A new British Automobile Racing Club season is just around the corner with a jam-packed line-up of race and hillclimb meetings up and down the country. This weekend, the 22/23 March heralds the start of 2025 for the BARC.
Old championship favourites and new series are joining the BARC ranks with TCR UK the newest of them all, as the exciting touring car formula is welcomed into the BARC family. Ahead of its new campaign we sat down with fan favourite saloon car ace and colourful TCR UK presenter Paul OâNeill to get the lowdown on our new arrival and what we can expect over the course of the championship campaign.
Thanks for joining us Paul – letâs start with your involvement in TCR UK – how did that start?
âOh I have to wind the clock back. Time flies, doesn’t it? I’ve been involved with the promoter Maximum Motorsport, working with Stewart Lines and his team for a while on things like the VW Cup or the VAG Trophy years ago. My first involvement with TCR
was probably back in, I think, 2021. TCR was part of the Touring Car Trophy in 2021. And then it became TCR UK in 2022 and have been with them ever since. I must be doing something right!â
The BARC and TCR UK are working together for the first time – will it be a good fit?
âI’ll be honest, it’s probably the most excited I’ve been for a long time. BARC and TCR UK working together is perfect and they will learn a great deal from each other. They [BARC] know exactly how to run championships, they know how these kind of championships
work, and I’m sure they’ll give advice to the promoter and vice versa, they’ll
fit hand in hand.
âIt’s the biggest news I think for TCR UK for a long time. TCR UK is becoming a strong part of the British motorsport scene and I think to have that affiliation with BARC is a
fantastic thing. And obviously, some lucky people are going to get to drive a
BTCC car at the end of the year – another BARC series as well – and I think itâs really becoming a home for touring car racing now with the TCR UK addition.â
Why is the formula so good? It certainly delivers on track
âI think because the manufacturers build the cars. Because the manufacturer builds them and there’s off-the-shelf parts, the cars are ready to roll and brilliant for a customer to drive and there is a great amount of choice.
âIn the grand scheme of motorsport, they’re not expensive for the car you get in my opinion compared to some racing cars, and I think that the big thing for me is the BoP- the balance of performance is critical in keeping it fair. Raising the ride height, lowering the ride height, taking away a bit of weight, putting some weight in, just all the different things that they do with the BoP, I just think is great to keep it as equal as possible and every year it just seems to show at the end of the season it creates some fantastic racing and the best always rise to the top.
âAt the end of the day, itâs a front-wheel drive championship, tin-tops, close racing and the BoP – that’s why people keep coming back for more!â
Now, you have driven many things in your time and you have had the chance to drive a few TCR cars – tell us what itâs like?
âI’m dead fortunate. To be honest, when I get told how much they are and how much they are to run, racing is not cheap, but they are bang for buck – probably the most impressive tin-top car I’ve driven. They’re a front-wheel-drive car and it reminds me of when I did the British Touring Car Championship, they remind me of the Honda Integra that I drove in 2010, under BTC regulations. Simple cars, not massive amounts to them and easy to drive. But there is something a little bit about them – there’s a little bit of S2000 regulation feel within the car as well, where it’s more towards a road car, some of the suspension parts and stuff like that. So, they feel like a bit of a hybrid between two regulations of tin tops that I’ve driven, which is fantastic.
âBut the one thing I will say about them is, for the amateur racing driver theyâre actually really easy to pick-up – they’re not terrifying to drive. I’ve driven most generations of TCR cars, and they’ve got so many different characteristics. The Hyundai, the VW Golf, the Audi, they’re just all different. Honestly, they are all different, and that’s what makes it an excellent type of car to drive. And you just have to pick wisely and pick a car that suits your style.â
2025 – a new season – what can we expect?
âThere is a lot of excitement in the TCR UK camp. The battles at the front were great last year, but I think we will have more depth this season. Looking at the start of the year, there’s some good numbers and I know for a fact there’s some names still to come on the entry list.
âWe start at Donington – a great place to start the season and I think there’s a few names in there that have got some scores to settle from last year that maybe should have won the championship, which will add a little spice.
âI think the racing will be closer than ever. There’s some new cars on the grid
that started developing late last year, so they’re going to be up the front. I think there’s just going to be some real interesting battles – with firm fair racing, where nobody wants to relinquish their spot on the race track and the racing will be fierce at times and elbows out – but they will shake hands after the dust settles.â
Who should we be looking out for? Who could spring a surprise?
“I think Alistair Camp has always been someone I follow and I love to watch race in a car. He’s pretty naturally talented. I think Alistair Camp is going to dovetail the series with the Milltek Civic Cup – so I think he’s somebody to look for. I don’t know if he can
win the championship, but I think he’ll win races – definitely.
“I think someone else to look out for is Finn Leslie. He is stepping up from a Fiesta junior series and I think he’ll be strong. He’s with a good team with Power Maxed Racing and will be one who wants to get stuck in early.
Going to put you on the spot here now – do you have any early tips for a champion?
âOh wow, ok – I think Callum Newsham, Brad Hutchison and maybe Steve and Sam Laidlaw – but I think it’s going to come down to Newsham and Hutchison. Definitely Hutchison. He is raw from last year from not winning the title, but also so is Callum Newsham because he could have won it too. So, that’s why I’m really looking forward to it because I know how much it means to them and their families.â
Itâs a busy calendar once again for TCR UK – where are you looking forward to going to?
âThatâs a good question! I think it’s a really good calendar, first of all. Donington to start things off will be awesome, but the one place that I love going to is Croft – it just produces great racing for front-wheel drive cars in general.
âIf you haven’t been to Croft for a while, go to it – itâs looking fantastic. I am really impressed with the work being carried out. They’ve kept the warm and welcoming feeling you get from Croft, and the fantastic track is the same – but now with the facilities it is one of best circuits in the UK.
âIf people reading this want to get to a round and looking for a great racing weekend, go and watch the TCR UK championship there at Croft – it will be mega – you wont be disappointed!â
The 2025 British Automobile Racing Club season begins at Donington Park on the 22/23 March with the opening three rounds of the TCR UK series taking place across the weekend. TCR UK will be joined by the Milltek Civic Cup, Adrian Flux MG Owners Club Championship, Classic Touring Car Racing Club classes, Junior Saloon Car Championship and P4 Emergency Lighting Caterham Graduates Championship.
All the action will be broadcast LIVE on the BARC YouTube channel – with free and uninterrupted coverage across the two days.
