CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship

North Western Centre makes full-throttle start to season at Oulton Park

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North Western Centre enjoyed a full-throttle start to the 2025 season at Oulton Park this past Saturday (April 12) as three different categories took centre stage on the famed International layout.

As momentum for the new campaign continues to build around the country, it was the turn of the Club’s North Western Centre at the weekend as both the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship and OT Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires made their first appearances of the year.

For the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – which is the centre’s flagship series – competitors were undoubtedly chomping at the bit to hit the track given the fact that a bumper 47-car entry list was confirmed for the opening two rounds.

Such was the enormity of the grid, organisers opted to double the amount of races on the day, amalgamating those in Class A, B and G together for two races and those in Class C, D, E and F together for a further two races.

Simon Allaway proved to be in a league of his own in the two Class A, B & G contests as he made the perfect start to the new season by powering his Lotus Esprit V8 to a commanding brace of victories.

Race one saw Allaway quickly make his escape from the chasing pack and he ultimately never looked back, taking the chequered flag by more than 20 seconds ahead of Bod Buckby and Ben Roberts. In race two, his winning margin was to be eight seconds at the end.

Over in Class C, D, E and F, Chris Roberts showed similar levels of dominance as he too claimed a clean sweep of front-running results – winning both races by more than ten seconds in his sensational BMW M4.

There was plenty of edge-of-the-seat entertainment when it came to the OT Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires, with the budget-conscious tin top series serving up two frenetic bouts around the picturesque 2.692-mile circuit.

With last year’s victor Daniel Munro moving onto new pastures, all bets were off when it came to the battle for supremacy at the front of the field – although three drivers staked their claim with exemplary performances.

Nathan Williams underlined his credentials as one to watch as he fended off the race-long advances of Adam Jones to win the season-opener before Jones turned the tables in race two to open his account for the season.

While both Williams and Jones claimed a win apiece, Max Papworth demonstrated that he will undoubtedly stand on the top step of the podium in the near future as he tallied a pair of top-three finishes.

Rounding out the North Western Centre’s race day at Oulton Park was the P4 Emergency Lighting Caterham Graduates Championship, which was back in action after competing at Donington Park last month.

In the Sigma 150 Class, it didn’t take reigning champion Jamie Ellwood long to pick up where he left off last season as he bagged two wins from two races. Max Haynes, Stephen Clark, Harry Cramer and Ben Winrow all scooped podium finishes behind the charging Ellwood.

The Sigma 135 Class – which had almost 40 entries – saw spoils shared as Giles Derry and Tom McEwing maintained their strong starts to the season by tallying a win apiece.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

BARC North West Centre revved up for CNC Heads Sports/Saloon opener

This weekends opening round of the CNC Heads Sports Saloon Car Championship boasts a massive 47-car entry; with defending Champion Steven Parker heading the entry in his Ford Fiesta ST – but there is healthy competition in most of the classes.

Simon Allaway’s mighty Lotus Esprit V8 heads class A. The overall Champion back in 2013, Simon will be looking for a podium finish this weekend. Garry Wardle was last years Class A Champion. He is entered in his Audi A3 TCR car, but is well-known for turning up with something entirely different.

A Championship debutant at Cadwell last year, Ryan Nelson has changed his Class D Mini for a Ginetta G56 and joins Class A too this weekend. Thomas Frankland is another newcomer to Class A, as his Renault 5GT Turbo was in Class B last year. He has a new engine this term, a 1781 turbo. Championship debutant Ash Hicklin will be one to watch, with his Bentley GT. He has previously raced a Radical in 750MC Bikesports.

After a few years away, it’s a welcome back to the fastest breadman in the North West, Jason Hennefer. A former XR racer, he has been out in the Fiesta Championship and returns in an ST180 Fiesta. Piers Grange is due out in his Ford Escort 2.6, as his RSR Turbo isn’t ready yet. Richard Blockley, Dad of Fiesta Junior Billy makes his championship debut in another Ginetta G56A and completing the class is returnee Wayne Spiller, having swapped his Mazda for a Seat Leon.

Most of Class B are returnee’s from last season, with the top seven from last years final standings. Champion Paul Masters is back with his Westfield Wide Body, to renew his rivalry with class runner-up Connor Modro’s Westfield Aero and they will be up against Bod Buckby’s Caterham and former double Champion Jamie Cryer’s Ginetta G20. Roddie Paterson’s Caterham will be vying for overall victory too as will Ben Roberts’ Locost 7, both having visited the top step of the podium.

If all is well with Mark Primett’s Banks Lotus Europa he should be another strong contender, but with Deri Davies’ Darrian T90 and Rob Wakelin’s Peugeot 205, joined by Alek Modro now in a Westfield Aeo too, competition for the Class will be intense. Tim Foxlow’s Escort RSR is back too and he is joined by newcomers Jon Price in a Vauxhall Tigra and Baz Johnson in his Pontiac Coupe.

With no starters due in Class C, Champion Parker has plenty of rivals to challenge him in Class D. Riccy Walker and Clive Dix were second and third in class last year, and both return with their respective Mini F56 and Mazda RX7, but Marshall Groves’ Vauxhall Vectra should be a challenger again too, along with Philip White’s BMW. Fiesta racer Sam Beckett swaps to an Audi TT to make his Championship debut and newcomers Simon Graveley, Carl Bennett and Anthony Sullivan make their debuts in a VW Golf Gti, BMW M3 E46 and Mini JCW.

Paul Goodlad hopes to be back with his VW Scirocco, if the car s ready and seasoned campaigners Bob Claxton and John Madoc-Jones are due out in their VW Golf Gti and BMW E46 330. The Class is completed by George Foxlow, son of Tim, out in his Fiesta Challenge ST240.

As well as winning Class E last year at his first attempt, Lee Bull only just missed out on the overall title with a late retirement in the last race at Oulton. He’s back with his Renault Clio, but will have some stiff competition from Paul Rotheroe, who returned to the Championship last year with his Citroen Xsara VTS to take second in the Class. Julian Wood, brother of Championship sponsor Ric is back with ex Steven Parker BMW Compact, along with Matthew Jones in his Ford Focus.

Cavan Taylor joined the championship too last season as a relative novice with his Renault Clio and Louie Dobson, son of former Champion Paul, had his first race ever at Anglesey last season and returns with his Fiesta ST150. Nick Haynes joins in too in another Fiesta ST150, while two shared cars complete the class. William and Georgina Bartlett in a Renault Clio and Richard and Matt Hibbert with a Honda Civic Type R.

There are three entries in Class F too, with two novices challenging Champion Helen Allen’s Ford Fiesta Zetec S. Errol Taylor has a Toyota Yaris T Sport and Jonathan Lee a Mini Cooper.

Classes A & B qualify from 9.25 and race at 12.05 and 15.25 and Classes D,E & F qualify at 10.25, with races at 12.40 and 16.40. All four races are of 20 minutes duration.

All-out action at Anglesey as BARC delights fans in North Wales

The British Automobile Racing Club made its one and only trip of the year to North Wales this past weekend (September 7/8) as a number of championships took centre stage at Anglesey Circuit.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the two-day meeting produced an unmissable spectacle of blockbuster wheel-to-wheel action – with a number of drivers ramping up their pursuits of being crowned champion in their respective categories.

In the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Harry Smith strengthened his title charge with a virtuoso performance as he reigned supreme in style. Pacing the opposition to claim pole position in qualifying, Smith was perfection personified across the opening two races.

Despite coming under pressure at times, the second-year racer didn’t put a wheel wrong and cruised to a pair of lights-to-flag wins whilst his championship rivals filled the remaining spots on the podium.

Smith was also in the fight for overall honours in the weekend’s final contest however the trio of Josh Selvadorai, James Sherrington and Jonathan Moore proved difficult to beat – with Selvadorai ultimately coming out on top.

The North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship wrote the latest chapter of its 2024 story with a trio of races to entertain those that were in attendance.

Showcasing a variety of different cars across multiple classes, Jim Hutchinson proved to be the toast of the field as he dominated the meeting in his Ford Escort RSR, scoring a hat-trick of race wins.

No less than seven races were staged by the SIM Motorsport Caterham Graduates Championship over the course of the weekend, four of which were for the Sigma 135s while the remaining three were for the Sigma 150s.

Variety proved to be the spice of life when it came to the Sigma 135 class as three different drivers stood on the top step of the podium. Paul Goldstein kicked off proceedings with a hard-fought victory in race one before Theo Theato and Adam Kene came to the fore, the latter winning twice.

Things were somewhat more dominant when it came to the Sigma 150 class as Jamie Ellwood served up a clinical display to win all three races. Will Stillwell, Max Haynes and Matthew Willoughby were his closest challengers as they featured on the remaining podium spots.

The Track Action Racing Club concluded the weekend’s entertainment around the picturesque with Paul Roddison – a previous winner of the coveted BARC President’s Cup – triumphing twice in his Volkswagen Scirocco.

Roddison was the benchmark from the get-go however he did have to withstand pressure from the hard-charging Tim Evans in his Audi TT at times.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Anglesey, CLICK HERE.

BARC produces captivating Oulton Park race day

The British Automobile Racing Club took on a starring role at Oulton Park this past Saturday (July 6) as four championships produced high drama, wheel-to-wheel entertainment and plenty of enthralling talking points.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the one-day meeting – which took place around the 2.692-mile International layout of the Cheshire venue – was expected to be packed with action from start-to-finish; and it duly delivered in challenging conditions.

Topping the bill was the latest two-hour instalment of the British Endurance Championship in association with Motorsport UK, which saw the PB Racing with JMH duo of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton maintain their 100% winning record.

Arriving at Oulton Park having claimed victory in the previous three events this season, the Audi GT3 duo cemented their status as the team to beat in the overall standings by firstly blasting their way to pole position in qualifying by more than five seconds.

Lining up on the front row of the grid, Erceg and Clutton wasted no time in underlining their front-running credentials by quickly establishing a lead at the front of the field. As the race progressed, their lead only grew and they ultimately went on to triumph by four laps.

While Erceg and Clutton comfortably reigned supreme, the battle for the remaining two spots on the podium had everyone captivated. Xentek Motorsport would have enough in hand to clinch second while the Porsche 992 Cup duo of Nick Hull and Richard Avery claimed third place.

Fireworks flew in the Britcar Trophy Championship as the Ginetta G56 GTA proved to be the car to beat, with Marco Anastasi and Seb Dubois enjoying a share of the spoils that were on offer across the day’s two 50-minute contests.

Stephen Fresle and Ben Green had paced the opposition to snare pole position in qualifying however they were unable to stop the Datum Motorsport duo of Anastasi and Maurizio Sciglio as they forced their way to the front and then set about duking it out for overall honours.

Remarkably there was less than a tenth of second separating the top two in the day’s second bout as Dubois held off the charging Dragon Sport Opel Astra of Rhys Lloyd and Harri Reynolds to score victory.

The North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, didn’t disappoint those that were in attendance either as a bumper entry list served up two very contrasting contests.

Race one proved to be one largely dominated by Stuart Pearson as he guided his AB Sabre to a commanding win of more than 11 seconds over Ben Roberts and Connor Modro, who filled the remaining spots on the podium.

Modro turned the tables on Roberts and Pearson in a shortened, red-flag affected race two a few hours later however as he blasted his Westfield Aero to victory lane by a little under two seconds.

Concluding proceedings at the picturesque track were two races from the Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup Series, which proved to be one of the leading lights at the Thruxton Historic meeting last month.

Richard Tarling maintained his race-winning form from Thruxton to tally a narrow victory in race one before Callum Grant, who had shadowed Tarling in the opener, then came to the fore to score victory in the finale.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

CNC Heads Sport/Saloons poised for Donington Park opener

The 2024 CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship kicks off this weekend, with a double header at Donington Park. Defending Champion Ian Bamber is an absentee from the opener, but runner up Roddie Paterson heads the entry in his Caterham C400.

There are three strong entries in Class A, where having raced a Seat TCR last season, Garry Wardle is due out in an Audi A3 TCR. He will be up against long time sponsor Ric Wood, who is in his Ford Capri GAA. Completing the Class line-up and a possible outright winner is Andrew Southcott, who took a number of victories last season too.

Paterson heads Class B, with no less than 13 entries. Tim Foxlow and Daz Owen are both out in their Escort Mk1 RSR’s, Owen has already been out in Modified Ford’s this season. Mark Primett is back again with his quick Banks Lotus Europa, along with former Champion Jamie Cryer in his Ginetta G20. Bod Buckby has moved up to a beefier Caterham, hence his change of class from Class C and local driver Tom Frankland will be looking for a good result in his Renault 5GT Turbo.

Richard Hall has changed his Caterham to a CSR, while having previously raced a Ginetta G40, Connor Modro is out in a Westfield Aero. Occasional visitor Tim Moll has entered his VW Golf and newcomers Paul Masters, Tom Church and Gareth John are bringing their respective Westfield, MGF and Ginetta G40.

There are no Class C cars, but Class D has an excellent nine car line-up, led by Oliver Thomas’ Subaru Impreza. Having missed some of the latter rounds in 2023, Marshall Groves returns in his Vauxhall Vectra, while Clive Dix will be planning to maximise the development work from last years success in his Mazda RX7.

Ric Walker’s Mini JCW will seeking to move up the order, while Paul Goodlad’s VW Scirocco is expected to challenge too. Watch out also for the Ford Focus of David Jones.

Having raced his BMW Compact in various guises, Steven Parker has entered a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Turbo. Cliff Butler is another occasional visitor to the Championship and joins us again with his Vauxhall Carlton, while CNC legends Ralph Underwood and Bob Claxton are back in their TR7 V8 and VW Golf.

Julian Wood has stepped down from his Kia Optima to a Class E BMW Compact, where he is joined by Championship regular Peter Koukoulas’ Toyota MR2. They are joined by Cavan Taylor, who debuted his Renault Clio part way through last season, and newcomer Wayne Spiller in his Mazda RX8. Son of David Jones, Matthew is entered in his Class E Ford Focus

There are no takers for Class F, but hopefully there will be before the next rounds.

All the action is on Saturday, with qualifying 11.35 to 11.55, Race 1 at 2.20 and race 2 at 6.16, both of 20 minutes duration.

BARC North West Centre delivers action-packed Oulton Park finale

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North West Centre brought the curtain down on its 2023 season this past Saturday (October 14) with an action-packed race day around Oulton Park’s challenging International layout.

Battling heavy showers and sunny intervals at the picturesque Cheshire venue, a total of four championships took centre stage on the 2.692-mile circuit to serve up a fitting finale which included an abundance of high-octane thrills and captivating moments.

There was plenty to celebrate when it came to the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – the North West Centre’s flagship category – as the multi-class series marked its 40th Anniversary in style with two pulsating contests.

Having become an integral part of the UK national motorsport scene over the course of the past four decades, the championship closed out another memorable campaign with a bumper grid, which exceeded 30 cars, all vying for glory.

Entering the weekend as one the favourites to triumph, Roddie Patterson enjoyed a superlative day as he stormed to a brace of race wins behind the wheel of his Caterham C400.

Despite missing out on pole position to Andrew Southcott in his MG Midget Lenham, Paterson capitalised on Southcott’s early retirement to take a commanding victory in race one as he triumphed by more than six seconds ahead of outgoing champion Jon Woolfitt and Garry Wardle.

Race two proved to be a much closer affair as Paterson doubled his tally for the day with a superlative victory by a little over half a second, despite having to contend with a brief safety car period at mid-distance.

Hounding him all the way to the chequered flag was the Subaru Impreza of Oliver Thomas whilst Thom Evans completed the rostrum by crossing the line in third in his Caterham Duratec.

The Morphmy Caterham Graduates Championship delivered its fair share of edge-of-the-seat entertainment too, especially as there proved to be little to separate those that were battling for overall victory.

In the opening bout for the Sigma 135 category, Rrutuj Patki blasted his way to the top step of the podium by the narrowest of margins – 0.022 seconds to be exact – as he edged out Ben Winrow whilst Tom Power was a distant third.

Ben Wheatley was then perfection personified in the day’s second race as he clinched a commanding lights-to-flag victory ahead of Alex Vincent and Steven Lancaster.

Small margins continued to be a theme of the Caterham Graduates contingent when it came to the combined Sigma 150 and Sigmax races, as a further two different drivers charged to glory.

Less than a second split Philip Bianchi and newly crowned double champion Harry Senior in a pulsating opener, with the aforementioned Bianchi coming out on top before Will Stilwell then got the better of Thomas Horton by tenth of a second in race two.

Over in the Kumho BMW Championship, which is home to all models of the iconic Bavarian brand, spoils were shared between Jason West and Bryan Bransom as they each chalked up a victory apiece.

James Card and Kevin Clarke each added to their silverware collections too as they also featured on the podium.

Closing out the day’s track action at Oulton Park were a trio of races from The Super Series by the British Superkart Racing Club and as has been the case on a number of occasions this year, nobody could stop from Liam Morley from claiming a clean sweep of race wins.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

North Western Centre set for anniversary celebrations at Oulton Park in October

The BARC’s North Western Centre is set to mark the 40th Anniversary on its own Sports/Saloon Championship later this year with a celebrate as its Oulton Park race meeting on Saturday 14th October.

It was at Oulton Park on the 31^st March 1984 that the championship, then a Special GT Challenge, held its first round with a small grid of 10 cars starting the race and Bob Trotter cruising to victory in his Ford Escort RS2000.

The Challenge became a Championship the following year and within a few years the average grid had increased to over 30 cars. Over the 40 years of friendly but competitive racing, the Centre has run over 460 races, in which over 700 drivers have competed.

Chris Maries currently holds the record for starting the most races at 222 in no less than 25 or so different cars. Ric Wood, owner of CNC Heads – the championship’s current sponsor – has across a staggering 35 years of the category.

The strength of the championship has been built on stability of the regulations, firm but fair application of the regulations and cost effective, non-contact competition.

There is no registration fee, entry fees are kept as low as possible, which has resulted in increased grids that allow for the low level of fees. In addition competitors only pay for their time on track as refunds are given for sessions missed for valid reasons.

These principles plus the family atmosphere in the Paddock should allow for the continued health of the championship.

The North Western Centre thanks all of its current sponsors, CNC Heads and CSP Car Service Packs, for their continued support.

North West Centre delivers action-packed Oulton Park outing

The British Automobile Racing Club delivered a memorable day of blockbuster wheel-to-wheel action at Oulton Park this past Saturday (July 8) as five championships continued their 2023 campaigns.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the one-day meeting – which took place around the 2.692-mile International layout – saw the likes of the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Classic 2CV Racing Club and others take on starring role at the picturesque Cheshire venue.

Undoubtedly one of the headline acts to come from the day was the North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship.

Boasting a bumper entry list which exceeded 30 cars, the multi-class series produced a pulsating encounter which saw former champion Paul Rose reign supreme at the wheel of his Sakar S1-500.

Blitzing the opposition to clinch pole position in qualifying, Rose punched in a superlative performance to triumph by more than half a minute ahead of Roddie Patterson in his Caterham C400 and Arron Armiger in his Vauxhall Astra.

Those in attendance also witnessed a feast of thrills and spills when it came to the Junior Saloon Car Championship, which is renowned as being one of the UK’s premier one-make categories for teenage racing drivers.

On what was an action-packed outing for the series, Cameron Pratt-Thompson and Daire Flock scored a win apiece however due to a number of on-track incidents and technical infringements, both race results currently remain provisional until all Motorsport UK Judicial’s have been heard.

The Classic 2CV Racing Club’s penultimate meeting of the season had everyone on the edge of their seats as they served up a brace of captivating contests to set the scene ahead of next month’s 24-hour season finale at Snetterton.

Kristopher Tovey emerged as one of the series’ leading lights as he produced a clinical display to claim an emphatic lights-to-flag victory in the day’s opening encounter; a feat that he then came oh-so close to repeating a few hours later in race two.

Locking horns with experienced multiple champion Pete Sparrow, Tovey missed out on clinching a clean sweep of victories to the former title winner by less than half a second whilst reigning champion David O’Keeffe completed the podium in third.

The Track Attack Race Club welcomed one of its largest entries of the year and it didn’t disappoint with a glittering array of tin top machines all going bumper-to-bumper in a pulsating 20-minute bout.

At the wheel of his Honda Civic, there was no stopping Ben Griffiths as he lit up the timesheets in qualifying and then followed it up with a commanding race-winning performance ahead of Paul Roddison and Tim Evans,

Concluding the day’s action were two races from the Adrian Flux Insurance Caterham Academy. Nick Highton narrowly edged out Jonathan Emery to win the ‘Green’ race while Daniel Neale comfortably triumphed in the ‘White’ contest.

To view the results of all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

BARC North West meeting delivers all-out Anglesey action

Anglesey Circuit provided the backdrop to the British Automobile Racing Club’s annual visit to North Wales last weekend (June 3/4) as a number of championships continued their 2023 campaigns in action-packed style.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the two-day meeting – which took place under bright sunshine along the coast of the Irish Sea – served up a feast of wheel-to-wheel entertainment around the challenging 1.55-mile layout.

In the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Daire Flock strengthened his stranglehold at the summit of the standings as he charged to an emphatic hat-trick of race wins around the picturesque Welsh venue.

Arriving at Anglesey off the back of a double win at Pembrey, the second-year racer had to settle for fourth place in qualifying however no-one was to deny him when it came to the weekend’s trio of contests as he reigned supreme.

Edging out Jack James in a frenetic opener, Flock then led home Jonathan Moore in race two before he concluded what proved to be a memorable weekend with a narrow victory over Cameron Pratt-Thompson in the finale.

Elsewhere, the Track Attack Race Club – which is run by the same organisers of the JSCC – saw a healthy grid of tin tops take centre stage, with Tim Evans and Nick Tasker sharing the spoils.

Hot on the heels of claiming a maiden win at Snetterton, Luca Staccini Anzanello was back on the top step of the podium as he triumphed in the latest rounds of the OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires.

The popular one-make series may have seen lower numbers than usual but that didn’t detract from the frenetic door-to-door action that was produced, with Staccini Anzanello emerging as one of the standout performers.

Guiding his Hyundai Coupe to pole position in qualifying, the flamboyant driver headed Mark Ridout and Paul Smith in the opening contest before then leading Daren Ford and Miguel Contreras in race two.

Variety was the spice of life when it came to the North West Centre’s flagship series, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, as they hit the track for a trio of races.

Showcasing a variety of different cars across multiple classes, former champion Paul Rose proved to be the benchmark in races one and two as he piloted his Sakar S1-500 to victory before then being cruelly denied from completing his hat-trick.

Rose led 16 of the 17 laps in the finale before he was forced to retire, which then allowed Arron Armiger to inherit victory in his Vauxhall Tigra.

Concluding the weekend’s track action were a number of races from the British Superkart Racing Club. In the combined F250 Mono/F125 contests Paul Platt, Lee Plain and Kirk Cattermole scored a win apiece whilst Liam Morley took a clean sweep in the Division 1/F450 category.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Anglesey, CLICK HERE.

BARC delivers Cadwell Park cracker of a weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club enjoyed a bumper two days of wheel-to-wheel entertainment at Cadwell Park this past weekend (April 15/16) as a further seven championships lifted the curtain on their 2023 campaigns.

On what was the first of two visits to the popular Lincolnshire venue this year – the second coming in late July – the Club staged no less than 23 races across Saturday and Sunday, with each of them putting fans on the edge of their seats.

Renowned for producing its fair share of full-throttle thrills, one of the weekend’s headline acts came in the shape of the 5/8 scale pocket rockets that make up the Legends Cars Championship with MRF Tyres.

Serving up six breathtaking races, last year’s series runner-up Will Gibson kicked off proceedings with victory in the opener before Andy Bird and Marcus Pett chalked up two wins apiece. Matthew Isherwood then concluded the action with a win in the finale.

The Junior Saloon Car Championship blasted into life for another season with a 26-car grid of 14 to 17-year-old racers all eager to kick-start their burgeoning motorsport careers.

Boasting an entry list of both second-year drivers and rookies, the one-make category delivered a pair of blockbuster encounters, with the spoils being shared between Oskar Dix and Daire Flock.

In the North West Centre’s CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, Andrew Southcott enjoyed a winning start to the new season by comfortabley romping to a brace of victories.

At the wheel of his MG Midget Lenham, Southcott topped the times in qualifying and then didn’t look back when the lights went out; leading home the duo of Roddie Paterson and reigning champion Jamie Cryer by sizeable margins in both races.

Kris Tovey made a flying start to the 2CVParts.com Championship as he opened his account for the year with two superlative wins. Despite missing out on pole position in qualifying, Tovey made no mistake in the races as he powered clear of the opposition.

Behind him, defending champion David O’Keeffe, Nick Crispin and Lucas Proietti all scored podiums – setting up an exciting remainder of the season.

Novice racers beginning their journey’s in the sport put on a show across two Adrian Flux Insurance Caterham Academy races. Adam Kene narrowly pipped Matt Kirland in the White race before Callum McIntyre triumphed in the Green bout.

Cadwell Park also marked the dawn of a new era for the Track Attack Race Club as they ran under the BARC banner for the first time in its illustrious history. Encompassing all saloons, coupes and sports cars, the budget-conscious category kicked off the year with Andrew Neal guiding his Peugeot 106 to back-to-back race wins.

Another new championship to debut over the course of the weekend was the MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport; a one-make series designed to provide a first step on the racing ladder for entry level club racers.

Stephen Berry, Zac Blackwell and Freddy Hewitt proved to be the cream of the crop across the weekend’s three contests however despite their best efforts, Blackwell and Hewitt couldn’t stop Berry from taking a clean sweep of victories.

miniRounding out the weekend’s bumper programme were four frenetic contests from the British Superkart Racing Club, all of which were won by the dominant Matt Robinson.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Cadwell Park, CLICK HERE.

North West Centre enjoys momentous night of celebrations

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North West Centre enjoyed a memorable night of celebrations recently as drivers, teams, officials and volunteers came together for its Annual Presentation Dinner.

Coming together to mark what proved to be a hugely successful 2022 season, the evening also provided an opportunity for three annual CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship awards to be handed over to some worthy winners.

The first, and most prestigious award, to be handed out was the David Gledhill Driver of the Year – which is determined by championship officials and those marshals that attended the championship rounds.

Emerging victorious to lift the coveted accolade was Graeme Smith, who was firmly in title contention across both the 2021 and 2022 campaigns as he charged to class victories.

Starting every round in each of the last four years, Smith was recognised for the hard work he has put in to his car – a Mazda MX5 – as well as his enthusiasm and competitiveness to compete in the popular multi-class category.

Ric Walker was the second winner on the night as he lifted the Spirit of the Championship award. Determined by the championship committee, this award goes to the driver, team or supporter that over the years has fully embraced the friendliness, helpfulness and loyalty of the series.

Renowned for being one of the first to arrive at the track on a Friday and once unloaded, would help others in the paddock, Ric also showed that you can embody the spirit of the series off-track and be competitive on it as he won Class D and finished fifth overall.

The final annual award to be presented by the North West Centre was the Jock Sinclair Newcomer of the Year. Annually fought for by several drivers, notable mentions this year went to the impressive duo of Arron Armiger and Connor Harvey.

Ultimately though Ian Bamber was declared the winner as he bounced back from a bad accident on two wheels to make a name for himself on four as he competed in Class E in a Ginetta G20.

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship and the 2023 campaign is scheduled to commence at Oulton Park on April 1.

BARC NW Centre set for milestone Sports/Saloon Car Championship season

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North West Centre is set for a milestone season in 2023 as its Sports/Saloon Car Championship celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

First started back in 1984 after a successful inaugural campaign, the principles of the championship have remained the same over the past four decades; to provide cost effective racing and a flexible set of regulations – allowing for any sports or saloon car to compete in an ultra-competitive environment.

As the North West Centre embarks on what promises to be an exciting 40th season, multi-class series will once again be sponsored by CNC Heads; the company owned by regular competitor Ric Wood. Meanwhile, Graeme Laslett’s Car Service Packs will also continue their support too.

Maintaining its values of providing cost effective racing, the 2023 edition of the Sports/Saloon Car Championship will see a saving on some costs; one of which is a reduction to £400 per meeting in entry fees.

The number of race events has been reduced to six however each meeting will now include either two or three races – ensuring that the championship remains at a total of 14 rounds.

Further changes that will undoubtedly contribute to 2023 being arguably one of the best seasons yet will be the introduction of a separate class for motor cycled cars of any modification and a Guest entry; which will allow new drivers to sample the series at one-off meetings.

Full details of the championship, including how to register, can be found at www.barcnorthwestern.co.uk or by contacting John Leck via johnleck.racing@hotmail.co.uk