Category: Barc

Motorsport to come to an end at Rockingham after 2018

Following the venue’s sale to an unnamed investor, Rockingham Motor Speedway have confirmed that motorsport events will cease at the end of the 2018 season.

Rumours surrounding the circuits future have intensified in recent months with news in mid-August confirming that the Corby-based site would be sold.

Opened by the Queen in 2001, Rockingham has staged all manner of championships down the years, all of them utilising the raft of circuit configurations on offer. In recent years the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has been one of the popular draws, serving up a feast of entertainment upon every visit.

The British Automobile Racing Club has also been regular visitor to Rockingham too, with a raft of championships battling it out. The Pickup Truck Racing Championship remains the only series to use the oval layout of the circuit whilst the Trade Team Citroen C1 Challenge made history earlier this year by staging its inaugural 24hr race at the track.

Commenting on the news that motorsport will cease, Rockingham Motor Speedway CEO Peter Hardman told the Northamptonshire Telegraph: “The team at Rockingham have done a tremendous job running the circuit and the facility over the last five years.

“However, it has been reluctantly concluded that motorsport activities are unlikely to produce an economic return for the new owners when set against the acquisition cost of the land.

“All events to the end of 2018 will be run with the professionalism and enthusiasm that are the hallmark of Rockingham, but circuit activities will cease from the beginning of 2019.”

Ian Watson, BARC General Manager, added: “The BARC is hugely disappointed to lose Rockingham from the limited number of venues available for use within the UK.

“This is further compounded by the fact that the BARC was involved in the initial development of the track from its inception, through the build process and the running of the first event so feels directly linked to the venue in a number of ways.”

The BARC’s final two visits to Rockingham takes place on August 31/September 2 and September 22/23 respectively

Three-way British Rallycross Championship title fight to be decided at Silverstone

The destiny of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship will be decided at Silverstone this Sunday (November 4) with three drivers all in contention to lift the coveted crown.

Mark Higgins, Julian Godfrey and Ollie O’Donovan enter the final round of the season with a mathematical shot of being crowned champion, and the home of British motorsport is set to provide a fitting backdrop for the impending battle.

Making history by staging the inaugural rallycross at Silverstone on a sub-zero day in March, the championship has since travelled the length and breadth of the country, with twists and turns taking place along the way.

O’Donovan heads to the home of British motorsport in the pound seat, sitting atop the drivers standings. At the wheel of his striking Ford Focus and at times Ford Fiesta, the Irishman has been a force to be reckoned with throughout the year, scoring three wins during the mid-point of the campaign.

Whilst O’Donovan finds himself as the leader of the pack, his advantage is a slim one with five-time champion Godfrey just five points back. Having switched to the Spencer Sport Mitsubishi Mirage for the season, the renowned racer has endured his own fair share of bad luck on his way to also notching a trio of triumphs.

Albatec Racing’s Higgins is the final contender in with a shout of lifting the title at Silverstone, and if he were to do so it would cap off a brilliant maiden season for him. Jumping across to the world of rallycross, Higgins has been a regular fixture towards the front of the field and sits just six points behind O’Donovan having scored two wins.

With a titanic three-way fight for supremacy brewing in the Supercar category, all eyes are set to be on O’Donovan, Godfrey and Higgins to see who walks away as 2018 champion come Sunday night.

Beyond the top three are a host of drivers that can all leave their mark on the title battle too. Dan Rooke, champion of 2016, makes a triumphant return to the series in the RX Racing Ford Fiesta – his first appearance since winning the title at Croft two years ago.

Series stalwarts Pat Doran, Mad Mark, Kevin Proctor, Steve Hill, Steve Mundy and a handful more will also be in action over the course of the day; all keen to sign off their season’s in style.

In addition to the Supercar category, spectators will also witness edge-of-the-seat thrills from the MSA Junior Rallycross Championship, MSA Supernational Rallycross Championship, Swift Sport Championship, BMW Mini Championship, Retro Rallycross and RX150 – all adding up to make it a day to remember.

Rebellion Racing inherit 6 Hours of Silverstone victory following Toyota Gazoo Racing exclusion

The FIA World Endurance Championship’s annual visit to British shores wasn’t without its drama this past weekend (August 17/18/19) as Rebellion Racing scored a famous one-two finish at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, following the exclusion of both Toyota Gazoo Racing machines.

Marking the third stop on the calendar of the 2018-2019 Super Season, the series returned from a short break to produce an entertaining spectacle around the Northamptonshire venue in front of more than 60,000 spectators.

Having led the way since the opening practice session of the weekend, the two Toyota TS050 HYBRID machines appeared to be in a league of their own, and that was further cemented as they locked out the front row in qualifying.

As racing began around the flowing curves of Silverstone the #7 Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez stormed into an early lead whilst the sister #8 Toyota of Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima gave chase.

With the hours ticking by, the battle for the lead went back-and-forth as both squads endured their own tribulations alongside some shining moments.

The decisive move for victory came in the final hour as Kobayashi and Buemi went wheel-to-wheel for the lead. Upon entry into Abbey corner, Kobayashi made a mistake and damaged the floor of his Toyota TS050, giving Buemi the lead and ultimately victory – their third in succession to maintain their unbeaten record for 2018.

Celebrations however were cut short in the Toyota Gazoo Racing camp as both cars were disqualified from the racing following the post-race technical checks. Found to have not conformed to the regulations regarding the deflection of the skid block, both cars were thrown of the result although a formal appeal has been lodged meaning the final classification remains currently provisional.

Following Toyota’s disqualification, Rebellion Racing – who had finished third – were promoted to the top step of the podium. The R13 Gibson of Gustavo Menezes, Thomas Laurent and Mathias Beche were declared the outright winners ahead of the No.1 sister Rebellion of Neel Jani and AndrĂ© Lotterer, who finished second.

Rounding out the podium was the SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1-AER duo of Stéphane Sarrazin and Egor Orudzhev.

In LMP2, Jackie Chan DC Racing also stormed to a dominant one-two finish as the #38 Oreca 07 Gibson shared by Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry and Stephane Richelmi beat Nabil Jeffri, Weiron Tan and Jazeman Jaafar in the sister #37 Oreca.

AF Corse sprung a surprise in the GTE-Pro class as Pier Guidi and James Calado blended front-running pace and strategy at the wheel of their Ferrari 488 GTE Evo to score victory.

LMGTE Am saw a second consecutive victory for Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche as Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer and Matt Campbell took the spoils.

Alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship was the European Le Mans Series, which also took on a starring role over the course of the weekend at Silverstone.

The series’ 4 Hours of Silverstone proved to be a tense affair with the G-Drive Racing Oreca-Gibson of Roman Rusinov, Andrea Pizzitola and Jean-Eric Vergne scoring victory, one lap ahead of Dragonspeed Oreca of Nico Lapierre and the IDEC Sport Oreca of Paul Lafargue.

Rounding out the action from Silverstone were a trio of races from the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, with spoils were shared between home hero Dan Ticktum, Mick Schumacher and Juri Vips.

Fireworks set to fly at Brands Hatch spectacular

Fireworks are set to fly both on and off the track at Brands Hatch this weekend (November 3/4) as the British Automobile Racing Club descends on the Indy circuit for a blockbuster season finale for four categories.

Billed as one of the standout events on the 2018 calendar, the Kent venue will played host to a titanic two days of track action before lighting up the sky for fans with a spectacular firework display like no other.

Headlining the weekend’s action are eight races from the British Truck Racing Association Championship which has an entry list of 30+ machines. Returning to the scene of where their year began, the heavyweight behemoths have been in mesmerising form throughout the season, with titles in both Division 1 and Division 2 still to be decided.

Sitting on the cusp of a third consecutive crown in the top tier, Ryan Smith has at times been in a league of his own in Division 1 and could well be crowned champion in race one of the weekend. With David Jenkins being the only man to stop Smith, all eyes will be on the top two to see if Smith can write his name into the history books or whether Jenkins can produce a comeback for the ages.

Division 2 will also see a two-horse race for the title unfold with Luke Garrett and Brad Smith set to go head-to-head. Garrett has been the leading figure to emerge from the more production-based class this year with countless victories placing him at the summit of points.

Smith meanwhile has been somewhat under the radar, keeping his head down to tally the points week-by-week. With the pair set to be joined by a host of race-winning contenders, this weekend’s battle for the Division 2 is not to be missed at all.

The theme of two drivers battling it out for title supremacy continues in the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres, with John Mickel and Steve Whitelegg bidding to walk away as the victor.

Aiming to clinch his fourth successive Legends title, Mickel has been in superlative form – notching 13 wins along the way. Sitting in the box seat, Mickel heads into the finale as the favourite although with 1200 points on offer and Whitelegg a man on a mission, anything could happen.

In addition to the title battle, Legends will write a notable piece in their own history at Brands Hatch with the opening heat on Sunday being the championship’s 250th in its near 25-year lineage.

Scott Bourne and Lea Wood will bring the curtain down on their season-long battle by fighting it out for the Pickup Truck Racing Championship. Bidding to defend the title he won last year, Bourne has been at his brilliant best throughout the season but has come under constant threat from Wood.

With the two having sharing top spot as each round has passed, the culmination of a years racing will come down to the boil across three high-octane races around the 1.2 mile Indy layout.

Capping off the weekend will be a pair of races from the Junior Saloon Car Championship as it stages its inaugural Winter Cup. Just a few weeks ago the curtain fell on the 2018 season for the 14 to 17-year-old category with Lewis Saunders being crowned champion, and he makes up the 15-car entry list.

Running as a standalone one-off event, the highest points scorer over the two races will be declared the maiden victor in the JSCC Winter Cup.

Snetterton delivers blockbuster BARC weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club underlined that variety is the spice of life at Snetterton this past weekend (August 18/19) as a raft of categories battled it out around its shorter 1.98 mile circuit.

In what was the third visit to the Norfolk venue in the past month, spectators were treated to all-out action across both days as the 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship took centre stage as it drew its 2018 campaign to a close.

As has become a tradition in recent years, the Liqui Moly 24-hour race provided the footnote to five-event campaign that was with plenty of high-octane drama taking place along the way.

After a full day’s racing, BNLL 1/GT Racing emerged as the victors after completing a mind-boggling 788 laps around the Snetterton 200 circuit. The team of Thierry de Bonhome, Laurent Jossiaux, Rudy Coppieters and Philippe Courtois proved to be in a league of their own as they underlined their domiance, finishing 24 laps ahead of their nearest challengers.

Second place went the way of Bernard Crispin, Claude Crispin, Andre Blaise and Jean-Marc Louys in the BNLL 2 – BMR whilst Team Misfits rounded off the podium with Steve Rideout, Dave Rees, Connor O’Brien and Paul Ogborn all sharing driving duties.

There was to be another twist in the tail of the Junior Saloon Car Championship at the weekend too as Lewis Saunders and Joel Wren shared the spoils.

Despite rolling his car in practice and having to get behind the wheel of a spare, Saunders took a lights-to-flag victory in the opener – despite coming under constant pressure from Ben Kasperczak and Thomas Ward.

In race two, Wren bounced back from narrowly missing out on the podium earlier in the day to score his latest triumph, little under five seconds ahead of Scott McIntyre whilst Saunders made it a day to remember with a third place finish to add to his race one win.

Benn Tilley was at the double in the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship, however he didn’t have things his own way. Having entered the weekend as the form driver, Tilley showcased his front-running credentials to narrowly pip Rick Morris by little under two seconds in the opening encounter.

Things were to get even closer between the pair in race two as Tilley fended off the advances of Morris all the way to line, emerging as the winner by just 0.047. Mark Armstrong and Stuart Kestenbaum each notched a podium finish apiece too.

Ken Lark proved to be a tour-de-force in the Classic VW Cup as he powered his Volkswagen Corrado to a pair of wins. Elsewhere, Steve Sawley and Robert Burkinshaw scored a victory each in the amalgamated BARC Saloon Series and Dream Automotive Honda VTEC Challenge duels.

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

CTCRC & Max’s shine at Brands Hatch

There were further title celebrations for a host of drivers at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 27/28) as the British Automobile Racing Club brought the curtain down on more championships.

As the 2018 motorsport season continues to draw to a close, the first of several visits to the Kent circuit by the BARC served up a feast of entertainment, with the Classic Touring Car Championship and Max5 Racing Championship taking centre stage.

The combined Class & Historic Thunder and Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series races showcased what the CTCRC is all about as Dave Cockell reigned supreme, taking a pair of wins in his striking Ford Escort Cosworth.

Spoils were shared between Mini drivers Barry Sime and Paul Inch in the Pre 66 Classic Saloon and Historic Touring Cars encounters whilst David Howard and Stephen Primett did the same in the Pre 83 Touring Cars category.

Fans of more modern machinery would have been glued to the amalgamated Pre 93 Touring Cars, Pre 2003 Touring Cars and Pre 05 Production Saloon Cars, both of which delivered unrelenting thrills and spills throughout. Come the end of the weekend, Ray West and Alexander Own took a win apiece.

With Brands Hatch proving to be the footnote of the Classic Touring Car Championship season, it also meant that champions would be crowned; Stephen Primett, Steve Barden and Anna Barden just some of them.

In the Max5 Racing Championship, two wins for Paul Roddison meant that he asserted himself as the man to beat in the series whilst also wrapping up the title in Class C. Roddison was at his brilliant best around the Indy circuit and couldn’t be matched, despite the best efforts of Ian Loversidge.

Variety was the spice of life in the BARC South East Tin Tops Championship where Rod Birley and Bradley Lane scored one win each. Birley was in superlative form across the weekend as he also scored victory in the BARC South East Modified Saloon Car Championship too, with Andy Thompson also triumphing.

Lewis Smith meanwhile wrapped up the weekend’s BARC action in the Scrapco Avon Intermarque Championship as he romped to a pair of race wins.

For the full classification of results from all sessions, click here.

FIA World Endurance Championship returns to UK soil for 6 hours of Silverstone

The FIA World Endurance Championship continues is 2018-2019 Super Season this weekend (August 17/18/19), hitting British shores for the third round of the season – the 6 Hours of Silverstone.

Having not been in action since Le Mans in late June, the series is set to burst back into action with 34 competitors primed and ready to duke it out around the iconic Northamptonshire venue.

For the second season in succession the British Automobile Racing Club will play a pivotal role in the organisational side of the event, appointing officials and marshals, as well as ensuring the three-day meeting runs as smoothly as possible.

Leading the entry list are two Formula 1 World Champions in the shape of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Only recently confirming that he will step away from F1 next year, Alonso is set to be the talk of the town as he bids to score another victory for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Alongside team-mate’s Sebastian Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, the Spaniard has enjoyed a stellar start to his endurance career after scoring two wins from two races, and he will have his sights set on making it a hat-trick at Silverstone.

The immediate fight will be taken to them by the sister Toyota TS050 Hybrid squad of Britain’s Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, all of whom should provide stiff competition for the series leaders.

Button heads up the privateer SMP Racing squad and as he prepares to compete at his home race for the first time since 2016, the Somerset-born driver is set to receive a rousing reception from the thousands of British fans that are set to pour through the gates.

Oliver Webb will also be one to watch in the LMP1 class as he pilots the ENSO CLM P1/01 Nismo with Rene Binder.

There will also be a welcome return for fellow Brit and former champion Anthony Davidson, as he joins the LMP2 ranks to partner Roberto Gonzalez and Pastor Maldonado in the No. 31 DragonSpeed ORECA 07 Gibson.

Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell, James Calado, Sam Bird and Alex Lynn will all fly the flag on home soil in the LMGTE Pro category whilst the star-studded entry list continues in the remaining classes too.

On top of the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Silverstone race there will also be action from the European Le Mans Series and FIA F3, both of which are bursting with driver talent and expected to deliver edge-of-the-seat thrills.

MotorsportDays.LIVE awaits the BARC in early November

The British Automobile Racing Club will have a presence at the inaugural MotorsportDays.LIVE event which takes place at Silverstone Circuit on November 2/3.

Offering a fresh opportunity for genuine track day enthusiasts, amateur and professional race drivers, championship co-ordinators, engineers, industry progressional, motorsport investors and more, MSD Live is set to be a smash-hit.

Based at Stand H2-108, the BARC will be on hand to discuss everything from championships to compete in, 2019 race meetings, membership, marshalling and much more.

In addition, a handful of cars from BARC categories – situated in the garages underneath the trade area – will be on-site for prospective drivers to sample around the ‘International layout’ as they evaluate their options for next season.

Having gone from strength-to-strength in recent years, the Hyundai Coupe Cup will be present with four cars whilst two machines from the ever-growing Trade Team Citroen C1 Challenge will also be in attendance.

Set to launch in 2019, Series Elite will be on hand to discuss what they are bringing to the UK motorsport scene with a pair of eye-catching Jaguar’s ready to turn a wheel.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship are also confirmed to take to the track in their high-octane machines too.

With the overall objective of making ‘getting on track’ easier, MSD Live will also provide a panelled conference, giving attendees the opportunity to gain expert advice and interact with some of motorsport’s established names. Areas of the sport such as technical set-ups, attracting sponsorship, marketing, media engagement and legal guidance are just some subjects up for discussion.

For more information on MotorsportDays.LIVE and how to purchase tickets, visit www.motorsportdays.live

2CV 24-hour race headlines bumper BARC Snetterton weekend

The 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship will bring the curtain down on its 2018 season at Snetterton this weekend (August 18/19) as it headlines a bumper British Automobile Racing Club event with the now traditional Liqui Moly 24-hour race.

In what is the third visit to the Norfolk venue in four weeks, the BARC is set for a busy weekend with a total of four categories in action around the 2.99 mile layout.

Topping the bill is the 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship which will sign off another year of competition with 33 cars battling it out. Having staged events at Cadwell Park, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Donington Park, the destiny of the title will decided in what will likely be dramatic fashion – as is usually the case with the series.

Notable names to look out for during the race include points leader Pete Sparrow, Matthew Hollis, Nick Crispin, Tom Perry and double champion Lien Davies; all of whom have shown their class at some stage during the season.

Whilst the 2CV Parts.com Classic Racing Championship will likely take on a starring role, a host of other BARC categories will also write the latest chapter in their campaigns.

Driving the next generation of talent, the Junior Saloon Car Championship is back in action after its mid-season break and it is set to be all to play for.

Leading the way entering rounds nine and ten is Lewis Saunders, who holds a 16-point advantage. Up until last time out at Rockingham Saunders had been the epitome of consistency, but a superlative drive in round eight gave him a breakthrough victory and further strengthened his position at the summit.

Entering this weekend with momentum on his side, Saunders will be one to watch however he has a host of contenders all hot on his heels.

Heading up the chasing pack is Jemma Moore, another driver that has shown that consistency is key in the title race. Steven Chandler, Scott McIntyre and multiple race-winner Joel Wren round out the top five and all of them are not to be discounted.

If you are looking for a pulsating series that is set to take you on a spirited trip down memory lane at Snetterton then look no further than the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship.

Winding back the clock to one of the marque eras of single seater racing, the Classic Formula Ford category is arguably as good now as it was back then.

Split into two classes, Class A is open to those competing in cars built between 1st January 1974 and 31st December 1981 whilst Class B is for those competing cars built before 1st January 1974.

Both title battles are building towards their crescendo and there are a host of names to keep a watchful eye over as they tackle the demands of Snetterton.

Ben Tinkler and Benn Tilley shared the spoils at Mallory Park a couple of weeks ago and will have momentum on their side whilst the likes of Jordan Harrison, Mark Yates, Stuart Kestenbaum, Mark Armstrong and Kevin Mansell, amongst a host of others, will also be ones to watch.

In what is its inaugural season, the BARC Saloon Series has continued to go from strength-to-strength as each round has passed, with grids growing in size and that is no different at Snetterton.

Open to all manner of tin top machines, the series has become a focal point for competitors to hone their craft and go racing at an affordable price, with the likes of Ford Fiesta’s, Citroen Saxo’s and more competing.

Sharing the grid with the BARC Saloon Series on countless occasions this year has the been the Dream Automotive Honda VTEC Challenge. Home to a variety of models from the Japanese manufacturer, this series is heaven for those that are fans of all things Honda.

Ben Rushworth, James Tracey and Chris Sparks have been some of the winners from this season already and all three, along with a host of others, will be keen to make their mark here at Snetterton.

British Schools Karting Championship victor Ethan Brooks wins Ginetta Junior Scholarship

Ethan Brooks has secured a fully-funded season in the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship after winning the coveted Ginetta Junior Scholarship.

Taking place at Ginetta’s own circuit, Blyton Park, the three-day process saw a wealth of young drivers take on a variety of driving, media and fitness tests – with the competition being whittled down along the way.

Impressing the judging panel throughout the process, Brooks was crowned the winner to clinch one of the most coveted prizes in British motorsport.

In addition to earning himself a spot on the grid for next year and the use of a Ginetta G40 race car, Brooks will also receive insurance, consumables, tyres and fuel plus professional car preparation from an experienced team for the duration of the 2019 campaign.

Brooks’ triumph has further reinforced the importance of competing in the British Schools Karting Championship. In the past two years, the teenager racer has won the arrive-and-drive karting title with Brentwood School, using it as a springboard to continue to climb the motorsport ladder.

Brooks is set to follow in the footsteps of former BSKC victor Matt Luff, as well as former Scholarship winners James Taylor and newly crowned champion Adam Smalley by competing in the popular one-make series.

The 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship will once again take place alongside the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, travelling the length and breadth of the UK. Brands Hatch will play host to the opening round of the season on April 6/7.

Adam Smalley prevails as champion from Ginetta Junior Championship finale

The Ginetta Junior Championship crowned Adam Smalley as its champion at Brands Hatch this past weekend (September 29/30) following a dramatic final event of the season around the iconic Grand Prix circuit.

Having served up a year of thrills and spills, the Junior category had one last chapter of 2018 to write and it proved to be entertaining all the way.

After showcasing themselves to being in a league of their own against the rest of the field, Smalley, Louis Foster and Luke Browning all arrived at the Kent venue with a chance of being crowned champion.

All three would shine over the course of the weekend with Richardson Racing’s Browning being the first to do so in race one. With the lead pack bumper-to-bumper throughout, overtaking moves were being made at almost every turn and the decisive one came in the closing minutes as Browning muscled his way past Smalley into the lead.

Going on to score a pivotal victory, Browning kept his title hopes alive whilst Smalley banked solid points in second. Foster meanwhile could only salvage fourth as Patrick Kibble rounded off the podium.

Arguably the most crucial race came in the second Junior duel as Smalley prevailed to extend his points lead. In a race of attrition, the Elite Motorsport withstood a barrage of attacks from the chasing pack before a late safety car neutralised the race, and due to the clock ticking to zero, that is how things would finish.

With all three drivers heading into the final race of the season still in contention, Smalley found himself in the pound seat holding a 26-point advantage over Foster. Starting on pole position, Smalley dropped down the order early on as team-mate Foster stormed to the front of the field.

As the laps ticked by, the battle for supremacy hanged in the balance but as Foster crossed the line to record his latest victory after a back-and-forth battle with Browning, Smalley finished fifth and with it, sealed the championship crown.

“It was pretty horrific!” he said after the race. “I got passed on the first lap, and then beaten up after that. I knew I had to finish around sixth to take the title comfortably. The goal was to go out and win it, but I did what I needed to to.

“I couldn’t control the emotion, it was too overwhelming, I’m over the moon.  We’ve been unfortunate in races, coming out on top is great.”

For the full final championship standings and results from all sessions at Brands Hatch, click here.

Matt Neal hails Diamond Double win ‘one of the best of his BTCC career’

Matt Neal has hailed his victory in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s Diamond Double at Snetterton this past weekend (July 28/29) as one of the best of his career.

On what was a milestone weekend for the series as it continued its 60th Anniversary celebrations, the Halfords Yuasa Racing driver once again wrote his name into the history books with a 63rd BTCC victory.

Instead of the customary reverse grid format for race three at the Norfolk venue, round 18 was to be a 60-mile, 20-lap race where all cars would run without success ballast and on the same tyre. More importantly that than, double championship points were also on offer.

Having qualified in second place in the second of two qualifying sessions on Saturday, the triple-champion served up a masterful performance at the wheel of his Honda Civic Type R.

Chasing the WIX Racing with Eurotech Honda of Jack Goff, Neal took the lead on lap nine when a brief rain shower caught out Goff, sending him wide at the Wilson hairpin and allowing Neal to make the pass down the inside.

Despite coming under race-long pressure from Goff and the charging Tom Ingram, the 51-year-old used of all experience to power towards the chequered flag to take yet another famous victory.

“What a fantastic race,” Neal enthused. “To produce a result like we have done on a completely level playing field is testament to all of the hard work that everyone at Halfords Yuasa Racing has put in and underlines how strong this new Type R is.

“We qualified well but with the drizzle I wasn’t quite sure how we would fair – I was expecting us to go backwards at a million miles an hour. The car was really loose on the opening laps but it settled down soon after and I was able to push on a little bit more from then on.

“I was running halfway between a dry and full wet brake setting and that worked well for me. Both myself and Jack were strong in different areas but he was caught out a little bit by the rain at the hairpin, that opened the door for me and I was able to take the lead from there. Jack and Tom though both hounded right until the end.”

Since 1991, Neal has been a permanent fixture of the BTCC and in that time he has enjoyed some memorable moments. From becoming the first Independent driver to win a race outright and scooping ÂŁ250,000 from Alan Gow in 1999 to his trio of championship wins, Neal has continued to add to his ledger as being one of the all-time greats in the series.

Basking in the glory of winning the coveted Diamond Double, Neal admits that his latest triumph ranks right up there as one of his best BTCC wins.

“I was hoping Alan was going to present me with another cheque when I got onto the podium,” Neal joked. “I’m not to sure where I am going to put this big trophy though, I think it will go in the workshop with the boys as they have earned it just as much as me.

“The BTCC has been my life so to win this race is so special, it was our day! There have been some highs and lows down the years but this is definitely up there as being one of the best achievements I have had in the BTCC.”

Virtue of his historic victory, Neal remains third in the overall standings, trailing new leader Ingram by just 16 points.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship continues its 2018 campaign in under two weeks times on August 11/12, with Rockingham playing host to rounds 19, 20 & 21.