



The British Automobile Racing Club kicked off what promises to be another action-packed year of racing around the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton, this past weekend (May 3-4) as several championships and series’ headlined the ‘Tops Down Weekender’ at the Hampshire venue.
With sports cars and saloon cars providing wall-to-wall entertainment around the sweeping high-speed track, a bumper trackside crowd flocked through the gates to see some of the BARC’s best compete on home turf.
First-time racers of the moobob Caterham Academy Championship continued their motorsport education as they put everything they’ve learnt into practice with one thrilling single encounter, which was ultimately won by George Hawkins ahead of Max Richardson and Nick Tomadakis.
The Bilstein Caterham Roadsport Championship – which is the next step up from the Academy on the Caterham Motorsport ladder – saw Scott Helme produce a flawless performance as he charged to an impressive brace of race wins.
Over in the EDGE Caterham Seven 270R Championship, some captivating battles resulted in the spoils being shared between Paul Oggelsby and Louis Darling. The weekend’s opener saw Oggelsby beat Nick Sampson to top spot before Darling did the double in the remaining bouts.
Rounding out the Caterham Motorsport action were three races from the Vertex Caterham Seven 310R Championship, where Taylor O’Flanagan and Lars Alexander Hoffman proved to be the cream of the crop.
After snaring pole position in qualifying, O’Flanagan pipped Alexander Hoffman to victory in a frenetic opener before the latter turned the tables to tally a win of his own in race two. The weekend’s finale ultimately went the way of O’Flanagan after he came out on top of a fierce battle with Phillip Bianchi.
The stars of tomorrow made it a weekend to remember in the Junior Saloon Car Championship as the battle for supremacy – which is shaping up to be one of the closest in recent memory – intensified with three of the lead protagonists each scoring a win apiece.
Josh Selvadorai kicked off proceedings with a clinical lights-to-flag victory in race one before Luca Masarati triumphed in race two after pole sitter Wilf Butler was handed a two-place penalty for gaining an unfair advantage.
Butler’s race two disappointment would fuel a redemption drive in the weekend’s third and final contest as he made no mistake from the front row, this time converting pole into a peerless win ahead of Masarati and Selvadorai.
Nathan Williams continued his rich vein of form in the OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires as he charged to a dominant double; in race one he wasted no time in breaking clear of the pack to beat Wayne Rockett and Adam Jones by more than five seconds.
Things were somewhat closer in race two however as Jones provided a looming presence throughout the contest, although Williams ultimately had enough in hand to triumph for a second consecutive race.
Rounding out the Club action at the Tops Down Weekender were a trio of contests from the Track Action Racing Club – one of which had been carried over from Brands Hatch after it was cancelled due to barrier repairs being carried out.
Boasting a variety of budget-conscious tin tops, the Track Action contingent had everyone on the edge of their seats as former Classic Touring Car Racing Club champion and Thruxton Instructor Gary Prebble swept his way to all three wins in his Honda Civic.
If you missed any of the action from Thruxton then you can watch it back on the Club’s official YouTube channel HERE.
To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Thruxton, CLICK HERE.