BARC championships head north for Croft crescendo

The British Automobile Racing Club travels to Croft Circuit this weekend (September 21/22) for another blockbuster race meeting which includes no less six different championships.

On what should be a record-breaking weekend at the home of UK motorsport in the north-east following the venue’s recent resurfacing, a bumper crowd is set to witness an unforgettable two days of racing.

The battle for supremacy in the Pickup Truck Racing Championship is set to reach fever-pitch at Croft this weekend with two more races writing the latest chapter of what has been a captivating 2019 title tussle so far.

Bringing a flavour of America to British shores, the championship has been as competitive as ever this year with George Turiccki, Reece Jones, Michael Smith, Mark Willis, Dale Gent, David O’Regan and Paul Tompkins having all tasted success at some stage this year.

Those drivers mentioned are in the thick of the title tussle too and anyone of them could make their mark in North Yorkshire, in-doing so taking a step close to clinching the coveted crown at Brands Hatch in November.

One category that is guaranteed to have fans on the edge-of-their-seats this weekend will be the BARC Super Silhouette Championship, which has scaled new heights this year under the watchful eye of Sonny Howard.

Malcolm Blackman finds himself on the cusp of being crowned champion after producing what has been nothing short of a mesmerising run of results. An impressive 12 wins from 15 races sits him at the summit of the standings and on course to triumph, however nothing is set in stone and the likes of Chris Brockenhurst and Steve Burrows will be in the mix too.

The BARC Clubmans Sports Prototype Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns arrives at Croft at a critical junction in its 2019 season, with the battle for title supremacy in full swing across all three classes; CSP1, CSP2 and CSP3.

Notable names to look out for over the course of the weekend include Clive Wood, Peter Richings, Morris Hart and Steve Dickens, to name but a few.

Tin top thrills from the Michelin Clio Cup Series will be provided too as three more races will undoubtedly edge proceedings closer its own the season finale. Billed as being an ideal step on the racing ladder for aspiring saloon car drivers to get on track for an affordable price, the one-make series has taken centre stage everywhere it has raced this year so far with its three classes.

In the Race Class, which is home to the third generation RS Clio 200, a straight title fight between Simon Freeman and Ronan Pearson looks set to continue with the latter aiming to overturn a 12-point deficit.

James Colburn and Nic Harrison meanwhile will look to cement their statuses as the drivers to beat in the Sport and Road categories respectively.

For fans of nostalgic single seater racing, the Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship is not to be missed. Events at Silverstone, Castle Combe, Donington Park, Thruxton and Snetterton has seen the Class A lead between Rick Morris and Tim Harvey go back-and-forth – and it could well continue.

The pair have been virtually inseparable this year so far and have each stood on the top step of the podium on a handful of occasions as well. With the destiny of the title likely to boil down to between the duo, all bets are set to be off.

Kevin Mansell, Mark Armstrong, Stuart Kestenbaum and Steve Pearce, among many others,  aren’t to be discounted either as they bid to make their mark too.

Capping off the weekend’s action will be a three-hour encounter from the Distrigo Parts Distribution Citroen C1 Racing Series. Having starred at the venue back in March, the much-loved one-make category returns for another action-packed 180-minute race which includes another ultra-competitive entry list.

To find out more information on this weekend’s event at Croft, click here.