Tag: Caterham Graduates Championship

All-out Anglesey action as BARC championships shine in North Wales

The British Automobile Racing Club’s latest visit to Anglesey Circuit had it all this past weekend (September 1/2) as championship battles intensified and some drivers put themselves out of sight of their title rivals.

Descending on the picturesque Welsh venue for the second time this season, the Club’s North West Centre delivered a blockbuster two days of track action.

In the Michelin Clio Cup Series, Ben Palmer made it back-to-back title wins as he produced another mesmerising performance to secure an unassailable lead in the point’s standings. Maintaining his unbeaten run by adding another three victories to his 2018 tally, Palmer dominated proceedings to provisionally retain his crown.

Nic Harrison mirrored Palmer’s performance at Anglesey with a hat-trick of his own in the Race Class to also continue his impressive run of victories to successfully defend his title too.

Joel Wren was perfection personified in the Junior Saloon Car Championship as he bagged a pair of race wins. Storming to pole position in qualifying, the teenage sensation proved to be in a league of his own as he vaulted himself further into title contention.

Paul Rose continued the run of dominant performances across each series as he bagged a sensational hat-trick in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship. Entering the weekend as the form driver, Rose underlined his front-running credentials with a scintillating display from the wheel of his Saker RAPX S1-400.

Spoils were shared in the BARC Clubmans Sports Prototype Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns as Clive Wood and Michelle Hayward topped the podium.

Wood struck first over the course of the weekend as he beat Hayward to honours in race one before the roles were reversed for the second encounter. With one win apiece, the third and final race of the weekend proved to be an exciting one, with Wood ultimately coming out on top.

Capping off the weekend’s action from the BARC was a selection of races from the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship. Amalgamating classes together, high-octane thrills were the order of the day from the Caterham contingent as they wowed those in attendance.

Samuel Wilson and Jamie Ellwood each scored a win in the Sigmax duels whilst Ben Winrow was at the double for the combined Classic, Sigma and Mega races.

To view the full classification of results from each session, click here.

BARC championships gearing up for action-packed Anglesey weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club makes the long journey to North Wales this weekend (September 1/2) as Anglesey gets ready to play host to a handful of championships, all of which are heading towards enthralling title climaxes.

Organised and run by the Club’s North Western Centre, the weekend’s action will mark 20 years of the BARC running race meetings at the challenging picturesque venue.

Topping the billing will be the North Western Centre’s very own CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, which will compete on the International layout. Home to all manner of cars, the multi-class series has enjoyed another stellar season in 2018 with sizeable grids at every stop on the calendar thus far.

Paul Rose will arrive at Anglesey sitting at the summit of the standings, holding a slender eight—point lead over Oliver Thomas. At the wheel of his Sakar, former champion Rose has been the epitome of consistency, constantly running towards the sharp end of the grid.

Thomas however has equally been one to watch from behind the wheel of his Subaru Impreza and will be keen to close the gap to his title rival. Other drivers to look out for in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship include Clive Dix, James Cryer and Dave Harvey – to name but a few.

Ben Palmer will look continue his unstoppable march towards back-to-back Michelin Clio Cup Series titles at Anglesey, with three races set to be run. Off the back of being crowned champion last year Palmer has been in a league of his own this year, taking ten wins from ten races.

With a 50-point advantage over nearest challenger Ronan Pearson, Palmer will be hard to bet against adding another trio of victories to his impressive tally. In the Road Class, Nic Harrison will also be looking to continue his unbeaten run by adding t his silverware collection.

Like the Michelin Clio Cup Series, the Junior Saloon Car Championship has a habit of serving up door-to-door thrills and the latest crop of 14 to 17-year-old’s have delivered that in spades.

Entering the weekend, Lewis Saunders holds the lead in the points however the chasing pack of Joel Wren, Scott McIntyre, Steven Chandler and Jemma Moore are all set to ensure the teenager doesn’t have things his own way. Two races at the Welsh track will likely shake up the championship order even further.

The BARC Clubmans Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns returns to the track with leading contenders Clive Wood, Michelle Hayward and Pippa Tanner-Wood leading the long list of drivers that could potentially emerge victorious from the weekend’s three encounters.

Capping off the BARC action will be a raft of races from the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship. Split into different classes based on engine capacity, the one-make series has enjoyed a blockbuster 2018 with grids continuing to grow and grow as each event passes.

Robin Webb, Robert Winrow, Declan Dolan, Mark Johnson and Jonathan Curry currently lead the way in their respective classes and should be at the forefront of the action.

Also adding the on-track entertainment over the course of the weekend will be the British Superkarts Championship.

Action aplenty at Snetterton as BARC championships shine

It proved to be a scorching two days both on and off the track at Snetterton this past weekend (August 4/5) as a host of British Automobile Racing Club categories produced mesmerising action.

Back on track and providing plenty of entertainment at the top of the race programme was the Trade Team Citroen C1 Challenge, which staged a four-hour endurance race around the 2.99 mile circuit.

Boasting another bumper entry list, a staggering 53 cars lined up for the start of the 240-minute race which saw plenty of high drama and memorable moments. Come the end of what was a gruelling race in scorching conditions, McAttack Racing emerged as the winners, little under a minute ahead of their nearest challengers Absolute Alignment.

Notching an impressive 76 laps, the team of Declan McDonnell, Joe Wiggin and Simon Walker-Hansell topped the podium in their trusty #347 machine. With Absolute Alignment finishing second, Old Hat Motorsport rounded off the rostrum and ended the race as the final team to finish on the lead lap.

Ben Palmer continued his march towards defending his title in the Michelin Clio Cup Series, maintaining his perfect record with two more races wins. Blasting his way to pole position for both races, the reigning champion once again underlined his title credentials with his latest set triumphant performances.

Palmer narrowly pipped Ronan Pearson in race one whilst Ben Colburn was also hot on the heels of the pair too. Race two proved to be an equally tense affair as Pearson and Colburn produced a carbon copy performance, hounding Palmer to the chequered flag but ultimately being unable to overhaul him.

In the Road Class, defending champion Nic Harrison continued his fine run of recent form to score a double of his own.

Garrie Whittaker was another driver to score a brace of victories at Snetterton, dominating proceedings in the Kumho BMW Championship. Just three laps were completed in race one but come the end of it, Whittaker was the man to beat – finishing little over a second ahead of Colin Wells whilst Darren Fielding rounded off the podium.

Race two would go the distance later in the day but Whittaker was again leading the way, with Wells and Fielding continuing to give chase but unable to gain the upper hand over the BMW E63 M3 driver.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship was in action with its raft of classes, many of them amalgamated together to produce an array of on-track thrills.

A bumper 30-car grid made up the Sigmax races where the spoils were shared between two drivers. Jamie Winrow led a tense opener in which the top three were covered by less than half a second, pipping Mark Johnson across the line whilst Samuel Wilson rounded out the podium.

Wilson was to make his mark in the weekend’s second Sigmax encounter as he got the better of Winrow to prevail, with Johnson this time propping up the podium in third.

Declan Dolan was at his brilliant best in the combined Sigma/Mega/Classic races, charging to a pair of race wins to further strengthen his position at the top of the standings.

Rounding out the racing at Snetterton where a flurry of races from the Classic Touring Car Championship. Famed for its blend of iconic tin top machines from all eras, the championship descended on Norfolk with a bumper entry list that didn’t disappoint.

Pre 83 Group 1 Touring Cars had a familiar feel to it as David Howard and Stephen Primett took a win apiece whilst Matthew Evans and Stuart Day did the same in the Classic Thunder & Blue Oval Saloon Series races.

Pre 93 Touring Cars, Pre 03 Touring Cars and Pre 05 Production Touring Cars came together for a pair of races over the course of the weekend too, with David Griffin in unstoppable form as he notched wins in both.

Capping off the list of race winners was David Hall and Michael Sheraton, both of whom scaled to the top step of the podium in the two Paul Inch Classic and Historic Touring Car races.

For the full classification of all sessions from Snetterton, click here.
For more information click here

BARC serves up scorching weekend at Thruxton Summer Truckfest

The British Automobile Racing Club served up a scorching weekend (July 7/8) both on and off the track at Thruxton, with seven championships tackling the fastest circuit in the country.

Amidst the heatwave the UK is currently revelling in, a bumper crowd turned out in force across both days to watch a variety of categories write the latest chapter in their 2018 campaigns.

Stealing the show was the British Truck Racing Association Championship, which staged a total of eight fraught races. Division 1 saw reigning champion Ryan Smith produce an emphatic display as he kicked off the weekend from storming to pole position. From there, the event belonged to Smith as he surged to four wins from four races, extending his championship lead in doing so too.

Whilst Smith topped the podium, a host of other drivers including Stuart Oliver, Luke Taylor, David Jenkins, Jamie Anderson and Simon Reid all scored rostrum finishes.

In Division 2 there were to be three different winners from four races, with Steve Powell emerging as the man to triumph twice. Powering his way to pole position, Powell took a dominant lights-to-flag victory in the opener before then replicating that performance in the combined Division 1 & 2 race at the end of the weekend.

Brad Smith and Luke Garrett were the other victors from the class with Smith’s victory proving to be a popular one as he broke his 2018 winless duck.

In the Pickup Truck Racing Championship, reigning champion Scott Bourne closed the gap to points leader Lea Wood with a dominant double. In two frenetic encounters, Bourne prevailed from both races narrowly pipping Wood, with just a tenth of a second covering the pair at the chequered flag each time. Mark Willis rounded out the podium in both races too.

Ben Palmer emerged as another double winner from the weekend as he continued his unbeaten run in the Michelin Clio Cup Series. Despite missing out on pole position, the defending champion produced two stellar performances to strengthen his advantage at the summit of the standings. Nic Harrison did the same in the road class of the series, sweeping his way to a pair of wins.

Spoils were shared in the Mighty Minis Championship as Greg Jenkins and David Kirkpatrick took a win apiece. Dicing for the lead in both races, Jenkins bested Kirkpatrick and Alex Comis in race one before the roles were reversed in race two, with Ian Slark rounding off the podium.

Dean Sullivan and Simon Kendrick emerged victorious from the weekend’s two Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship races. Sullivan narrowly pipped Kendrick to the chequered flag in race one before the latter then produced a devastating display to win by more than 11 seconds. Stuart Philps was unable to stop the squabbling duo and instead had to settle for third place in both races.

The Kumho BMW Championship races had a familiar feel to them as Colin Wells took a pair of win. Wells was the dominant force from the outset and despite the best efforts of James Card, Piers Reid and Darren Fielding, the experienced racer wasn’t to be denied.

Rounding off the weekend’s action was a host of races from the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship. In the amalgamated Sigmax/ Sigmax VCT duels, Samuel Wilson and Oliver Gibson scored a win apiece whilst Jamie Ellwood, Jonathan Curry and Steve McMaster each took podiums.

The weekend’s Mega, Sigma & Classic races had Declan Dolan take honours in race one before Simon Griffiths struck to score a win of his in the second bout. Ben Winrow and Andy Skinner also picked up silverware too.

For the full classification of results from all of the weekend’s action, click here.

BARC championships set for Thruxton Summer Truckfest scorcher

The British Automobile Racing Club is gearing up for a scorching weekend (July 7/8) on and off the track at Thruxton as seven championships resume battle in Hampshire.

As the UK revels in World Cup fever and the summer heat, the fastest circuit in the country will play host to a diverse range of categories, all of which are ready to set pulses racing.

Headlining the weekend is the British Truck Racing Association Championship, in association with Truck & Driver. Back on UK soil after starring at the Nurburgring last weekend, the heavyweight series will likely provide unmissable viewing with eight races scheduled to be run.

In Division 1, defending champion Ryan Smith leads the way having won ten races thus far. Firmly focused on lifting the title for a third successive year, Smith will be one to watch, as will the chasing pack that will be keen to reel him in. David Jenkins, Stuart Oliver and Jamie Anderson are all firmly in the hunt and will be ones to watch.

Luke Garrett has established himself as the man to beat in Division 2 and he will also be looking to extend his championship lead at Thruxton. Four wins at Nurburgring underlined his credentials however John Powell, Steve Powell, Simon Cole, Brad Smith and many more can’t be discounted from closing the gap to Garrett.

The Pickup Truck Racing Championship makes its annual visit to Thruxton with the title battle delicately poised. Lea Wood bagged the lions share of success early on in the season but a resurgent run of results from reigning champion Scott Bourne sees the pair enter the weekend split by a handful of points, with David O’Reagan and Michael Smith also on the fringe of entering the fray.

Two races from the Michelin Clio Cup Series will give tin top fans plenty to smile about, with one-make series undoubtedly set to dazzle. Home to the third generation Clio Cup car, the series has seen unrivalled dominance from defending champion Ben Palmer, winning every race staged thus far. With a long list of contenders all nipping at his heels, Palmer could either further extend his run or see it come to an end in Hampshire. Nic Harrison meanwhile will be looking to get back to winning ways in the road class.

Small in stature but packing plenty of power under the bonnet, the Mighty Minis Championship is never short of entertainment and that theme will likely continue at Thruxton. Sometimes at least four abreast on track, the Minis will be on top form, as will the leading contenders. Stuart Coombes and Lee Polman find themselves in a straight forward battle for the Mighty Mini class while Jo Polley currently leads the way in the Super Mighty Mini class.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship has served up plenty of memorable moments so far and this weekend should be no different. Split into five different classes depending on model, the series has continued to thrive this year, boasting bumper grids throughout. Graeme Smith, Robert Winrow, Jonathan Curry, Declan Dolan and Mark Johnson lead their respective classes into the weekend.

Elsewhere, the Kumho BMW Championship will showcase the very best of the German manufacturer with a great mix of models from down the years. The action has been fast and furious up to now and the flat-out thrills ’n’ spills show no signs of letting up as the series descend on Andover.

Rounding off the action will be the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship, which brings the best models of iconic brand onto the sam tarmac to go wheel-to-wheel. Notable names to keep a watchful eye over include Jim Baynam, Martin Willis and Stephen McDermid.

Snetterton scorcher expected to come from BARC categories

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Snetterton this weekend (August 4/5) with five championships ready to set pulses racing over two action-packed days.

With its blend of tight corners and flowing straights, the Norfolk circuit is the perfect backdrop for what is set to be a scorching weekend both on and off the track.

Topping the bill will be the Trade Team Citroen C1 Challenge, which will stage two endurance encounters. Making waves this year already with its inaugural 24-hour race in the UK and big grids at all events, the series has become one the leading lights within the BARC’s long list of categories.

Providing a low-cost method of going endurance racing, the one-make series is set for another memorable weekend with a four-hour and one hour race.

Boasting an entry list of more than 40 machines and north of 100 drivers, Snetterton is set to catch C1 fever as the series writes another milestone in its short history.

If Saturday belongs to the C1 Challenge taking centre stage then Sunday is all about the Classic Touring Car Championship. With its diverse mix of iconic tin top machines and multiple classes, classics will be the norm on day two with a total of eight races being run.

Those in attendance will see the Paul Inch – Classic Race Engines Pre ’66 Touring Cars, CTCRC Group 1 Touring Car Championship, Envirotec Hygiene Services Pre-93 Touring Cars, YourITman Pre-2003 Touring Cars, Toyo Tyres Pre-2005 Production Touring Car Championship, Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series and the MRF Motorsport Tyres Classic & Historic Thunder Saloon Championship all in action – and delivering edge-of-the-seat thrills.

Ben Palmer will look to continue his march towards a second successive Michelin Clio Cup Series title as he bids for wins 11 and 12. Palmer has won every single race so far this season and has shown no signs of slowing down either. Tyler Lidsey and Ben Colburn are just some of the contenders all vying to stop the #1 drivers charge.

There will be plenty of racing from the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship as well. Another category that has flourished with big grids this season, the one-make series is better than ever and with a host of leading contenders coming to the fore.

Across the different classes, keep a close eye on Declan Dolan, Oliver Gibson, Jonathan Curry, Robert Winrow and Peter Tattersall – all of who m lead the way in their respective championships.

Rounding out the weekend’s racing will be action from the Kumho BMW Championship, home to some of the most infamous machines the German manufacturer have put into production.

For more information on this weekend’s event, including timetable and entry lists, click here.

Cadwell Park awaits three BARC championships

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Cadwell Park this weekend (April 14/15) for a high-octane two days of wheel-to-wheel action.

Renowned for its undulation and the unique challenge that it presents to drivers and teams alike, three BARC championships are set to duke it out.

Following on from their opening event at Oulton Park, the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship are back in action with it all to play for across all classes. Amalgamating grids once again, spectators will see plenty of the one-make series with the battle for supremacy

In the Classics class, reigning champion Graeme Smith enjoyed a dream start to his year with a dominant double at the season-opener and he will be keen to build on his recent success as the likes of Peter Tattersall and Marc Noaro bid to close the gap.

Jamie Winrow will be one to watch as he leads the way in the SigMax category whilst Lee Collins and Declan Dolan will undoubtedly be out to continue their reigns at the top of the Sigma and Mega class standings as well.

The CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship also kicked off their 2018 campaign at Oulton Park last month and continues this weekend. Run by the BARC’s North Western Centre, another bumper entry list, packed with a diverse range of cars, has been confirmed for rounds three and four.

Triumphing at the curtain-raiser, 2016 champion Paul Rose heads the 28-car line-up this weekend and will be focused on extending his early points lead.

James Auckland, Steve Harris, Guy Carter and Stephen Keenan are just some of the drivers that fans can expect to take the fight to Rose in his Saker.

Whilst the aforementioned championships have already had one event under their belts, the 2CV parts.com Classic Racing Championship launches into life for another season this weekend, with Cadwell Park providing a fitting backdrop.

Always a popular sight wherever they compete, the one-make tin top category has been producing great racing for more than two decades now and that trait is set to continue this year too. Running a pair of sprint races as well as a two-hour endurance race on Sunday, there will be no shortage of drama on track from the 2CVs.

Having won back-to-back titles, Lien Davies will have his sights firmly set on making it a hat-trick of titles however the likes of Ainslie Bousefield, Sandro Proietti and Nick Crispin, all of whom had their moments last year, will be keen to overhaul the defending champion.

Rounding out the action will be a host of high-speed, frenetic encounters from British Superkarts.

BARC kicks off new season at Oulton Park

Following months of preparation and anticipation, the 2018 motorsport season for the British Automobile Racing Club is set to get underway this weekend (March 17) at Oulton Park.

A traditional starting point in mid-March for the Club, the Cheshire-based venue will host four championships in what is set to be a blockbuster day of non-stop thrills ’n’ spills.

Boasting an impressive 33-car grid for the forthcoming season and keen to put on a show for those in attendance is the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres.

Kicking off what is set to be a frenetic 51-race season, spanning the length and breadth of the UK, the popular category will race three times around Oulton Park on Saturday, with all eyes on reigning champion John Mickel as he bids to defend his title.

Challenges to Mickel’s crown are set to come from all angles however with the likes of Ben Power, Jack Parker, Steve Whitelegg and Marcus Pett, amongst a host of others, set to take the fight to the multiple title winner.

Big grids are also expected in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, the jewel in the crown of the BARC’s North West Centre.

A mammoth 38-car grid has been confirmed for the opening two races of the season with a diverse range of cars set to duke it out for outright honours. One notable absentee however from the entry list is 2017 champion Joe Spencer, however he is hoping to compete in selected events later in the year.

With Spencer out of the picture, many eyes will be on the Saker duo of Paul Rose and Steve Harris who head the entry list. Throw into the miss the likes of former champion Paul Dobson, Dave Taylor and Garry Wardle and you will get just a taster of how competitive this year is set to be.

Close-quarter action is set to be a theme in the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship too as they also roar into action for the first time this year.

Introducing a revised class structure and benefitting from the blend of old and new faces competing, the championship is set to go from strength-to-strength as it seeks to build on what was a stellar 20th anniversary last year.

Rounding out the on-track action for this one-day event is the Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship. Mixing nostalgia classics with some of the most recent models from the iconic brand, another jam-packed grid are set to battle it out for the multiple class titles that are on offer.

BARC championships battle mixed conditions at Oulton Park

The British Automobile Racing Club officially kicked off the 2018 season on track this past Saturday (March 17) with four championships doing battle around Oulton Park.

Marking the start of a new campaign, competitors and spectators were met with all manner of weather conditions as sun and snow battered the Cheshire venue.

Edge-of-the-seat thrills were delivered in droves from the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres as a 33-car entry list duked it out across three encounters.

Will Gibson snatched the early advantage as he stormed to victory in the opening race of the day, pipping reigning champion John Mickel and the ever-impressive Jack Parker. Gibson was unable to repeat his performance in the second race however as Steve Whitelegg surged to victory, with Parker and Miles Rudman in tow.

Come the final at the end of the day, Connor Mills proved to be the man to beat as he led home Parker, who made it a trio of podium finishes, and race one winner Gibson to take top spot.

Like Legends, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship also boasted a bumper grid of more than 30 cars of all makes and models. Just one race instead of the timetabled two was run though and following a restart, Paul Rose emerged as the victor.

At the wheel of his Saker RAPX S1-400, Rose was in a league of his own as he took the chequered flag by more than 20 seconds. The battle for the remaining podium positions proved to be a lot closer though with just three tenths of a second separating David Harvey and Danny Bird.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship also roared into life at Oulton Park with a host of new and old faces going wheel-to-wheel.

In the amalgamated Mega/Classic/Sigma/Sigman VCT races Declan Dolan continued his fine form from 2017 to take a brace of victories. The reigning Mega champion swept his way to a dominant double as Ben Winrow shadowed him in both races. Kevin Barrett and Roger Ford each picked up a third place each too.

Lee Collins was equally as dominant in the two Sigmax/Sigmax VCT races as he topped the rostrum in both. Collins led Oliver Gibson and Jamie Winrow in the opener before Winrow led the charge to try and beat him along with Ben Gillias in the second.

Rounding out action at the weekend was the Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship. In two frenetic races, some of the most iconic machines from the popular brand put on a show for those in attendance.

Piloting his MG ZR, David Mellor picked up victory in race one ahead of Martin Wells and Stuart Plotnek before Simon Kendrick, driving a MG F VVC, took the win in race two ahead of Plotnek and Stuart Philps.

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