Author: Chris Ashby

Mark Turner appointed BARC Sporting Manager

The British Automobile Racing Club is delighted to announce that Mark Turner has been appointed to the role of Sporting Manager and will head up the Club’s Competitions Department with immediate effect, following the semi-retirement of Ian Watson who will continue as Race Director of the BTCC for BARC.

Mark will lead the experienced team, focusing on delivering excellent customer service to club members, competitors, marshals, officials and many others in a comprehensive schedule of events and race meetings.

Boasting a wealth of motorsport experience that spans more than two decades, Mark’s career started as co-ordinator for the SEAT Cupra Championship where he began his affiliation with the BARC.  He moved to working directly for the Club managing both Formula BMW Pacific and the British Schools Karting Championship.

His international career continued as Series Manager for the China-focused Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup.  Mark spearheaded Audi’s inaugural one-make championship for the entire program taking the series across Asia.  At the end of the Audi program, in 2019, Mark became Series Manager for the world’s first production based electric car series – the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY which supported the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Mark Turner, BARC Sporting Manager, said: “I’m delighted to be re-joining the BARC as its new Sporting Manager. I have a great affection for the Club; it’s where I learnt the most about the industry.  Having worked internationally for almost 15 years if I was to return to any national club it was always going to be this one.

“When I started out in motorsport I soon became involved with the Club and have always maintained close ties to it throughout the variety of roles I have held.

“Given the situation we all find ourselves in, this is an unusual time to land a new role but with the fact that everything is changing now is the time to look to the future. The Club has a tremendous history that spans more than 100 years and I’m focused on building on that to ensure that it continues to thrive for the next century.”

Ben Taylor, BARC Chief Executive, added: “We are delighted that Mark has joined us and I look forward to working with him to shape the future of this great club. His wide-ranging experience throughout the sport will be invaluable in helping us to evolve the BARC offering and bring it up to date for the benefit of all our existing and future customers.”

Important update on National Lockdown Restrictions for the BARC

In line with the latest government lockdown restrictions that were introduced on 5 January to combat the spread of COVID-19, the British Automobile Racing Club’s head office at Thruxton Circuit will be closed until mid-February.

The majority of staff are either working from home or furloughed so if you have an enquiry and don’t know who to contact, please email info@barc.net and a member of our team will reply as soon as possible.

The Club’s Competitions Department is continuing its preparations for the start of the new season, which is still scheduled to begin as planned at the end of March.

The Club’s three race circuits – Croft, Pembrey and Thruxton – are also closed in line with government restrictions. Specific updates for each circuit can be found on their individual websites.

We will continue to monitor the situation in the coming weeks alongside the government’s proposed review in mid-February and we look forward to the resumption of activities as soon as possible.

We would like to thank everyone for their understanding at this difficult time and urge them to follow all official guidance to do what they can to keep themselves and others safe and well.

A message from BARC Chief Executive Ben Taylor

As we close the door on what has been a truly unprecedented year, I would like to thank everyone that has played their part in an extraordinary motorsport season.

A year that started with so much promise and optimism has turned out to be like no other that any of us have experienced before or ever care to again. We send our very best wishes to everyone that has been affected by the virus this year. How little we knew back then; and how little we still know in many respects.

In the face of the pandemic, it is quite extraordinary that we’ve managed to rescue anything from the motorsport season at all. But, undeterred by the changes and the restrictions, the PPE and the face masks, not to mention the absence of spectators, the sport was able to deliver a meaningful half-season between July and November. Achieving this is testament to the sheer bloody-mindedness of the motorsport community!

We have had to change some of our procedures and processes but evolution is never a bad thing. Administration went digital, the marshals had to adapt to provide their essential cover in changing circumstances, and the scrutineers’ role has changed somewhat.

The one thing that has been evident throughout all of this is that everyone has just mucked in. That collective spirit and camaraderie has reinforced the fact that this sport, by and large, is done by people who love what they do and they are not going to let the virus get in the way of their enjoyment.

So whether you are a Club member, competitor, official, marshal, volunteer, spectator, or one of the amazing members of staff, I would like to thank you for the extraordinary efforts you have made to keep the show on the road this year. We couldn’t have done it without you.

The BARC will be back in 2021 with a full calendar of quality race events spread across the whole country and I know that the entire sport is hoping for better times in the near future.

For now, I wish you a safe and socially-distanced Christmas, and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Best wishes

Ben Taylor

BARC Chief Executive

BARC HQ 2020 Christmas & New Year Closing Dates

The British Automobile Racing Club headquarters at Thruxton Circuit will be closed during the following dates over the Christmas and New Year periods.

From: Wednesday 23rd December 2020 at 17:00

To: Monday 4th January 2021 at 09:00

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible trackside throughout 2021; be it if you are officiating, marshalling, spectating or competing!

From everyone at the BARC and all of our venues around the country; we wish you a safe, Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

British Truck Racing Championship ramps up preparations for 2021 season

The British Truck Racing Championship looks set to scale even greater heights next year as preparations continue to ramp up ahead of the 2021 season.

Coming off the back of an unprecedented yet successful campaign which saw Ryan Smith and Steven Powell crowned champions in Division 1 and 2 respectively, exciting plans for the forthcoming year are taking place.

As has already been announced, the British Automobile Racing Club and Truck Sport UK will work together to run and promote the series for 2021 with the aim of creating and growing what is already an exciting championship for competitors and spectators alike.

Having only staged three race meetings in 2020, the calendar returns to its traditional format of eight events. One of the standout weekends on the schedule will be the inclusion of an international round once again at Zolder in Belgium on September 11/12 as part of a truck racing festival alongside a host of other European championships.

Undoubtedly one of the big successes of 2020 was the running of one single field of 20 trucks, which made for a stunning spectacle and led to some great racing. With a bumper grid of 20 trucks expected to compete over the course of the season once again, the BTRC Trophy will be introduced to ensure that restrictions aren’t placed on allowing new people to join the championship.

The BTRC Trophy will provide an additional grid at three of the main events in the course of the season: the two new Convoy events at Pembrey and Thruxton, as well as the season finale at Brands Hatch in November. The Trophy will be aimed at competitors who may not want to commit to the entire season and to new drivers who might want to get a taste for the sport.

Finally, as in 2020, all races will feature live streaming TV coverage whilst work is also underway on securing a post-produced TV show as well.

Entries for the 2021 British Truck Racing Championship are now open, with the entry form being found here.

2020 Season Review: Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship

Despite having to run behind closed doors and cram a nine-event, 27-race season into just over three months, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship delivered another nail-biting year of entertainment in 2020 which culminated in Ashley Sutton being crowned champion for a second time.

Jam-packed with the usual twists and turns that fans have become accustomed to, the battle to lift the most coveted prize in British motorsport once again went down to the wire, with Sutton ultimately reigning supreme.

Rising to the challenge of staging a season in what has been an unprecedented year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BTCC boasted bumper grids and in return served up a feast of tin top thrills and spills.

Making the switch to Laser Tools Racing and armed with a brand-new Infiniti Q50, 2017 champion Sutton underlined his credentials as a true touring car superstar by piecing together a sensational title challenge.

Going toe-to-toe with four-time champion Colin Turkington throughout the season, Sutton tallied no less than five wins as well as a further five podium finishes to topple the Northern Irishman and secure his second title in four seasons.

Some of the most memorable moments over the course of the year came from Sutton himself as he staged a number of stunning comeback drives to carve his way through the field and recover valuable points.

Overcoming a nine-point deficit on the final day of the season, Sutton mastered the challenging wet conditions to become the first Independent entrant to lift the title since Andrew Jordan in 2013.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish, Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram and Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher all staked their claim to the big prize during the year but none could ultimately stop Sutton’s charge.

Elsewhere, the quartet of Josh Cook, Ollie Jackson, Adam Morgan and Tom Oliphant were race winners along the way too.

The 2020 season also saw the history books rewritten as Jade Edwards became the first female driver to race in the series since Fiona Leggate in 2007. Edwards competed at Silverstone for Power Maxed Racing Jessica Hawkins made her BTCC bow at Snetterton.

In addition to clinching the biggest prize in UK motorsport, Sutton also wrapped up the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship title as well.

Team BMW wrapped up the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers’ Championship titles. BTC Racing’s Michael Crees meanwhile was the victor of the Jack Sears Trophy, much to his delight.

2020 Season Review: Dunlop Endurance Championship

New champions came to the fore in the Dunlop Endurance Championship this year following what was a hard-fought shortened campaign.

Like every other motorsport category in the UK, Britcar found themselves affected by the coronavirus pandemic and were forced to reschedule their original calendar into a more compact XX-round season.

Renowned for being at the forefront of promoting affordable and realistic multi-class endurance racing in the UK, the Dunlop Endurance Championship saw that the appetite to go racing was stronger than ever as it boasted bumper grids throughout the year.

The Endurance category provided a fierce battle towards the summit of the standings but it was to be the VR Motorsport duo of Danny Harrison and Jem Hepworth that proved too much for the opposition, running out as eventual winners.

At the wheel of the potent Praga R1T, the pair were a constant feature towards the front of the field as they paired teamwork and consistency with raw speed and

Other notable mentions from the Endurance category include the SB Engineering Ferrari trio of Paul Bailey, Ross Wylie & Andy Schulz and VR Motorsport’s other Praga pairing of Jack Fabby and Garry Townsend.

Open to cars whose performance does not match up against GT4 or TCR machinery, the new-for-2020 Trophy class welcomed a host of new and old faces for a feast of on-track entertainment.

When the dust had finally settled on the season, JC Racing’s Oliver Smith narrowly edged out Johnathan Barrett to become the inaugural champion after producing a stellar string of performances in his BMW M3 E36.

With drivers and teams already firming up plans for the forthcoming 2021 campaign, Britcar looks set for another blockbuster year next season.

2020 Season Review: Quaife MINI CHALLENGE

Filling the boots of the UK Clio Cup on the British Touring Car Championship support package, the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE came with a wealth of expectation and excitement this past year and it duly lived up to the hype as it produced a stellar campaign, resulting in Nathan Harrison being crowned champion.

Viewed as one of the country’s leading tin-top, single-make categories and billed as a unique stepping stone up the UK motorsport ladder, the series has become synonymous with no-holds barred, close-quarter racing – and 2020 proved to be no different.

Boasting a bumper entry list for what was a condensed season, the JCW contingent saw no less than seven drivers visit the top step of the podium whilst a further five also picked up silverware along the way.

After narrowly missing out on the crown in the year previous, Excelr8 Motorsport’s Harrison entered the season as one of the title favourites and he underlined his talents with a sensational performance to finally lift the coveted crown.

Wins at Donington Park, Silverstone and Snetterton were vital in his march towards the summit of the standings however it was his relentless consistency that really provided the building blocks for his championship challenge.

Picking up a further three podium finishes as well as several other big points, Harrison had enough in hand at the final round to wrap up the title in style.

Despite being crowned champion, Harrison didn’t have things all his own way and he was ultimately pushed all the way to the final chequered flag of the season. Dan Zelos, former champion Ant Whorton-Eales, Max Bird, Lewis Brown and Max Coates were his main protagonists over the course of the campaign.

As Harrison savoured the glory of capturing the overall title, several other competitors enjoyed championship success as well. Isaac Smith secured the Rookie Cup whilst Zelos was crowned Graduate Cup winner. Elsewhere, the Directors Cup went the way of James Griffith.

2020 Season Review: CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship

The CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship produced another scintillating season of four-wheeled action this past season as Jamie Cryer became the latest driver to taste title glory.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the championship is a cost-effective category that is open to all manner of cars regardless of their make, model or power output.

Boasting an illustrious history that spans more than three decades, the series runs under a multi-class format which showcases that variety really is the spice of the life and 2020 proved to be no exception.

Despite the difficulties faced due to the coronavirus pandemic, bumper grids were present at every round of the condensed campaign – taking centre stage at Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Donington Park.

Running out of Class E and at the wheel of his Ginetta G20, Cryer was perfection personified as he wracked up the points and wins to not only triumph in his class but also the overall championship.

Elsewhere, Class A spoils fell the way of Paul Rose whilst Luke Armiger and Danny Bird were victorious in classes B and C respectively.                                                                                               Garry Wardle and Guy Carter were champions in Class D and F.

2020 Season Review: BARC Red Sports/Saloons

The British Automobile Racing Club broke new ground in 2020 with the launch of an innovative set of Open Sports/Saloon Car races at three different race meetings.

Open to competitors who drove open/closed roof Sports & Saloon cars, regardless of what championship or racing club they compete in and providing they met current Motorsport UK safety regulations, the format garnered plenty of attention from the outset and duly delivered.

Formatted to feature a 20-minute qualifying session and two 20-minute races over the course of a weekend, entries were accepted with a pre declared lap time for the specific circuit upon which competitors have entered into.

A variety of classes were structured and the format guaranteed that everyone raced against those doing similar lap times, irrespective of the car they are driving, leading to much closer competition. Classes were changed post-qualifying and post-race if competitors ran two or more laps faster in a qualifying session or race than their nominated class allowance stipulates.

Blasting into life at Mallory Park, Joss Ronchetti became the inaugural race-winner as he powered his Talbot Sunbeam Lotus to a brace of victories before the category then traveled to the fastest circuit in the UK, whilst continuing to grow in stature as well.

Back-to-back weekend’s at Thruxton then followed with Jamie Sturges triumphing twice before  Clive Wood would dominant proceedings during the second event around the fastest circuit in the UK, piloting his Mallock to victory on two occasions.

With more races planned for 2021, the Club’s Open Sports/Saloon races and its unique format look set to flourish even further.

2020 Season Review: Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship

The Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship proved to be one of the leading lights of the British Touring Car Championship support package this past season as Tom Lebbon made history by becoming the first Scholarship winner to take the overall title in their maiden campaign.

Serving up more of its entertaining brand of action-packed, wheel-to-wheel racing across what was an ultra-competitive season, the one-make series once again showcased the next generation of emerging motorsport talent across eight high-octane events.

Earning a fully-funded season in the championship after triumphing out of 68 aspiring teenagers in the Ginetta Junior Scholarship, Lebbon entered the year as one to watch but nobody could have foreseen what was to come from the Elite Motorsport driver.

After a delayed start, the season kicked off at Donington Park with Lebbon providing a flavour of what lay ahead by netting a podium, as Georgi Dimitrov and Bailey Voisin shared the spoils.

One week later at Brands Hatch the 15-year-old came to the fore and established himself as a credible contender, powering his way to an impressive first win in scorching conditions.

Consistent points finishes towards the sharp end of the grid would keep Lebbon in the title picture as the rounds ticked by, with the trio of Voisin, Dimitrov and the emerging Josh Rattican also firmly in the hunt for the coveted prize.

As the series reached the business end of the season though it was Lebbon that really hit his stride. At Croft, the rookie claimed one of the most dominant Ginetta Junior wins in recent memory before really cranking up the heat two weeks later.

Taking centre stage during the penultimate event of the season at Snetterton, Lebbon became the first driver since Louis Foster in 2018 to record a weekend victory hat-trick. In the process of closing the gap at the summit of the points, he was also provisionally wrapped up the Ginetta Junior Championship ‘Rookie’ champion for 2020.

Entering the Brands Hatch series finale trailing Voisin by 11 points, Lebbon produced a superlative final day performance to net a pair of second place finishes and overturn the deficit to be crowned champion.

2020 Season Review: Kumho BMW Championship

The Kumho BMW Championship was at its brilliant best this year as it served up a memorable season, with a total of three class champions being crowned come the final chequered flag being waved.

Home to some of the most iconic models of the German manufacturer in recent decades, an action-packed ten-race campaign kept fans on the edge of their seats right up until the final lap.

Visiting Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Oulton Park, Mallory Park and Thruxton, the Kumho BMW contingent boasted bumper entry lists throughout what was an unprecedented year too, underlining the continuing popularity after more than 30 years.

In Class A, James Card emerged as the driver to beat as he powered he E36 M3 to the summit of the standings. Double wins at Brands Hatch and Snetterton kickstarted his campaign off on the right foot and he only continued to improve as the season progressed.

Another double at Mallory Park, in addition to further podium finishes in the remaining rounds, proved enough to hand Card the honours ahead of Darren Morgan-Owen, Brad Sheehan and Michael Pensavalle.

Class B saw Sunny Gill prevail from an intriguing three-way battle for supremacy ahead of series stalwarts’ Trevor Ford and Russell Dack. The cornerstone of Gill’s triumph came in the opening six races as he triumphed on no less than five occasions, with Ford winning the remaining contest.

Despite a late five-race winning streak charge from Dack and his E46 M3, Gill kept the points ticking over to ensure he ended the year as champion.

Ralph Kirk rounded out the list of winners in the Kumho BMW Championship as he clinched the Class C crown. Making a handful of appearances, Kirk netted a brace of wins at Oulton Park and Mallory Park to run out as a convincing winner.