BARC stars on wet’n wild weekend at Cadwell Park

The British Automobile Racing Club starred at Cadwell Park this past weekend (April 27-28) with a total of 11 different championships serving up a feast of entertainment as they continued their 2024 campaigns.

Marking what is to be the one and only visit to the Lincolnshire circuit this year by the Club, a blockbuster timetable saw all manner of thrills and spills served up for the bumper crowd that had flocked trackside.

While conditions allowed for Saturday to run as planned, heavy rainfall battered the circuit on the Sunday which led to each category being given just one race to take place during the afternoon after track crews had worked to clear standing water all morning.

Hot on the heels of delivering a pulsating season-opener during the Easter bank holiday weekend at Donington Park, the Classic Touring Car Racing Club was back in action – and this time double points were on offer.

Ian Thompson was in a league on his own in his Lotus Cortina as he claimed bragging rights in the Pre-66 Touring Cars while reigning champion Stephen Primett and Nick Williamson scored a win apiece in the Pre-83 Touring Cars.

The amalgamated Pre-93 Touring Cars, Pre-03 Touring Cars and Blue Oval Saloon Series races garnered plenty of attention with an ultra-competitive grid and that shone through in the results as Piers Grange and Stuart Waite shared the spoils.

Capping off the CTCRC action was the monstrous machines of the Classic Thunder which yielded a victory for Josh Lawton in the opener before defending champion Nick Vaughan tallied his first triumph of the year in race two in his Audi A3.

The Junior Saloon Car Championship continued its tenth anniversary season with Harry Smith maintaining his fine start by adding another race win to the two that he claimed at Brands Hatch earlier in the month.

Smith found himself in the right place at the right time in race one as he inherited victory from Josh Selvadorai, who was hit with a time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage. The youngster couldn’t maintain his winning streak in race two however as Jonathan Moore opened his account with a superlative drive to the top step of the podium.

Multiple Adrian Flux Insurance MG Owners Club Championship title Steve McDermid was another to open his account for the season in style as he carved his way from seventh on the grid to claim a hard-fought victory.

The MG ZR driver underlined all of the credentials that have made him a standout performer in the series in recent years by producing a number of jaw-dropping overtakes on his way to taking the chequered flag ahead of Luke Boniface and Henry Sharpe.

Mark Ridout made the perfect start to the new OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires season as he claimed a clean sweep of results, tallying pole position in qualifying before then following it up with two wins.

Ridout came out on top of a captivating battle between himself, Darren Banks and Luca Staccini Anzanello in the opening contest before stamping his authority on race two with a commanding victory ahead of Daniel Munro and Staccini Anzanello.

The 2CV Parts.com Championship meanwhile saw Kristopher Tovey enjoy the perfect start to his title defence as he comfortably reigned supreme. Tovey pulled clear of the chasing pack in commanding fashion to triumph by more than ten seconds come the end of the contest.

Brian Heerey would finish as his nearest challenger, with he himself ended up finishing more than six seconds ahead of Nick Crispin, who was a title contender last year.

In the Dunlop Mini Miglia Challenge, Jeff Smith beat Ben Colburn to outright honours in its only race of the weekend. Unfortunately, the Dunlop Mini Se7en Championship was unable to run any of its races to completion for a result to be declared.

Concluding the weekend’s track action were three races from the high-speed British Superkart Racing Club. Lee Harpham was a convincing winner in race one before repeating the feat in the finale.

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

BARC delivers Brands Hatch blockbuster on Easter Sunday and Monday

The British Automobile Racing Club concluded its blockbuster Easter bank holiday weekend at Brands Hatch on Sunday and Monday (March 31/April 1) with seven more championships bursting into life to kick-start their 2024 campaigns in action-packed style.

Taking centre stage in front of a bumper crowd at the Kent venue, no less than 21 races played out around the challenging 1.2-mile Indy circuit – each of which were packed with the traditional thrills (and occasional spills) that fans have become accustomed to. 

Headlining the action were five heavyweight contests from the British Truck Racing Championship, which this year again boasted another ultra-competitive grid across both of its classes. 

In Division 1, reigning eight-time champion and title favourite Ryan Smith dominated proceedings on the first day of running as he powered his Daimler Freightliner to pole position and back-to-back race wins in commanding fashion. 

Unfortunately Smith was unable to repeat the feat on Easter Monday as windscreen issues plagued him in a handful of races. Instead, local driver Steven Powell would score a brace of his own whilst David Jenkins also opened his account for the year with a win in the finale.

Division 2 was ultimately all about one driver; defending champion Paul Rivett. Returning with NAPA Racing UK for a second successive season, Rivett enjoyed a dream weekend as he scooped all five Division 2 wins and even scored the overall victory in race four. 

The Junior Saloon Car Championship launched its 10th Anniversary season in superlative style with second-year racer Harry Smith showing his class by taking a clean sweep of pole positions and race wins.

Continuing to serve as a launchpad for drivers aged 14 to 17, the one-make series demonstrated why it remains on the UK’s premier junior championships with two entertaining bouts. 

Smith, who was one of the leading lights last year, underlined his credentials as being a star for the future as he charged to victory ahead of Jonathan Moore and James Sherrington, who each claimed a brace of podiums. 

Matt Simpson began his pursuit of the Pickup Truck Racing Championship on the right foot as he claimed two of the three race wins that were up for grabs, while Allen Cooper scored the remaining victory. 

Following the news that two-time champion Reece Jones will not be competing this year, the battle for supremacy in the series is set to be wide open, and Simpson wasted no time in establishing himself as the lead contender to possibly capture the crown.

Near capacity grids and close-quarter racing was the story of the SIM Motorsport Caterham Graduates Championship, which served up no less than four races during the weekend – each of which proved to be as captivating as the previous one.

Tom McEwing and Paul Goldstein claimed a win apiece in the two Sigma 135 races whilst Jamie Ellwood and reigning double champion Harry Senior emerged victorious from the remaining two thrilling Sigma 150 contests. 

Andy Preece made a flying start to life in the Adrian Flux Insurance MG Owners Club Championship – which was boasting one of its most competitive entries in recent years – as he opened his 2024 account with two narrow victories. 

At the wheel of his MG ZR, Preece fended off Mark Baker and Martin Willis in a pulsating opening encounter before then repeating the feat in race two, this time with Steve McDermid and Ryley Price as his main protagonists. 

Elsewhere, Ross Alexander was wheel-perfect in the MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport as he claimed a clean sweep of race wins.

Looking to build on an encouraging 2023 campaign, the MINI Cooper S driver had the measure of last year’s overall victor Stephen Berry and the rest of the field to comfortably romp to a hat-trick of victories, laying his marker down as the one to beat in the process. 

Rounding out the bank holiday action at Brands Hatch were two races from Track Action, which is previously went by the name of the Track Attack Race Club. Gareth Porter and Paul Roddison proved to be the cream of the crop from the budget-conscious category as they each snared a win apiece.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Brands Hatch, click here. 

Adrian Flux Insurance named as new title sponsors of MGOC Championship

Adrian Flux Insurance – one of the UK’s largest specialist motor insurance brokers – has been named as the new title sponsor of the MG Owners Club Championship this year.

Running under the new name of the ‘Adrian Flux Insurance MGOC Championship’ for 2024 and beyond, the much-loved series has welcomed in a new era as it prepares to hit the track for another year of captivating wheel-to-wheel racing.

The agreement with Adrian Flux brings to an end its previous long-standing relationship with Lancaster Insurance, who had been a title sponsor for a number of years. 

Offering a cost-effective route into motorsport, the MGOC Championship is a haven for enthusiasts of the famous marque as it pits models from a variety of decades against each other at the same time.

The 2024 season commences at Brands Hatch across the Easter bank holiday weekend (March 31/April 1) before then going on to compete at Cadwell Park, Mallory Park, Castle Combe, Thruxton, Donington Park and Snetterton.