Tag: BARC

The British Automobile Racing Club is poised for a blockbuster 2023 motorsport season, with all race meetings and marshal training days now available view online.  

Following on from a hugely successful 2022 campaign, the Club has unveiled a bumper bill of race meetings which will see championships undoubtedly deliver edge-of-the-seat entertainment across the length and breadth of the UK between the months of March and November. 

Categories such as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, British Truck Racing Championship, British Endurance Championship, Classic Touring Car Racing Club and Caterham Motorsport, plus many more, are just some of the series that are set to take centre stage. 

In addition to running more than 40 race meetings, the Club will continue to take up its customary operational and organisational role across all three Goodwood events; the 80th Members’ Meeting, Festival of Speed and Revival. 

To view the full list of scheduled 2023 British Automobile Racing Club race meetings, CLICK HERE.

The British Automobile Racing Club is saddened to learn of the passing of John Wickham.

In a motorsport career that spanned more than five decades, Wickham enjoyed a storied career as he worked in a variety of racing categories all over the world.

Having briefly worked in banking, the start of his career began with the first of two stints at the British Automobile Racing Club where he took up the role of Competitions Manager in 1972, organising race meetings at the time.

From there he moved to the Surtees team to manage its Formula 2 operation before returning to the BARC for a brief second spell. 

In the years that followed, Wickham would enjoy plenty of success as he oversaw March Engineering clinch the 1979 European Formula 2 Championship and play a key role with the Spirit team, which brought Honda back to Formula 1 in 1983. 

He also went on to run the impressive Audi Sport UK team which charged to title glory in the British Touring Car Championship in 1996 and thereafter was team director of Bentley’s victorious Le Mans triumph in 2003.

Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with John’s family and friends at this difficult time. 

The British Automobile Racing Club has shone a light on the hard work and dedication shown by its marshals throughout 2022 with a bumper end of year prize draw. 

In a season that saw more than 1000 marshals play their part in BARC race meetings across the length and breadth of the country, many are set to claim some incredible prizes via the annual end of year draw – which is aimed towards giving back to the army of volunteers that ensure the smooth running events week on week.

The Club would like to thank the following teams, drivers, venues and organisations for their kind donations of prizes:

ING Sport, Team Brit, Goodwood, Darkside Motorsport, Croft Circuit, West Surrey Racing, EXCELR8 Motorsport, Thruxton Circuit, JHR Developments, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, MB Motorsport, CDR Racing, HiTech Racing, MINI Challenge, Barry Holmes, Leo Panayioutou, Virtuosi Motorsport, Motorbase Performance, Ginetta, SimTrack and the Junior Saloon Car Championship.

Winners will be contacted by the BARC Competitions Department in due course however some prizes may only be available for collection at future events.

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

From: Thursday 22rd December 2022 at 17:00

To: Tuesday 3rd January 2023 at 09:00

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible trackside throughout 2023; 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!

Thruxton Circuit has announced a blockbuster events schedule for 2023, where visits from both the Kwik British Touring Car Championship and Bennetts British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli are set to headline once again.

Coming off the back of an action-packed 2022 campaign, the fastest circuit in the UK is set to play host to the some of the biggest championships and clubs over the course of the season, staging a total of six race meetings from early May through to mid-August. 

The Hampshire venue will hold an exclusive test day for the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA and Porsche Carrera Cup GB on April 12 before the Classic Sports Car Club kicks off the race schedule less than a month later on May 6/7.

Following that, the UK’s premier motorsport series – the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – will make its one and only visit of the year to Thruxton at the slightly later date of June 3/4. 

Spectators will step back in time for the Thruxton Historic in mid-June before the heavyweight behemoths of the British Truck Racing Championship rumble into town for Convoy on the Plain.

The British Automobile Racing Club will run an additional meeting at its home track in 2023, with a Summer Festival scheduled to take centre stage on July 29/30.

Bringing the curtain down on the full-throttle thrills at the circuit is the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli, where the best riders in the world will battle it out for outright honours at speeds of more than 190mph. 

Thruxton Circuit – 2023 Calendar

April 12 – Test Day | British F4 & Porsche 

May 6/7 – Classic Sports Car Club

June 3/4 – Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship

June 17/18 – Thruxton Historic

July 8/9 – Convoy on the Plain 

July 29/30 – British Automobile Racing Club 

August 11/12/13 – Bennetts British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli

Tickets for all 2023 race meetings are now available to purchase from https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing.

The British Automobile Racing Club can confirm that it will run a a total of six marshal training days prior to the start of the 2023 motorsport season.

Gurston Down, Croft, Pembrey and Thruxton will host the aforementioned training days across the months of January, February and March next year.

Every event organised and run by the BARC needs marshals and all marshals, whatever they are doing, are contributing to the success and smooth running of the meeting.

With training provided to cover a wide range of topics such as fire safety to pit lane operation and teamwork; marshal training covers a wide variety of key attributes in preparing those that are heading trackside for the forthcoming season.

2023 BARC MARSHAL TRAINING DATES

Saturday 21st January – Gurston Down – Speed = THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL

Sunday 22nd January – Thruxton – BOOK HERE = Trainees/New Marshals [If you have marshalled 10 days or more, please attend either of the March training days]

Saturday 11th February – Croft – BOOK HERE = Trainee/Registered; Specialists/Off Track; Track/Grade 1; Experienced & Flag/Grade 2; IO & Post Chief/Grade 3; Examining PC/Marshal Assessor

Sunday 19th February – Pembrey – BOOK HERE = Trainee/Registered; Specialists/Off Track; Track/Grade 1; Experienced & Flag/Grade 2; IO & Post Chief/Grade 3; Examining PC/Marshal Assessor

Saturday 11th March – Thruxton – BOOK HERE = Track/Grade 1; Experienced & Flag/Grade 2

Sunday 12th March – Thruxton – BOOK HERE = Specialists/Off Track; IO & Post Chief/Grade 3; Examining PC/Marshal Assessor

Further information on all training days will be published in due course.

To find out more about marshalling with the BARC and how to get involved, CLICK HERE.

Issue 3 of the British Automobile Racing Club magazine is available to read for all members, with copies now hitting doorsteps.

Packed with the latest news and centre reports, as well as Bruce’s Blog, Martin Hunt’s Marshal Matters and Driving Destinations, the 60-page issue also includes a number of must-read features too.

This latest issue sees us look back on the top ten moments from this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, we speak to Josh Cook on his BTCC success around Thruxton, recap the latest Hillclimb action and discuss Mile Rudman’s ever-growing business venture – plus much more.

To become a member of the BARC and to receive a copy of the magazine, head to https://www.barc.net/membership/.

The British Automobile Racing Club and all its venues will be closed on Monday 19^th September for the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This includes all activity at Thruxton including the circuit, kart centre, skid pan and 4×4 course, as well as the circuits at Pembrey and Croft.

All scheduled activities over the coming weekend will continue as previously planned. This includes the British Truck Racing Championship meeting at Snetterton, the BTRDA Clubmans RallyX at Pembrey, the BRSCC meeting at Croft and the two days of hillclimbing at Harewood Hill. Two minutes silence will be respected within the proceedings as appropriate.

The BARC continues to send its thoughts and best wishes to His Majesty King Charles III and all members of the Royal Family at this difficult time.

On behalf of everyone connected with the British Automobile Racing Club, we are saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Her dedication to public service has been an inspiration to the country and the world for more than 70 years.

We remember her and the values she espoused, as we send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family.

The British Automobile Racing Club and Club24Hour regret to announce that the inaugural endurance race, scheduled to debut at Anglesey Circuit on September 23-25, has been postponed. 

A number of operational factors led to the decision, but plans are already in place for the new event to debut in 2023.

Mark Turner, BARC Sporting Manager, said: “It is a shame that we have had to push this event back a year. On the operational side there are a number of factors that have brought the event into question so we have made the early decision to cancel for 2022 and look again in 2023.

Dave Beecroft, Club 24 Director, added: “We are obviously disappointed but we had a number of obstacles that couldn’t be overcome and that would mean we couldn’t deliver the event to the highest quality.

“We have had plenty of interest and entries for the race prior to this announcement and I’m confident that with even more time to work on things we will be able to deliver a race to remember next year.

“I’d personally like to thank Anglesey for their understanding on this matter and for being so accommodating. We’ve always enjoyed running there and we’re looking forward to visiting once again soon.”

The Club’s race meeting at Anglesey on September 3-4 is unaffected by this decision and will proceed as planned with Caterham Graduates Racing Club, Junior Saloon Car Championship, CNC Heads Sports/Saloons Championship, Mini 7 Racing Club and British Superkart Racing Club all on track. 

For more information on how to enter, head to www.barc.net or contact the Competitions Department via competitions@barc.net. 

The British Automobile Racing Club is poised to sign off its 2022 season in style later this year with the introduction of a brand-new 110-minute endurance race to celebrate the BARC reaching its 110th year of operating as one of the UK’s biggest and best motor racing organisations.

Taking place at Brands Hatch on November 12/13, the ‘110 years of the BARC’ race will be open to closed-wheel production cars, with teams able to have a minimum of two and a maximum of three drivers. 

Entry fees are being kept low with a two-driver team costing £500 and only an extra £50 for a third driver. Classes for the inaugural event will be dictated by engine size, with further clarification to be provided nearer to the race taking place.

Comprising of a 20-minute qualifying session and 110-minute race around the Indy layout of the Kent venue, members of clubs other than the BARC will be able to complete, maximising the opportunity for a big, competitive entry list. 

Mark Turner, BARC Sporting Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce this special race to mark 110 years of the BARC. For more than a century the Club has been renowned for being the go-to place for national and international motor racing and we feel this is a nice way to tip our hat to reaching such a marvellous milestone.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on listening to our competitors and it is from discussions with them that this has been made possible. Competitors have expressed their interest in having an end of season race where they can get together, have some fun and round off the year. The low entry fee for the track time is a big plus point as well. 

“The race is about getting everyone together at the end of the year but it’s also about giving everyone someone to race with so the multi-class environment is the natural way of achieving this. We’ve had encouraging conversations with a number of clubs that will support the race and I’m sure this is only going to continue now that we have formally announced everything.”

As it stands, the 110 years of the BARC contest will join the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, Junior Saloon Car Championship, Ginetta Junior Winter Series, Carbon8 Coupe Cup series and more in action at Brands Hatch over the aforementioned weekend in November. 

For more information on how to enter, head to www.barc.net or contact the Competitions Department via competitions@barc.net. 

Issue 2 of the British Automobile Racing Club magazine is available to read for all members, with copies now hitting doorsteps.

Packed with the latest news and centre reports, as well as Bruce’s Blog, Martin Hunt’s Marshal Matters and Driving Destinations, the 60-page issue also includes a number of must-read features too.

This latest issue sees us look into the introduction of hybrid power into the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, we recap the inaugural Convoy Cymru event, interview Legends racer James Newbury and much more.

To become a member of the BARC and to receive a copy of the magazine, head to https://www.barc.net/membership/.