BARC champions crowned in front of sellout Brands Hatch crowd
More deserving champions were crowned this past weekend (October 31-November 1) as the British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage in front of a sellout crowd at Brands Hatch.
On what is always one of the biggest events on the national motorsport calendar, the Trucks & Fireworks finale saw five blockbuster championships in action - with each of them serving up unmissable entertainment.
Topping the bill were the titans of the British Truck Racing Championship, where David Jenkins and Callum Eason each charged to title glory.
Having first lifted the Division 1 crown back in 2011, Jenkins’ wait for long-awaited second title has been well documented; but that was quickly forgotten as he sealed the deal with two races to spare.
The MAN driver entered the weekend holding a 30-point lead and he duly extended that advantage as he claimed victory in races one and two. Fifth place in race three on Sunday morning then proved to be enough for Jenkins to become a two-time champion.
In Division 2, WDE Motorsport’s Eason capped off a sublime season to become Division 2 champion for the first time.
Having been locked in a head-to-head battle with outgoing champion Jake Evans all year, Eason held his nerve during the final weekend of the year to not only win two of the five races, but also secure the bragging rights for the season.
Elsewhere, Callum Newsham had plenty to celebrate as he overturned a points deficit to wrap up the TCR UK Championship title.
The Scotsman went into the final round of the season trailing Max Hart by a single point but pole position in qualifying and then a flawless lights-to-flag win in race one saw him move into the lead - and with a healthy advantage no less.
Hart kept things alive with a spectacular back-to-front win in the second race but Newsham was not to be denied in the finale. Getting the better of title rival Max Hall as the lights went out for race three, the Hyundai swept his way to not only victory, but also the title.
Allen Cooper emerged as the man of the year in the Pickup Truck Racing Championship as he fended off the challenge of Dale Gent and Aaron Thompson to be crowed champion.
The three drivers entered the final meeting of the year all in contention but it was Cooper’s consistency - coupled with mechanical misfortune for Thompson - that proved to be enough for him to prevail.
Gent and Thompson would each tally wins over the course of the weekend; and they weren’t the only ones. Chris Brockhurst bagged a scintillating first win of the year whilst Aidan Hills marked his series debut with victory also.
Alex Keens was able to celebrate an ‘unbelievable year’ after successfully defending the Mairon Motorsport MINI CHALLENGE Trophy title following the final race of the season at Brands Hatch.
Keens held a narrow lead over Graves Motorsport team-mate Matt Luff going into the weekend and was on the front foot from the moment he bagged pole position in qualifying to snare six vital championship points.
Second place in the opening race of the weekend saw Keens extend his advantage at the top although Luff then brought the gap between the pair back down to 13 points with just the final race to go.
Although Luff managed to get ahead on the road in the closing stages, Keens followed him home to secure the points he needed to successfully defend the title, with the margin between the two being ten points when the final chequered flag of the year dropped.
Rounding out the weekend’s action were two captivating contests from the Civic Cup that culminated in Dave Marshall being crowned champion.
Marshall and chief rival Alistair Camp had been the cream of the crop throughout the season and the two arrived at Brands Hatch ready for a head-to-head battle to decide who walked away with the ultimate bragging rights.
A simply incredible battle between the pair set the scene in race one with Marshall ultimately triumphing and with the points on his side, he kept calm and composed to convert it into a popular championship victory in race two.