Tag: Pickup Truck Racing Championship

C1 Challenge set to make history at Rockingham with blockbuster 24hr race

The British Automobile Racing Club is set to play its part in a small piece of history at Rockingham this weekend (May 11/12/13) as the Corby circuit gets set to stage its first-ever 24hr race.

Having hosted a wide variety of events since opening in 2001, Rockingham will welcome the Trade Team C1 Challenge for three days of unmissable, wheel-to-wheel action.

Launching in 2017 with just a handful of cars, the C1 Challenge has become a phenomenon in UK motorsport, with grids having grown at a rapid rate. Giving drivers the opportunity to go endurance racing at a low-cost, the series is set for its biggest weekend to date at Rockingham.

A capacity 53-car entry list has been confirmed by organisers with a diverse range of drivers filling the seats across each team. Whilst some o

Notable names taking to the track include FIA World Endurance Championship racer Andy Priaulx, who will share a car with his son Sebastian, Richard Solomans and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Series Director Alan Gow.

Recent BTCC race winner Josh Cook, former BTCC stars Anthony Reid and Lea Wood and Jade Edwards are just a handful of the other notable names that are competing. In total, 203 drivers will take to the track over the course of what is set to be a memorable 24hrs of competition.

Given the high demand to race in the 24hr race, an additional three-hour encounter is now also set to run on Saturday, with a capacity 35-car entry list confirmed for that as well.

Aside from the C1 Challenge, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship makes its first of four visits to Rockingham. Having raced around the venue for the past 15 years, this weekend will see the championship descend on the same circuit that the BTCC uses instead of the oval.

Boasting a 23-car entry for Saturday’s two races, all eyes will be on Lea Wood and whether he can extend his points lead at the summit of the standings. Winning both races at Brands Hatch and notching another victory at Croft, Wood holds a commanding lead in the standings and will be keen to add to his silverware collection this weekend.

Hot on his heels however will be defending champion Scott Bourne and David O’Reagan, both of whom also triumphed at Croft last time. Throw into the mix the likes of Mark Willis, Dale Gent and Paul Tompkins, to name a few, and it is set to be an intriguing two races around the ISSC configuration.

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.