Tag: MINI CHALLENGE Trophy

BARC closes out 2024 season with blockbuster Brands Hatch title-decider

The British Automobile Racing Club brought the curtain down on its 2024 season in spectacular style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 2/3) as the final batch of champions were crowned in front of a sell-out crowd.

Concluding what has been a year to remember for the Club’s championships, series, centres and venues; two days of blockbuster racing provided the backdrop to a fitting finale around the Indy layout.

Headlining the action was the British Truck Racing Championship, where Ryan Smith continues to re-write the history books in his Daimler Freightliner as he claimed a remarkable ninth consecutive Division 1 title.

Arriving at the Kent venue with one hand on the coveted crown, Smith was wheel-perfect as he blitzed the opposition to claim pole position in qualifying and then swept his way to all five race wins that were up for grabs. 

Behind him, former title winner David Jenkins edged out Steven Powell to clinch second overall whilst Michael Oliver and Stuart Oliver also stood on the podium over the course of what was a frenetic weekend.

In Division 2, John Powell made his dreams a reality as he finally savoured championship glory after edging out Simon Cole to top spot. The pair were virtually inseparable throughout the meeting however a non-finish for Cole in the finale allowed Powell to reign supreme. 

At the front of Division 2, the spoils of victory went to former champions Adam Bint and Paul Rivett – with the latter closing out his reign as defending champion with four superlative victories in his NAPA Racing UK MAN. 

The battle for supremacy in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy went down to the wire with Westbourne Motorsport’s Harry Hickton ultimately doing enough to beat his team-mate Sam Gornall to the title by just two points. 

Hickton went into the final meeting of the season sitting second in standings, 31 points adrift of the top of the table. Bagging pole position in qualifying, Hickton then outscored Gornall to close the gap in race one while James Black triumphed up ahead.

The Hampshire racer then claimed a critical fifth win of the season in race two to take the lead in the points before shadowing Gornall all the way to the chequered flag in the finale, which in-turn ensured he clinched the Drivers’ Championship. 

Remarkably, the difference between the top two in the Junior Saloon Car Championship was even closer than in the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, with the bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the final race being the deciding factor.

Concluding its 10th Anniversary season with six drivers in contention, it boiled down to a straight shootout between Harry Smith and Jonathan Moore – and as always the one-make series had everyone on the edge of their seats as the pair scrapped for the right to call themselves champion.

James Sherrington scored victory in race one but with Moore finishing ahead of Smith it set up a tantalising title showdown. In a final contest that was truncated with red flags, Moore finished first on the road however confirmation of a champion remains to be decided virtue of how many laps were completed.

The Pickup Truck Racing Championship was another category that crowned a new champion as Dale Gent finally climbed to the top of the mountain after just coming up short during the past few years. 

Going into the weekend at the top of the standings, Gent held his nerve to score the points that he required while Ryan Hadfield and Matt Simpson enjoyed a share of the spoils at the front of the field. 

Rounding out the weekend’s track action was the Mini 7 Racing Club’s O-Plate Winter Shootout. Aaron Smith and Rupert Deeth were undoubtedly the cream of the crop as they dominated all three races, with Smith narrowly beating Deeth on each occasion. 

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

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend – November 2/3

The British Automobile Racing Club brings the curtain down on its 2024 season at Brands Hatch with a title decider that is guaranteed to provide fireworks – both on and off the track.

Headlining the action will be five colossal contests from the British Truck Racing Championship as the destiny of the Division 1 and Division 2 crowns are settled in what promises to be a heavyweight showdown.

They aren’t the only titles to be decided either as champions will be crowned in the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Pickup Truck Racing Championship, Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy and Mini 7 Racing Club Winter O-Plate Shootout.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday 2nd November | 12:05 | WATCH HERE
Sunday 3rd November | 09:45 | WATCH HERE

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Brands Hatch, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any of the action from a BARC LIVE event by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

New leadership team in place for MINI CHALLENGE as 2025 entries open

The Vertu MINI CHALLENGE will mark the start of a new chapter next season after announcing a new leadership team comprising of Rhea Beauchamp, Luke Caudle and a third figure still to be confirmed.

Long time Championship Co-ordinator Beauchamp will take on the role of Championship Director with Caudle – a former MINI CHALLENGE title winner as Sporting Director. A new Technical Director is poised to be named in due course.

The news follows confirmation that entires have officially opened for the 2025 Vertu MINI CHALLENGE season, with drivers and teams able to now sign up and secure their place on the grid for each of the three classes.

Entry fees for the JCW, JCW Sport and Cooper classes are being held at 2024 levels whilst early bird discounts have also been put in place that will make the MINI CHALLENGE even more affordable.

Anyone registering for either the JCW or JCW Sport class by 29 November and paying their full entry by 1 February 2025 will benefit from a £2,000 discount on entry, with Cooper drivers following the same payment schedule receiving a discount of £1,000.

“We are delighted to officially open entries for the 2025 season and what promises to be another exciting year for the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE,” Beauchamp said.

“We are already seeing high levels of interest from teams and drivers who are interesting in competing with us next year, which is a nice position to be in at this stage considering that the Cooper class still has one round left to run.

“Holding entry fees at the same level as 2024 means that the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE continues to be one of the most cost-effective ways to go racing at a high level in UK motorsport, particularly when you consider the high profile that comes from being of the BTCC package.

“We have a number of things in the pipeline that we will announce in the coming months, and we look forward to welcoming drivers old and new into the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE for 2025.”

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, added: “The Vertu MINI CHALLENGE continues to be an important, entertaining and exciting part of our support package for 2025 and beyond. 

“So it’s great to see the Championship energetically working with its teams and drivers in order to continue to grow the championship – not just for next year, but for years to come“.

History-making weekend for TOCA support bill at Silverstone

The fight for front-running supremacy on the support bill of the British Touring Car Championship intensified at Silverstone this past weekend (September 21/22) to set up what promises to be a grandstand finish at Brands Hatch in less than two weeks’ time. 

Taking centre stage on the National layout of the Home of British Motor Racing, thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing played out across four categories with one title – the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA – being wrapped up with a round to spare. 

Having been the driver to beat for much of the season, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Deagen Fairclough converted his commanding advantage at the top of the standings into an unassailable lead after producing another superlative performance in the single-seater series.

Fairclough became the latest leading light to claim the coveted trophy in emphatic fashion as he blasted his way to pole position in qualifying before then claiming two commanding lights-to-flag race wins. 

In addition to becoming the tenth champion of the series, Fairclough also set a brand-new record for the championship as he eclipsed Alex Dunne’s record for the most race wins in a single season, raising the benchmark to 12.

Only two of the weekend’s three races took place at the Northamptonshire venue however as two red flags in race two led to the contest being postponed. It would later be cancelled altogether due to heavy rainfall. 

History was made in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain as Team Parker Racing’s Abbie Eaton took centre stage to become the first-ever female driver to win an outright race in the ultra-competitive series. 

Showing plenty of pace around the 1.64-mile circuit during practice, Pro-Am entrant Eaton clinched a sensational pole position in qualifying and then shadowed Charles Rainford in race one after making a small mistake while in the lead. 

Race two was where Eaton made history though as the right tyre call saw the accomplished racer blast into the lead at the start and from there she never looked back, leading all 29 laps to triumph ahead of George Gamble and Daniel Lloyd. 

Max Coates continues to lead the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain standings, despite the fact he didn’t stand on the top step of the podium across any of the series’ three races during the weekend. 

Coates’ nearest challenge Sebastian Hopkins claimed victory in race one before Thomas Bradshaw and Will Jenkins then went on to claim a win apiece. With three races remaining, Coates holds a ten-point lead going into Brands Hatch. 

The Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy made its last appearance of the season on the TOCA support bill and it too didn’t disappoint with three action-packed races that had fans on the edge of their seats. 

Chandler Motorsport’s Rhys Hurd continued his recent streak of winning the opening race of the weekend before there was a maiden victory in the tin top category for Graves Motorsport’s James Black in race two.

Sam Gornall concluded the action as he led home a Westbourne Motorsport 1-2-3-4 and with it, opened up a commanding lead at the head of the standings with just one race meeting now remaining. 

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

MINI magic gets served up at inaugural Croft Festival

The British Automobile Racing Club made a splash in North Yorkshire this past weekend (September 7/8) as Croft Circuit played host to the first-ever MINI Festival in challenging weather conditions.

In what was a celebration for one of the most iconic cars in the world, the two-day event saw a bumper crowd flock through the gates to witness a 14-race programme, paddock displays, track parades and live entertainment.

Headlining the action around the 2.12-mile course were the latest three races from the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy; which is building towards a thrilling crescendo when it comes to the fight for the overall title.

Race one – which was the only relatively dry contest of Saturday and Sunday – saw Chandler Motorsport’s Rhys Hurd take advantage of Harry Hickton being wiped out of the lead to claim his latest win of the season.

The remainder of the weekend arguably belonged to EXCELR8 Motorsport’s Gabe Fairbrother as he scored a maiden victory in the one-make series in race two and then quickly doubled his tally by repeating the feat in a rain-soaked finale.

As they have done throughout the entirety of the 2024 season, Stephen Berry and Ross Alexander proved to be the cream of the crop when it came to the MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport.

The pair, who had shared every win on offer heading into Croft, continued to rule the roost with last year’s overall winner Berry adding two more wins to his tally. Alexander didn’t let Berry have things his own way though and he was able to score a win of his own too.

While Berry was unable to clinch a hat-trick of wins in the Clubsport category, a third victory of the weekend was achieved when he came out on top of the 40-minute MINI Enduo contest ahead of Jamie Ringer and Charlie Newton-Darby.

Elsewhere, Neven Kirkpatrick and David Kirkpatrick proved to be too much for the opposition in the Mighty Minis Championship as they claimed a brace of one-two finishes whilst Jamie Blake and Chad Little shared the spoils in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup.

Rounding out the weekend’s track action were the final two races of the season for the Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup, which has been a popular addition to the BARC roster since debuting earlier this year.

Showcasing an iconic blend of single-seater machines from yesteryear, the fledgling series closed out its campaign with Lucas Romanek powering his Van Diemen RF88 to a brace of commanding race wins.

To view the full classification of results from the Croft MINI Festival, CLICK HERE.

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend – September 7/8

It’s poised to be a busy few days of top-draw motorsport for the British Automobile Racing Club this weekend as events play out at both Croft and Goodwood.

At Croft in North Yorkshire, the first-ever Mini Festival will take place with the likes of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport and Mighty Minis all in action.

Down at Goodwood, the world-famous Revival meeting will close out the 2024 season at the West Sussex venue with legendary drivers going wheel-to-wheel in iconic cars from yesteryear.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Croft
Saturday 7th September | 12:25 | WATCH HERE
Sunday 8th September | 11:45 | WATCH HERE

Goodwood
Friday 6th September – Sunday 8th September | 06:45 | WATCH HERE

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meetings at Croft and Goodwood, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

First BARC Mini Festival to take place at Croft Circuit

Croft Circuit will celebrate one of the world’s most iconic cars when the first-ever British Automobile Racing Club Mini Festival takes place next weekend (September 7/8).

There will be something for everyone to enjoy with modern day and classic Minis alongside retro single seaters competing as well as track parades, an autograph session, grid walk and children’s activities, including learner driver sessions for teenagers.

Headlining the circuit action at the new event, which includes 14 races, will be the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, which provides a stepping stone up the racing ladder with drivers closely battling it out in identical R50-spec Cooper models with the one-make series often found on the support bill of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

MINI Trophy competitors will take to the track in three races over the course of the weekend with a chance for fans to get up close to the drivers and their machines with a grid walk at 3pm on Sunday ahead of their final race.

Alongside the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, the Mini Challenge Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport series will go head-to-head in three races over both days. Launched last season as a club level series for Mini racers it is the first time the championship will visit Croft with it also hosting the final round of the series.

The Scottish Mini Cooper Cup will make a trip south over the border to contest three rounds in its penultimate meeting of the season as the Mighty Mini Championship will provide some nostalgia for spectators as classic models of the popular marque line-up on the grid on both Saturday and Sunday to go wheel to wheel.

On Saturday the Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup will offer a change of scene with the single seater series, in its debut season, racing twice. The championship features models from the golden era of the 1980s and 1990s with the visit to Croft their final outing of the year following events at Thruxton and Oulton Park.

Sunday will also see a special Mini Enduro event take place with qualifying followed by a 40-minute race whilst there will be track parades, the Paul Swift stunt display and a pit lane autograph session in the morning.

Off the track, children aged between 13 to 17 will have their chance to get behind the wheel of a Mini with the opportunity to learn to drive in the Croft Mini rally cars with other activities as well as a bar and gourmet street food being on offer. There is also a range of VIP packages available for Mini owners starting at ÂŁ38 with those signed up required to be at the circuit by 9.30am on Sunday for the track parade.

Action gets underway at 9.30am on Saturdaywith practice and qualifying before race one at 12.40pm starting with the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup. Sunday begins with a track parade at 10am with racing at midday following the pit lane autograph session at 11.10am.

Ticket prices are ÂŁ18.00 for each day in advance for adults with children aged 15 and under admitted FREE, there is FREE car parking and FREE paddock access.

There are two Mini owner VIP packages available with package one including an entrance ticket, exclusive infield parking and a lap of the circuit costing £38 and package two, which additionally includes a £15 food and soft drink voucher for Croft’s new cafe Hangar 50, costing £50.

For further information, please contact Croft Circuit on 01325 721815 or you can book your tickets online now at: www.croftcircuit.co.uk.

Championship twists and turns play out across TOCA supports at Donington Park

Championship battles took further twists and turns on the support bill of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this past weekend (August 24/25) – setting up what promises to be a tantalising title showdown for a number of one-make categories.

With the business end of the 2024 campaign now very much in sight, the legendary Grand Prix layout of the Leicestershire venue was the battleground for a pulsating two days of wheel-to-wheel action, all in front of a bumper trackside crowd.

One of the undoubted leading lights under the flightpath of East Midlands airport was the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, which staged three captivating races and served up three different race winners.

Renowned for producing close-quarter racing, the tin top series returned to action after a near three-month hiatus and wasted no time in making its mark. Rhys Hurd hit the ground running in the opening encounter as he scored a narrow victory to bolster his title aspirations.

Harry Hickton came to the fore in the weekend’s reverse grid race as he converted pole position into what was a relatively commanding lights-to-flag triumph before his Westbourne Motorsport team-mate Sam Gornall capped things off with victory in a thrilling finale.

Deagen Fairclough moved another step closer to securing an unassailable lead in the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA after powering his way to a sensational tenth win of the campaign.

Having been the benchmark driver for much of the year, the Hitch Pulse-Eight ace was wheel-perfect in the the weekend’s final race – having claimed runners-up honours in the previous three contests.

Despite his best efforts, Faircloiugh could do nothing to stop Rodin Motorsport from claiming three wins on the bounce, the first of which was scored by Alex Ninovic before James Higgins came to the fore to win back-to-back races.

Over in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Hugo Ellis moved to the top of the championship standings are clinching a crucial win – his third of the season no less – in the ultra-competitive GT series.

The Team Parker Racing driver took advantage of Will Martin’s struggles in race one to assume control at the summit of the leaderboard as he beat to Angus Whiteside and Will Burns to outright honours in a pulsating opening race.

Ellis then added a har-fought podium later in the day as he shadowed George Gamble and brand-new winner Harry Foster across the line in a thrilling second contest.

Rounding out the weekend at Donington Park were three races from the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, which saw Max Coates continue to head the standings despite not standing on the top step of the podium this time around.

Instead, that honour went the way of Joe Marshall who claimed a victory either side of Thomas Bradshaw, who also triumphed.

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

The Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, provides the penultimate stop on the calendar for the TOCA package on September 21/22.

MINI CHALLENGE to run post-season taster day at Donington Park

Organisers of the MINI CHALLENGE have announced plans for a post-season taster day at Donington Park for drivers that are interested in joining the grid for the 2025 campaign.

The event is scheduled to take place on Monday 14th October following the final meeting for the JCW and JCW Sport categories, and ahead of the season finale for the Trophy class – both of which will take place at Brands Hatch.

Teams competing across all three classes will be present on the day along with a variety of cars to cater for the different needs of potential entrants, from those looking to take their first steps into competition in the hugely competitive Cooper class right through to those looking to move up to a higher-profile series in JCW or JCW Sport.

Officials from the MINI CHALLENGE will also be in attendance in order to provide additional information on the series, and to answer any questions and queries.

A full race licence is not required in order to take part in the taster day, although those without will need to have a full road licence.

“We’ve had a huge amount of interest from people who are considering the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE for 2025, as we have seen with the drivers who have taken the opportunity to race our guest car in JCW Sport this season,” said Championship Co-ordinator Rhea Beauchamp.

“With that in mind, we thought it was a good idea to offer drivers who might be looking to join the MINI CHALLENGE next season, or who are eager to try and move up to a higher class, with the opportunity to go out on track and sample the cars and discover more about what the series is all about.

“At this stage we are looking for expressions of interest so we can finalise plans for the day, and would urge anyone interested to register their details.”

Blockbuster BARC action headlines Convoy Cymru at Pembrey

The British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage at Pembrey Circuit this past weekend (May 18/19) for an unforgettable two days of blockbuster track action, all of which acted as the headline acts for Convoy Cymru.

On what proved to be a weekend to remember in South Wales, a bumper crowd flocked to the popular venue for a festival of all things trucking – which included an eye-catching show truck display, live music, monster truck rides, electric motocross and much more.

Whilst there was plenty to see and do off-track, edge-of-the-seat entertainment was the order of business on it as a number of categories continued their 2024 campaigns in superlative style.

Topping the bill were five heavyweight contests from the British Truck Racing Championship, which – just like Brands Hatch for the season-opener – delivered an abundance of drama across both Division’s 1 and 2.

As expected, reigning Division 1 champion Ryan Smith was a force to be reckoned as he romped to a brace of wins however the Daimler Freightliner driver didn’t have things his own way. Fellow former champion David Jenkins would tally a double of his own while Steven Powell also stood on the top step of the podium.

In Division 2, with defending champion Paul Rivett forced to watch on from the sideline due to sustaining a broken ankle, John Powell set about closing the gap to the early points leader by sharing the spoils with Rivett’s NAPA Racing UK replacement, BTCC star Sam Osborne.

Powell laid down his marker with pole position and a lights-to-flag victory in the opening contest however mechanical issues prevented him from starting races two and four, which provided Osborne with the opportunity triumph. Powell would however win the remaining races in his DAF.

Westbourne Motorsport’s Harry Hickton maintained his lead in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy standings following three frenetic races of the popular tin top series in the Welsh countryside.

Hickton tallied a podium and a fourth place finish in races one and two before then coming to the fore in the finale, as he powered his way from third on the grid to claim a hard-fought victory – his third of the season so far.

Prior to Hickton reigning supreme, Jamie Keates splashed his way to the top of the rostrum in a wet’n wild opener before Alex Solley opened his account for the new campaign with a commanding win in race two.

Former BTCC race winner Matt Simpson enjoyed a near-perfect weekend in the Pickup Truck Racing Championship as he strengthened his early stranglehold on proceedings at the summit of the leaderboard.

Simpson was arguably untouchable out front for a majority of the event as he blasted his way to pole position in qualifying before then converting it into a brace of superlative wins in races one and two.

Dale Gent ultimately prevented Simpson from claiming what would have been a memorable hat-trick in the weekend’s finale as he underlined his credentials as a contender for the crown with a masterful defensive drive to hold off his rival and Mark Willis.

Like Simpson, Josh Selvadorai was another driver that narrowly missed out on clinching a clean sweep of wins as he laid down his marker as one to watch in the ever-exciting Junior Saloon Car Championship.

Series leader Harry Smith narrowly pipped Selvadorai to outright honours in a damp race one but from that point on the meeting belonged to the Citroen Saxo of Selvadorai as he piloted his way to a dominant double.

Behind him, Smith continued his fine start to the year by adding two more podium finishes to his tally while there was also silverware for Jonathan Moore and Kieran Roberts.

Paul Roddison was another driver that enjoyed a weekend to remember at Pembrey as he, like many others already mentioned, produced a double-winning performance – this time in the fledgling Track Action.

Roddison – who is a previous winner of the coveted BARC President’s Cup – guided his Volkswagen Scirocco to the chequered flag in races one and two before Dan Earl triumphed in his Vauxhall Astra VXR in the finale.

Rounding out the weekend’s track action were a pair of races from the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship on Sunday, both of which were won by Deri Davies in his Darrian T90 and Damien Longotano in his Westfield SE.

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

You can also re-watch all of the action from Saturday and Sunday by heading to the British Automobile Racing Club YouTube channel HERE.

BARC TV: What’s On This Weekend // May 18-19

The British Automobile Racing Club sets course for South Wales this weekend (May 18-19) for what promises to be a blockbuster two days of action-packed entertainment from Pembrey Circuit.

Headlining the on-track thrills at Convoy Cymru will be the titans of the British Truck Racing Championship while the likes of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, Junior Saloon Car Championship and Pickup Truck Racing Championship are guaranteed to star.

Also joining them on the billing will be Track Action and the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday 18th May – Pembrey – 12:25 – WATCH HERE
Sunday 19th May – Pembrey – 09:15 – WATCH HERE

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meetings at Pembrey, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

Snetterton delivers all-action BARC race weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club put on a show around Snetterton’s 300 circuit this past weekend (April 13/14) as a number of championships continued, as well as started, their 2024 campaigns with two days of exceptional action-packed racing. 

On was the first of several visits the Club will make to the Norfolk venue over the course of this year, four categories took centre stage to write the latest chapter of their stories for the crowd watching in attendance and at home via YouTube.

The British Endurance Championship in association with Motorsport UK saw PB Racing with JMH maintain their 100% winning record in 2024 as Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton charged to a dominant lights-to-flag victory.

After reigning supreme at the series’ Donington Park curtain-raiser last month, the Audi GT3 duo were among the favourites to star at Snetterton and they didn’t disappoint as they quickly showcased that they were in a league of their own.

Clinching a commanding pole position during qualifying, the only challenge that Erceg ended up facing was the hustle and bustle of the opening lap, where he was briefly put under pressure by the Porsche’s of Team Tasman and Road & Competition Engineering through turns one and two. 

Once clear, Erceg built up a steady advantage throughout his stint before handing the car over to Clutton, who was wheel-perfect to the finish. In the end the pair took the chequered flag five clear laps ahead of their nearest challengers.

Behind the eventual race winners, Team Tasman – which was made up of David Harrison and Nathan Luckey in a Porsche 991.2 Cup – secured a spot on the second step of the podium after holding off the race-long charge of Chris Murphy in his BMW E46 GTR, who finished third. 

Caterham Motorsport began their 2024 season in style with four of their five championships producing a plethora of thrills and spills across an unmissable 11 races. 

In the Mission Motorsport Caterham Seven 270R Championship, spoils were shared between Nick Bryant, Toby Ballard and Ben Timmons whilst Hugo Bush, Harry Cook and Lars Alexander Hoffman did the same in the Motul Caterham Seven 310R Championship.

More than 40 cars lined up to battle for supremacy in the Bilstein Caterham Roadsport Championship however there was one name that stood head and shoulders above the rest to win both races, Jonathan Emery. 

There was virtually nothing to separate defending champion Lewis Thompson and William Smith in the Vertex Caterham Seven UK Championship. Thompson laid down his marker with victory in the opener however try as he might, he couldn’t overhaul Smith in the remaining two bouts. 

Harry Hickton emerged as one of the leading lights from the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy as he produced a near-perfect display to claim the early bragging rights at the top of the championship standings. 

Kicking off a brand-new campaign with three action-packed races, Hickton reigned supreme in the popular one-make series as he claimed victory in two of the three contests, while Sam Gornall secured the remaining honours that were up for grabs.

After shadowing Gornall to the chequered flag in race one, Westbourne Motorsport’s Hickton was a tour-de-force in race two as he went from ninth to first in just over a lap and once out front, he was uncatchable as he pulled clear to claim a long-awaited maiden win. 

The Hampshire-based racer didn’t have to wait too long for a second win in the championship as he utilised another of his demon starts to jump into the lead at the start and then control proceedings while Alex Solley and Reece Lycett trailed him in second and third.  

Concluding the weekend’s track action around Snetterton were two races from the Britcar Trophy Championship which, like the British Endurance Championship, was back competing following a pulsating season-opener a couple of weeks’ back. 

Simon Mason and Chris Bialan picked up where they left off a few weeks ago by chalking up their second consecutive victory in their Cupra Gen 1. After qualifying inside the top three, the duo were in scintillating form as they carved their way to the front to ultimately triumph.

Maurizio Sciglio then led home a Datum Motorsport 1-2-3 in the weekend’s finale as he led home Axel van Nederveen and Marco Anstasti. Sciglio’s victory means that three driver entries have now stood on the top step of the podium across the opening four races.

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

Watch all of the action back from both days via the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE.