CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship

BARC enjoys fun in the sun at Convoy in the Park

Big crowds, scorching temperatures and breathtaking wheel-to-wheel action played its part in ensuring the British Automobile Racing Club delivered a sublime weekend of entertainment at this year’s Convoy in the Park.

Regarded as one of the biggest events on the national motorsport calendar, the two-day spectacle saw a number of different championships take centre stage on-track while countless attractions – including show trucks and live music – starred around the venue.

Headlining the on-track entertainment were five colossal contests from the British Tuck Racing Championship, with the super-sized series reaching the midpoint of the 2025 season with its typical dose of thrill and spills.

The battle for supremacy in Division 1 remains as fierce as ever with four different drivers standing on the top step of the podium in Leicestershire. Michael Oliver was the first to strike as he claimed a commanding lights-to-flag victory in race one, having secured pole position in qualifying.

David Jenkins then became the ninth different winner of the season in race two before David Smith and reigning champion Ryan Smith each made their mark, claiming a win apiece. The weekend finished in the same way that it had began, with Oliver cruising to a superb win in a frenetic finale.

Over in Division 2, Jake Evans bounced back from engine troubles at Thruxton to reignite his championship challenge. The MAN TGX driver won four out of five races and could well have made it a clean sweep had it not been for Sami Ojanen tallying his first win of the season.

That wasn’t to be the only truck racing that took place though during the weekend as the coveted International Truck Prix made a welcome return to the schedule for a third successive year.

Boasting an entry list that was packed with high-profile names such as Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness MBE, spoils were ultimately shared between former BTRC competitors Mark Taylor, Jamie Anderson and Simon Reid.

Elsewhere, the Britcar Endurance Championship wrote the latest chapter of its season with an astonishing 90-minute race that was decided on the very last lap of the race – between team-mates no less.

AmSpeed and their Porsche 991 Cup cars proved to be the class of the field throughout the 65 lap contest with the pairing of Ash Muldoon and James Kellett going head-to-head with their stablemates Dom Malone and Adam Smalley.

With almost the entire field being lapped by the two cars, Muldoon and Kellett ultimately managed to hold off Malone and Smalley to triumph by a little over two seconds at the chequered flag. Completing the podium was the Raceworks Motorsport duo of Chris Bingham and Michael Lyons.

The Junior Saloon Car Championship is poised for a spectacular title run-in over the coming months as Josh Selvadorai enjoyed a near-perfect weekend under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Arriving at Donington Park with ground to make up on points leader Wilf Butler, Selvadorai delivered a mesmerising performance behind the wheel to win races one and two. The talented teenager came oh-so close to making it a hat-trick too, however Oliver Kerr managed to hang on.

Simon Allaway’s monstrous Lotus Esprit V8 was the talk of the town as the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship arrived at Donington Park and it remained a topic of conversation throughout the meeting as Allaway dominated proceedings.

Allaway swept aside the opposition to snare pole position in qualifying and he then drove off into the distance to win both races by more than 20 seconds – underlining the superiority of his machine.

Over in the Track Action Racing Club, Paul Roddison continued his fine run of form to win twice in his Skoda Octavia whilst Ben Wilkinson narrowly pipped Nathan Williams to victory in the solitary OT Publishing Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires contest.

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

Every lap from the two-day event is also available to watch on demand via the British Automobile Racing Club YouTube channel HERE.

Donington Park beckons for CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship

It’s another capacity entry as the CNC Heads Sports/Saloons head for Donington Park this weekend, with Paul Rotheroe’s Citroen Xsara VTS still leading the points table after seven rounds. But Rotheroe recorded his first non-finish in the last round at Oulton after losing power to his ECU with a suspected alternator issue.

Simon Allaway’s Lotus Esprit V8 is proving almost unbeatable overall though. Second in the points, he has won every race apart from round three at Anglesey, when he damaged a wheel at the start after contact with Ric Wood’s Volvo. Carl Bennett’s BMW M3 E46 currently lies third and heads Class B, by just two points from Chris Roberts’ BMW M4. Bennett and Rotheroe have both played their double points joker too. Roberts won both races at Oulton at the start of the season, but has had some ongoing issues developing his new car, but his rivalry with Bennett is likely to be just as intense at Donington this weekend.

Fifth in the Championship and second in Class A behind Allaway is Garry Wardle. His TCR Audi A3 had it’s best overall finish at Oulton in the last round, finishing fourth overall. But Garry can often be seen playing catch up, as his car is not suited to standing starts. The closest rivals to Allaway and Wardle in Class A are Ryan Nelson and Ric Wood. Nelson switched from a JCW Mini to a Ginetta G56 GTA this season and was third overall in round six at Oulton. Championship sponsor Wood is due out in his Holden Commodore, but that could end up as any one of his fleet of cars on race day.

Thomas Frankland is due out again in his Renault 5GT Turbo, along with Phil White’s BMW 325 and Jason Hennefer’s Ford Fiesta ST180, while Billy Blockley takes over the family Ginetta G56 GTA from his Dad Richard and Zack Booth’s Renault Megane complete the Class line-up.

With Class B frontrunners Bod Buckby and Ben Roberts both absent this weekend, it gives former Champion Jamie Cryer and opportunity to close up in his Ginetta G20, after problems at Anglesey with broken suspension. But Cryer will have a stern challenge from two further returnees. Paul Masters returns with his Westfield after engine issues at the Oulton opener and former Champion Ian Bamber is back with his Ginetta G20 having missed the whole of last season. Andrew Armiger also becomes the fourth member of his family to race their Vauxhall Tigra in the Championship, while Mark Primett will hopefully have solved the plethora of issues that have plagued his Banks Lotus Europa.

Alek Modro’s Westfield Aero finally came good at Oulton too, finishing second to Allaway in round seven and could be on for another overall podium this weekend. Simon Hutt is in his Silhouette BMW Z4 and James Owen is in another Tigra, along with three Escort RSR’s for Daz Owen, Dave Owen and former BTCC and Pickup racer Lea Wood, while Baz Johnson’s Pontiac Coupe rounds off the Class.

There is just the one taker in Class C again, as John Edwards-Parton brings his Ford Fiesta XR2 out. But in Class D reigning Champion Steven Parker’s Fiesta will have a tough call to challenge the BMW’s of

Bennett and Roberts. Marshall Groves’ Vauxhall Vectra heads the rest, from Simon Graveley’s Golf Gti, Paul Goodlad’s Scirocco hopefully making its seasonal debut, Riccy Walker’s JCW Mini and John Madoc-Jones’ BMW E4 330.David Jones reclaims his Ford Focus Turbo from son Matthew after he raced it at Oulton, David Lawrence is due to debut in a Seat Leon Cupra and veterans Bob Claxton and Ralph Underwood are bringing their respective VW Golf GTi and TR7 V8.

Matthew Jones is re-united with his Ford Focus in Class E and as well as Championship leader Rotheroe, he will have Cavan Taylor’s Renault Clio, Louie Dobson’s Fiesta ST150 and Stuart Connolly’s Honda Civic to challenge him.

Three out of the four Class F entries have taken a win this season. Robert Wakelin won all three races at Anglesey before blowing up at Oulton, but Helen Allen’s Fiesta Zetec currently heads the way, with double Oulton winner Jonjo Lee’s Mini Cooper now back on the pace. Errol Taylor’s Toyota Yaris completes their class.

Finally 2022 Champion Jon Woolfitt is due to make a return too with his Spire GTR.

Qualifying is on Saturday morning at 11.05 for 20 minutes, with race one at 16.15. Sundays race is at 13.25 and both are over 20 minutes too.

BARC savours Super Saturday at Oulton Park

The battle for supremacy at the top of the TCR UK Championship standings ramped up at Oulton Park this past Saturday (July 5) as the British Automobile Racing Club delivered a blockbuster day of captivating competition in Cheshire.

Organised and run by the Club’s North Western Centre, the one-day meeting proved pivotal for a number of contenders as several different championships wrote the latest chapter in their respective 2025 campaigns.

Adam Shepherd was one driver that left the picturesque venue with a smile on his face after he bolstered his TCR UK title chances by producing a flawless performance behind the wheel of his Cupra Leon VZ TCR.

Shepherd arrived at Oulton Park in sight of the championship summit and he wasted no time in closing the gap to the leaders as he charged to pole position in qualifying, pipping rival Sam Laidlaw to top spot by just 0.060s.

Race one would prove to be a relatively straight-forward contest for Shepherd as he led from lights-to-flag, ultimately taking the chequered flag by more than three seconds ahead of Brad Hutchinson and Callum Newsham.

Newsham would provide a sterner test for Shepherd in race two however as the pair enjoyed a superlative back-and-forth duel for overall honours. In the end though it was Shepherd that did enough to triumph over Newsham while Hutchison completed the podium in third.

Elsewhere, similar levels of dominance were demonstrated by Simon Allaway in the CNC Heads Sports Saloon Car Championship as he also scored the perfect Oulton Park hat-trick of pole position in qualifying, victory in race one and victory in race two.

The Lotus Esprit V8 laid down his marker to the rest of the field in the opening encounter as he swept aside the opposition in a quite dominant manner; taking the chequered flag 14 seconds clear of his nearest challenger, which happened to be Richard Wood in his Nissan RB26.

Allaway faced a much sterner test in race two however as Alex Munro – who did not take the start in the day’s earlier bout – fought valiantly in his Westfield Aero throughout the 20-minute contest to finish just two seconds shy of the eventual double winner.

Over in the Milltek Civic Cup the spoils were shared between two of the lead protagonists; Liam McGill and former TCR UK champion Lewis Kent.

Having been the cream of the crop for much of the season, McGill came out on top of a feisty battle with Alistair Camp in race one to triumph. Kent then came to the fore in race two as he charged from eighth on the grid to narrowly beat Daniel Petters to victory.

Spoils were also shared in the Junior Saloon Car Championship as Wilf Butler and Josh Selvadorai tallied a win apiece while rounding out the BARC action were two races from the Track Action Racing Club, both of which were won by William Di Claudio in his Peugeot 106 GTI.

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

You can also re-watch all the action from Oulton Park by heading to the official BARC YouTube channel HERE.

Capacity grid poised for CNC Heads battle at Oulton Park

With four wins from five races, Simon Allaway is certainly the man to beat in his Lotus Esprit V8. The former Champions only non success was at Anglesey, when he damaged a wheel after contact at the start with Ric Wood’s Volvo and failed to take the restart.

Current Championship leader is Paul Rotheroe, unbeaten so far in Class E, he as an eight point lead after playing his joker at Anglesey. Chris Roberts’ BMW M4 is second in the points, and like Allaway he has had four wins from five in Class D. He lost out to Carl Bennett’s BMW in race one at Anglesey, but had a fuel pressure issue all weekend.

In Class A Allaway has six challengers, headed by Gary Wardle’s Audi A3 TCR. Wardle took the Class win in round three at Anglesey when Allaway didn’t restart. Ryan Nelson is still getting used to his Ginetta G56 GTA, having changed from his JCW Mini over the winter, while Richard Blockley is out in a similar car. Ash Hicklin is continuing to develop his Bentley GT and had a few issues to sort at Anglesey. Philip White managed to stay out of trouble at Anglesey in his BMW, as did Jason Hennefer, after he had repaired his Fiesta ST180 following his shunt last time out at Oulton.

Allaway’s rivalry for outright victory is likely to come from Class B. Ben Roberts’ Locost 7 RR has already had an outright win, having come from the back of the grid to victory at Anglesey in round three. But it’s Bod Buckby’s Caterham currently leading the class, after beating Roberts in both rounds four and five at Anglesey, finishing second overall.

Both Connor and Alek Modro had issues with their Westfield Aero’s at Anglesey, if sorted they are likely to be challenging at the head of the class too. Jamie Cryer’s Ginetta G20 and Mark Primett’s Banks Lotus Europa had problems too last time out, but will hopefully be fighting fit this weekend. Jon Price’s Vauxhall Tigra and Baz Johnson’s Pontiac are also due to return, having missed Anglesey.

John Edwards-Parton’s Fiesta is due to make it’s seasonal debut in Class C, but as yet there are no more takers to challenge him.

The outcome of Class D could well depend on whether Chris Roberts gets a run, as he is on the reserve list. If not it’s likely to be Carl Bennett’s M3 E46 at the front. The two have been closely matched so far, a little too close at Anglesey on the last corner. Anthony Sullivan’s JCW Mini was missing from Anglesey, but was close to the pace of Roberts and Bennett’s BMW’s at Oulton, splitting the duo on the opening round. Championship sponsor Ric Wood is due out too in Class D with his Nissan Skyline, along with defending Champion Steven Parker’s Ford Fiesta ST. Matt Jones is out this weekend in his Dad’s Focus in this class.

Clive Dix will be hoping to continue the progress of his Mazda RX7, while novice Simon Graveley just wants to have a race and stay out of trouble with his Golf GTi. Two more VW’s are due to complete the class line-up, Octogenarian Bob Claxton’s Golf GTi and Paul Goodlad, who hopes to give his Scirocco its seasonal debut.

Can anyone beat Championship leader Paul Rotheroe’s Citroen Xsara VTS in Class E. There are six challengers, led by Julian Wood’s BMW Compact. Louie Dobson’s Fiesta is also up against the returning Cavan Taylor’s Renault Clio, while there are two shared cars, William and Georgina Bartlett in their Clio and Richard and Matt Hibbert’s Honda Civic Type R.

Three out of the four Class F runners have taken a win this season already. Rob Wakelin cleaned up at Anglesey in the ex Dave Green Honda Civic, while Helen Allen’s Fiesta and Jonty Lee’s Mini Cooper had a win each at Oulton. Lee lost out in the points at Anglesey with a blown engine, while completing the class is Errol Taylor, who may have a new engine in his Toyota Yaris.

Apart from Chris Roberts there are four other reserves and all from Class D. Oliver Thomas’ Subaru Impreza, Ralph Underwood’s TR7 V8, Steve Rowles’ Audi TT and Marshall Groves’ Vauxhall Vectra.

Qualifying is at 8.30, with race one at 11.10 and the second at 2.55, each 20 minutes duration.

BARC makes its mark on first visit of the season to Anglesey

The British Automobile Racing Club made its first visit of the 2025 season to Anglesey Circuit this past weekend (May 31/June 1) and it didn’t disappoint as racers from Caterham Motorsport and the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship put on a show.

Organised and run by the Club’s North Western Centre, the two-day event on the coast of North Wales saw a number of contests decided by the smallest of margins as the battle for supremacy well and truly ramped up.

In the moobob Caterham Academy Championship – which is for drivers that are embarking on their maiden year of car racing – nobody could stop Matt Fox from charging to back-to-back victories.

Snaring pole position by just 0.064 seconds, Fox narrowly fended off Max Richardson and Nick Tomadakis to triumph in race one before he stamped his authority to win in a more comfortable fashion in race two, again ahead of Richardson.

The Bilstein Caterham Roadsport Championship is the next step up on the Caterham Motorsport ladder and it produced a stunning opening encounter which culminated in the top three drivers being separated by just a tenth of a second.

Craig Evans, William Harris and Scott Helme were the cream of the crop in race one as they pulled clear of the chasing pack to scrap amongst themselves. In the end it would be Evans that held on to reign supreme; Helme though would have his moment of glory later on as he won race two.

Over in the EDGE Caterham Seven 270R Championship, Ben Wheatley – who has previously cut his teeth in the Caterham Graduates Championship – was perfection personified as he powered his way to a dominant hat-trick of race wins.

The likes of Louis Darling, Henry Speeks, Nick Highton and Paul Oggelsby could only watch on as Wheatley drove off into the distance but they did all manage to fill the remaining podium spots that were available.

Taylor O’Flanagan and Lars Alexander Hoffman continued their duel at the summit of the Vertex Caterham Seven 310R Championship standings, taking home a share of the spoils from the picturesque 2.1-mile International layout.

Both drivers have been the stars of the season so far and they continued their rich vein of form at Anglesey. O’Flanagan emerged victorious following an almighty scrap with Philip Bianchi in race one before Alexander Hoffman was triumphant in race two.

O’Flanagan returned to the top step of the podium in the weekend’s third and final race as he once again went wheel-to-wheel with Bianchi, beating him for a second time and in-turn, bolstering his title chances in the process.

Matthew Armstrong and Harry Senior showed their class in the Dutch Barn Vodka Caterham Seven UK Championship, Caterham’s premier category, as they remained the drivers to beat at the front of the field.

Picking up where they left off when they competed on the British Touring Car Championship support bill at Brands Hatch last month, Armstrong sped his way to the chequered flag in races one and three while Senior was victorious in race two.

Rounding out the weekend’s action were a trio of enthralling races from the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, the North Western Centre’s premier category where variety is well and truly the spice of life.

Boasting a bumper grid, Ben Roberts produced a remarkable drive in race one as he went from the back row of the grid to the top step of the podium in his Locost 7 RR, winning by a sensational 15 seconds by the time the chequered flag was waved.

Roberts was unable to add to his win tally in races two and the however as Simon Allaway came to the fore in his Lotus Esprit V8, beating Bod Buckby and Roberts to top spot in relatively commanding fashion.

To view the full classification of results from Anglesey Circuit, CLICK HERE.

You can also re-watch all the action from the North Wales track via the official BARC YouTube channel HERE.

North Western Centre makes full-throttle start to season at Oulton Park

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North Western Centre enjoyed a full-throttle start to the 2025 season at Oulton Park this past Saturday (April 12) as three different categories took centre stage on the famed International layout.

As momentum for the new campaign continues to build around the country, it was the turn of the Club’s North Western Centre at the weekend as both the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship and OT Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires made their first appearances of the year.

For the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – which is the centre’s flagship series – competitors were undoubtedly chomping at the bit to hit the track given the fact that a bumper 47-car entry list was confirmed for the opening two rounds.

Such was the enormity of the grid, organisers opted to double the amount of races on the day, amalgamating those in Class A, B and G together for two races and those in Class C, D, E and F together for a further two races.

Simon Allaway proved to be in a league of his own in the two Class A, B & G contests as he made the perfect start to the new season by powering his Lotus Esprit V8 to a commanding brace of victories.

Race one saw Allaway quickly make his escape from the chasing pack and he ultimately never looked back, taking the chequered flag by more than 20 seconds ahead of Bod Buckby and Ben Roberts. In race two, his winning margin was to be eight seconds at the end.

Over in Class C, D, E and F, Chris Roberts showed similar levels of dominance as he too claimed a clean sweep of front-running results – winning both races by more than ten seconds in his sensational BMW M4.

There was plenty of edge-of-the-seat entertainment when it came to the OT Coupe Cup with Toyo Tires, with the budget-conscious tin top series serving up two frenetic bouts around the picturesque 2.692-mile circuit.

With last year’s victor Daniel Munro moving onto new pastures, all bets were off when it came to the battle for supremacy at the front of the field – although three drivers staked their claim with exemplary performances.

Nathan Williams underlined his credentials as one to watch as he fended off the race-long advances of Adam Jones to win the season-opener before Jones turned the tables in race two to open his account for the season.

While both Williams and Jones claimed a win apiece, Max Papworth demonstrated that he will undoubtedly stand on the top step of the podium in the near future as he tallied a pair of top-three finishes.

Rounding out the North Western Centre’s race day at Oulton Park was the P4 Emergency Lighting Caterham Graduates Championship, which was back in action after competing at Donington Park last month.

In the Sigma 150 Class, it didn’t take reigning champion Jamie Ellwood long to pick up where he left off last season as he bagged two wins from two races. Max Haynes, Stephen Clark, Harry Cramer and Ben Winrow all scooped podium finishes behind the charging Ellwood.

The Sigma 135 Class – which had almost 40 entries – saw spoils shared as Giles Derry and Tom McEwing maintained their strong starts to the season by tallying a win apiece.

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

BARC North West Centre revved up for CNC Heads Sports/Saloon opener

This weekends opening round of the CNC Heads Sports Saloon Car Championship boasts a massive 47-car entry; with defending Champion Steven Parker heading the entry in his Ford Fiesta ST – but there is healthy competition in most of the classes.

Simon Allaway’s mighty Lotus Esprit V8 heads class A. The overall Champion back in 2013, Simon will be looking for a podium finish this weekend. Garry Wardle was last years Class A Champion. He is entered in his Audi A3 TCR car, but is well-known for turning up with something entirely different.

A Championship debutant at Cadwell last year, Ryan Nelson has changed his Class D Mini for a Ginetta G56 and joins Class A too this weekend. Thomas Frankland is another newcomer to Class A, as his Renault 5GT Turbo was in Class B last year. He has a new engine this term, a 1781 turbo. Championship debutant Ash Hicklin will be one to watch, with his Bentley GT. He has previously raced a Radical in 750MC Bikesports.

After a few years away, it’s a welcome back to the fastest breadman in the North West, Jason Hennefer. A former XR racer, he has been out in the Fiesta Championship and returns in an ST180 Fiesta. Piers Grange is due out in his Ford Escort 2.6, as his RSR Turbo isn’t ready yet. Richard Blockley, Dad of Fiesta Junior Billy makes his championship debut in another Ginetta G56A and completing the class is returnee Wayne Spiller, having swapped his Mazda for a Seat Leon.

Most of Class B are returnee’s from last season, with the top seven from last years final standings. Champion Paul Masters is back with his Westfield Wide Body, to renew his rivalry with class runner-up Connor Modro’s Westfield Aero and they will be up against Bod Buckby’s Caterham and former double Champion Jamie Cryer’s Ginetta G20. Roddie Paterson’s Caterham will be vying for overall victory too as will Ben Roberts’ Locost 7, both having visited the top step of the podium.

If all is well with Mark Primett’s Banks Lotus Europa he should be another strong contender, but with Deri Davies’ Darrian T90 and Rob Wakelin’s Peugeot 205, joined by Alek Modro now in a Westfield Aeo too, competition for the Class will be intense. Tim Foxlow’s Escort RSR is back too and he is joined by newcomers Jon Price in a Vauxhall Tigra and Baz Johnson in his Pontiac Coupe.

With no starters due in Class C, Champion Parker has plenty of rivals to challenge him in Class D. Riccy Walker and Clive Dix were second and third in class last year, and both return with their respective Mini F56 and Mazda RX7, but Marshall Groves’ Vauxhall Vectra should be a challenger again too, along with Philip White’s BMW. Fiesta racer Sam Beckett swaps to an Audi TT to make his Championship debut and newcomers Simon Graveley, Carl Bennett and Anthony Sullivan make their debuts in a VW Golf Gti, BMW M3 E46 and Mini JCW.

Paul Goodlad hopes to be back with his VW Scirocco, if the car s ready and seasoned campaigners Bob Claxton and John Madoc-Jones are due out in their VW Golf Gti and BMW E46 330. The Class is completed by George Foxlow, son of Tim, out in his Fiesta Challenge ST240.

As well as winning Class E last year at his first attempt, Lee Bull only just missed out on the overall title with a late retirement in the last race at Oulton. He’s back with his Renault Clio, but will have some stiff competition from Paul Rotheroe, who returned to the Championship last year with his Citroen Xsara VTS to take second in the Class. Julian Wood, brother of Championship sponsor Ric is back with ex Steven Parker BMW Compact, along with Matthew Jones in his Ford Focus.

Cavan Taylor joined the championship too last season as a relative novice with his Renault Clio and Louie Dobson, son of former Champion Paul, had his first race ever at Anglesey last season and returns with his Fiesta ST150. Nick Haynes joins in too in another Fiesta ST150, while two shared cars complete the class. William and Georgina Bartlett in a Renault Clio and Richard and Matt Hibbert with a Honda Civic Type R.

There are three entries in Class F too, with two novices challenging Champion Helen Allen’s Ford Fiesta Zetec S. Errol Taylor has a Toyota Yaris T Sport and Jonathan Lee a Mini Cooper.

Classes A & B qualify from 9.25 and race at 12.05 and 15.25 and Classes D,E & F qualify at 10.25, with races at 12.40 and 16.40. All four races are of 20 minutes duration.

All-out action at Anglesey as BARC delights fans in North Wales

The British Automobile Racing Club made its one and only trip of the year to North Wales this past weekend (September 7/8) as a number of championships took centre stage at Anglesey Circuit.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the two-day meeting produced an unmissable spectacle of blockbuster wheel-to-wheel action – with a number of drivers ramping up their pursuits of being crowned champion in their respective categories.

In the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Harry Smith strengthened his title charge with a virtuoso performance as he reigned supreme in style. Pacing the opposition to claim pole position in qualifying, Smith was perfection personified across the opening two races.

Despite coming under pressure at times, the second-year racer didn’t put a wheel wrong and cruised to a pair of lights-to-flag wins whilst his championship rivals filled the remaining spots on the podium.

Smith was also in the fight for overall honours in the weekend’s final contest however the trio of Josh Selvadorai, James Sherrington and Jonathan Moore proved difficult to beat – with Selvadorai ultimately coming out on top.

The North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship wrote the latest chapter of its 2024 story with a trio of races to entertain those that were in attendance.

Showcasing a variety of different cars across multiple classes, Jim Hutchinson proved to be the toast of the field as he dominated the meeting in his Ford Escort RSR, scoring a hat-trick of race wins.

No less than seven races were staged by the SIM Motorsport Caterham Graduates Championship over the course of the weekend, four of which were for the Sigma 135s while the remaining three were for the Sigma 150s.

Variety proved to be the spice of life when it came to the Sigma 135 class as three different drivers stood on the top step of the podium. Paul Goldstein kicked off proceedings with a hard-fought victory in race one before Theo Theato and Adam Kene came to the fore, the latter winning twice.

Things were somewhat more dominant when it came to the Sigma 150 class as Jamie Ellwood served up a clinical display to win all three races. Will Stillwell, Max Haynes and Matthew Willoughby were his closest challengers as they featured on the remaining podium spots.

The Track Action Racing Club concluded the weekend’s entertainment around the picturesque with Paul Roddison – a previous winner of the coveted BARC President’s Cup – triumphing twice in his Volkswagen Scirocco.

Roddison was the benchmark from the get-go however he did have to withstand pressure from the hard-charging Tim Evans in his Audi TT at times.

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

BARC produces captivating Oulton Park race day

The British Automobile Racing Club took on a starring role at Oulton Park this past Saturday (July 6) as four championships produced high drama, wheel-to-wheel entertainment and plenty of enthralling talking points.

Organised and run by the Club’s North West Centre, the one-day meeting – which took place around the 2.692-mile International layout of the Cheshire venue – was expected to be packed with action from start-to-finish; and it duly delivered in challenging conditions.

Topping the bill was the latest two-hour instalment of the British Endurance Championship in association with Motorsport UK, which saw the PB Racing with JMH duo of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton maintain their 100% winning record.

Arriving at Oulton Park having claimed victory in the previous three events this season, the Audi GT3 duo cemented their status as the team to beat in the overall standings by firstly blasting their way to pole position in qualifying by more than five seconds.

Lining up on the front row of the grid, Erceg and Clutton wasted no time in underlining their front-running credentials by quickly establishing a lead at the front of the field. As the race progressed, their lead only grew and they ultimately went on to triumph by four laps.

While Erceg and Clutton comfortably reigned supreme, the battle for the remaining two spots on the podium had everyone captivated. Xentek Motorsport would have enough in hand to clinch second while the Porsche 992 Cup duo of Nick Hull and Richard Avery claimed third place.

Fireworks flew in the Britcar Trophy Championship as the Ginetta G56 GTA proved to be the car to beat, with Marco Anastasi and Seb Dubois enjoying a share of the spoils that were on offer across the day’s two 50-minute contests.

Stephen Fresle and Ben Green had paced the opposition to snare pole position in qualifying however they were unable to stop the Datum Motorsport duo of Anastasi and Maurizio Sciglio as they forced their way to the front and then set about duking it out for overall honours.

Remarkably there was less than a tenth of second separating the top two in the day’s second bout as Dubois held off the charging Dragon Sport Opel Astra of Rhys Lloyd and Harri Reynolds to score victory.

The North West Centre’s flagship category, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, didn’t disappoint those that were in attendance either as a bumper entry list served up two very contrasting contests.

Race one proved to be one largely dominated by Stuart Pearson as he guided his AB Sabre to a commanding win of more than 11 seconds over Ben Roberts and Connor Modro, who filled the remaining spots on the podium.

Modro turned the tables on Roberts and Pearson in a shortened, red-flag affected race two a few hours later however as he blasted his Westfield Aero to victory lane by a little under two seconds.

Concluding proceedings at the picturesque track were two races from the Heroes of FF1600 Sprint Cup Series, which proved to be one of the leading lights at the Thruxton Historic meeting last month.

Richard Tarling maintained his race-winning form from Thruxton to tally a narrow victory in race one before Callum Grant, who had shadowed Tarling in the opener, then came to the fore to score victory in the finale.

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

CNC Heads Sport/Saloons poised for Donington Park opener

The 2024 CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship kicks off this weekend, with a double header at Donington Park. Defending Champion Ian Bamber is an absentee from the opener, but runner up Roddie Paterson heads the entry in his Caterham C400.

There are three strong entries in Class A, where having raced a Seat TCR last season, Garry Wardle is due out in an Audi A3 TCR. He will be up against long time sponsor Ric Wood, who is in his Ford Capri GAA. Completing the Class line-up and a possible outright winner is Andrew Southcott, who took a number of victories last season too.

Paterson heads Class B, with no less than 13 entries. Tim Foxlow and Daz Owen are both out in their Escort Mk1 RSR’s, Owen has already been out in Modified Ford’s this season. Mark Primett is back again with his quick Banks Lotus Europa, along with former Champion Jamie Cryer in his Ginetta G20. Bod Buckby has moved up to a beefier Caterham, hence his change of class from Class C and local driver Tom Frankland will be looking for a good result in his Renault 5GT Turbo.

Richard Hall has changed his Caterham to a CSR, while having previously raced a Ginetta G40, Connor Modro is out in a Westfield Aero. Occasional visitor Tim Moll has entered his VW Golf and newcomers Paul Masters, Tom Church and Gareth John are bringing their respective Westfield, MGF and Ginetta G40.

There are no Class C cars, but Class D has an excellent nine car line-up, led by Oliver Thomas’ Subaru Impreza. Having missed some of the latter rounds in 2023, Marshall Groves returns in his Vauxhall Vectra, while Clive Dix will be planning to maximise the development work from last years success in his Mazda RX7.

Ric Walker’s Mini JCW will seeking to move up the order, while Paul Goodlad’s VW Scirocco is expected to challenge too. Watch out also for the Ford Focus of David Jones.

Having raced his BMW Compact in various guises, Steven Parker has entered a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Turbo. Cliff Butler is another occasional visitor to the Championship and joins us again with his Vauxhall Carlton, while CNC legends Ralph Underwood and Bob Claxton are back in their TR7 V8 and VW Golf.

Julian Wood has stepped down from his Kia Optima to a Class E BMW Compact, where he is joined by Championship regular Peter Koukoulas’ Toyota MR2. They are joined by Cavan Taylor, who debuted his Renault Clio part way through last season, and newcomer Wayne Spiller in his Mazda RX8. Son of David Jones, Matthew is entered in his Class E Ford Focus

There are no takers for Class F, but hopefully there will be before the next rounds.

All the action is on Saturday, with qualifying 11.35 to 11.55, Race 1 at 2.20 and race 2 at 6.16, both of 20 minutes duration.

BARC North West Centre delivers action-packed Oulton Park finale

The British Automobile Racing Club’s North West Centre brought the curtain down on its 2023 season this past Saturday (October 14) with an action-packed race day around Oulton Park’s challenging International layout.

Battling heavy showers and sunny intervals at the picturesque Cheshire venue, a total of four championships took centre stage on the 2.692-mile circuit to serve up a fitting finale which included an abundance of high-octane thrills and captivating moments.

There was plenty to celebrate when it came to the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship – the North West Centre’s flagship category – as the multi-class series marked its 40th Anniversary in style with two pulsating contests.

Having become an integral part of the UK national motorsport scene over the course of the past four decades, the championship closed out another memorable campaign with a bumper grid, which exceeded 30 cars, all vying for glory.

Entering the weekend as one the favourites to triumph, Roddie Patterson enjoyed a superlative day as he stormed to a brace of race wins behind the wheel of his Caterham C400.

Despite missing out on pole position to Andrew Southcott in his MG Midget Lenham, Paterson capitalised on Southcott’s early retirement to take a commanding victory in race one as he triumphed by more than six seconds ahead of outgoing champion Jon Woolfitt and Garry Wardle.

Race two proved to be a much closer affair as Paterson doubled his tally for the day with a superlative victory by a little over half a second, despite having to contend with a brief safety car period at mid-distance.

Hounding him all the way to the chequered flag was the Subaru Impreza of Oliver Thomas whilst Thom Evans completed the rostrum by crossing the line in third in his Caterham Duratec.

The Morphmy Caterham Graduates Championship delivered its fair share of edge-of-the-seat entertainment too, especially as there proved to be little to separate those that were battling for overall victory.

In the opening bout for the Sigma 135 category, Rrutuj Patki blasted his way to the top step of the podium by the narrowest of margins – 0.022 seconds to be exact – as he edged out Ben Winrow whilst Tom Power was a distant third.

Ben Wheatley was then perfection personified in the day’s second race as he clinched a commanding lights-to-flag victory ahead of Alex Vincent and Steven Lancaster.

Small margins continued to be a theme of the Caterham Graduates contingent when it came to the combined Sigma 150 and Sigmax races, as a further two different drivers charged to glory.

Less than a second split Philip Bianchi and newly crowned double champion Harry Senior in a pulsating opener, with the aforementioned Bianchi coming out on top before Will Stilwell then got the better of Thomas Horton by tenth of a second in race two.

Over in the Kumho BMW Championship, which is home to all models of the iconic Bavarian brand, spoils were shared between Jason West and Bryan Bransom as they each chalked up a victory apiece.

James Card and Kevin Clarke each added to their silverware collections too as they also featured on the podium.

Closing out the day’s track action at Oulton Park were a trio of races from The Super Series by the British Superkart Racing Club and as has been the case on a number of occasions this year, nobody could stop from Liam Morley from claiming a clean sweep of race wins.

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

North Western Centre set for anniversary celebrations at Oulton Park in October

The BARC’s North Western Centre is set to mark the 40th Anniversary on its own Sports/Saloon Championship later this year with a celebrate as its Oulton Park race meeting on Saturday 14th October.

It was at Oulton Park on the 31^st March 1984 that the championship, then a Special GT Challenge, held its first round with a small grid of 10 cars starting the race and Bob Trotter cruising to victory in his Ford Escort RS2000.

The Challenge became a Championship the following year and within a few years the average grid had increased to over 30 cars. Over the 40 years of friendly but competitive racing, the Centre has run over 460 races, in which over 700 drivers have competed.

Chris Maries currently holds the record for starting the most races at 222 in no less than 25 or so different cars. Ric Wood, owner of CNC Heads – the championship’s current sponsor – has across a staggering 35 years of the category.

The strength of the championship has been built on stability of the regulations, firm but fair application of the regulations and cost effective, non-contact competition.

There is no registration fee, entry fees are kept as low as possible, which has resulted in increased grids that allow for the low level of fees. In addition competitors only pay for their time on track as refunds are given for sessions missed for valid reasons.

These principles plus the family atmosphere in the Paddock should allow for the continued health of the championship.

The North Western Centre thanks all of its current sponsors, CNC Heads and CSP Car Service Packs, for their continued support.