again headline in Hampshire.

Coming off the back of an action-packed 2023 campaign, the fastest circuit in the UK is set to play host to the some of the biggest championships and clubs over the course of next season, staging a total of seven race meetings from May through to September.

The season will start in early May with a blockbuster race day from the 750 Motor Club – which makes its first visit to the circuit in more than a decade – before the Classic Sports Car Club makes its annual pilgrimage a fortnight later. 

Following that, the UK’s premier motorsport series – the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – takes centre stage for what promises to be three frenetic contests on June 8/9.

In addition to the BTCC, the weekend will also see the likes of the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA and the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE feature on the support race programme, further cementing it as an event that is not to be missed.

Fans will be able to step back in time at the Thruxton Historic towards the end of June with both the Historic Sports Car Club and Classic Sports Car Club having already confirmed grids for the two-day event.

The super-sized machines of the British Truck Racing Championship will follow in July and the full-throttle thrills are poised to continue into August as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli hits the track, with some of the best riders in the world battling for outright honours at speeds of more than 190mph. 

Concluding the 2024 campaign at Thruxton will be the return of the British Racing & Sports Car Club, which is poised to bring the TCR UK Championship to the venue for the first-ever time.

Also complementing the BRSCC bill will be the four races from the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, which celebrates its 50th year of working alongside the British Automobile Racing Club. 

Pat Blakeney, Thruxton Operations Manager, said: “I’m delighted to be able to present our 2024 events calendar, which is once again packed with a fantastic mix of two and four-wheeled action, both old and new.

“Over the past few months we’ve been working hard to ensure we can provide the most complete schedule, both for competitors and spectators alike, and I think we’ve done that with no less than seven different meetings locked in.

“As always, the likes of the BTCC, BSB and our ever-expanding Historic meeting will prove popular and we’re excited to be welcoming back both the 750 Motor Club and British Racing & Sports Car Club; they’ll be well worth checking out. 

2024 Thruxton Circuit Calendar

4 May – 750 Motor Club

18 May – Classic Sports Car Club 

8/9 June – Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship

22/23 June – Thruxton Historic

6/7 July – British Truck Racing Championship 

9/10/11 August – Bennetts British Superbike Championship

21/22 September – British Racing & Sports Car Club

BTCC doubles up hybrid-turbo boost for 2024

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced that all cars will receive double the power via its hybrid-turbo boost system from next season onwards. 

Becoming the first touring car series in the world to introduce hybrid power back in 2022, the BTCC has meticulously evolved its deployment and have now decided to continue its development with a further focus on overall performance.

Known as the Hybrid Energy Management System (HEM), drivers have had the ability to deploy the hybrid-turbo for a dedicated amount of time per lap in qualifying and for a number of laps in races – all of which is dependent on their championship position and race finishing position on race day.

From 2024, drivers will have double the amount of power output, with increased power levels coming via a combination of both hybrid and turbo boost. The final figure being double of that available during the 2023 season.

As has been the case since its inception, drivers will control where and how much they choose to deploy the hybrid-turbo – via a button on the steering well – provided they have reached the minimum required parameters.

“With the hybrid system now proven to be extremely reliable, the time is right to further develop its overall performance,” said Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive. 

“As we said last week with the introduction of ‘Quick Six’ qualifying, we are always looking to bring further energy to the championship and this latest development quite literally does just that.”

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season is set to begin at Donington Park on April 27/28.

Junior Saloon Car Championship confirms 2024 Scholarship details

The Junior Saloon Car Championship has also announced that its 2024 Scholarship will take place at Croft Circuit on Saturday 17th February.

Up for grabs at the North Yorkshire will be a life-changing prize for one aspiring teenager in the shape of a fully-funded season in the series, worth more than ÂŁ30,000.

Over the course of the day, drivers will face the media, partake in a fitness test and then showcase their attributes behind the wheel on-track. A judging panel made up of championship’s organisers and partners will then whittle down the competition before selecting a winner.

Previous winners of the competition include former overall champion Scott McIntyre, British F4 race winner Deagan Fairclough and last year’s victor Will Fallon.

To find out more information on the JSCC Scholarship, visit https://trackaction.co/scholarship-2024.

BTCC to introduce new qualifying format for 2024 season

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced an exciting change to its qualifying format, which will be in operation at all ten race weekends of the 2024 season and beyond. 

Similar to what is currently being used in IndyCar, the format – titled the ‘Quick Six’ – will see qualifying feature three short segments and it’s expected to promote plenty of excitement for fans and competitors alike. 

Following Free Practice 2, cars will be divided into two groups. Those that finished FP2 in odd position numbers (one, three, five and so on
) go into one group and those that finished FP2 in even position numbers (two, four, six and so on
) go into the other group.

Qualifying 1

  • Each of those two groups contest a separate ten-minute session
  • The fastest six cars from each group advance to Q2 ‘Top 12’

Qualifying 2 

  • The ‘Top 12’ cars qualify together in a ten-minute session
  • The fastest six cars advance to the Q3 ‘Quick Six’ final qualifying

Qualifying 3 

  • The ‘Quick Six’ qualify in a ten-minute session to set the top six grid positions

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “We’re always looking to bring further energy to the championship, but it’s also important that the competitive integrity remains. 

“So, I believe our new ‘Quick Six’ format will bring a heightened blend of competitiveness and intensity to BTCC qualifying. As well, it helps the drivers by reducing the amount of cars on track during all three of the qualifying segments.

“I’ve long admired the way IndyCar use this system for its road courses – it’s ideal for the BTCC and in keeping with our policy of providing short, sharp and intense action. The pressure will certainly be on the teams and drivers, more than ever before, to quickly ‘nail’ their qualifying laps in each short segment.”

BARC 2024 Marshal Training booking forms now online

Booking forms for all British Automobile Racing Club 2024 Marshal Training days are now available to be completed online. 

Next year’s edition of Marshal Training – which takes place between the months of January and March – will see a wide range of topics covered at four venues, all of which are geared around preparing marshals for the start of the new season.

20th January – Thruxton: Speed Marshals – BOOK HERE

21st January – Thruxton: New Marshals – BOOK HERE

10th February – Croft – BOOK HERE

18th February – Pembrey – BOOK HERE

3rd March – Harewood Hill: Speed Training – CONTACT competitions@barc.net

9th March – Thruxton: Grade 1/2 Thruxton Registered – BOOK HERE

10th March – Thruxton: Off Track, Grade 3, Assessors – BOOK HERE

Every event organised and run by the BARC needs marshals and all marshals, whatever they are doing, are contributing to the success and smooth running of the meeting.

If you want to become a marshal or wish to find out how to get involved in motorsport, visit https://www.barc.net/marshals/.

BARC’ing Mad Podcast: Episode 10 – October 20th 2023

Episode 10 of the British Automobile Racing Club’s official 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 captivating interviews.

BARC Event Manager David Wheadon returns to the show to discuss the latest thrills from inside the Club before former Formula 1 and Le Mans racer turned TV star Tiff Needell stops by for a chat that is not to be missed.

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

You can also watch each episode via the Club’s official YouTube channel.

Titles decided on spectacular BARC weekend at Donington Park

More titles were decided this past weekend (October 14/15) as the British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage at Donington Park, with both the British Endurance Championship and Classic Touring Car Racing Club delivering full-throttle entertainment right to the very end.

On what proved to be a thrilling showdown on the world-famous Grand Prix layout of the Leicestershire venue, champions were crowned across a variety of categories as the curtain fell on the 2023 season for the majority that were in attendance.

The British Endurance Championship’s sophomore season culminated with the Team HARD. pairing of Brad Thurston and Daryl Deleon holding their nerve to seal title glory in their Porsche 991 Cup.

Heading into the season finale as one of five teams that could clinch the coveted crown, Thurston and Deleon – who has this year also cut his teeth in the British Touring Car Championship – charged to victory in Class C, which was in-turn enough for them to prevail in the overall battle. 

Boasting a bumper grid of monstrous machines for its two-hour finale, qualifying saw two new faces blast their way to pole position as the Team BRIT Invitational entry of Paul Fullick and James Whitley reigned supreme. 

Unfortunately, the McLaren 570S GT4 outfit couldn’t capitalise on their front row start as a safety car period would interfere with their planned strategy. Taking the bull by the horns – as they have done on many occasions this year – instead was the PB Racing team of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton.

At the wheel of their Audi GT3, Erceg and Clutton produced a superlative performance however they were kept honest all the way to the chequered flag as the Breakell Racing entry of Ameerh Naran and outgoing champion Tom Jackson claimed second in their McLaren GT3.

The Track Focused KTM GT4 of Mike McCollum and Sean Cooper completed the podium in third, with Team BRIT fourth and the Venture Innovations team of Chris Jones and Matt George completing the top five. Jones and George also secured overall runners-up laurels. 

Blockbuster tin top wheel-to-wheel moments were in full force when it came to the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, which served up no less than ten races over the course of the weekend.

The Poultec Pre-66 Touring Cars, which is home to some of the most iconic saloons, saw James Everard and Barry Sime walk away with a share of the spoils whilst Howard Spooner and Stephen Primett scored a win apiece in the Orange Aero Pre-83 Touring Cars. 

More than 30 cars lined up for the amalgamated Laser Tools Pre-93 Touring Cars, Burty Haulage Pre-03 Touring Cars and Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series contests; and they proved to be a sight to behold as Piers Grange romped to a brace of wins. 

Flame-spitting Holden’s rightfully grabbed the headlines in the Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder as Andy Wilson and Abbie Eaton put on a show for the appreciative crowd. The pair slugged it out for both race wins, with Wilson just edging the former W Series racer on both occasions.

Rounding out the CTCRC entertainment were two races from the Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge, both of which were won by Guy Connew in his Jaguar XJS.

The ROWE Britcar Trophy Championship crowned new champions in the shape of Rhys Lloyd and Jack Meakin, who delivered an exemplary performance in their Dragon Sport Renault Clio.

Setting the pace in the Clio Class for much of the campaign, Lloyd and Meakin produced a faultless performance as they charged to a pay of category wins to clinch the overall title.

Whilst they reigned supreme in the championship fight, Datum Motorsport’s Marco Anastasi claimed overall victory in race one before the Intersport duo of Bryan Bransom and Jas Sapra triumphed in race two in their BMW M3 E46.

The destiny of the Junior Saloon Car Championship is poised to go down to the wire at Brands Hatch next month after the ultra-competitive series dished up two frenetic races under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Daire Flock and Cameron Pratt-Thompson will duke it out for the prestigious crown however neither of them could do anything to stop Oskar Dix who took a clean sweep of results; pole position and two race wins. 

Pacing the opposition in qualifying, the Westbourne Motorsport driver pipped Flock to victory in race one by just 0.030 seconds before then leading home Jonathan Moore by a little over six tenths in race two.

Concluding the weekend’s track action, and their first year with the BARC, were a trio of races from the MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport. 

Staging two sprint races and a 45-minute endurance encounter, the single-manufacturer series culminated with a scintillating showing from Stephen Berry, who charged to a hat-trick of race wins. 

To view the full classification of results from Donington Park, CLICK HERE. 

You can also watch all the best bits from Saturday and Sunday at Donington Park via BARC TV on YouTube HERE.

BARC North West Centre delivers action-packed Oulton Park finale

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North West Centre brought the curtain down on its 2023 season this past Saturday (October 14) with an action-packed race day around Oulton Park’s challenging International layout. 

Battling heavy showers and sunny intervals at the picturesque Cheshire venue, a total of four championships took centre stage on the 2.692-mile circuit to serve up a fitting finale which included an abundance of high-octane thrills and captivating moments.

There was plenty to celebrate when it came to the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – the North West Centre’s flagship category – as the multi-class series marked its 40th Anniversary in style with two pulsating contests.

Having become an integral part of the UK national motorsport scene over the course of the past four decades, the championship closed out another memorable campaign with a bumper grid, which exceeded 30 cars, all vying for glory.

Entering the weekend as one the favourites to triumph, Roddie Patterson enjoyed a superlative day as he stormed to a brace of race wins behind the wheel of his Caterham C400. 

Despite missing out on pole position to Andrew Southcott in his MG Midget Lenham, Paterson capitalised on Southcott’s early retirement to take a commanding victory in race one as he triumphed by more than six seconds ahead of outgoing champion Jon Woolfitt and Garry Wardle.

Race two proved to be a much closer affair as Paterson doubled his tally for the day with a superlative victory by a little over half a second, despite having to contend with a brief safety car period at mid-distance.

Hounding him all the way to the chequered flag was the Subaru Impreza of Oliver Thomas whilst Thom Evans completed the rostrum by crossing the line in third in his Caterham Duratec.

The Morphmy Caterham Graduates Championship delivered its fair share of edge-of-the-seat entertainment too, especially as there proved to be little to separate those that were battling for overall victory. 

In the opening bout for the Sigma 135 category, Rrutuj Patki blasted his way to the top step of the podium by the narrowest of margins – 0.022 seconds to be exact – as he edged out Ben Winrow whilst Tom Power was a distant third.

Ben Wheatley was then perfection personified in the day’s second race as he clinched a commanding lights-to-flag victory ahead of Alex Vincent and Steven Lancaster.

Small margins continued to be a theme of the Caterham Graduates contingent when it came to the combined Sigma 150 and Sigmax races, as a further two different drivers charged to glory. 

Less than a second split Philip Bianchi and newly crowned double champion Harry Senior in a pulsating opener, with the aforementioned Bianchi coming out on top before Will Stilwell then got the better of Thomas Horton by tenth of a second in race two. 

Over in the Kumho BMW Championship, which is home to all models of the iconic Bavarian brand, spoils were shared between Jason West and Bryan Bransom as they each chalked up a victory apiece.

James Card and Kevin Clarke each added to their silverware collections too as they also featured on the podium.

Closing out the day’s track action at Oulton Park were a trio of races from The Super Series by the British Superkart Racing Club and as has been the case on a number of occasions this year, nobody could stop from Liam Morley from claiming a clean sweep of race wins.

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

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend – October 14/15

More titles will be decided this weekend (October 14/15) as the British Automobile Racing Club takes centre stage at Donington Park.

On what promises to be a momentous two days of track action around the famous Grand Prix layout, championship battles are poised to conclude and it’s not to be missed.

The destiny of this year’s British Endurance Championship crown looks set to go down to the wire whilst a number of titles in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club are still up for grabs as well.

Also on the bill and closing out its season is the ROWE Britcar Trophy whilst the Junior Saloon Car Championship and MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport will also feature on the bill.

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

Saturday 14th October // 12:20 – WATCH HERE

Sunday 15th October // 09:30 – WATCH HERE

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

Coupe Cup ends 2023 campaign on a high at Castle Combe

There was a definite buzz around the OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires paddock at Castle Combe this past weekend (7th October). 

As has become the norm over the years, the honour of being named “driver of the year” was going down to the wire. This year it was between Wayne Rockett and Luca Staccini Anzanello. Going into the final two races both drivers had the same results. However, with a couple more podium places to his name, it was Staccini who held the advantage.

Jumping into a new car at a new track, Rockett gave it everything to out-qualify his opponent but it was Staccini that took pole position by just two tenths from fellow Cursley Motorsport driver, Mark Ridout. Rockett senior and junior (Jonny) locked out the second row so it was all set for a race to the first corner.

Unusually Staccini made an excellent start when the lights went out and he started to pull out a healthy lead. Despite a brief safety car period which saw the pack bunch up, Staccini held on to record his fifth win of the year just one tenth ahead of teammate Mark Ridout.

An emotional Staccini leapt out of his car and into the arms of team boss Alex Cursley and then onto a victory lap around the fabulous Castle Combe circuit. But the day wasn’t done and he had a few hours to enjoy himself and calm down.

Race two started as the sun went down and Staccini made a more customary start which dropped him down to fifth place whilst Neale Hurren, Mark Ridout and the two Rocketts hurtled around at close quarters. When the race settled down it was Ridout who took the lead which he never relinquished. Jonny Rockett came home second with Staccini making up for lost time in third place. Hurren fell back into the clutches of Michael Evans but just held on to fifth place.

As ever, in 2023 the series has been exciting with battles throughout the field giving all the drivers a chance to experience up close and personal racing without breaking the bank. New drivers, old drivers, and even “retired” drivers came out to race with plenty more already committed to the 2024 series.

Words – Matthew Plumb / Images – Marc Lawrence and Graham Gillings

Ash Sutton: “It’s pretty surreal to now be a four-time BTCC champion”

Ash Sutton has shared his delight at after being crowned champion of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for a record-equalling fourth time at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 7/8).

The NAPA Racing UK driver entered the final meeting of the season holding a commanding 45-point lead and victory in the opening encounter around the iconic Grand Prix circuit was enough for him to clinch the coveted crown.

With the title secured, the 29-year-old then went on to win the penultimate race of the season before concluding a quite incredible campaign with a points-paying finish in the finale.

Adding to the titles that he won back in 2017, 2020 and 2021, Sutton’s latest championship triumph has now seen him draw level with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington on the all-time winners list – cementing him as one of the greatest ever touring car drivers.

In addition to tying the all-time record, the Ford Focus ST driver has also become the first driver in the series’ illustrious history to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive machinery.

Ashley’s path to a fourth championship has been nothing short of sensational with six pole positions, 12 wins and a further eight podium finishes being tallied over the course of the ten round schedule.

Along the way, the BRDC Member smashed a number of records including scoring the most wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and laps led in a single season in the modern era. He also became the first driver since Alain Menu in 1997 to win four consecutive races in a season.

“It feels pretty surreal to be standing here as a four-time champion,” Sutton said. “At the moment the magnitude of what we’ve achieved hasn’t fully sunk in but I’m sure over the next week or so I’ll start to take stock of what this all means – it’s just phenomenal!

“For me personally, one of the biggest things I wanted to do was to become the first person to win the title in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars. To have done that is really something.

“This year is going to be hard to beat. My little boy Sonny arrived just before the season started and it’s been the best thing that has ever happened to me. Becoming a Dad changed my approach and I’ve just been focused on making both him and my fiancĂ© Ellie as proud as possible.

“To have claimed the records that we have this season is a real testament to everyone at NAPA Racing UK and Alliance Racing. So much development has gone into the Ford Focus for this year; we opened every drawer and lifted out every tool to improve the whole package.

“It goes without saying that my engineer Tony (Carrozza) has been instrumental in all of this too. He’s really helped me to dial into the car and without him by my side this would have been hard to do as he is something special.

“I’ve made no secret that I want to go down in the history books as the one of the best-ever touring car drivers so the aim is clear moving forward; to come back and try to win more races and titles. We’ll enjoy this and then it’ll be about resetting and coming back in 2024!”

Champions triumph on TOCA support bill at Brands Hatch

Champions weren’t just crowned in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 8/9), as titles were also decided across the four support championships that make up the TOCA support bill. 

On what turned out to be an action-packed finale around the famous Grand Prix circuit, the bumper crowd in attendance were treated to a feast of wheel-to-wheel thrills as the battle for supremacy across each of the one-make categories reached an exciting crescendo. 

In the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA, teenage sensation Louis Sharp took a huge step towards fulfilling his Formula 1 dreams by becoming the latest champion of the single-seater series.

Entering the final meeting of the year holding a one-point advantage over Will Macintyre, the Rodin Carlin driver clinched the crown in impressive fashion, starting by blasting to pole position in qualifying and subsequently converting it into a lights-to-flag victory. 

Starting towards the back for the reverse grid race, Sharp made as much progress as he could however Macintyre’s superior result meant that his lead was once again cut – leaving him with a slender points buffer heading into the finale. 

Needing only to finish ahead of Macintyre to secure the title, the Kiwi was happy to shadow fellow front row starter Deagan Fairclough throughout the final race of the season, with MacIntyre hot on his heels but unable to make up the ground he required to deny him.

Dan Zelos wrote his name into the history books of the Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE JCW as he was crowned champion of the ultra-competitive tin top series for a second time in three years. 

Having been the driver to beat for much of the season, the EXCELR8 Motorsport driver arrived at Brands Hatch with a commanding 101-point lead and he wasted no time in wrapping things up as he followed winner Sam Smith to the chequered flag in race one. 

With the title in the bag, the pressure was off Zelos for the remainder of the event however he was unable to curtail his season with one more victory. The remaining spoils instead went the way of Smith and last year’s champion Sam Weller. 

Having been the cream of the crop for much of the year, Team Parker Racing’s Joe Warhurst savoured title success as he emerged victorious in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain.

Arriving at the Kent circuit in the pound seat, the rising star was wheel-perfect in races one and two, taking commanding victories, which in-turn proved to be enough to see him crowned champion. 

Warhurst came oh-so close to making it a coronation to remember as he narrowly missing out on a third win to Steve Roberts by just under two tenths of a second. 

The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain might have already been decided prior to Brands Hatch but that didn’t stop the monstrous field of rear-wheel-drive 911 cars from putting on a show for one last time this year. 

Rosland Gold by Century Motorsport’s James Kellett secured second in the overall championship as he stormed to victory in the opening encounter and then, fittingly, newly crowned champion Adam Smalley reigned supreme in race two to end the year on the top step of the podium. 

To view the full classification of results from all TOCA support championships, as well as the final standings for each, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and TOCA support package will return in 2024, with the new season scheduled to get underway at Donington Park on April 27/28.