Tag: Caterham Graduates Championship

Cadwell Park awaits three BARC championships

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Cadwell Park this weekend (April 14/15) for a high-octane two days of wheel-to-wheel action.

Renowned for its undulation and the unique challenge that it presents to drivers and teams alike, three BARC championships are set to duke it out.

Following on from their opening event at Oulton Park, the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship are back in action with it all to play for across all classes. Amalgamating grids once again, spectators will see plenty of the one-make series with the battle for supremacy

In the Classics class, reigning champion Graeme Smith enjoyed a dream start to his year with a dominant double at the season-opener and he will be keen to build on his recent success as the likes of Peter Tattersall and Marc Noaro bid to close the gap.

Jamie Winrow will be one to watch as he leads the way in the SigMax category whilst Lee Collins and Declan Dolan will undoubtedly be out to continue their reigns at the top of the Sigma and Mega class standings as well.

The CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship also kicked off their 2018 campaign at Oulton Park last month and continues this weekend. Run by the BARC’s North Western Centre, another bumper entry list, packed with a diverse range of cars, has been confirmed for rounds three and four.

Triumphing at the curtain-raiser, 2016 champion Paul Rose heads the 28-car line-up this weekend and will be focused on extending his early points lead.

James Auckland, Steve Harris, Guy Carter and Stephen Keenan are just some of the drivers that fans can expect to take the fight to Rose in his Saker.

Whilst the aforementioned championships have already had one event under their belts, the 2CV parts.com Classic Racing Championship launches into life for another season this weekend, with Cadwell Park providing a fitting backdrop.

Always a popular sight wherever they compete, the one-make tin top category has been producing great racing for more than two decades now and that trait is set to continue this year too. Running a pair of sprint races as well as a two-hour endurance race on Sunday, there will be no shortage of drama on track from the 2CVs.

Having won back-to-back titles, Lien Davies will have his sights firmly set on making it a hat-trick of titles however the likes of Ainslie Bousefield, Sandro Proietti and Nick Crispin, all of whom had their moments last year, will be keen to overhaul the defending champion.

Rounding out the action will be a host of high-speed, frenetic encounters from British Superkarts.

BARC kicks off new season at Oulton Park

Following months of preparation and anticipation, the 2018 motorsport season for the British Automobile Racing Club is set to get underway this weekend (March 17) at Oulton Park.

A traditional starting point in mid-March for the Club, the Cheshire-based venue will host four championships in what is set to be a blockbuster day of non-stop thrills ’n’ spills.

Boasting an impressive 33-car grid for the forthcoming season and keen to put on a show for those in attendance is the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres.

Kicking off what is set to be a frenetic 51-race season, spanning the length and breadth of the UK, the popular category will race three times around Oulton Park on Saturday, with all eyes on reigning champion John Mickel as he bids to defend his title.

Challenges to Mickel’s crown are set to come from all angles however with the likes of Ben Power, Jack Parker, Steve Whitelegg and Marcus Pett, amongst a host of others, set to take the fight to the multiple title winner.

Big grids are also expected in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, the jewel in the crown of the BARC’s North West Centre.

A mammoth 38-car grid has been confirmed for the opening two races of the season with a diverse range of cars set to duke it out for outright honours. One notable absentee however from the entry list is 2017 champion Joe Spencer, however he is hoping to compete in selected events later in the year.

With Spencer out of the picture, many eyes will be on the Saker duo of Paul Rose and Steve Harris who head the entry list. Throw into the miss the likes of former champion Paul Dobson, Dave Taylor and Garry Wardle and you will get just a taster of how competitive this year is set to be.

Close-quarter action is set to be a theme in the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship too as they also roar into action for the first time this year.

Introducing a revised class structure and benefitting from the blend of old and new faces competing, the championship is set to go from strength-to-strength as it seeks to build on what was a stellar 20th anniversary last year.

Rounding out the on-track action for this one-day event is the Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship. Mixing nostalgia classics with some of the most recent models from the iconic brand, another jam-packed grid are set to battle it out for the multiple class titles that are on offer.

BARC championships battle mixed conditions at Oulton Park

The British Automobile Racing Club officially kicked off the 2018 season on track this past Saturday (March 17) with four championships doing battle around Oulton Park.

Marking the start of a new campaign, competitors and spectators were met with all manner of weather conditions as sun and snow battered the Cheshire venue.

Edge-of-the-seat thrills were delivered in droves from the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres as a 33-car entry list duked it out across three encounters.

Will Gibson snatched the early advantage as he stormed to victory in the opening race of the day, pipping reigning champion John Mickel and the ever-impressive Jack Parker. Gibson was unable to repeat his performance in the second race however as Steve Whitelegg surged to victory, with Parker and Miles Rudman in tow.

Come the final at the end of the day, Connor Mills proved to be the man to beat as he led home Parker, who made it a trio of podium finishes, and race one winner Gibson to take top spot.

Like Legends, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship also boasted a bumper grid of more than 30 cars of all makes and models. Just one race instead of the timetabled two was run though and following a restart, Paul Rose emerged as the victor.

At the wheel of his Saker RAPX S1-400, Rose was in a league of his own as he took the chequered flag by more than 20 seconds. The battle for the remaining podium positions proved to be a lot closer though with just three tenths of a second separating David Harvey and Danny Bird.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship also roared into life at Oulton Park with a host of new and old faces going wheel-to-wheel.

In the amalgamated Mega/Classic/Sigma/Sigman VCT races Declan Dolan continued his fine form from 2017 to take a brace of victories. The reigning Mega champion swept his way to a dominant double as Ben Winrow shadowed him in both races. Kevin Barrett and Roger Ford each picked up a third place each too.

Lee Collins was equally as dominant in the two Sigmax/Sigmax VCT races as he topped the rostrum in both. Collins led Oliver Gibson and Jamie Winrow in the opener before Winrow led the charge to try and beat him along with Ben Gillias in the second.

Rounding out action at the weekend was the Lancaster Insurance MG Owner’s Club Championship. In two frenetic races, some of the most iconic machines from the popular brand put on a show for those in attendance.

Piloting his MG ZR, David Mellor picked up victory in race one ahead of Martin Wells and Stuart Plotnek before Simon Kendrick, driving a MG F VVC, took the win in race two ahead of Plotnek and Stuart Philps.

For the full classification of results from all championships, click here.