Tag: Porsche Sprint Challenge GB

BTCC season-opener to run behind closed doors at Thruxton

Following the announcement of the government’s roadmap for easing of lockdown restrictions, the season-opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race meeting at Thruxton on May 8/9 will be run behind closed doors, without spectators.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has confirmed that no spectators will be allowed to attend events until May 17 at the earliest. We are disappointed that fans will not be able to join us in May and we are sorry for the inconvenience this decision will cause.

However, it looks as though the circuit will be able to have a full complement of spectators when the BTCC returns to Thruxton on August 28/29.

TICKET HOLDERS HAVE TWO OPTIONS
OPTION 1

We would like to offer you the opportunity to exchange your tickets for the BTCC race meeting in August. If you purchased grandstand seats, these will also be transferred and we will do our very best to allocate you the same seats. However, if your original allocation of seats is not available we will contact you. To exchange your tickets please send your name, address, and postcode to may21transfer@barc.net

Tickets will be posted in June/July. If you have any queries please email info@barc.net and someone will reply as soon as they are able.

OPTION 2

If you would like a full refund, please send your name, address, and postcode to may21refund@barc.net and your refund will be processed within 7 working days. If we do not hear from you before Sunday 11 April 2021, we will automatically process a refund.

We appreciate the disappointment that this will cause to our supporters, but we are grateful for your understanding at this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to Thruxton as soon as possible.

2020 Season Review: Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB

The Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB made an immediate impact during its eagerly-anticipated debut in 2020, crowning James Dorlin as its inaugural champion and laying down the building blocks for years to come.

Introduced as the latest championship to be added to the Porsche Motorsport GB pyramid, sitting between the Porsche Classic Boxster Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the one-make series proved to be a smash-hit from the get-go.

Accommodating both amateur and professional drivers alike, the championship operated a two-category structure in the shape of Pro and Am; with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport series starring on both the British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship support packages.

No stranger to the British Automobile Racing Club after winning titles in both the Junior Saloon Car Championship and Michelin Clio Cup Series, In2 Racing’s Dorlin entered the season as one of the favourites to challenge for the crown and the 21-year-old wasted no time in establishing himself as the driver to beat.

Kicking the season off at Snetterton, Dorlin produced a masterful performance to win both races and assume top spot in the overall standings. The former Renault UK Clio Cup vice-champion would then triumph at Donington Park as well after seeing Tom Jackson open his account for the year.

Jackson would prove to be Dorlin’s closest challenger over the course of the campaign and the Rob Boston Racing ace racked up further wins at Brands Hatch and Donington Park once again to close the gap to Dorlin.

As the championship reached the business end of the season, a heavy crash at Croft for Jackson all but ended his title aspirations as Dorlin showed his class, winning three of the final four contests to write his name into the history books as the first-ever Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB champion.

In the Amateur category, Ambrogio Perfetti charged to six wins and two second place finishes to secure the title ahead of Ian Humphris.

Mixed conditions add to the TOCA support championship drama at Croft

Croft Circuit played host to a quite spectacular two days of TOCA support championship track action this past weekend (October 10/11), with the North Yorkshire venue proving pivotal in deciding who will eventually be crowned champions.

The complexion of the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship turned upside down once again as Josh Rattican and Tom Lebbon shared the spoils. Bailey Voisin had entered the weekend with a comfortable points lead but a nightmare two races for the youngster has meant his rivals have closed up.

Rattican’s third victory of the campaign put his title rivals on notice but it was Lebbon’s race two drive that really turned heads, clinching a dominant lights-to-flag win by more than six seconds.

There were further twists and turns in the battle for supremacy in the Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 Supercup over the course of the weekend, with a trio of contests setting pulses racing.

Will Burns converted pole position into a commanding lights-to-flag victory in race one and then repeated the feat in race two as he soaked up race-long pressure from Adam Smalley and Gus Burton. Race three honours fell the way of Smalley.

The Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB made its debut on the TOCA package and it didn’t disappoint, delivering two breathless encounters around the challenging 2.13-mile circuit.

Former Renault UK Clio Cup vice champion James Dorlin reigned supreme ahead of Theo Edgerton in race one amidst the fading light on Saturday and then proved unbeatable during Sunday’s action-packed race, clinching victory and extending his championship lead at the same time.

Elsewhere, the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE Trophy made its final appearance of the season on the TOCA package and served up a feast of entertainment as a bumper grid went wheel-to-wheel around the challenging BARC operated track.

Harry Nunn proved to be in a league of his own as he stormed to victory in race one ahead of Josh Porter before Andrew Langley triumphed in a truncated second bout.

Two contests from the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost rounded off the weekend’s track action at Croft, with Zak O’Sullivan and Casper Stevenson taking a win apiece.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions and championships, click here.

Snetterton plays host to the penultimate event of the 2020 season for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and TOCA support categories on October 24/25.

TOCA support championships revved up to take centre stage at Croft

It’s not just the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship that is reaching the business end of the 2020 season at Croft this weekend (October 10/11) as championships on the TOCA support package also reach a pivotal point in the year.

Bailey Voisin is back to being the driver to beat in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship after scoring a brace of wins at Silverstone last time out. On a weekend which saw his rivals endure their own misfortunes, the R Racing driver is now in the box seat heading to Croft.

However, as has been demonstrated on countless occasions this season, the title picture can change in a flash in Ginetta Juniors and you can bet that the likes of Josh Rattican, Tom Lebbon and Georgi Dimitrov, amongst others, will be keen to turn the tables across the weekend’s two races.

Throw into the mix front-runners such as Zak Taylor, Tom Edgar and Aston Miller, you begin to see how competitive the series for drivers aged between 14 to 17 really is this year.

The Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 Supercup returns to the track with an equally intriguing battle for supremacy brewing as well. Seven points currently separate the top three in the standings and Croft’s challenging layout could write another enthralling chapter in what has been a storybook campaign so far.

Over the course of the season so far, the championship lead has been shared between Tom Hibbert, Will Burns and Gus Burton, with Hibbert currently the man to beat after recording a third win of the season last time out at Thruxton.

Hibbert will be aiming to increase his points advantage at a circuit he won at last season, however it won’t be easy. Burton has been a revelation in his maiden campaign, while Burns is a consistent podium finisher with a wealth of experience in the series.

After starring at Thruxton, the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE Trophy makes its final appearance on the TOCA package and if previous outings are anything to go by, fireworks are set to fly on-track.

Notable names to look out for across the weekend’s two encounters include Ben Kasperczak, Archie O’Brien, Lydia Walmsley and Dominic Wheatley.

Making its debut at Croft on the TOCA support bill will be the Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB. New-for-2020, the Cayman GT4 series has been a smash-hit since launching and has boasted a bumper Pro/Am entry list at each round.

Tom Jackson enters the weekend at the summit of the standings however former Renault UK Clio Cup race winner James Dorlin is hot on his heels and fully focused on closing the five-point deficit that currently sits between them.

Rounding out what is set to be a blockbuster weekend of racing at Croft will be two contests from the all-action F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost.

As has been the case at all BTCC race meetings this season, Croft will not be permitting any spectators to the event and it will be run behind closed doors. Live coverage of Sunday’s races will be broadcast on ITV4, starting from 11:30.

To view more information on this weekend’s event, including links to the live timing and the BTCC Online Programme, click here.

BARC publishes COVID-19 guidelines for Competitors and Officials

With the restart to racing in the UK now well underway the British Automobile Racing Club has updated its guidelines on how events will be run for both Competitors and Officials.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to adjust some of our practices and procedures in order to satisfy the requirements laid down by the government and most importantly to provide the safest environment possible for everyone involved.

In line with the guidance provided by Motorsport UK, the BARC will operate their race meetings as follows:-

BARC Competitors Guidance (v3 21 July) – CLICK HERE

BARC Officials Guidance (v2 22 July) – CLICK HERE

These guidelines have been put in place with the well-being of staff, competitors, officials and all potential visitors to our venues and events remaining at the forefront of our considerations at all times.

As it stands, all race meetings and events remain provisional and subject to change in accordance with the latest directives from the UK government.

To view the remaining post-lockdown 2021 events schedule, head to https://www.barc.net/events/.

BARC announces revised provisional 2020 calendar for remainder of the year

The British Automobile Racing Club can today (June 22) reveal its revised provisional calendar for the remainder 2020; kicking off on July 4/5 and running right the way through until November 22.

Following on from the suspension of UK motorsport in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club has worked tirelessly to put together a calendar with the dates available that will suit each individual championship.

Unfortunately, both the British Hillclimb Championship and BARC Connaught Speed Championship have elected to cancel their 2020 campaigns, with the focus now on 2021.

To view the full revised list of 2020 British Automobile Racing Club race meetings, CLICK HERE.

All dates remain provisional and subject to change in line with the current and ever-evolving government guidelines. Spectators are currently not permitted to attend events at this moment in time.

Those wishing to enter a race meeting can do so via the BARC Competitor Entry System.

For those that do not have a Username to access the BARC Competitor Entry System or if you have a general enquiry, please contact BARC Competitors secretary David Wheadon via 01264 882209 or dwheadon@barc.net.

Guidelines for Competitors and Officials have also been published in relation to how BARC race meetings will operate moving forward. They can be viewed by heading to https://www.barc.net/barc-publishes-covid-19-guidelines-for-competitors-and-officials/