The British Automobile Racing Club brought the curtain down on its 2024 season in spectacular style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 2/3) as the final batch of champions were crowned in front of a sell-out crowd.

Concluding what has been a year to remember for the Club’s championships, series, centres and venues; two days of blockbuster racing provided the backdrop to a fitting finale around the Indy layout.

Headlining the action was the British Truck Racing Championship, where Ryan Smith continues to re-write the history books in his Daimler Freightliner as he claimed a remarkable ninth consecutive Division 1 title.

Arriving at the Kent venue with one hand on the coveted crown, Smith was wheel-perfect as he blitzed the opposition to claim pole position in qualifying and then swept his way to all five race wins that were up for grabs. 

Behind him, former title winner David Jenkins edged out Steven Powell to clinch second overall whilst Michael Oliver and Stuart Oliver also stood on the podium over the course of what was a frenetic weekend.

In Division 2, John Powell made his dreams a reality as he finally savoured championship glory after edging out Simon Cole to top spot. The pair were virtually inseparable throughout the meeting however a non-finish for Cole in the finale allowed Powell to reign supreme. 

At the front of Division 2, the spoils of victory went to former champions Adam Bint and Paul Rivett – with the latter closing out his reign as defending champion with four superlative victories in his NAPA Racing UK MAN. 

The battle for supremacy in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy went down to the wire with Westbourne Motorsport’s Harry Hickton ultimately doing enough to beat his team-mate Sam Gornall to the title by just two points. 

Hickton went into the final meeting of the season sitting second in standings, 31 points adrift of the top of the table. Bagging pole position in qualifying, Hickton then outscored Gornall to close the gap in race one while James Black triumphed up ahead.

The Hampshire racer then claimed a critical fifth win of the season in race two to take the lead in the points before shadowing Gornall all the way to the chequered flag in the finale, which in-turn ensured he clinched the Drivers’ Championship. 

Remarkably, the difference between the top two in the Junior Saloon Car Championship was even closer than in the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, with the bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the final race being the deciding factor.

Concluding its 10th Anniversary season with six drivers in contention, it boiled down to a straight shootout between Harry Smith and Jonathan Moore – and as always the one-make series had everyone on the edge of their seats as the pair scrapped for the right to call themselves champion.

James Sherrington scored victory in race one but with Moore finishing ahead of Smith it set up a tantalising title showdown. In a final contest that was truncated with red flags, Moore finished first on the road however confirmation of a champion remains to be decided virtue of how many laps were completed.

The Pickup Truck Racing Championship was another category that crowned a new champion as Dale Gent finally climbed to the top of the mountain after just coming up short during the past few years. 

Going into the weekend at the top of the standings, Gent held his nerve to score the points that he required while Ryan Hadfield and Matt Simpson enjoyed a share of the spoils at the front of the field. 

Rounding out the weekend’s track action was the Mini 7 Racing Club’s O-Plate Winter Shootout. Aaron Smith and Rupert Deeth were undoubtedly the cream of the crop as they dominated all three races, with Smith narrowly beating Deeth on each occasion. 

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