Tag: British Endurance Championship

BEC and Britcar Trophy take centre stage at Oulton Park

Oulton Park provided the backdrop to a thrilling British Automobile Racing Club race day this past Saturday (May 27) as the British Endurance Championship and The ROWE Britcar Trophy Championship continued their respective campaigns in spectacular style. 

Hot on the heels of blockbuster meetings at both Silverstone and Brands Hatch, a plethora of GT cars flocked to the sun-kissed Cheshire venue for a frenetic day which was organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre.

Topping the bill was a three-hour British Endurance Championship contest which was largely dominated by the PB Racing Audi R8 GT3 of Peter Erceg and Andrew Bentley.

Blasting to the top of the times in qualifying by almost two seconds, the duo were arguably in a league of their own in the race as they scampered into the distance to comfortably take victory.

Wasting no time in converting pole position into an early race lead, Erceg and Bentley soon began pulling clear of the chasing pack and ultimately lapped every other competitor at least twice on the way to the top step of the podium. 

Behind, the Venture Innovations Aston Martin Vulcan of Glebs Stepanovs and Stephen Tomkins were second whilst their Mercedes GT4 stablemates Chris Jones and Matt George completed the rostrum in third.

Armed with a new official lubricant partner and name, the ROWE Britcar Trophy Championship had those in attendance on the edge-of-their-seats as they served up a pair of captivating one-hour contests. 

Datum Motorsport proved to be wheel-perfect as they bagged a brace of Ginetta G56 GTA one-two finishes, with Maurizi Sciglio getting the better of Marco Anastasi on both occasions.

Following the Datum duo during both races was the SVG Motorsport Gintta G55 Academy entry of Neil Wallace and Ian Astley – who clinched two third-place drives.

To view the full results from all sessions at Oulton Park, CLICK HERE.

Every lap from Oulton Park is also now available to watch on YouTube HERE.

Britcar Endurance and CTCRC star during blockbuster Brands Hatch weekend

The British Automobile Racing Club made an action-packed return to Brands Hatch this past weekend (April 22/23) with the British Endurance Championship, Britcar Trophy and Classic Touring Car Racing Club serving up an unmissable show.

Less than a month on from them lifting the curtain on the 2023 campaign at Silverstone, the trio of categories provided big entertainment for the both the fans that flocked trackside and those that were watching via the Club’s ever-popular live stream.

Saturday afternoon’s headline act saw the British Endurance Championship take centre stage for a pulsating two-hour contest; where the PB Racing duo of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton charged to a dominant victory in their Audi R8 GT3.

After pipping the Aston Martin Vulcan of Glebs Stepanovs and Stephen Tompkins to pole position in qualifying, many expected the two teams to battle it out for victory however it quickly became apparent that that wasn’t going to be the case.

Upon approach to Clearways on the opening lap, the Aston Martin speared left into the barriers, ending its race on the spot. From there, Erceg and Clutton controlled proceedings out front – lapping the entire field six times – to clinch a memorable victory.

Behind, the Team HARD Porsche 991 Cup car of Brad Thurston and Daryl DeLeon claimed second whilst Chris Jones and Matt George guided their Mercedes GT4 to the third step on the podium. 

The Classic Touring Car Racing Club delivered an abundance of thrills and spills as its rosters of championships produced no less than 10 races over the course of both days.

In the Poultec Pre ’66 Touring Cars, less than one second covered the top three in a captivating opening contest that saw Michael Sheraton triumph in his Ford Anglia ahead of the Ford Lotus Cortina duo of Timothy Abbott and Ian Thompson.

James Ibbotson – who went viral online last year for drifting his Hillman Imp down the Craner Curves – put on a commanding display in the weekend’s second race to guide his way to the rostrum summit.

Over in the Orange Aero Pre ’83 Touring Cars, Mark Cholerton took advantage of a start-line mechanical issue for Stephen Primett to take victory in race one before Primett bounced back and came to the fore in Sunday’s second bout to claim a win of his own.

Elsewhere, the amalgamated Laser Tools Pre ’93 Touring Cars, Burty Haulage Pre ’03 Touring Cars and Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series races saw Stuart Waite and James Dunkley take an overall victory apiece.

Concluding the CTCRC action were two races from the Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder and two from the Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge. In the Classic Thunder, Bryan Bransom claimed the spoils whilst Colin Philpott starred in the Jaguar Challenge.

Rounding out the weekend was an enthralling two-hour race courtesy of the Britcar Trophy Championship. Off the back of an impressive performance at Silverstone last month, Datum Motorsport’s Axel van Nederveen continued his scintillating form by taking his Ginetta G56 GTA to victory lane.

Finishing a full lap clear of his closest opposition, van Nederveen led home Simon Clark in his Porsche 997 Carrera S and SVG Motorsport duo of Neil Wallace and Ian Astley.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Brands Hatch, CLICK HERE.

Watch all races that were streamed live across both days on the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE. 

How To Watch BARC LIVE: Brands Hatch – April 22/23

The British Automobile Racing Club returns to Brands Hatch this weekend (April 22/23) for what promises to be an action-packed two days of track action on the Kent venue’s Indy circuit.

After lifting the curtain on the 2023 season at Silverstone last month; the British Endurance Championship and Britcar Trophy Championship back in action and ready to put on a show.

Elsewhere, no less than eight contests from the Classic Touring Car Racing Club are set to add to the billing – with all manner of iconic saloon cars poised to go wheel-to-wheel.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 11:45 – Facebook | YouTube

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 10:45 – Facebook | YouTube

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Brands Hatch, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

British Endurance Championship gets official TCR stamp

WSC Group, owners of the TCR trademark and technical regulations, has announced that it has granted a one-year licence to Britcar Endurance Ltd for a TCR Class to be run in the 2023 British Endurance Championship.

This latest tie-up with the WSC Group and TCR is the latest in a long line of exciting partnerships that Britcar has entered into in recent years, further strengthening itself as one of the premier GT championships in the UK.

“We are pleased to further expand the TCR footprint in Britain, adding to the successful growth of TCR UK, said WSC President Marcello Lotti. “Welcoming the British Endurance Championship under WSC’s umbrella provides local drivers and teams with more opportunities to enjoy racing TCR cars.”

Claire Hedley, Britcar Endurance Managing Director, added: “We are delighted to be officially hosting a class for TCR cars within the British Endurance Championship, strengthening our already-close association with the TCR brand, and placing the endurance-level specification of these exciting touring cars in a high profile Motorsport UK-sanction national championship.”

“We are happy that the British Endurance Championship is an official place to race TCR cars in an endurance capacity, as this further strengthens the TCR brand in the UK,” concluded TCR UK Promoter Stewart Lines.

The next round of the British Endurance Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on April 22/23.

Interest grows for Britcar Endurance six-hour race at Donington Park

Interest for Britcar Endurance’s latest foray into long-distance racing – a six-hour contest at Donington Park on July 22 – said to be gathering momentum and running high. 

In what is poised to be one of the marquee events on the calendar for the Britcar brand in 2023, excitement and anticipation is already beginning to build as preparations start to step up.

Since rejuvenating the Britcar brand in 2016, Managing Director Claire Hedley has harboured a passion for reviving a 24hr race for true GT and endurance-spec machinery, and the creation of this season’s six-hour contest is the first step to resurrect the much-lamented event. 

Well aware that this isn’t the work of a single moment, Britcar’s three to five-year plan is set to incorporate a year-on-year increase in race time lengths; starting at six and moving up to nine, 12 and before then ultimately 24.

Whilst campaigns for the British Endurance Championship, Britcar Trophy and Britcar Prototype Cup have begun, interest is ramping up for what promises to be a summer showcase and those with an interest to compete in the event should contact Claire Hedley via claire@britcar-endurance.com

BARC lifts the curtain on 2023 season in spectacular style at Silverstone

The British Automobile Racing Club lifted the curtain on its 2023 season in spectacular style this past weekend (March 25/26) as a bumper entry served up a feast of entertainment around Silverstone’s world-famous Grand Prix circuit.

Following months of preparation, anticipation and excitement; all eyes were on the Home of British Motor Racing as some of the Club’s biggest categories took centre stage to set the tone for the year ahead with two days of enthralling wheel-to-wheel action.

Embarking on its sophomore season, the British Endurance Championship garnered plenty of interest as it showcased a monstrous array of GT machines in a captivating three-hour encounter on Saturday afternoon. 

With a revised class structure which featured some regular faces, old favourites in new cars and a host of exciting newcomers, battles raged throughout the field however up at the front there was nobody that could stop the Blackthorn-entered Mercedes GT3. 

After missing out on pole position by a tenth of a second in qualifying, Claude Bovet and David McDonald proved to be too much for the opposition as they comfortably romped to victory – finishing more than a minute ahead of the Audi GT3 pairing of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton who finished in second place.

The Britcar Trophy Championship burst into life on Sunday with two frenetic 50-minute contests and a near 30-car field.

Race one proved to be a somewhat dominant affair as Datum Motorsport’s Axel Van Nederveen guided his Ginetta G56 GTA to a commanding victory ahead of William Stacey and Maurizio Sciglio however things seemed to be somewhat closer in the day’s second bout later in the day as Van Nederveen claimed a clean sweep.

High in confidence after his earlier win, the Dutchman could do nothing to stop the Intersport Racing duo of Jas Sapra and Bryan Bransom from triumphing on-track in their BMW M3 E46 however a post-race exclusion ultimately promoted him from second to the top step of the podium.

Spoils were shared in the inaugural Britcar Prototype Cup – launched to bring together all types of prototype machinery to compete on one single grid – which consisted of two 25-minute races and a 50-minute finale.

Idola Motorsport’s Rodolfo Gonzalez wrote his name into the history books as the series’ first-ever winner before the University of Wolverhampton’s Shane Kelly struck back with a win of his own in race two.

Making it three different winners from three races was the TGM with Private Leads team of Ben Stone and Teddy Wilson who capped off a dream debut with an assured performance during the weekend’s closing bout.

Iconic tin top machines from the Classic Touring Car Racing Club had fans on the edge of their seats over the course of the weekend too as they delivered no less than eight blockbuster races.

The amalgamated Poutec Pre ’66 Touring Cars and Orange Aero Pre ’83 Touring Cars contests had a familiar feel to them with both podiums being occupied by the same three drivers; with Stephen Primett claiming a brace of victories ahead of Jonathan Corker and William Davidson. Further down the pack, Peter Hallford piloted his Ford Mustang to emerge as the top Pre ’66 runner.

Nobody could stop Stuart Waite in the combined Laser Tools Pre ’93 Touring Cars, Burty Haulage Pre ’03 Touring Cars and Laser Tools Super Tourer races as he charged to a pair of impressive victories in his BMW E36 M3.

Hot on his heels was Garry Prebble – the top Pre ’03 entrant – and James Everard who each claimed a second and third place finish respectively whilst Jason Hughes triumphed in the Super Tourers category in an ex-Jason Plato Vauxhall Vectra.

Rounding out the weekend’s track action at Silverstone were two races from the Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder, Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series and Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge.

Boasting a grid of more than 40 flame-spitting machines, Jason West scored two more victories for the BMW E36 M3 as he led home Bryan Bransom and Sam Wilson all the way to the chequered flag.

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

Watch all of the action that was streamed live across both days on the BARC’s official YouTube channel HERE.

How To Watch BARC LIVE: Silverstone Grand Prix – March 25/26

The British Automobile Racing Club is poised to lift the curtain on a brand-new season of motorsport this weekend (March 25/26) with two-action packed days of wheel-to-wheel racing at the world-famous Silverstone Grand Prix circuit – and our cameras will be there to broadcast every race live.

Kicking off what is set to be the biggest year yet for the Club’s live stream platform – where a total 23 race meetings are scheduled to be broadcast online over the course of the year – thousands of fans are expected to flock to Facebook and YouTube to watch what promises to be an entertaining 2023 curtain-raiser.

Taking centre stage around the Home of British Motor Racing this weekend will be the British Endurance Championship, Britcar Trophy Championship, Britcar Prototype Cup and Classic Touring Car Racing Club.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 12:45 – Facebook | YouTube 

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 08:40 – Facebook | YouTube 

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Silverstone, including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

British Endurance Championship to introduce Ginetta SuperCup class next year

The British Endurance Championship will introduce a new Ginetta SuperCup class next year, providing an exciting new home for Ginetta G56 and G55 GT4 cars. 

In what is the latest chapter of a relationship between Britcar and the Yorkshire manufacturer that has spanned nearly two decades, customers will get the opportunity to continue competing in the thoroughbred GT racers that have dazzled fans on the BTCC support package. 

The SuperCup class is poised to be the second standalone Ginetta category within Britcar’s stable of championships, following on from the successful addition of the Ginetta G40 Cup to the Britcar Trophy grid this year. 

Mike Simpson, Ginetta Head of Motorsport, said: “Ginetta have a near 20-year racing relationship with Britcar and we are elated to find a new home for our G55 and G56 SuperCup GT4 cars.

“This year marks our 500th GT chassis milestone in 15 years and with thanks to Britcar we can still see many more years of good competitive value, yet very competitive competition for our customers in one of the UK’s longstanding GT Endurance Championships.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Ginetta again,” added Claire Hedley, Britcar Managing Director. “As Mike said, we do have a long-standing working history. We’d like to thank Andy Johnson from SVG Motorsport for all his help in putting these ideas together.”

To find out more information on the British Endurance Championship, visit https://www.british-endurance-championship.com/. 

Champions crowned in contrasting conditions at Donington Park

Champions were crowned in contrasting conditions this past weekend (October 22/23) as the British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage at Donington Park. 

On what proved to be an action-packed title decider under the flightpath of East Midlands airport, five championships put on a feast of entertainment for those in attendance in both wet and dry conditions. 

The British Endurance Championship concluded its inaugural season in dramatic fashion, with the destiny of the title being decided in the final few laps of what was a captivating two-hour contest.

After a frenetic start – which saw the safety car make three appearances in the opening 15 minutes – the finale of what has been a year to remember soon settled down, with a number of different teams hitting the front. 

Heading into the final half hour, title contenders Wayne Marrs and Tom Jackson put their Rob Boston Racing Mercedes GT3 to within touching distance of the crown as they assumed a lead they would ultimately never lose.

Needing to overturn a slender two-point deficit, Marrs and Jackson did all they could do up front and behind, things were soon set to fall their way to ensure they wrote their name in the history books as not only race winners but champions. 

On course for victory in Class C and the overall title, a small mistake by the RNR Performance Ferrari 458 Challenge – driven by Chris Goddard, Charlie Hollings and Jamie Stanley – in the closing stages ensured victory for the Mercedes pair.

Team BRIT wrote the latest feel-good chapter in their ever-growing story by clinching the overall title in the Britcar Trophy. Heading into the final round of the year holding a narrow advantage in the points, Chris Overend and James Whitley did enough to guide their BMW M240i to championship glory.

Whilst many eyes were transfixed on the battle for title supremacy, Rob Boston Racing took a clean sweep of endurance wins over the course of the weekend. William Stacey piloted the stunning Lotus Elise to a brace of wins in significantly different conditions, with the first coming in torrential rain and the second just as the sun set on a dry track. 

Jimmy Broadbent and Gordie Mutch wrapped up the Praga Cup title in emphatic fashion, claiming two commanding victories. Arriving at the Leicestershire track firmly in control at the summit of the standings, the Fanatec Team 87 pairing laid down their marker to the rest of the field with a superlative lap in qualifying to clinch pole position. 

From there, Broadbent and Mutch reigned supreme – and in some style too – as they charged to victory in race one, giving them an unassailable lead in the series. With the championship sorted, Sunday’s second bout saw them put the explanation point on a dominant campaign by scoring yet another race win. 

The Classic Touring Car Racing Club produced an abundance of edge-of-the-seat entertainment as expected, with no less than eight races of nostalgic saloon car action playing out around Donington’s Grand Prix layout.

Barry Sime and James Ibbotson scored a win apiece in the Poultec Classic Race Engines Pre-66 Touring Cars contests whilst Colin Philpott and newly crowned Jaguar champion Tom Robinson did the same in the amalgamated Shell Oils Pre 83 Touring Cars and Berkshire Jags Jaguar Challenge races.

Elsewhere, spoils were shared between Andrew Wilson and Kirk Armitage in the Classic & Historic Thunder Saloons/Blue Oval Saloons Series races. Rounding out the tin top fun were two bouts from the combined Laser Tools Pre 93 & Super Tourers and Burty Haulage Pre 03 Touring Cars, where Jason Hughes and Stewart Whyte ran out as the overall winners. 

Matt Hammond ensured that the title fight in the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE Trophy will go down to the wire at Brands Hatch next month after scoring two impressive wins. 

On a weekend that could have seen Nelson King secure an unassailable lead in the standings, the reigning champion dug deep to keep the championship battle rolling on and maintain his faint hopes of securing back-to-back crowns. 

Hammond tip-toed his way round a sodden track to score victory in race one before then adding to his silverware collection in a frenetic finale. In-between those victories, Joe Wiggin came to the fore to score victory in race two.

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

Where To Watch BARC LIVE: Donington Park – October 22/23

Champions will be crowned at Donington Park this weekend (October 22/23) as the British Automobile Racing Club takes centre stage at the Leicestershire venue for an action-packed two days.

On what promises to be a title deciding spectacle under the flightpath of East Midlands airport, the gloves are set to come off as the battle for supremacy further intensifies.

The British Endurance Championship will conclude its inaugural season with a two-hour contest whilst both the Britcar Trophy Championship and Praga Cup will also look to sign off their campaigns in style.

Thrills and spills will undoubtedly be served up by the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, with the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy also joining the bill for the penultimate event of their season.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 13:00 – Facebook | YouTube

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 09:30 – Facebook | YouTube

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Donington Park including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.

BARC enjoys weekend to remember at blockbuster Convoy in the Park

Donington Park provided the backdrop for a blockbuster two days of track action this past weekend (August 20/21) as the British Automobile Racing Club took centre stage at Convoy of the Park.

On what proved to be a weekend to remember, thousands of fans flocked to the Leicestershire venue for a festival of all things trucking – with seven championships arguably stealing the show on-track.

Headlining was five blockbuster contests from the British Truck Racing Championship, where there was action aplenty across both Division’s 1 & 2. In Division 1, reigning champion Ryan Smith scored a brace of wins whilst there were further victories for Simon Reid, David Jenkins and Michael Oliver. 

Four different drivers also triumphed in Division 2 with former double title winner Luke Garrett leading the way with a commanding pair of wins. John Powell, Brad Smith and Adam Bint also tasted success as they topped the podium in the remaining three bouts.

The British Endurance Championship enjoyed a starring role on Saturday afternoon with a two-hour contest and it was the Rob Boston Racing pairing of Tom Jackson and Wayne Marrs that ultimately stole the show in their Mercedes GT3.

After blasting to pole position in qualifying, the duo then produced a commanding performance in the series’ penultimate event of the season to win by almost a full lap ahead of Huge Cook Racing and RaceLab. 

Will Gibson bagged a hat-trick of wins in the Legends Cars National Championship to close the gap to Miles Rudman in the standings. Gibson paired raw pace with consistency over the course of both days to become the most successful driver in the series of 2022 to-date.

Rudman made sure he limited the damage to his chief title rival with a double of his own whilst Stephen Whitelegg chalked up the remaining victory that was up for grabs.

Jimmy Broadbent and Gordie Mutch took a step closer to lifting the Praga Cup title as they claimed a superb win in the first of the weekend’s two 60-minute contests.

Broadbent arguably delivered one of the moments of the event as he charged from fifth to first in just a single lap. Sunday’s second race saw the duo of Charles Hall and Scott Mittell edge out the impressive Shane Kelly to win. 

The Junior Saloon Car Championship had its fair share of drama with just one of its two scheduled races being completed. A number of incidents in the opening encounter brought out a lengthy red flag stoppage before it was decided that racing would not resume. 

Race two would run to its scheduled distance later in the day with leading rookie Maximus Hall scoring a pivotal win to close the gap to series leader Harry Hickton. Daire Flock and CJ Morgan joined the Westbourne Motorsport driver on the rostrum.

Jon Woolfitt proved to be in a league of his own in the North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship. At the wheel of his Spire GTR, Woolfitt didn’t put a wheel wrong to take a clean sweep; pole position and two race wins.

Bringing the curtain down on an entertaining two days at Donington Park was two races from the Pickup Truck Racing Championship. George Turiccki – who is looking to make it three consecutive titles in-a-row – maintained his march towards the crown with another dominant double. 

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

Where To Watch BARC LIVE: Donington Park – August 20/21

Donington Park plays host to the British Automobile Racing Club for the second successive weekend (August 20/21) this Saturday and Sunday for one of the biggest events on the UK motorsport calendar; Convoy in the Park.

The Leicestershire venue is set to have fun for all the family both on and off the track, with thousands of spectators expected to flock trackside for the ultimate trucking festival.

Headlining the action on-track will be five blockbuster contests from the British Truck Racing Championship and an unmissable two-hour race courtesy of the British Endurance Championship.

Further thrills and spills are also set to be provided by the Praga Cup, Junior Saloon Car Championship, Pickup Truck Racing Championship and CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship over the course of both days.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the on-track entertainment by using the key timings and links below:

Saturday Race Show – Starting from 12:10 – Facebook | YouTube

Sunday Race Show – Starting from 10:30 – Facebook | YouTube

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Donington Park including the official entry lists and timetable, CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss any future BARC LIVE events either by subscribing to our YouTube channel HERE.