Category: Barc

Mallory Park set to stage BARC bank holiday blockbuster

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Mallory Park this coming Bank Holiday Monday (August 31) with an action-packed day of on-track entertainment lined up courtesy of three championships.

In what is the first of two visits to the Leicestershire venue by the Club this year, a busy month of racing will draw to a close with no less than nine races scheduled to take place over the course of the day.

Home to the next generation of rising stars, the Junior Saloon Car Championship has enjoyed a sensational start to the 2020 season with former champion Lewis Saunders setting his stall out as the driver to beat.

Scoring countless victories already, Saunders’ quest to become the first driver to be crowned a two-time champion is moving in the right direction. However, with the likes of Charlie Hand, Molly Dodd, Ruben Hage and Jake Weston – amongst others – all in front-running contention, Monday’s two races are far from guaranteed to fall the way of Saunders.

The Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship roared into life at Brands Hatch at the start of the month and it didn’t disappoint. Running under a multi-class format, the single-marque category has proven to be a smash-hit down the years.

Notable names to keep an eye across the day’s trio of encounters include Fergus Campbell, a double race-winner at the Brands Hatch season-opener, as well as David Mellor, Steve McDermid and Steve Darbey.

Fresh off the back of two enthralling races at Donington Park last weekend, the Max5 Racing Championship continues to flourish with bumper grids primed to take centre stage.

Like the MGOC, the Max5 contingent runs under a multi-class system and it has already seen several star names come to the fore including the returning Jon Halliewell, Paul Roddison, Andrew Pretorius and Ian Loversidge.

Capping off the day’s action at Mallory Park will see new ground broken with the launch of an innovative set of Open Sports/Saloon Car races. Open competitors who drive open/closed roof Sports & Saloon cars, regardless of what championship or racing club they compete in, providing they meet current Motorsport UK safety regulations, the new initiative is proving to be popular.

The format guarantees that everyone will be racing against those doing similar lap times, irrespective of the car they are driving, leading to much closer competition. Classes will be changed post-qualifying and post-race if competitors run two or more laps faster in a qualifying session or race than their nominated class allowance stipulates.

To find out more information on this Monday’s bank holiday race meeting, including links to live timing and the event timetable, click here.

Snetterton primed for 2CV Racing 24-hour spectacle

The 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship will headline the British Automobile Racing Club’s late summer visit to Snetterton this coming weekend (August 28/29/30) for its yearly 24-hour race.

In what is one of the standout events on the Club motorsport calendar, the Norfolk venue will play host to a blockbuster three days of track action with several other categories all in action too.

Traditionally run as the series finale for the much-loved single-make championship, revisions to the 2020 calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic has meant that the annual 24-hour encounter will serve as the second event of a condensed schedule.

Roaring into life at Cadwell Park at the start of July, Alec Graham and Luca Proietti shared the spoils across two frenetic encounters but that was only half the story of what proved to be an enthralling spectacle.

Boasting a bumper entry list of not only competitors in the UK series but also in mainland Europe, this weekend’s 24-hour race is set to have pulses racing from start to finish and its anybody’s to win.

Prior to the 2CV Racing Championship taking centre stage at Snetterton, several other BARC categories will continue their campaigns including the Caterham Graduates Championship.

Serving up plenty of entertainment already this year, the one-make series is bigger and better than ever this year and is renowned for producing exhilarating wheel-to-wheel action. Notable names to keep an eye on over the course of the weekend include Andrew Whitton, Kevin Barrett and Barry White – amongst a host of others.

The Kumho BMW Championship will be back in action as well, with two races scheduled to take place. Home to all manner of models that have been produced by the Bavarian manufacturer, rear-wheel-drive rules the roost and is a sight to behold across all classes.

James Card emerged as the man to beat at the Brands Hatch curtain-raiser and the E36 M3 driver will be hard to beat once again, however a host of contenders will undoubtedly not make it easy for Card to remain unbeaten.

Further tin top thrills and spills will be provided by the Hyundai Coupe Cup and BARC Saloon Series – both of which will amalgamate together to form one grid. Providing a low-cost means of going racing, each series has enjoyed great success in recent years and that trend will surely continue into this weekend.

Rounding out the action around the 200 layout of Snetterton will be a handful of races from the British Superkarts Championship.

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Snetterton, including links to live timing and the event timetable, click here.

Thruxton BTCC race meeting to be run behind closed doors

It comes with great disappointment to confirm that the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to Thruxton Circuit on September 19/20 will be run behind closed doors, without spectators.

As Britain’s premier motorsport series, the BTCC has been classified as an elite sport by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and therefore must follow the government’s elite sport pathway which currently doesn’t allow spectators to attend events.

We are disappointed that fans won’t be able to enjoy the BTCC and support race action in person however we can reassure you that a double dose of touring car thrills will take place around the fastest circuit in the UK in 2021.

Ticket holders for this year’s event have two options:-

OPTION 1

Thruxton would like to offer fans the opportunity to exchange their tickets for one of the two BTCC events held at the venue in 2021. Fans will benefit tickets at 2020 prices however guarantees or allocations cannot given on grandstand seats.

To exchange your tickets for Rounds 7, 8 & 9 of the 2021 season at Thruxton on May 8/9, email TransferBTCCMay2021@barc.net with you name, address and postcode.

To exchange your tickets for Rounds 22, 23 & 24 of the 2021 season at Thruxton on August 28/29, email TransferBTCCAugust2021@barc.net with your name, address and postcode.

OPTION 2

If you would like a full refund, please send your name, address and postcode to RefundBTCC@barc.net and your refund will be processed within seven working days.

Camping pre-sale tickets will be automatically refunded, with details on camping for both 2021 BTCC race meetings to be announced closer to the events.

We appreciate the disappointment that this will cause to our supporters, but we are grateful for your understanding at this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to Thruxton again very soon.

Mixed weather conditions add to the Oulton Park spectacle on TOCA support package

Oulton Park provided the backdrop for the latest chapter of what is turning out to be another thrilling season on the TOCA support package, with five championships taking centre stage amidst challenging conditions.

Joining the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at the Cheshire venue for what was the third event in four weeks, changeable weather played its part throughout both days to add a further ingredient to the thrills and spills that were already being played out.

Harry King maintained his impressive start to the campaign in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB as he extended his lead at the summit of the standings. The Porsche GB Scholarship winner was perfection personified throughout the weekend to clinch two dominant victories ahead of Josh Webster.

In the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Gus Burton scored a double of his own as he reigned supreme in the weekend’s two contests. The Century Motorsport driver led home fellow title contenders Will Burns and Tom Hibbert in a frenetic opener before starring once more in race two.

Burton converted his pole position start into a lead he was never going to lose, powered his way to the chequered flag ahead of Jame Falvey and Adam Smalley

Making the first of three appearance alongside the BTCC this year was the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge, and it didn’t disappoint. Race one would see Josh Malin storm to victory in race one before the Richardson Racing ace put on a wet weather masterclass with Jonny Wilkinson in race two.

Whilst others battled to keep their cars pointing in the right direction, Malin and Wilkinson went wheel-to-wheel for a number of laps however in the end it was to be Malin that prevailed.

Luke Browning proved to be in a league of his own in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost as he stormed to the top of the standings after claiming a sensational hat-trick of race wins.

Rounding out the weekend’s on track action were two races from the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, which saw Dominic Wheatley and Ben Kasperczak take a win apiece.

To view the full classification of results from all TOCA support championship sessions at Oulton Park, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and TOCA support package now heads north of the border to Knockhill, for the fourth event in five weeks this coming weekend (August 29/30).

Rory Butcher, Ashley Sutton and Adam Morgan share BTCC Oulton Park spoils

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship saw changeable conditions play its role in producing three enthralling encounters at Oulton Park this past weekend (August 22/23) as the battle for supremacy in the 2020 title battle further intensified.

Rory Butcher, Ashley Sutton and Adam Morgan took a win apiece on a blockbuster race day around the picturesque Cheshire venue, with rain playing its part in the first two contests before things dried out for the reverse grid race.

Qualifying around the 2.23-mile circuit proved to be as competitive and exciting as ever and once the dust had settled it was Motorbase Performance’s Butcher that clinched a second successive pole position of the season.

With many of the BTCC’s big hitters all featuring towards the top of the times throughout the session, the Ford Focus driver emerged as the man to beat, pipping Josh Cook and reigning champion Colin Turkington.

BTC Racing’s Cook produced a virtuoso performance in race one to claim what he though was a first win of the season however his celebrations were to be short-lived as he was later excluded from the result after his Honda Civic Type R failed a post-race ride height check.

Dropping down the order off the start, Cook made a number of impressive moves to fight his way up the order and capped it off with a stunning move on Butcher into Old Hall Corner for the lead, diving down the inside at the last second.

Cook cantered to the chequered flag from there but his celebrations were cut short due to the penalty. Butcher inherited victory with Dan Cammish and Jake Hill rounding out the remaining podium places.

Laser Tools Racing’s Sutton showed his prowess in the wet conditions in race two as he powered his way to a second win of the season ahead of Butcher and Turkington.

Starting eighth, the 2017 champion wasted no time in scything his way up the order and was in the battle for the lead at half-distance. Making two opportunistic moves on Cammish and Turkington, the Infiniti Q50 driver then set his sights on Butcher.

Catching the Ford ace in a matter of corners, Sutton found the grip around the outside of Old Hall Corner and once in front, pulled away to notch a 16th career victory in the series.

In what was the only dry race of the day, Carlube Triple R Racing’s local man Morgan produced a defensive masterclass to become the sixth different winner from nine races. 

Getting the jump on pole sitter Bobby Thompson, the Mercedes A-Class ace soaked up an abundance of press from the Team BMW duo of Turkington and Tom Oliphant to take his first win since Rockingham in 2018.                          

Leaving Oulton Park, Turkington holds a 19-point lead over Sutton in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship whilst BMW hold a comfortable advantage in the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ categories as well.

Sutton and Laser Tools Racing remain at the summit of both Independents’ tables, with Michael Crees continuing to lead the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classifications of results from all sessions, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship now heads north of the border this coming weekend (August 29/30) for Rounds 10, 11 & 12 at Knockhill.

BARC serves up titanic two days of track action at Donington Park

Donington Park played host to a memorable two days of British Automobile Racing Club action this past weekend (August 22/23) which saw mixed conditions only add to the edge-of-the-seat drama and entertainment.

Descending on the Leicestershire venue for what would turn out to be a weekend to remember, a total of seven championships hit the track and turned on the style for the enthusiastic crowd that was in attendance.

One of the headline acts was the BTRA British Truck Racing Championship and the 1000bhp heavyweight behemoths didn’t disappoint as they served up a feast of thrills and spills across five bruising encounters.

Division 1 saw four-time defending champion Ryan Smith begin his quest for a fifth crown in emphatic fashion on the right foot as he powered his way to a brace of rain wins. Martin Gibson, David Jenkins and John Newell also triumphed, underlining that the class is set to be as wide open as ever in 2020.

Steven Powell enjoyed a solid start in Division 2 as he kicked off his quest for the title in emphatic fashion, winning four out of the five races. The MAN TGX driver was in a league of his own at times and would have completed a clean sweep had it not been for Luke Garrett scoring a win of his own.

Another category to lift the curtain on its condensed 2020 season was the Distrigo C1 Challenge, taking centre stage on Saturday for a three-hour spectacle which ended with the top two being separated by little over half a second.

The Progressive Motorsport Ltd duo of Howard Hayens and Dave Ward narrowly edged out Team Davies after a sensational 91 laps around the 1.98-mile track.

The Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres saw three drivers take home a share of the silverware following six breathless races. Saturday’s triple-header saw Daniel Clark, Will Gibson and Connor Mills take a win each before Gibson and Mill triumphed again on Sunday, the latter a brace.

There was action aplenty in the Max5 Racing Championship over the course of the weekend too as the one-make series starred. Andrew Pretorius reigned supreme in the opening encounter before Paul Roddison scooped the spoils in race two.

The BARC North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, made its second appearance of the year with Richard Wood and Luke Armiger taking a win apiece under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Rounding out the weekend’s track action at Donington Park were races from both the BRSCC Mazda MX5 Championship and BRSCC Mazda MX5 Supercup.

To view the full classification of results from all championships and sessions, click here.

Sports Prototype Cup announces Formula 1 support bill slot on Portugal GP weekend

The Sports Prototype Cup has announced that it will feature as a support race during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prémio De Portugal at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on October 23/24.

Fresh off the back of making its international debut alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps on August 15/16, two races for the Revolution Trophy – which features the exciting Revolution A-One prototype, will take centre stage around the challenging track.

The two 40-minute encounters are open to registered Sports Prototype Cup teams and drivers to enter. In addition, Revolution will also be offering new-build cars for sales or race-hire for this event and the full 2021 season.  

James Bailey, Sports Prototype Cup Promoter, said: “To race at one of Europe’s most challenging circuits in front of F1 fans is a privilege for our drivers and teams.

“We’ve already provided some sensational racing at Brands Hatch and Spa-Francorchamps this year and the Grand Prix support race is a fabulous opportunity to showcase the performance of the Revolution A-One and the depth of our grid of drivers and teams.”

Phil Abbott, Revolution Race Cars Managing Director, added: “We are proud that the Revolution A-One has been approved as a support race for the Grand Prix.

“We set out to design a car that is at the cutting edge of customer motorsport, with advanced technology, innovative design, high downforce and forgiving handling. It’s the perfect car for such a demanding circuit.”

BARC revved up for blockbuster weekend at Donington Park

The British Automobile Racing Club is preparing for a blockbuster two days of track action at Donington Park this weekend (August 22/23) with six championships, including the BTRA Truck Racing Championship, set to take centre stage.

In what is always a well-attended event on the national motorsport calendar, the Leicestershire venue will welcome a limited number of spectators to watch a feast of entertainment around the challenging 1.95-mile circuit.

Headlining the weekend’s action will be the five-tonne heavyweight behemoths of the BTRA. Kick-starting their 2020 campaign under the flightpath of East Midlands airport, a bumper grid of trucks will take centre stage with five races scheduled to play out.

Headlining Division 1 is four-time reigning champion Ryan Smith who is chasing a fifth consecutive title. Having been the man to beat in recent years, Smith enters the weekend as the favourite but with the likes of David Jenkins, Stuart Oliver and Simon Reid, amongst others, nothing is guaranteed.

In Division 2, Luke Garrett begins the pursuit of a third successive title and the MAN driver, like Smith, enters the weekend with a target on his back and with Steven Powell, Brad Smith and Simon Cole on the hunt, Garrett will need to be at his brilliant best.

Just over a month since their reschedule season got underway, the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres resumes with its usual blend of wheel-to-wheel, bumper-to-bumper entertainment putting fans on the edge of their seats.

Jack Parker, Miles Rudman, Sy Harraway, John Mickel and Daniel Clark were the early pace-setters at Croft and they will all be worth keeping an eye on, as well as a host of others, across the weekend’s six races.

The Max5 Racing Championship was another category to blast into life at Croft and with grid numbers continuing to rise, the single-make series is building toward a memorable 2020 season.

Jon Halliwell made a triumphant return to the championship last time out and marked it with a double win. Paul Roddison, Sam Hicks, Ian Loversidge, Jeremy Shipley and Andrew Pretorius are just a few of the drivers that will be keen to make their mark during the weekends two encounters.

The Club’s North West Centre will be present over the course of the weekend in the shape of the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship. Running under a multi-class format, the much-loved category began its year at Cadwell Park with Paul Rose and Paul Dobson claiming a win apiece.

Expect those two to be at the sharp end of a grid which has all the hallmarks of encompassing the quote ‘variety is the spice of life’.

Another category that will be making their first appearance of this condensed 2020 season is the C1 Challenge. Providing a low-cost method of going endurance racing, the series has emerged as one of the fastest growing categories in the country since launching midway through 2017.

Armed with a capacity entry list and a three-hour race scheduled to take place on the Saturday, the action is set to be unmissable.

Bringing the curtain down on the track action at Donington Park will be action from the BRSCC Mazda Mx5 Supercup.

To find out more information on this weekend’s event, including links to live timing, timetables and entry lists, click here.

TOCA support championships set to star at Oulton Park

As always, it won’t just be the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship that will serve up the traditional thrills and spills that fans have become accustomed to at Oulton Park this weekend (August 22/23), with five championships from the TOCA support package all in action as well.

In what has been a frenetic first month of the season, with this being the third event in four weeks, the on-track entertainment is only set to intensify around the Cheshire venue as every point will prove crucial in determining who will be crowned champion come the end of the year.

Harry King has set his stall out as the driver to beat in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB so far, winning three out of fours race already. Joining the grid as the Porsche GB Scholarship winner, the Team Parker Racing ace has wasted no time in settling into the series and will undoubtedly be in the mix for more silverware this weekend.

Giving chase to King are a host of contenders, all of which are led by former champion Josh Webster. Triumphing at the season-opener, Webster has been in fine form ever since and a second victory of the campaign will surely propel him firmly back into contention.

Notable names such as Ross Wylie, Lorcan Hanafin, Scott McKenna, Matthew Graham and Esmee Hawkey, amongst many others, can’t be discounted either over the course of the weekend – making the Carrera Cup GB an unmissable attraction.

The Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 Supercup has produced blockbuster moments already this year and the latest instalment of the much-loved series sees Tom Hibbert lead the way after taking a double win last time out.

Along with Will Burns, Gus Burton and Adam Smalley, the Triple M Motorsport driver has been a regular fixture towards the front of the field and it is likely that the aforementioned names will be the pace-setters once more around the challenging 2.23-mile circuit.

Additional Ginetta action at Oulton Park will come in the shape of the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge, as it fills in for the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship.

Home to aspiring GT racers as it combines close racing with a Pro/Am format, the single-make series is renowned for edge-of-the-seat thrills and if the season-opener earlier this month is anything to go by, it is set to be enthralling. Josh Malin, James Taylor and Jonny Wilkinson were the winners last time out and enter the event as the main protagonists.

Debuting on the BTCC support bill for the first time and making the first of several appearances during the remainder of the season will be the MINI CHALLENGE Cooper Championship. Like the JCW category, expect bumper grids from the one-make tin top category and fraught wheel-to-wheel action across the weekend’s two encounters.

Rounding out the weekend’s on-track entertainment will be three pulsating races from the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost where Carlin’s Zak O’Sullivan will be looking to maintain his early points advantage.

To find out more information on this weekend’s event, including links to live timing and entry list, click here.

All of Sunday’s action from Oulton Park will be broadcast live on ITV4, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:50.

Oulton Park awaits pulsating BTCC title fight

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to the track this weekend (August 22/23) for Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of at Oulton Park and it is Team BMW’s Colin Turkington that holds the early initiative at the summit of the standings.

Following one weekend off, Britain’s premier motor racing series continues its busy start to the 2020 campaign with what will be the third race meeting in four weeks.

Historically, tens of thousands of spectators have descended on the Cheshire venue for the BTCC’s annual visit down the years but that will sadly not be the case for 2020 due to the event being run behind closed doors.

Chasing a historic fifth drivers’ title, Northern Irishman Turkington has made a flying start to the season, scoring wins at Donington Park and Brands Hatch GP to open up a 17-point advantage, and the four-time reigning champion has shown no signs of slowing down.

Whilst the West Surrey Racing driver has started the year in seemingly scintillating form, it remains anybody’s game to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport and there is already a long list of challengers on the hunt for the 38-year-old’s crown.

Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton leads the hunt in second place after enjoying a strong start to the year, clinching a maiden victory for the Infiniti Q50 at the season-opener before adding a pair of podiums last time out. The challenging demands of Oulton should be well-suited to the 2017 champion.

Turkington’s team-mate Tom Oliphant has elevated his game this year and has reaped the rewards, claiming a sensational maiden BTCC win in the reverse grid race at Brands Hatch to head into his home event sitting third overall.

Oulton Park will also be home turf for Speedworks Motorsport and Toyota Corolla ace Tom Ingram will be keen to build on his first podium of the season last time out to close the gap to the top three.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has two wins to his name so far but bad luck in the shape of two non-finishes at Brands Hatch has left him playing catch up.

Carrying less weight however will make the Honda Civic Type R driver one to watch, as will the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus of Rory Butcher who has shown blistering speeds at times.

Ollie Jackson, Stephen Jelley have all made strong starts to the season as well and find themselves rounding out the top ten however none of them can be counted out from making an impact further up the order.

Of those who will be keen to bounce back from a tough start, notable attention should be paid to the Honda trio of Josh Cook, Tom Chilton and Jake Hill, as well as the likes of Senna Proctor, Jack Goff and Aiden Moffat, amidst many more.

To view more information on this weekend’s BTCC event, click here.

All of the action from Oulton Park will be broadcast live on ITV4 on Sunday, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:50.

Thruxton races down memory lane in spectacular style at Historic meeting

Spectators were able to return trackside at Thruxton Circuit this past weekend (August 15/16) for the first time since motorsport resumed in July and they weren’t to be disappointed as they enjoyed two days of high-speed nostalgic racing at the Thruxton Historic.

Welcoming enthusiastic race-goers, the fastest circuit in the UK played host to a stunning display of classic cars as well as eye-catching racing machines – making it a weekend to remember.

The Automobiles Historiques GT & Sports Car Cup provided plenty of entertainment but it was the Austin Healy 3000 pairing of Mark Holme and Jeremy Welch that proved too hot to handle, triumphing by more than 40 seconds at the chequered flag.

Richard Merrell reigned supreme in the HRDC ‘Classic Alfa Challenge’ for 750-116 Alfa Romeos whilst the Ford Mustang duo of David Coyne and Adrian Miles scored victory in the HRDC ‘Jack Sears Trophy’ for Touring Cars 1958 – 1966 in a breathtaking encounter.

There was unrelenting wheel-to-wheel action in the HRDC ‘Thermex Allstars’ for pre-66 Sports, GT and Touring Cars race too which saw David Smithies triumph at the wheel of his Cobra Daytona.

Current British Touring Car Championship star Rory Butcher was another to taste stand on the top step of the podium as he teamed up with Jon Minshaw to drive a Jaguar E-Type to first place in the Motor Racing Legends Pre 63 GT.

Arguably one of the standout races came from the Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Cars. Harking back to the early days of four-wheeled racing, the 23-lap encounter had those in attendance on the edge of their seats and they would see Patrick Blakeney-Edwards and Mike Grant Peterkin claim the win.

Meanwhile, the Motor Racing Legends Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy saw Ben Adams in unstoppable form as he clinched a dominant victory from behind the wheel of his Lola Mk1.

Rounding out the weekend’s retro-themed action were two races from the Motor Racing Legends Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy and Sixties Touring Car Challenge with U2TC.

Combining the results from both races, Blakeney-Edwards and Gregor Fiskin emerged produced a sensational performance to walk away as the victors in their Rover SD1.

To view the full classification of results from the 2020 Thruxton Historic, click here.

Thruxton will now welcome the British Racing & Sports Cars Club on August 22/23 before the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads to Hampshire on September 19/20.

Find out more about information on Thruxton’s race meetings, driving experiences and the latest on our coronavirus guidelines by visiting www.thruxtonracing.co.uk .

Sports Prototype Cup stars at Spa Francorchamps

The British Automobile Racing Club was well represented on the international stage this past weekend (August 15/16) as the Sports Prototype Cup travelled to Belgium to compete at the iconic Spa Francorchamps.

Marking rounds three and four of its sophomore season, the category shared the bill with the FIA World Endurance Championship and produced a pair of action-packed one-hour races to show the potential of the fast-growing UK-based series on the global stage.

With a bumper grid of Revolution A-One prototype machines, the event marked the series’ international debut and it didn’t disappoint.

Morten Dons reigned supreme in the opening encounter around the legendary 4.35-mile circuit, leading home a Mike Smith Motorsport with Breakell Racing one-two result. Dropping to third at the start, Dons was soon on the move and made his way into the lead on lap five.

In what turned out to be a gripping contest, nothing could separate the top three however it was to be Dons that would take the chequered flag ahead of Alex Kapadia and Nigel Greensall.

Faced with the prospect of a wet race in the second bout, Brands Hatch race-winner Scott Mansell showcased his prowess in the challenging conditions to take a sensational victory.

Gaining three positions on the first lap to slot into fourth, the Excelr8 Motorsport driver held station during his opening stint before climbing his way through the order in the second half of the race.

Unfortunately, heavy rain in the latter stages brought out the safety car and then subsequently the red flag, with the safety of all drivers and officials taken into consideration.

That left Mansell to collect the victory ahead of Kapadia and Dons.

The Sports Prototype Cup is next in action on Saturday 19th September with a double-header event scheduled to take place at Snetterton.