Tag: Silverstone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Champions crowned in contrasting conditions at Silverstone

The British Automobile Racing Club brought the curtain down on a host of championships at Silverstone this past weekend (October 6/7) with titles being decided in contrasting conditions.

Tackling the International layout of the Northamptonshire venue, heavy rain battered the circuit on Saturday before dry conditions greeted teams and drivers on Sunday.

In the midst of the treacherous conditions was the Dunlop Endurance Championship which staged a pair of 50-minute races, the second being shortened down from two hours.

Race one saw the pairing of John Seale and Jamie Stanley pilot their JMH Automotive Ferrari 488 to victory before David Mason and Ross Wylie underlined their title credentials with an impressive performance in race two to triumph.

The latest exciting chapter in the Junior Saloon Car Championship was written at Silverstone as the one-make series continues its charge towards the title crescendo. With qualifying based on championship order, the weekend’s two encounters proved to be pulsating from start-to-finish.

Lewis Saunders narrowly pipped Joel Wren and Steven Chandler in race one before Ben Kasperczak made a welcome return to the top step of the podium to score victory in the second race of the day, his third of the season.

Titles had already been decided in the Michelin Clio Cup Series prior to the weekend but that didn’t stop Ben Palmer from putting the exclamation point on an otherwise year of dominance. The double champion continued his unbeaten run with victory in race one but was unable to make it a clean sweep with a non-finish in the final round of the year.

Ben Colburn ultimately picked up the honours as he scored his first win of the season on his way to securing second in the championship. In the Road class, Nic Harrison added a further two race wins to his tally to cap off a memorable season as champion.

Clive Wood and Steve Dickens were the standout performers in the BARC Clubmans Sports Prototypes Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns; Wood bagging himself a double whilst Dickens kicked off the weekend topping the rostrum.

Wood would have more to celebrate as he wrapped up the title in the CSP1 class whilst Michelle Hayward and Pippa Tanner-Wood did the same in the CSP2 and CSP3 classes respectively.

The Kumho BMW Championship finished with a flourish as Garrie Whittaker showcased his superiority with a pair of overall race wins at the wheel of his BMW E36 M3.

Elsewhere in the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship, spoils were shared between Martin Willis and Stuart Plotnek as they took a win apiece in two hotly-contested races.

For the full classification of results from each session at Silverstone, click here.

BARC championships set for final flourish at Silverstone

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Silverstone this weekend (October 6/7) for what is being billed as a season finale for a majority of championships, with title battles set to go down to the wire.

In what is a traditional fixture on the BARC calendar, the annual trip to the Northamptonshire marks the end of another frenetic motorsport, with one final chapter of edge-of-the-seat thrills set to be written.

Whilst there will be title battles taking place in other categories, the Michelin Clio Cup Series will sign off the year having already decided its champions. Ben Palmer and Nic Harrison both obtained unassailable leads at Anglesey in their respective classes last time out but that won’t deter the action.

Both drivers have won every single race they have competed in this season and the pair will be out to extend their unbeaten runs with a further two victories this weekend.

Silverstone marks the penultimate event for the Junior Saloon Car Championship, which is back on track after only competing last weekend. At the top of the standings, Lewis Saunders and Joel Wren find themselves in a two-horse race for the coveted crown, the pair having shared the spoils in the last eight races.

With two races and a host of other drivers all eager to impress, the 14 to 17-year-old category could well steal the show over the two days.

The Dunlop Endurance Championship has grown in stature once again in 2018 and the series’ blend of iconic cars and professional drivers descend on Silverstone for a pivotal round of the season. A 50-minute sprint race will be followed up by a longer two-hour encounter with the pairings of Matt Greenwood & Sarah Moore and Jon Watt & Kristian Prosser out to maintain their leads.

In the BARC Clubmans Sports Prototypes Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns, the trio of Clive Wood, Michelle Hayward and Pippa Tanner-Wood will all look to sign off their campaigns on the top step of the podium, having already enjoyed title success.

There is still plenty to play for in the Kumho BMW Championship and Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship too. With multiple classes and some of the most illustrious models from each manufacturer taking to the track to do battle.

Notable names to look out for in the BMW category include Colin Wells, Giuseppe Callari and Russell Dack whilst Jim Baynam, Martin Willis and Chris Millard will likely be at the forefront of the fight in MG’s.

On top of the BARC action there will also be a pair of races from the much-loved Mini Se7en Championship.