BARC delivers memorable two days at Croft

The British Automobile Racing Club enjoyed a memorable two days at Croft this past weekend (April 28/29) as a trio of championships continued their campaigns.

Searing temperatures coupled with rain showers only added to the spectacle as the fans were treated to an abundance of bumper-to-bumper thrills.

Making their first visit to the North Yorkshire venue since 2007, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship returned to Croft for the second chapter of what has already been an enthralling 2018 campaign to-date.

Reigning champion Scott Bourne opened his silverware account in race one as he stormed to victory, narrowly pipping David O’Reagan and Mark Willis, with just under three seconds covering the rostrum finishers.

O’Reagan climbed to the top step in race two however as he emerged as the victor following a frenetic race-long battle with Lea Wood, crossing the line 0.051 ahead of the double Brands Hatch winner.

Wood wasn’t to be denied in the final race of the weekend though, cementing himself as the man to beat at this stage in the championship by scoring his third win of the season. Having failed to finish earlier in the day, Bourne bagged second place behind the former BTCC star whilst O’Reagan scored a hat-trick of podiums.

In the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres, John Mickel underlined his status as a multiple and defending champion with a scintillating showing.

Boasting another bumper grid of the 5/8 scale machines, Mickel started the weekend hot on the heels of Steve Whitelegg who took the win in the first of six races. From there on however the event belonged to Mickel as he produced a string of mesmerising performances to win the next five races.

Other notable performances included Miles Rudman, Jack Parker, Paul Simmons and Sean Smith.

There were no less than eight races from the Classic Touring Car Championship, with many classes amalgamating. The Pre 66 Classic Saloon & Historic Touring Cars saw Philip House pilot his Ford Lotus Cortina to a brace of wins as Alan Greenhalgh and Roger Stanford rounded off the remaining podium positions, each taking a second and third place finish each.

Stephen Primett and Jim Mcloughlin shared the spoils in Pre 83 Group 1 Touring Cars whilst Dale Gent and his Subaru Impreza proved to be too much for the competition in both Classic & Historic Thunder Saloons & Blue Oval Saloon Series both races.

Outright wins also went the way of Ian Bower and Steven Barden in the combined Pre 93 Touring Cars, Pre 2003 Touring Cars & Pre 05 Production Saloon Cars races around the 2.1 mile layout.

Rounding out the action over the course of the weekend was two races from the DDMC Northern Saloon & Sports Car Championship, which boasted an entry list of more than 30 cars. Jeff Wilson piloted his Lotus Elise to both victories.

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

Trio of BARC championships descend on Croft

The British Automobile Racing Club makes its first visit of the season to Croft Circuit this weekend (April 21/22) with a trio of championships set to entertain fans trackside.

Scorching weather is set to match the on-track action, which is made up of a diverse variety of categories and machines.

Making their first visit to North Yorkshire since 2007, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship returns to Croft for the second chapter of their season.

Former British Touring Car Championship racer Lea Wood leads the pack into weekend after scoring a dominant pair of victories at Brands Hatch at the start of the month. Defending champion Scott Bourne however is hot on his heels and will be keen to strike back

Add into the mix a host of wily veterans and fresh faces that make up this year’s grid and it is set to be a frenetic weekend of racing from the iconic line-up of trucks.

Iconic is a word that can be strongly linked to the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, with multiple classes and a raft of diverse cars set to take to the track during both days too.

Grids for Pre-93, Pre-96, Pre-03 and Pre-05 as well as the Pre-83, Thunder and BOSS make up the grid for this championship, ensuring that there is something for everyone no matter the age.

A total of eight races will be run over the course of both days with notable names such as Stephen Primett in his Ford Escort Mk1, Richard Askham in his Jaguar XJR and Dale Gent in his Subaru Impreza, to name just a few, to keep an eye on.

Rounding out the BARC flavour is the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres. In what is their third event of the 2018 campaign, the action from the 5/8 scale has once again produced edge-of-the-seat thrills up to now, and that theme is set to continue this weekend.

Five races and a grid in excess of 30 cars will do battle around the Darlington-based venue. Two wins at Brands Hatch, paired with his consistency so far, sees Miles Rudman lead the series however he has a host of contenders hot on his heels.

Multiple and reigning champion John Mickel, Ben Power, Steve Whitelegg and Jack Parker are just a few drivers that will be in contention for outright honours.

Darlington and District Motor Club’s capacity-entry Northern Sports and Saloon Car Championship will also feature at their local track with a majority of the grid made up of local drivers to Croft in a host of different cars, ranging from historic sports cars to modern-day Touring Cars.

Scotsman Andrew Morrison leads the series after Oulton Park in his Seat Leon TCR just ahead of former champion Mike Cutt from York in his rapid BMW M3.

Practice gets underway at 9.30 on Saturday with ten races starting at 12.10. Sunday’s action commences at 12.00 with another nine races to round off a bumper weekend of action.

Adult admission is just £11.00 on both days in advance or £15.00 on the day with accompanied children aged 15 and under admitted FREE on both days. A weekend ticket costs £15 in advance or £25 on the gate. There is also FREE car parking and FREE paddock access.

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.

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.

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.

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.