Author: Chris Ashby

Thruxton Circuit gearing up for 2022 edition of Thruxton Historic meeting

Thruxton Circuit is once again gearing up to take a spirited trip down memory lane this summer as the Thruxton Historic takes centre stage on June 11/12.

Showcasing some of the finest historic motor racing in the country, the high-speed Hampshire is set to reverberate to the sounds and sights of yesteryear – with this year shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. 

Now a regular fixture on the UK motorsport calendar since debuting back in 2018 as part of the venues 50th Anniversary celebrations, the Thruxton Historic brings legendary machines and racers for an adrenaline rush like no other. 

A total of 12 races will take place over the course of the weekend with this year’s grids being The Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy, Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy, Sixties Touring Car Challenge & U2TC, Pre ’63 GT, Jochen Rindt Trophy, Midget & Sprites Challenge, HRDC Jack Sears Trophy, HRDC Dunlop Allstars, HRDC Classic Alfa Challenge and Jaguar Classic Challenge.

Whilst there will be plenty to be captivated by on-track, there is also set to lots for spectators to see and do off it as well. 

Family-friendly activities including car displays and parades – one of which is the Land Rover Legends – free camping, a trade village and much more will all be situated around the venue. 

Tickets and VIP packages for 2022 Thruxton Historic are available to be purchased at https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/historic or by calling 01264 882222.

All public advance ticket holders to the Thruxton Historic will be in with a chance to win a ride around the UK’s fastest race circuit in one of our fleet of driving experience supercars.

Winners will be picked at random as soon as advance ticket sales end and will be notified by telephone. Each winner will have a ride in one supercar. Rides will take place on Saturday and Sunday during the lunch break, subject to timetable amendments.

BARC basks in Pembrey sunshine to headline Convoy Cymru entertainment

The British Automobile Racing Club basked in the bright sunshine this past weekend (May 7/8) as a number of championships took centre stage at Pembrey Circuit for the inaugural running of Convoy Cymru.

Living up to its promise as being a festival of all things trucking, those that attended Convoy Cymru were able to see some of the best trucks in the country on display as well as soak up the atmosphere from the funfair, all-action arena, tractor pulling and much more.

Headlining the weekend’s track action were five blockbuster contests from the British Truck Racing Championship. Coming off the back off a sensational season-opener at Brands Hatch last month, the heavyweight behemoths served up yet more entertainment.

Division 1 saw reigning champion Ryan Smith stamp his authority on the battle for the title as he stormed to four emphatic wins in his Damiler Truck. Simon Reid was the only driver that could stop the six-time title winner as he piloted his Iveco to the top step in race four, holding off the aforementioned Smith.

In Division 2, Saturday’s spoils were shared between Jock Borthwick and Luke Garrett before Garrett then added a further two wins to his tally on Sunday. Adam Bint was the other victor as he guided his Volvo White Aerodyne to a popular win for the first time this season.

From the titans of truck racing to the 5/8 scale pocket rockets of the Legends Cars National Championship, wheel-to-wheel action was around every turn of the challenging 1.45-mile layout.

Reigning champion Miles Rudman and John Mickel each walked away with a brace of wins whilst there was also a visit to the top step of the podium each for Will Gibson and Marcus Pett.

Elsewhere, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship put on a show with three pulsating bouts which were won by Michael Smith, Mark Willis and Dale Gent. 

Nelson King enjoyed a dream start to the new Quaife MINI CHALLENGE Trophy season as he claimed hat-trick of wins whilst David O’Keeffe was victorious in both Classic 2CV Racing Club contests. 

Rounding out the weekend’s track action were a pair of races from the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship, where Rhys Lloyd and Damian Longotano took a win apiece. 

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Pembrey, click here.

You can also re-watch all of the action from Saturday and Sunday by heading to the British Automobile Racing Club YouTube channel.

Where To Watch BARC LIVE: Pembrey – May 7/8

The British Automobile Racing Club makes its first visit of the 2022 season to Pembrey Circuit this weekend (May 7/8) for the inaugural Convoy Cymru event and it’s not to be missed.

Billed as what is set to be a festival of all things truck at the Welsh venue, those in attendance will be able to see some of the best trucks in the country on display as well as soak up the atmosphere from the funfair, all-action arena and much more.

Whilst there will be plenty to see and do off-track, the same can be said on it as the British Truck Racing Championship headlines the live coverage with five blockbuster races scheduled to play out across both days.

In addition to the heavyweight behemoths, viewers will also be able to watch action from the Pickup Truck Racing Championship, MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, Classic 2CV Racing Club and Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship over the course of the weekend.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 11:45 – Facebook | YouTube

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 09:30 – Facebook | YouTube

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Pembrey, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

Thruxton launches BTCC Wave The Chequered Flag competition for another season

Thruxton Circuit is set to once again give one lucky fan the opportunity to wave the chequered flag for the first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race at the Hampshire circuit later this month (May 29).

Continuing its annual competition, anyone that purchases an advance race day, weekend or family ticket will automatically be entered into being in with a chance of bringing race one to a close.

Those that have already purchased tickets needn’t worry, they’ve been entered.

Advance tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 01264 882222.

BTCC kicks off hybrid era in style Donington Park

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship kicked off its hybrid era in style at Donington Park this weekend (April 23/24) as Tom Ingram, Gordon Shedden and Jake Hill shared the spoils across three blockbuster races.

Lifting the curtain on the 2022 season under the flightpath of East Midlands airport, the sun beamed down on the UK’s premier motorsport series as it became the first major touring car series in the world to implement hybrid technology into all of its cars.

Drivers are in control of when to deploy the hybrid system via a button on the steering wheel, seeing them receive up to 15 seconds per lap of additional hybrid power – a benefit that can be used to either attack or defend during races.

History was first made on Saturday afternoon as ROKiT MB Motorsport’s Hill blitzed his way to a career-first pole position. In what proved to be an ultra-competitive qualifying session, the BMW driver set a best time of 1:08.418 to record a new lap record. 

Staggeringly, just 0.063s covered the top four on the grid with Colin Turkington, reigning champion Ashley Sutton and Ingram all hot on the heels of Hill. 

Race one saw Ingram write his name into the record books as he became the first winner of the hybrid era. The Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com hit the front early after getting the better of his BMW rivals in the opening exchanges and cantered to a 20th career victory.

After going wheel-to-wheel with Hill, Turkington managed to secure the second spot on the podium ahead of his WSR team-mate. However, Hill would be excluded from the result after failing the post-race ride height checks – promoting Shedden up to third.

Shedden then powered his Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R to the top step of the podium in race two. Starting third, the three-time champion leapfrogged Turkington – who stalled on the grid – and set off in pursuit of race one victor Ingram.

Hounding the back of the Hyundai for a number of laps, the Scotsman made his move on lap nine and despite a late charge from Ingram, he managed to hold on to open his account for the season.

Behind, George Gamble’s enjoyed a dream debut in the series as he backed up his sixth place finish in race one with a brilliant podium drive in race two, piloting his Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW to third. 

The reverse grid draw saw number nine pulled and that placed Hill back onto pole position for the third and final race of the weekend. 

In what was a redemption drive, the rear-wheel-drive ace didn’t put a wheel wrong as he converted his front row start into a commanding victory. Triple champion Sutton shadowed Hill in a comfortable second whilst Josh Cook completed the podium after a frenetic battle with Dan Lloyd.

Leaving Donington Park, Ingram holds a seven-point lead over Shedden in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship with Sutton a further four points in arrears. 

Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com lead both the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship and the BTCC Teams’ Championship whilst Adam Morgan and Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport do the same in the Independent rankings.

In the Jack Sears Trophy, Bobby Thompson narrowly edged out Gamble to claim weekend honours. 

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

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season reconvenes at Brands Hatch on May 14/15.

TOCA support package takes centre stage at Donington Park

Donington Park played host to a memorable season-opener for the championships competing on the TOCA support package this past weekend (April 23/24).

Taking centre stage alongside the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, five all-action categories delighted fans with two blockbuster days of wheel-to-wheel entertainment under the flightpath of East Midlands airport. 

Boasting a bumper grid of youngsters all hoping to forge a career in motorsport, the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship has always been good value down the years and 2022 looks to be no different as they produced an exhilirating trio of races.

Josh Rowledge claimed bragging rights in the season-opener as he charged to victory from third before he was denied by a mere 0.068s from clinching honours in race two, with Harri Reynolds pipping him to the line. Reynolds doubled his account for the weekend by charging to the top step of the podium in race three. 

It’s been a winter of change for the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA with just about everything being new, most importantly the car. Boasting a competitive grid of drivers all hoping to scale the single-seater mountain, the series kicked off what is a new era in style.

Hitech GP’s Alex Dunne withstood a Carlin charge in race one to take a commanding win before sophomore racer Georgi Dimitrov netted his first win for JHR Developments. Dunne then doubled his win tally with another dominant performance in race three. 

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB is another to have introduced a new car for this season and it too didn’t disappoint. Making debut in the series, former British GT champion wrote his name into the history books by claiming victory in race ahead of Porsche Junior GB winner Adam Smalley. 

Redline Racing enjoyed further success in race two as Matthew Graham produced a commanding drive to claim victory ahead of Theo Edgerton and Kiern Jewiss – who had endured a rollercoaster race day.

Tin top thrills were in high order courtesy of the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE JCW’s, with three barnstorming races putting fans on the edge of their seats. Sam Weller charged to the top step of the podium in the opening bout and then repeated the feat in race two. Race three spoils fell the way of Ronan Pearson, who produced a perfect safety car restart to pull clear of the chasing pack.

Rounding out the weekend’s action were three races from the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge, which came hot on the heels of competing over the Easter weekend at Oulton Park.

Will Orton claimed victory in race one before Will Jenkins made his mark in the race two, clinching a hard-fought win after a multi-car battle entertained at the front of the field. Jenkins then stormed to victory in race two before Connor Grady triumphed in race three. 

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

BARC championships produce thrilling weekend of racing at Cadwell Park

The British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage at Cadwell Park this past weekend (April 23/24) and delivered a feast of entertainment as a number of championships wrote the latest chapter in their 2022 campaigns.

Making what is to be the one and only visit to the Lincolnshire circuit this year, no less than six categories were in attendance and each of them put on a show for the bumper crowd that was in attendance.

Off the back of what was a pulsating season-opener at Silverstone last month, the Caterham Graduates Championship saw six races play out around the undulating twists and turns – two for each category.

In the Sigma 150 class, Harry Senior reigned supreme to score yet another brace of wins whilst Jamie Winrow did the same in the Sigma 135 category. Max Haynes made it a clean sweep of double victories for drivers in the championship as he swept the Sigmax races.

The Junior Saloon Car Championship saw Harry Hickton continue his impressive start to the season as he racked up a pair of victories. Coming off the back of a sensational season-opener, Hickton add two more wins to his CV to strengthen his hold on the early points lead.

Had it not been for Maximus Hall in race one, Hickton could have clinched a hat-trick of wins. Hall withstood the charging championship leader in the opening bout to clinch his first win of the season in impressive fashion.

The CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – the North West Centre’s flagship series – also served up a trio of enthralling races, with the spoils being shared between Paul Dobson and Jon Woolfitt, the latter winning twice. 

Arguably the oldest cars to compete over the course of the weekend came in the Classic 2CV Racing Club, which lifted the curtain on its 2022 season with two frenetic races. Gary Adnitt reigned supreme as he clinched an impressive brace of wins.

The Carbon8 Hyundai Coupe Cup hit the track for the first time this year with a bumper grid however at the front, a familiar name stole the show. After being the driver to beat in 2021, Alex Cursely picked up where he left off last year by storming to a brace of wins. 

Rounding out the weekend’s track action was a trio of races from the Super Series by the British Superkart Racing Club. Matt Robinson and Lee Harpham emerged as the standout drivers as they bagged a win apiece.

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

BARC live streams amass impressive viewing figures

The British Automobile Racing Club has made a flying start to the 2022 season, in particular online where it has already racked up more than 350,000 views on its race meetings that were streamed live across Facebook and YouTube.

Renewing its partnership with 247.TV for a second year, the BARC is once again putting its championships in front of a global audience by amassing staggering viewing figures for the domestic motorsport scene.

Silverstone’s famous Grand Prix circuit provided the backdrop for the new season to begin with 110,000 viewers tuning in to watch the opening rounds of the British Endurance Championship, Praga Cup and Britcar Trophy over the course of two days in mid-March.

A return to Silverstone at the end of March saw the Classic Touring Car Racing Club take centre stage in front of more than 65,000 viewers whilst a single Oulton Park race day in early April brought in another 65,000 people.

Most recently, the British Truck Racing Championship blasted into life at Brands Hatch on a full-throttle Easter weekend which included a number of other categories and saw 100,000 fans soak up the highly entertaining action.

The BARC’s YouTube channel has grown over the past month with almost 4,000 new subscribers, taking the total number to more than 23,000.

Three events in May will enable fans to enjoy more of the best national motorsport action in the country at Pembrey on May 7/8, Snetterton on May 14/15 and Oulton Park on May 28 all being broadcast live.

Thruxton announces multi-year partnership with Advanced KFS Special Vehicles

Thruxton Circuit has announced a multi-year partnership with local engineering specialist Advanced KFS Special Vehicles (AKFS).

The partnership has seen both the race control building and pit lane garages transformed ahead of the new motorsport season with the introduction of the AKFS Racetrack and AddVenture branding.

Boasting over 30 years of experience, Advanced KFS Special Vehicles has experience in the field of manufacturing after-market vehicles for a variety of industries and services including; grounds maintenance vehicles, car transporters/recovery vehicles and plant hire vehicles.

Iain Knight, Chairman of AKFS, said: “We are hugely passionate motorsport enthusiasts at AKFS and are delighted to promote our Racetruck and AddVenture vehicles with extensive branding on the Thruxton pit lane buildings including the garages and race control. 

“With high-profile events like BTCC and BSB featuring regularly, it’s an ideal way for us to connect with race fans and competitors alike.” 

Thruxton’s first event of the season takes place on April 23/24 as the Classic Sports Car Club descends on Hampshire before the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes centre stage on May 28/29.

Tickets for all 2022 race meetings at Thruxton can be purchased via https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/. 

BARC championships serve up Easter extravaganza at Brands Hatch

The British Automobile Racing Club produced an Easter extravaganza of track at Brands Hatch this past weekend (April 16/17) as six championships took centre stage.

Basked in bright sunshine and with a bumper crowd in attendance at the Kent venue, the weekend was headlined by the British Truck Racing Championship – which was kicking off making its first appearance of 2022. 

Division 1 began with Ryan Smith underlining his dominance as the reigning six-time champion converted pole position into a dominant victory. That would be to be his only win however as David Jenkins bagged a brace and the duo of Stuart Oliver and Simon Reid also opened their accounts for the year.

In Division 2, John Powell got the best start of the seven competing drivers as he steered his DAF to a hat-trick of wins whilst the returning Luke Garrett and ultra-consistent Brad Smith also triumphed. 

From the titans of truck racing to the pocket rockets of the Legends Cars National Championship, where three drivers shared the spoils to stand on the top step of the podium.

Staging six pulsating races around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit over the course of the weekend, defending champion Miles Rudman kicked off proceedings with a sensational win before going on to podium a further five times.

Will Gibson was arguably the star of the show as he too made it a podium clean sweep, with four of them being victories. Multiple champion John Mickel was the other driver to emerge victorious during the weekend as he won Sunday’s finale. 

The Classic Touring Car Racing Club served up no less than eight races over the course of the weekend, each as captivating as the last. In the two Pre ’66 encounters, spoils were shared between Piers Grange and Alan Greenhalgh whilst Don Hughes won both amalgamated Pre ’03 and Jaguar Challenge contests. 

In the combined Pre ’83 and Pre ’83 Touring Cars races, Dave Griffin proved too much for the opposition as he won twice; Andrew Wilson would go on to do the same in the Classic Thunder and Blue Oval Saloon Series encounters.

George Turiccki enjoyed the perfect start to the defence of his Pickup Truck Racing Championship as he chalked up a pair of race wins. Setting the fastest times in both parts of qualifying, the defending two-time champion didn’t put a wheel wrong to triumph twice.

The Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship was another category that lifted the curtain on a new season, with a bumper grid producing some memorable wheel-to-wheel moments.

After reigning supreme last year, Steve McDermid picked up from where he left off as he powered his way to an impressive pair of race wins whilst Steve Darbey, William Sharpe, Fergus Campbell and Jack Woodcock all scored podiums. 

Rounding out the weekend’s track action were two races from the Kumho BMW Championship. Showcasing some of the most iconic models from the Bavarian marque, Niall Bradley piloted his E36 M3 to the top step of the rostrum.

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

Watch all of the action that was streamed live across both days on the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE.

Where To Watch BARC LIVE: Brands Hatch – April 16/17

The British Automobile Racing Club descends on Brands Hatch for the first time this year with a blockbuster weekend two days of on-track entertainment comprising of a staggering 25 races.

Five races that are guaranteed to have fans on the edge-of-their-seats – both trackside and watching online – will come from the British Truck Racing Championship as they blast into life for a brand new season.

Weighing in at more than five tonnes and producing in excess of 1000bhp, there is nothing quite like seeing the heavyweight behemoths of Divison 1 and Division 2 go wheel-to-wheel, and we’ll bring every lap live on Facebook and YouTube.

Elsewhere, the Classic Touring Car Racing Club and Kumho BMW Championship’s will continue their 2022 campaigns whilst the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship and Pickup Truck Racing Championship are set to lift the curtain on their own seasons as well.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 12:15 – Facebook | YouTube

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 10:15 – Facebook | YouTube

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Brands Hatch, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

Ashley Sutton sets the pace as BTCC Season Launch concludes at Thruxton

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship brought the curtain down on its 2022 Season Launch at Thruxton today (April 13) with reigning champion Ashley Sutton topping the times in the final official pre-season test.

After months of anticipation and excitement, the 2022 BTCC campaign officially launched at an exclusive event event in the Thruxton Centre on Tuesday evening where invited guests were introduced to the drivers and informed on the introduction of hybrid technology.

Following the completion of official championship photography and ITV filming, cars hit the track for an action-packed day of testing in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.

With a total of 1250 laps being completed around the fastest circuit in the UK, triple champion Sutton left it late in the afternoon before storming to the top of the timesheets and ultimately claiming the bragging rights.

Dipping well under the existing lap record, the NAPA Racing UK driver set a best time of 1:15.607s to end the day a tenth of a second quicker than morning pace-setter Jake Hill. 

Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Daniel Rowbottom had held first place for much of the afternoon before being bettered; the Jack Sears Trophy winner ultimately finished third.

Hotly tipped title contenders Tom Ingram and Gordon Shedden rounded out the top five – the latter doing so in the closing stages of the day after being involved in an incident during the morning session.

Dan Cammish, Adam Morgan, Colin Turkington, Daniel Lloyd and Jason Plato rounded out the top ten with a total of 26 of the 29 entrants ultimately hitting the high-speed Hampshire track over the course of the day.

Away from testing and media duties, the BTCC Season Launch also saw the welcome return of the Pit Lane Autograph Session, which took place during the lunch break for the first time since the end of 2019. 

To view the full classification of times from testing at Thruxton, CLICK HERE.

Donington Park plays host to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship curtain-raiser on April 23/24.