Tag: Kumho BMW Championship

Snetterton scorcher expected to come from BARC categories

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Snetterton this weekend (August 4/5) with five championships ready to set pulses racing over two action-packed days.

With its blend of tight corners and flowing straights, the Norfolk circuit is the perfect backdrop for what is set to be a scorching weekend both on and off the track.

Topping the bill will be the Trade Team Citroen C1 Challenge, which will stage two endurance encounters. Making waves this year already with its inaugural 24-hour race in the UK and big grids at all events, the series has become one the leading lights within the BARC’s long list of categories.

Providing a low-cost method of going endurance racing, the one-make series is set for another memorable weekend with a four-hour and one hour race.

Boasting an entry list of more than 40 machines and north of 100 drivers, Snetterton is set to catch C1 fever as the series writes another milestone in its short history.

If Saturday belongs to the C1 Challenge taking centre stage then Sunday is all about the Classic Touring Car Championship. With its diverse mix of iconic tin top machines and multiple classes, classics will be the norm on day two with a total of eight races being run.

Those in attendance will see the Paul Inch – Classic Race Engines Pre ’66 Touring Cars, CTCRC Group 1 Touring Car Championship, Envirotec Hygiene Services Pre-93 Touring Cars, YourITman Pre-2003 Touring Cars, Toyo Tyres Pre-2005 Production Touring Car Championship, Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series and the MRF Motorsport Tyres Classic & Historic Thunder Saloon Championship all in action – and delivering edge-of-the-seat thrills.

Ben Palmer will look to continue his march towards a second successive Michelin Clio Cup Series title as he bids for wins 11 and 12. Palmer has won every single race so far this season and has shown no signs of slowing down either. Tyler Lidsey and Ben Colburn are just some of the contenders all vying to stop the #1 drivers charge.

There will be plenty of racing from the APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship as well. Another category that has flourished with big grids this season, the one-make series is better than ever and with a host of leading contenders coming to the fore.

Across the different classes, keep a close eye on Declan Dolan, Oliver Gibson, Jonathan Curry, Robert Winrow and Peter Tattersall – all of who m lead the way in their respective championships.

Rounding out the weekend’s racing will be action from the Kumho BMW Championship, home to some of the most infamous machines the German manufacturer have put into production.

For more information on this weekend’s event, including timetable and entry lists, click here.

Britcar headlines BARC weekend at Silverstone

A handful of British Automobile Racing Club championships are set to make their mark this weekend (May 12/13) as they head to Silverstone.

Taking to the iconic Grand Prix circuit, four BARC categories will duke it out for supremacy with Britcar Endurance headlining with its vast array of machinery.

More than 35 cars are expected to contest the second event of the season, a 50-minute sprint race which is then later followed by the customary two-hour endurance encounter.

Blending the likes of Ferrari 458 GT3’s and Ginetta G50’s, amongst a host of other jaw-dropping cars, the championship has continued its meteoric rise over the past couple of years, with 2018 no different.

Arriving at the Northamptonshire-based venue, the Sprint category sees a host of drivers in early contention for outright honours. The Mercedes of Richard Neary scored two wins at Rockingham and will likely be a threat again whilst Ferrari duo David Mason and Ross Wylie will be keen to add to their silverware collections. Add into the mix the BMW of Mike Moss and Tom Howard and you begin to build a picture of how competitive this year’s crop of drivers is.

Elsewhere in the Endurance standings, Black Mamba Racing duo Andy Demetriou and Luke Williams will have their sights set on building on what was a dream opening weekend at the wheel of their Ginetta G55.

The APL Health Caterham Graduates Championship resumes during the weekend too after last racing in mid-March at Oulton Park. Another to boast a significant entry list, two 20-minute encounters, with all classes being amalgamated, will be run around Silverstone.

Notable names to look out for include Oliver Gibson, Lee Collins, Declan Dolan and Graeme Smith who lead the Sigmax, Sigma, Mega and Classic classes respectively.

Single seater action comes in the form of the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship, who are making their second visit to Silverstone this year. Bringing together some of the most desirable open-wheeled machines from yesteryear, the championship continues to produce edge-of-the-seat thrills.

Benn Tilley and Mike Gardner shared the spoils the last time the series hit the track and both will be keen to top the podium once again.

The Kumho BMW Championship is also set for action this weekend in what will also be their second event of the season. Roaring into life at Brands Hatch over the on Easter Sunday, the championship has once again attracted a big grid with drivers competing in all manner of models from the popular German manufacturer.

Colin Wells, Ian Crisp, Gareth Montgomery, Kevin Denwood and Russell Dack leading the long list of potential front runners to keep a watchful eye on.

Capping off the racing around the home of British motorsport will be the MSA British Superkarts Championship and Speed Group OSS Championship.

BARC championships set to dazzle at Donington Park

The British Automobile Racing Club heads to Donington Park this weekend (June 2/3) with six championships set to produce plenty of wheel-to-wheel thrills as they continue their 2018 campaigns.

With summer approaching and events coming thick and fast, this visit to the Leicestershire-based venue for some will mark the second half of the season – igniting title battles even further.

Having been in action just last weekend, the Max5 Racing Championship descends on Donington Park for another two races this weekend with it all to play for. Marking the fourth stop on the calendar, the multi-class category has served up plenty of entertainment thus far.

Paul Roddison enters the event as the man to beat having won five of the six races already. Winning five in-a-row, the series veteran saw his winning streak come to an end at Anglesey last time out as Jeremy Shipley took the chequered flag. Keen to strike back with further triumphs, Roddison will be one to watch however Shipley, Matthew Tidmarsh, Richard Smith and Josh Malin are set to all be in the mix.

The BARC Clubmans Sports Prototype Championship in association with King Henry’s Taverns will be in action for the second time this season over the course of the weekend too. Kicking off their campaign at Brands Hatch, the popular prototype series is never short of producing close racing.

Mark Charteris, Steve Dickens and Michelle Hayward all took class victories around the Indy layout last month and the trio will be looking to add to their ever-growing silverware collections under the flightpath of East Midlands airport this weekend.

Small in size but packing a real punch on-track, the Mighty Minis Championship will undoubtedly be deliver a host of edge-of-the-seat moments. Boasting a bumper grid made up of the iconic car, Donington Park marks the halfway point in the season and it is all to play for.

In the more powerful Super Mighty Mini class wins have gone the way of Stuart Combes, Lee Polman, Greg Jenkins, Damien Harrington and Alex Comis – making picking a winner for outright glory at this event almost impossible to choose from.

Elsewhere in the Mighty Mini class, the likes of Seven Kirkpatrick, Scott Kendall and Jo Polley have all been the leading lights and each will be looking to add to their impressive 2018 resumes.

There will be a diverse range of machinery in the Lancaster Insurance MG Owners Club Championship as it too reaches the halfway stage of the season. Events at Oulton Park, Rockingham and Snetterton have set the tone already, with the likes of Jim Baynam, Stuart Plotnek and David Mellor as the perennial contenders to look out for.

Fans of single seater racing will be well catered for over the course of the weekend too via the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford 1600 Championship. Taking a trip down memory lane of the once popular category, the jaw-dropping machines of yesteryear continue to spark great racing.

Mike Gardner, Mark Armstrong, Benn Tilley, Adriano Mederios and more have all tasted success this year and will be looking to do so once again.

Capping off the BARC competition will be a pair of races from the Kumho BMW Championship. Bringing the best models from the German manufacturer together onto one grid, the series has continued to keep going from strength-to-strength with Colin Wells, Ian Crisp and Russell Dack are three of just many drivers that have made their mark this year.

In addition to the feast of BARC action, the British Superkarts will also be in action around the sweeping curves of Donington Park.

BTRA headlines blockbuster Brands Hatch bank holiday weekend meeting

The BTRA Truck Racing Championship headlined what proved to be a bumper bank holiday weekend at Brands Hatch (April 1/2) for the British Automobile Racing Club, with a total of seven championships in action.

Tackling the infamous Indy layout of the Kent venue in mixed conditions across both days, a bumper crowd was treated to a feast of wheel-to-wheel battles.

In the heavyweight Truck encounters, Division 1 served up a host of storming races with Stuart Oliver kicking off proceedings with victory in race one, narrowly pipping David Jenkins. Roles were reversed in race two however as Jenkins got the better of Oliver to clinch his maiden win of the season.

Despite joining Mat Summerfield as a late entry reigning champion Ryan Smith showed his class on day two as he romped to a host of victories.

In Division 2, Luke Garrett was in similar form as he set his stall out as an early title contender, triumphing on three occasions. John and Steve Powell were the other victors in the more production-based category.

The Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres was back in action too for their second event of the year and six races being run. Day one saw Miles Rudman notch his first win of the season before 2017 runner-up Ben Power scored wins in race two and the grand final.

Defending champion John Mickel hit the front on day two with a win in race one before Rudman once again underlined his speed with a second triumph of the weekend. Following a high speed crash earlier in the day on the pit straight, Will Gibson bounced back to finish the day on the top step of the podium.

The Pickup Truck Racing Championship saw Lea Wood exert his dominance with a near perfect weekend as he romped to a brace of wins. The former BTCC racer scythed his way through the field in the opener before stamping his authority as a serial title contender in race two with an equally impressive performance.

Dominance was the norm in the Kumho BMW Championship and Scrapco/Avon Tyres Intermarque Championship too as Colin Wells and Malcolm Blackman clinched double wins respectively.

Rounding the list of race winners was Rod Birley, who was back on track in his rebuilt Ford Escort RS, and Adrian Bradley – both of whom took to the top step of the podium in the amalgamated BARC Modified Saloon Car Championship and BARC South East Tin Tops Championship races.

For the full classification of results, click here.

Brands Hatch set for BARC Easter extravaganza

Brands Hatch is primed for a bank holiday weekend of blockbuster proportions on Sunday and Monday as the British Truck Racing Association Championship roars into life for another season.

Headlining what is a bumper programme of track action around the Indy layout, a mammoth crowd is set to descend on the Kent venue for an Easter extravaganza of thrills ’n’ spills.

Weighing in at more than five tonnes and producing more than 1000bhp each, nothing quite compares to British Truck Racing. This weekend’s opening event will see a total of seven races run across both Divisions, however the landscape of both has changed.

In the top tier, double and reigning champion Ryan Smith has elected not to return, meaning his title is very much up for grabs. Leading the list of contenders that fans will be looking out for is multiple champion Stuart Oliver, prolific front runner Dave Jenkins and Luke Taylor, amongst others.

Division 2 champion Mika Makinen will also missing from the grid this year, opening the floodgates in the more production-based category. Former title holder Adam Bint will be keen to get back to winning ways whilst the likes of Simon Cole, John Powell and Luke Garrett lead the long list of fellow contenders.

Elsewhere, one man that will be defending his title this year starting at Brands Hatch is Scott Bourne. Climbing to the top of the Pickup Truck Racing Championship mountain in 2017, Bourne is back with a new livery and the coveted number one adorning his truck.

In what has been a strong off-season for the championship as a whole, with an influx of entries being submitted, the popular category is set for another memorable year. Usual protagonists Lea Wood, David O’Reagan, Michael Smith and Mark Willis are all joined by a host of familiar and new faces – making the opening two races impossible to call.

Following on from a memorable opening weekend in mid-March at Oulton Park, the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres are back in action. Making the first of three visits to Brands Hatch this year, a bumper grid of the 5/8 scale machines are set to put on a show across the six races that are set to be run.

Jack Parker’s opening round consistency has placed him at the top of the standings however he has a host of race winners nipping at his heels. Will Gibson and Steve Whitelegg both took wins at Oulton Park and sit second and third in the points, with reigning champion John Mickel not far behind either.

Fans of all things BMW will be drawn to the Kumho BMW Championship, which gets underway this weekend too. Open to all models of the German manufacturer, the championship will once again run a multi-class system depending on specification.

Notable names to look out for during the season-opener include Russell Dack, Giuseppe Callari, James Card and Gareth Montgomery.

Rounding out the weekend’s jam-packed race programme will be the three categories from the BARC’s South East Centre; the BARC Modified Saloon Car Championship, BARC South East Tin Top Championship and Scrapco Metal/Avon Tyres Intermarque Championship.

All bringing together a diverse range of machines to their individual grids, a wealth of local talent is set to shine through over the course of the two days.

One of the big stories will lie in the Modified Saloon Car races as Rod barley bids to get back on track following his high speed crash at the same venue last November, injuring him and causing substantial damage to his Ford Escort RS.