Author: Chris Ashby

BTCC announces unchanged calendar for 2025 season

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has revealed an unchanged calendar for its 2025 season.

Just a few days on from the opening rounds of the 2024 campaign, the UK’s premier motorsport series has released its schedule in record time following close co-operation between TOCA, ITV and all venues.

Donington Park’s National circuit kicks off the season at the end of April before the rolling into Brands Hatch Indy and Snetterton.

Thruxton and Oulton Park take centre stage in June before the series then takes its annual summer break, where the traditional Goodyear Tyre Test is expected to take place a yet-to-be confirmed venue.

The second half of season commences with a busy August courtesy of visits to Croft and Knockhill before then returning to Donington Park, this time to tackle the Grand Prix circuit.

Silverstone will host the penultimate meeting of the year in September before champions will be crowned on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in early October.

“It’s good news for our partners, stakeholders and fans that we can confirm next season’s BTCC calendar earlier than ever before, allowing for important planning to commence for all parties,” said Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive.

“The schedule has become a tried and tested formula in recent years and is universally backed. We are continuously pushing the boundaries on-track with new-for-2024 qualifying, hybrid and tyre regulations, so I am sure our teams will be happy with the continuity and consistency of our calendar.

“Of course, being able to agree our dates so early with our partners at ITV ensures we have locked in the primary slots for our continued all-day-live and free television coverage on ITV4. It also has a positive benefit for the rest of British motorsport, as other organisers can continue planning and scheduling their own events.

“Last year, I said we were unlikely to release our calendar any earlier than mid-May… I was wrong… and we are delighted to be able to announce this schedule earlier than ever before!”

2025 British Touring Car Championship Calendar

April 26/27 – Donington Park (National)
May 10/11 – Brands Hatch (Indy)
May 24/25 – Snetterton (300)
June 7/8 – Thruxton
June 21/22 – Oulton Park (Island)
August 2/3 – Croft
August 16/17 – Knockhill
August 30/31 – Donington Park (GP)
September 20/21 – Silverstone (National)
October 4/5 – Brands Hatch (GP)

Tom Ingram and Aiden Moffat share wins at blockbuster BTCC opener

Tom Ingram and Aiden Moffat made a winning start to the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season this past weekend (April 27-28) as they claimed victory at Donington Park.

Lifting the curtain on the new campaign after months of excitement and anticipation, the UK’s premier motorsport series blasted back into life in spectacular style with three high-octane contests around the 1.98-mile National layout.

On what proved to be a ground-breaking opening meeting – which saw each race broadcast live on TikTok as well as ITV4 – the 20-car entry kicked off proceedings with a frenetic qualifying session on Saturday, which was running under the new ‘Quick Six’ format.

Starting with the grid being split into two groups, the top six drivers from each segment progressed into Q2 where they then battled to move on to Q3, which saw the fastest six drivers ultimately battle it out for pole position.

Armed with more hybrid power this year, Ingram left it until the final moments to charge to pole position ahead of Ash Sutton by 0.051 seconds; while Colin Turkington, Jake Hill, Ronan Pearson and Andrew Watson completed the top-six.

Heavy rain battered the circuit on Sunday morning which led to substantial delays but when the action finally did get underway it was Ingram that emerged as the driver to beat as he claimed a comfortable lights-to-flag victory.

Withstanding a challenge from the fast-starting BMWs off the line, a lengthy safety car period to recover the crashed Ford Focus of Sam Osborne soon neutralised proceedings. On the restart, Ingram pulled clear and from there he was never challenged.

Behind him, reigning champion Sutton found a way past Hill in the closing stages to net second with the Laser Tools Racing BMW ace settling for third place.

Ingram doubled up in race two as he produced a fine late overtake on Hill to claim his second win of the weekend under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Hill took the lead as the lights went out and controlled much of the bout before Ingram and Sutton reeled him in. With four laps to go, the Hyundai ace found a way up the inside of Hill at the top of the Craner Curves to reclaim top spot.

Sutton wasted no time in following Ingram as he dived down the inside of him at the Old Hairpin a few moments later and he shadowed the 2022 champion home in what was a carbon copy podium from race one.

LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ’s Moffat then brought the curtain down on the opening weekend of the year with a superlative drive in race three to claim victory ahead of Turkington and Sutton.

On his debut outing for Speedworks Motorsport and Toyota, the Scotsman was wheel-perfect as he utilised all of his hybrid deployment to fend off the charging multiple champions at the end. Moffat made his way into the lead at mid-distance after overhauling his Toyota stablemate Rob Huff, who in-turn had taken the lead from Adam Morgan before that.

Leaving Donington Park, Ingram holds the advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with Sutton and Hill completing, the trio blanketed by just 16 points at this early stage.

BMW lead the early going in the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship whilst NAPA Racing UK hold the early bragging rights in the BTCC Teams’ Championship. In the Independents’ category, Aron Taylor-Smith and Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing lead the way after the opening three rounds.

The Jack Sears Trophy – which is once again open to those drivers that have yet to score an outright podium in the series prior to the season starting – saw Mikey Doble edge out Nick Halstead to claim weekend honours.

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

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues at Brands Hatch on May 11/12; with Rounds 4, 5 & 6 playing out around the Indy layout of the Kent venue.

TOCA support package begins new season with all-out action

Donington Park provided the setting for a pulsating 2024 season-opener on the TOCA support bill this past weekend (April 27-28) as a total of five championships blasted into life in typically action-packed style. 

Taking centre stage alongside the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at the Leicestershire venue, the bumper crowd in attendance was treated to two days of blockbuster entertainment in at times challenging conditions. 

Saturday saw light showers briefly hit the track however action remained to time; something that wasn’t to be the case on Sunday as heavy downpours caused lengthy delays and a number of races having to be cancelled.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain – which this year boasts one of its most competitive entry lists in recent memory – was one of the categories to run just one race however it made a flying start to the new campaign with Will Martin claiming a hard-fought win.

Matthew Rees had looked on course to covert his pole position into victory however a moment at the Old Hairpin allowed Martin to sneak by and once out front he wasn’t to be challenged as he claimed a memorable win.

Behind Martin, former BTCC race winner George Gamble battled a number of car issues to snare second place ahead of the charging Angus Whiteside, who had produced a sensational drive up the order. 

The ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA began its search for the next possible star of Formula 1 by staging two hotly contested single-seater races.

Pre-season title favourite Deagen Fairclough lived up to all expectations in the opening bout as he converted his blistering start from the second row into a flawless lights-to-flag victory ahead of James Higgins and Alex Ninovic. 

Fairclough could do nothing to stop his Hitech Pulse-Eight team-mate Mika Abrahams from triumphing in race two as he shadowed on-the-road leader Alex Berg to the chequered flag. Unfortunately for Berg, a time penalty for exceeding track limits dropped him from first to third. 

Dan Zelos began the defence of his Vertu MINI CHALLENGE JCW title in formidable form as he scooped a win and a second place to claim the early bragging rights in the championship standings. 

Zelos joined fellow former champion Ant Whorton-Eales in serving up a captivating battle for the win in the opening contest with Whorton-Eales initially triumphing. That was before officials deemed he had gained an unfair advantage and hit him with a time penalty.

Race two belonged to NAPA Racing UK’s Lewis Selby as his inspired move to switch to slick tyres while everyone else was on wets saw him go from dead-last to the top step of the podium, as he led home Zelos and last year’s Cooper champion Tom Ovenden.

The Legends Cars Championship garnered plenty of attention when it featured on the UK’s premier motorsport package in 2023 and the 5/8 scale machines are back for more this year, with a bumper grid all vying for glory in its Elite Cup.

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, the trio of Andy Bird, Jack Parker and Will Gibson reigned supreme on the opening day of track action before Gibson and Parker then added to their tallies 24 hours later.

Concluding the weekend’s action were two races from the Radical Challenge, which was another series to return to the BTCC bill after enjoying an impressive debut last year.

Tipped by many as one to watch prior to the weekend beginning, Chris Lulham duly lived up to all expectations as he powered his way to a brace of victories. 

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

Brands Hatch provides the next step on the calendar – where everything but the Radical Challenge will be in action – on May 11-12.

BARC stars on wet’n wild weekend at Cadwell Park

The British Automobile Racing Club starred at Cadwell Park this past weekend (April 27-28) with a total of 11 different championships serving up a feast of entertainment as they continued their 2024 campaigns.

Marking what is to be the one and only visit to the Lincolnshire circuit this year by the Club, a blockbuster timetable saw all manner of thrills and spills served up for the bumper crowd that had flocked trackside.

While conditions allowed for Saturday to run as planned, heavy rainfall battered the circuit on the Sunday which led to each category being given just one race to take place during the afternoon after track crews had worked to clear standing water all morning.

Hot on the heels of delivering a pulsating season-opener during the Easter bank holiday weekend at Donington Park, the Classic Touring Car Racing Club was back in action – and this time double points were on offer.

Ian Thompson was in a league on his own in his Lotus Cortina as he claimed bragging rights in the Pre-66 Touring Cars while reigning champion Stephen Primett and Nick Williamson scored a win apiece in the Pre-83 Touring Cars.

The amalgamated Pre-93 Touring Cars, Pre-03 Touring Cars and Blue Oval Saloon Series races garnered plenty of attention with an ultra-competitive grid and that shone through in the results as Piers Grange and Stuart Waite shared the spoils.

Capping off the CTCRC action was the monstrous machines of the Classic Thunder which yielded a victory for Josh Lawton in the opener before defending champion Nick Vaughan tallied his first triumph of the year in race two in his Audi A3.

The Junior Saloon Car Championship continued its tenth anniversary season with Harry Smith maintaining his fine start by adding another race win to the two that he claimed at Brands Hatch earlier in the month.

Smith found himself in the right place at the right time in race one as he inherited victory from Josh Selvadorai, who was hit with a time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage. The youngster couldn’t maintain his winning streak in race two however as Jonathan Moore opened his account with a superlative drive to the top step of the podium.

Multiple Adrian Flux Insurance MG Owners Club Championship title Steve McDermid was another to open his account for the season in style as he carved his way from seventh on the grid to claim a hard-fought victory.

The MG ZR driver underlined all of the credentials that have made him a standout performer in the series in recent years by producing a number of jaw-dropping overtakes on his way to taking the chequered flag ahead of Luke Boniface and Henry Sharpe.

Mark Ridout made the perfect start to the new OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires season as he claimed a clean sweep of results, tallying pole position in qualifying before then following it up with two wins.

Ridout came out on top of a captivating battle between himself, Darren Banks and Luca Staccini Anzanello in the opening contest before stamping his authority on race two with a commanding victory ahead of Daniel Munro and Staccini Anzanello.

The 2CV Parts.com Championship meanwhile saw Kristopher Tovey enjoy the perfect start to his title defence as he comfortably reigned supreme. Tovey pulled clear of the chasing pack in commanding fashion to triumph by more than ten seconds come the end of the contest.

Brian Heerey would finish as his nearest challenger, with he himself ended up finishing more than six seconds ahead of Nick Crispin, who was a title contender last year.

In the Dunlop Mini Miglia Challenge, Jeff Smith beat Ben Colburn to outright honours in its only race of the weekend. Unfortunately, the Dunlop Mini Se7en Championship was unable to run any of its races to completion for a result to be declared.

Concluding the weekend’s track action were three races from the high-speed British Superkart Racing Club. Lee Harpham was a convincing winner in race one before repeating the feat in the finale.

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

MINI CHALLENGE to run sustainable fuel development car

Organisers of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE have announced that a special guest car will join its grid for the 2024 season to help develop new sustainable fuels as the series aims to transition to 100% sustainable fuels by 2028.

The car, which will run in the new JCW Sport category, will be used for ongoing development of sustainable fuels for use in the series, with a gradually increasing proportion of the fuel to be used in the car coming from a sustainable source.

The long term strategy for the series is to have all competing cars powered by 100 per cent sustainable fuels by the 2028 season, with a phased reduction in the amount of traditional fossil fuels used for race machinery from 2025 onwards.

The fuel development car will be run in-house by a MINI CHALLENGE UK team and will be available to drivers who want to not only sample the new JCW Sport category, but also have a desire to help make motorsport in the UK more sustainable going forwards.

“Sustainable fuels are going to be key part of the landscape in motorsport in the coming years, particularly at national level,” series promoter Antony Williams said.

“Our goal as a championship is to work towards having all cars running on 100% sustainable fuels in the next three to four years, and certainly by the start of the 2028 season.

“The first stage of this is the development car that we will run in the JCW Sport class this season, which will start the year running on a significant proportion of sustainable fuels. Over the year, we will then reduce the amount of fossil fuels required and work on introducing the new fuel for 2025 as development work continues.”

The first driver who will get behind the wheel of the car is Hannah Chapman, who has previously competed in both the Cooper and JCW categories.

Global Media Properties named exclusive commercial partner for BTCC

The British Touring Car Championship has announced the appointment of Global Media Properties (GMP) as its Exclusive Commercial Partnership Agency.

This partnership heralds a new era of strategic collaboration aimed at driving innovation, fostering new partnerships, and enhancing consumer experiences within the UK’s premier motorsport series.

In its capacity as the Exclusive Commercial Partner, GMP will spearhead the development and execution of a dynamic commercial strategy tailored to meet the evolving demands of modern businesses and audiences. This entails reimagining the BTCC’s commercial proposition to align seamlessly with contemporary content and ROI expectations while unlocking new avenues for growth and engagement.

Moreover, GMP will extend its expertise to BTCC teams, offering support in their pursuit of new partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, further enriching the competitive landscape of the championship.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “As we embark on this exciting journey with GMP, we are confident that their innovative approach and strategic insights will elevate the BTCC to new heights of commercial success and audience engagement.”

“Securing the BTCC as a client is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of commercial partnerships,” added Greg Albrecht, CEO of Global Media Properties. “We are eager to collaborate with Alan and his team to unlock the full potential of the championship and deliver unparalleled value to commercial partners and consumers alike.”

CNC Heads Sport/Saloons poised for Donington Park opener

The 2024 CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship kicks off this weekend, with a double header at Donington Park. Defending Champion Ian Bamber is an absentee from the opener, but runner up Roddie Paterson heads the entry in his Caterham C400.

There are three strong entries in Class A, where having raced a Seat TCR last season, Garry Wardle is due out in an Audi A3 TCR. He will be up against long time sponsor Ric Wood, who is in his Ford Capri GAA. Completing the Class line-up and a possible outright winner is Andrew Southcott, who took a number of victories last season too.

Paterson heads Class B, with no less than 13 entries. Tim Foxlow and Daz Owen are both out in their Escort Mk1 RSR’s, Owen has already been out in Modified Ford’s this season. Mark Primett is back again with his quick Banks Lotus Europa, along with former Champion Jamie Cryer in his Ginetta G20. Bod Buckby has moved up to a beefier Caterham, hence his change of class from Class C and local driver Tom Frankland will be looking for a good result in his Renault 5GT Turbo.

Richard Hall has changed his Caterham to a CSR, while having previously raced a Ginetta G40, Connor Modro is out in a Westfield Aero. Occasional visitor Tim Moll has entered his VW Golf and newcomers Paul Masters, Tom Church and Gareth John are bringing their respective Westfield, MGF and Ginetta G40.

There are no Class C cars, but Class D has an excellent nine car line-up, led by Oliver Thomas’ Subaru Impreza. Having missed some of the latter rounds in 2023, Marshall Groves returns in his Vauxhall Vectra, while Clive Dix will be planning to maximise the development work from last years success in his Mazda RX7.

Ric Walker’s Mini JCW will seeking to move up the order, while Paul Goodlad’s VW Scirocco is expected to challenge too. Watch out also for the Ford Focus of David Jones.

Having raced his BMW Compact in various guises, Steven Parker has entered a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Turbo. Cliff Butler is another occasional visitor to the Championship and joins us again with his Vauxhall Carlton, while CNC legends Ralph Underwood and Bob Claxton are back in their TR7 V8 and VW Golf.

Julian Wood has stepped down from his Kia Optima to a Class E BMW Compact, where he is joined by Championship regular Peter Koukoulas’ Toyota MR2. They are joined by Cavan Taylor, who debuted his Renault Clio part way through last season, and newcomer Wayne Spiller in his Mazda RX8. Son of David Jones, Matthew is entered in his Class E Ford Focus

There are no takers for Class F, but hopefully there will be before the next rounds.

All the action is on Saturday, with qualifying 11.35 to 11.55, Race 1 at 2.20 and race 2 at 6.16, both of 20 minutes duration.

BTCC officially launches 2024 season at Donington Park

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has officially launched its 2024 season with confirmation that a stellar entry list will go wheel-to-wheel for the biggest prize in UK motorsport. 

Boasting a grid that is packed with former champions, proven contenders and young challengers, the battle for supremacy across the 30-race campaign looks to be as competitive as ever this year. 

Headlining the entry is reigning champion Ash Sutton, who remains with NAPA Racing UK and the Ford Focus ST for a third successive season. Coming off the back of clinching a record-equalling fourth crown last year, the 30-year-old could make history this year by becoming the first-ever driver to win the coveted crown five times. 

Sutton – who will have the number one adorning his front-wheel-drive machine – is once again joined at the Alliance Racing-run squad by Dan Cammish, Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborne. 

EXCELR8 Motorsport have named an unchanged driver line-up with former champion Tom Ingram spearheading the Hyundai charge as he aims to reclaim the title he lost to Sutton last year. He’s joined once again by Tom Chilton, Ronan Pearson and Nick Halstead. 

Jake Hill and Colin Turkington – who like Sutton is also gunning for a fifth crown – will lead West Surrey Racing with their revised BMW 330e M Sport. Joining the two likely title protagonists is Adam Morgan, with a fourth driver potentially still to come.

Speedworks Motorsport have expanded its operation to four cars and in-doing so, it has enticed former FIA World Touring Car Championship title winner Rob Huff to return for his first full campaign in the BTCC in two decades. 

Piloting a Toyota Corolla GR Sport, Huff will partner Andrew Watson on the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK side of the garage while Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat will run under the LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ for the factory-run outfit. 

In the fight for Independent Championship honours, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing will enter the year as favourites as they stick with their trusty Vauxhall Astra and the capable duo of Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble.

The front-wheel-drive pairing are set to face stiff opposition though from Restart Racing, who are new to the championship this year. Having acquired a pair of Cupra Leons, the fledgling team will run former race winner Chris Smiley and rookie ace Scott Sumpton. 

Completing the entry list is Unlimited Motorsport, who will field a Cupra Leon for Daryl Deleon.

The start of the new season will bring with it a host of revisions to the regulations including the new ‘Quick Six’ qualifying format and an increase in hybrid power that will be available for drivers. In addition, the series will also break new ground as it broadcasts every race live on TikTok. 

CLICK HERE for the full 2024 British Touring Car Championship entry list. 

The 2024 campaign officially commences at Donington Park on the 27-28 April.

Glorious Goodwood stages spectacular 81st Members’ Meeting

Goodwood Motor Circuit wound back the clock in style this past weekend (April 13/14) as the West Sussex venue kicked off its 2024 motor racing season with the 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport.

Bringing together some of the biggest names and iconic machines in the sport, the two-day event marked the start of another unmissable year of full-throttle thrills on the famous grounds. 

Open to members and fellows of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, the Members’ Meeting is staged to recapture the intimacy and camaraderie of the race weekend’s in Goodwood’s heyday – with the British Automobile Racing Club responsible for all sporting organisational duties.

Among the countless highlights was the Gordon Spice Trophy, which saw Group 1 Touring Cars race into the Saturday evening sunset. As expected, V8s were the dominant force and a tight top-five battle ended with four-time BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Craig Davies reigning supreme in a Ford Mustang Boss 302.

After missing out on outright victory in the coveted two-driver race the day previous, Fred Shepard was able to call himself a Members’ Meeting winner as he triumphed in the Gordon Spice Sprint.

The Ken Miles Cup lived up to its billing as a full grid of 30 Ford Mustangs roared into battle and that too saw another former touring car champion, Andrew Jordan, soak up the spoils of victory as he raced alongside Michael Whitaker. 

Monstrous GT machines took centre stage for the Graham Hill Trophy with the TVR Griffiths and AC Cobras proving difficult to live with. The appropriately named Miles Griffiths took victory in a TVR ahead of Alex Buncombe. 

Sleek sportscars provided a momentous sight in the Peter Collins Trophy as Richard Wilson piloted his Maserati 250S to a relatively comfortable victory – more than six seconds in fact – over Frederic Wakeman.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Bugatti Type 35 and in true Goodwood style a celebration was had as a glittering array of 1920s grand prix cars graced the tarmac. Julian Majzub was the star of the show as he beat Duncan Pittaway to top spot. 

One of the fastest races of the weekend was the Surtees Trophy, where sports prototypes of the early 1960s delivered a mesmerising showcase of all things speed. Both John Spiers and Alex Brundle starred towards the sharp end but it was Ben Mitchell that ultimately triumphed.

It wouldn’t be the Members’ Meeting without the Derek Bell Cup and this year’s edition was one to remember as a bumper grid of Formula 3 racers didn’t disappoint. Despite having to contend with a short stoppage, Michael O’Brien produced a daring overtake to beat Andrew Hibberd to the win.

Elsewhere, grand prix and voiturette cars featured in the Parnell Cup which was won by William Nuthall while Majzub and Mark Walker scored a wine apiece in the S.F. Edge Trophy. 

Rounding out the 81st Members’ Meeting track action was the Hailwood Trophy, where Phil Atkinson proved to be in a league of his own on two wheels as he claimed victory in both races aboard his Yamaha TZ350G.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at the Goodwood 81st Members’ Meeting, CLICK HERE.

Snetterton delivers all-action BARC race weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club put on a show around Snetterton’s 300 circuit this past weekend (April 13/14) as a number of championships continued, as well as started, their 2024 campaigns with two days of exceptional action-packed racing. 

On was the first of several visits the Club will make to the Norfolk venue over the course of this year, four categories took centre stage to write the latest chapter of their stories for the crowd watching in attendance and at home via YouTube.

The British Endurance Championship in association with Motorsport UK saw PB Racing with JMH maintain their 100% winning record in 2024 as Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton charged to a dominant lights-to-flag victory.

After reigning supreme at the series’ Donington Park curtain-raiser last month, the Audi GT3 duo were among the favourites to star at Snetterton and they didn’t disappoint as they quickly showcased that they were in a league of their own.

Clinching a commanding pole position during qualifying, the only challenge that Erceg ended up facing was the hustle and bustle of the opening lap, where he was briefly put under pressure by the Porsche’s of Team Tasman and Road & Competition Engineering through turns one and two. 

Once clear, Erceg built up a steady advantage throughout his stint before handing the car over to Clutton, who was wheel-perfect to the finish. In the end the pair took the chequered flag five clear laps ahead of their nearest challengers.

Behind the eventual race winners, Team Tasman – which was made up of David Harrison and Nathan Luckey in a Porsche 991.2 Cup – secured a spot on the second step of the podium after holding off the race-long charge of Chris Murphy in his BMW E46 GTR, who finished third. 

Caterham Motorsport began their 2024 season in style with four of their five championships producing a plethora of thrills and spills across an unmissable 11 races. 

In the Mission Motorsport Caterham Seven 270R Championship, spoils were shared between Nick Bryant, Toby Ballard and Ben Timmons whilst Hugo Bush, Harry Cook and Lars Alexander Hoffman did the same in the Motul Caterham Seven 310R Championship.

More than 40 cars lined up to battle for supremacy in the Bilstein Caterham Roadsport Championship however there was one name that stood head and shoulders above the rest to win both races, Jonathan Emery. 

There was virtually nothing to separate defending champion Lewis Thompson and William Smith in the Vertex Caterham Seven UK Championship. Thompson laid down his marker with victory in the opener however try as he might, he couldn’t overhaul Smith in the remaining two bouts. 

Harry Hickton emerged as one of the leading lights from the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy as he produced a near-perfect display to claim the early bragging rights at the top of the championship standings. 

Kicking off a brand-new campaign with three action-packed races, Hickton reigned supreme in the popular one-make series as he claimed victory in two of the three contests, while Sam Gornall secured the remaining honours that were up for grabs.

After shadowing Gornall to the chequered flag in race one, Westbourne Motorsport’s Hickton was a tour-de-force in race two as he went from ninth to first in just over a lap and once out front, he was uncatchable as he pulled clear to claim a long-awaited maiden win. 

The Hampshire-based racer didn’t have to wait too long for a second win in the championship as he utilised another of his demon starts to jump into the lead at the start and then control proceedings while Alex Solley and Reece Lycett trailed him in second and third.  

Concluding the weekend’s track action around Snetterton were two races from the Britcar Trophy Championship which, like the British Endurance Championship, was back competing following a pulsating season-opener a couple of weeks’ back. 

Simon Mason and Chris Bialan picked up where they left off a few weeks ago by chalking up their second consecutive victory in their Cupra Gen 1. After qualifying inside the top three, the duo were in scintillating form as they carved their way to the front to ultimately triumph.

Maurizio Sciglio then led home a Datum Motorsport 1-2-3 in the weekend’s finale as he led home Axel van Nederveen and Marco Anstasti. Sciglio’s victory means that three driver entries have now stood on the top step of the podium across the opening four races.

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

Watch all of the action back from both days via the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE.

Job Vacancy: BARC Marketing Executive

The British Automobile Racing Club is currently recruiting for the role of Marketing Executive at its headquarters at Thruxton Circuit.

An exciting and creative role, the Marketing Executive will be responsible for delivering the digital marketing output and communications for the BARC Group, including the club and its membership, the five venues and their events, as well as on-site activities including: driving experiences, karting, skid pan, 4×4 and corporate offerings.

Reporting to the Group Head of Marketing and Communications, the Marketing Executive will bring a fresh, creative and consistent tone to the company’s online presence, capture and engage prospective experience/event day purchasers across our digital channels and help to shape how the BARC presents itself to new audiences. 

The role will be predominately based at the Club’s HQ at Thruxton Circuit, but travel to other circuits and events will be necessary. 

The growing team will develop and promote events and activities across the BARC portfolio, playing a large part in marketing new and exciting BARC experiences.

To view the full Marketing Executive Job Description, CLICK HERE. 

All applicants should provide CV and Covering Letter to Ben Norton: ben.norton@barc.net 

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend // April 13-14

The British Automobile Racing Club sets course for Norfolk this weekend (April 13-14) for a full-throttle weekend of racing around Snetterton’s challenging 300 layout.

Two weeks on from a packed 2024 curtain-raising weekend, the Club is back with a bumper two days of track action which is headlined by the British Endurance Championship in association with Motorsport UK.

Elsewhere, four Caterham Motorsport categories – as well as the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy – will be in action for the first time this year whilst the Britcar Trophy Championship also makes an appearance.

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

Saturday 13th April – Snetterton 300 – 12:20 – WATCH HERE

Sunday 14th April – Snetterton 300 – 09:15 – WATCH HERE

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meetings at Snetterton, 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.