Author Archives: Scott-W

  1. A STORMER OF A BRSCC RACE DAY AT OULTON PARK

    Leave a Comment

    The BRSCC’s North Western Centre enjoyed its first day of racing of 2024 this past Saturday, as the Fun Cup Endurance Championship headlined an excellent programme of races, with saloons and single seaters also providing much entertainment throughout. Even though racing was curtailed at the end of the day due a massive sudden rain storm, there was no dampening of anyone’s enjoyment!

    After plenty of hard work over the past 12 months, the Fun Cup Endurance Championship landed at Oulton Park for its season opener with five former champion teams and top drivers such as Johnny Mowlem and Scott Mansell in the line-up. PLR Racing were drawn on pole position alongside Skull Club Racing, with defending champions Team Olympian GRD starting last by default.

    From the outset, a six car group quickly pulled away out in front, with PLR, Skull Club, MJ Tech and Morpheus Motorsport all taking turns in the lead throughout the opening stints. Morpheus and MJ Tech quickly broke away in their own private battle but the latter (Will Abraham/ Scott Jeffs) was clear by some ten seconds when the first pit window opened.

    The gap between the top two stayed at around 15 seconds once the first stops shook out, and MJ Tech continued to extend their advantage as the race ticked on. Both Morpheus and MJ Tech also copped stop go penalties for track limits, and remained in the same order afterwards. Just shy of half distance, the safety car was called minutes before the third pit window opened, and radio problems coupled with getting caught in the queue straight away scuppered Morpheus’ chances of victory as they were left a lap behind.

    This now put MJ Tech in something of an unassailable lead for the remainder of the race, but the four hour encounter wouldn’t end up reaching its full conclusion. Mere minutes from the flag, a sudden and inclement heavy rain storm severely saturated Oulton Park, catching the drivers by surprise and even leading to some cars skating off the road. This led to the race’s stoppage with three minutes to go, confirming MJ Tech’s Will Abraham and Scott Jeffs as first time race winners after a number of seasons trying. 

    Team Olympian’s Simon Rudd, Riley Phillips and Chris Dovell took second as defending champs, while UVio/ Hofmann’s Motorsport’s “Farquini” and “Fabulous Randaccio” survived a late race off while battling with GCI Racing which led to the latter getting beached in the gravel with minutes to go.

    Oulton Park also marked the opening rounds of the new season for the Nankang Tyre BMW Compact Cup, and a familiar surname ended up on pole position. It was a Doble that took pole, Joseph to be exact, fastest in qualifying by a staggering 1.4 seconds, and this set the tone for the rest of the day ahead. Race one was something of a formality as he led from pole position, resisted early pressure from second placed Connor Grady and ended up driving away to claim his first Compact Cup win to kickstart his season in fine form. Grady was also a first time podium visitor on his championship debut, and Ross Stoner took one of his best results to date with third place too.

    A fast start from defending champion Gareth Claydon managed to get a grand start from fourth on the grid for race two to go second by Shell Oils Hairpin in a bid to chase after leader Joe Doble. Wasting no time in gapping the rest while they squabbled for second place downwards, Doble was a man on a mission as he cantered away out in front, and managed to extend an even bigger advantage in another lights to flag. Joe completed two wins from two by over four seconds this time, with Claydon holding second and Stoner in third, holding off a last lap battle between Grady and Mike Doble.

    The second Super Classic Pre ‘99 Formula Ford 1600 Championship race day of the season produced another varied and well supported grid, as defending Champion of Oulton driver Richard Freye proved he had the measure of everyone else on the Cheshire circuit. From pole in qualifying to a dominant run to victory in race one, he was untouchable during the morning race, positively streaking away to clinch his first win of the season by just under six seconds ahead of Paul Mason and Jake Shortland in the top Super Classic C class car.

    Freye’s efforts in the second race didn’t allow him to get away from his pursuers as well as he did earlier in the day. He was kept honest throughout the entire 15 minutes by Mason in second, while Shortland, Chris Stones and Peter Daly were all in that early leading pack before they settled for third to fifth respectively. As for Freye, he managed to hold on to claim the double, but only by 1.7 seconds this time with Mason in P2. Freye, Stones, Shortland and Oliver Buckton were all respective Super Classic class winners across both races.

    There were mixed conditions and fortunes in the two Modified Ford Series races, with the first starting under rapidly falling rain and a changing track surface. Jim Hutchinson took the lead at the start from Piers Grange before the latter’s Mk2 Escort fishtailed its way down the pit straight and eventually into the Old Hall gravel trap. After a lengthy neutralisation, the short restart allowed Hutchinson’s beautiful green and gold Mk1 Escort RSR to claim a win ahead of Tom Ovenden’s red example, with James Allen’s Focus rounding off the top three.

    Later in the afternoon on a now dry circuit, an early but shorter safety car kept the pack close together in the opening minutes, but when it did get going it was another chance for Hutchinson to stretch the legs of the Escort once more. On the restart, Hutchinson took Ovenden with him, but young Tom wasn’t able to find a way past for the remainder of the race, leaving Jim to pick up his second win in as many races with Ovenden staying in P2. A storming drive from the back from Piers Grange saw him collect the final step on the overall podium with third.

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  2. BRSCC & TCR UK ROCK BRANDS HATCH AS 2024 TINTOP SEASON BEGINS

    Leave a Comment

    The opening outing of 2024 for the TCR UK Touring Car Championship burst into life on a bright and sunny spring BRSCC weekend at Brands Hatch in Kent on the Indy circuit, as three tin-top races provided some spectacular entertainment across both days. In addition, the support package was just as thrilling with action up and down the paddock in all formulas. It certainly was a memorable occasion for all involved!

    The TCR UK Touring Car Championship headlined Brands Hatch with the first triple header of races for the season, featuring a grid that included champion Carl Boardley plus a great mix of returning and new names that featured the debut of both Swedish TCR ace Viktor Andersson, and a first UK appearance of the Lynk & Co 03 TCR courtesy of Pro Alloys Racing.

    Andersson and the Lynk & Co made an instant impact with a front row starting spot for race one alongside pole sitter Callum Newsham before beating him to Paddock Hill Bend first time. Resisting severe pressure from behind by Newsham, Boardley and co, Andersson drove superbly to hold them back and claim his and Lynk & Co’s first ever TCR UK wins on their respective debuts, ahead of the CUPRAs of Boardley and Adam Shepherd.

    A lightning start for Shepherd saw him leap from eighth on the partially reversed grid to the lead at the start of race two, never looking back and clinching a comfortable win in the CUPRA ahead of Newsham in second and Joe Marshall’s Audi in third. Then it was time for Newsham to step forwards and claim his first win in TCR UK at last, starting race three from pole once more, beating Andersson to turn one this time and surviving an early safety car to take victory. Andersson originally took P2 before post-race disqualification for failing ride height checks, promoting Boardley and Shepherd to second and third.

    The trio of races for the Milltek Sport Civic Cup proved to be just as energetic as many had anticipated, especially with such a talent stacked grid of drivers for 2024. 2023 champion Max Edmundson began his title defence from pole in race one, and kept newcomer Spencer Stevenson at bay to start the season with a win, with former TCR champion Josh Files collecting a fine third on series debut.

    A pair of red flags coloured an action-packed second race on Sunday morning, but the race did allow former Civic champion Alistair Camp to prove his pace in the newer shape FN2 model, and he would be declared the victor in his first weekend in the new car, followed by Harvey Caton and Will Redford. More heated battles took place early in race three before the Area Motorsport trio of Edmundson, Lewis Kent and Files completed a team lockout of the podium at the chequered flag.

    BRSCC’s young racers in the Fiesta Junior Championship turned out at Brands Hatch for their first points-scoring races of the year after many began at the non-points Silverstone weekend a few weeks prior. The weekend began with a win for Jenson O’Neill-Going in race one after leading from start to finish, ahead of Mk7 class winner Jacob Hodgkiss from Finn Leslie and Tommy Harfield, before the same first three drivers made up the top of race two’s results with Jenson Mason third in Mk7s.

    A gearbox issue for O’Neill-Going’s car forced him to drop back in race three, allowing a terrific three car fight at the front between Leslie, Hodgkiss and Mason. Finn would get to the chequered flag first to claim his first win of the year, topping the Mk7s with the aforementioned Hodgkiss and Garford behind him. O’Neill-Going was still top Mk6 as he was all weekend, with class podiums also shared between Callie Clifford and Michael Wheeler.

    The new AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship season also produced plenty of entertainment on their first weekend permanently supporting TCR UK. Zachary Lucas mimicked his start to 2023 by taking pole for race one and holding the lead from start to finish through a late safety in Saturday’s encounter, despite heavy pressure from Alastair Kellett behind him in second, the pair ahead of Gary Miller in third in Pro class. Am class victory went to FJC graduate Dan Lewis ahead of fellow former Juniors James Pope and Henry Howarth.

    A red flagged start to race two gave Kellett the chance he needed to get a good enough start to beat Lucas to turn one and despite Zachary keeping the Irishman on his toes all race, Kellett kept his nerve to claim his first win of 2024, the pair again ahead of Miller in third as they all topped Pro class. Am class went the way of Pope this time from Lewis and Caitlyn May.

    Race three was a momentous occasion for Dan Lewis in particular. After shooting the gap between the front row pair, he dominated out in front to claim his first ST240 win on his debut weekend and became the first Am class driver to take a victory outright. Lucas Hayden was top Pro driver in second ahead of Lucas in third, while Kellett completed the Pro top three and Archie Johnson and Pope were on the Am podium.

    There was much hype and anticipation for the first ever points-scoring races for the Audi TT Cup Racing Championship, their first as a fully fledged championship. A bumper capacity entry allowed all competitors to race on one grid together. They made an incredible sight on track as race one got underway, with pole sitter Carl Swift leading initially before battling with Matt Luff over top spot. The top two were in a race of their own with Swift holding station to claim the first championship race win in TTCup history, with Luff second and Harry Yardley-Rose a few seconds back in third.

    There was no change in the winner for race two as Swift quickly created a gap while Luff ended up facing the wrong way at Druids on lap two. Swift pushed on to grab the second win of the weekend, ensuring he took near maximum points from the meeting with Bradley Burns capturing second this time ahead of Yardley-Rose once again in third.

    Former Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge champion Mike Blackburn ensured he kicked off his 2024 campaign in the best possible way by leaping into the lead in race one on Saturday afternoon. He was chased for the entire 15 minutes by eventual podium finishers Matt Pimlott and Dan Robinson after they’d passed Dillon Davis mid way through, but Mike held steady to clinch the first win of the season.

    Blackburn then duplicated his start from race two and again was unshaken from P1 for the duration, benefitting from a late safety car that saw him get a big jump on the rest of the pack thanks to Pimlott suffering mechanical issues and pitting just before the restart. Blackburn made it two out of two at the flag, joined on the podium this time by Robinson in second and Davis in third.

    Then came the partially reverse grid race three, where Sam Watkins shot forward from P8 to the lead in a matter of seconds and simply drove up the road to take an excellent lights to flag victory, again aided by a safety car mid race. Behind him, all the action was for second place as teammates Liam Browning and Stephanie Sore scrapped with Blackburn and co over the podium places. It would be Browning that took second in the end while Sore survived a last lap tangle in the final moments to clinch a first rostrum visit with third.

    The sprint racing action was also added to by the mega little pocket rockets of the Hickford Construction MG Metro Cup, and even they produced their own drama come the conclusion of race one. Mike Williams led from the start and looked comfortable out in front – however, heading into the final moment, the engine on his Metro gave up the ghost which forced him out and lost him the win. Dick Trevett gained P1 as a result, taking a surprise victory with a late safety car cementing the result from Robbie Kenning and Jon Moore.

    The engine failure put Williams out for the rest of the weekend, leaving the rest to scrap over race two honours. Kenning leapt well from the outside of the front row to lead from the outset and did his best to leave the cars behind to dice amongst themselves. As Robbie drove on to claim his first win of the year, some slight confusion under a late safety car saw Dick Trevett overtake Jon Moore under yellow flags which led to his demotion to third place and giving Moore second as a result.

    Right at the beginning of Saturday’s action, the SW Motorsports ClubSport Trophy kicked off the show with a magnificent 45 minute pit-stop race sporting a sold-out capacity grid. Julian Daniel in his VW Golf managed to defend from front row mate Liam Crilly’s BMW Z4 at the start before the latter lost out to the VW Scirocco of Phiroze Bilimoria. A brief early safety car kept the trio close and remained so afterwards, before another was called just as the pit window was opening due to several cars stopped around the circuit.

    Once this second, more lengthy safety car period was concluded after some 15 minutes, Daniel continued in front from Bilimoria and David May’s Nissan 370Z, before an issue for Daniel dropped him out of contention. This left Bilimoria to drive on to ClubSport Trophy victory in the end, more than three seconds ahead of May’s Nissan, followed by fellow Class A runners Crilly, Daniel and Rob Andrade in his VW Golf. Other class winners included Nick Watling and Jack Wheeler’s Ford Fiesta ST150 (Class B), Brendan Murphy’s BMW E36 Compact (Class C), Stephen Harrison’s Renault Clio (Class D) and Matt Adcock and Ian Jones’ BMW E36 Compact (Class E).

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  3. OULTON PARK WELCOMES BRSCC BACK FOR INAUGURAL 2024 VISIT

    Leave a Comment

    In our first visit to the North West in 2024, the British Racing & Sports Car Club heads to a real driver’s favourite in Oulton Park in Cheshire for the initial one-day meeting of the season in mid-April.

    The hope is for some bright spring weather to go with the equally brilliant racing set to be on show, with both sprint and endurance formulae once again on the bill. With the first endurance action of the year from Fun Cup headlining the bill, there also’s plenty of entertainment in store from BMWs, Fords and Formula Fords too.

    As mentioned, the bulk of the day’s racing will be provided courtesy of the Fun Cup Endurance Championship, who kick off their 2024 campaign at one of their regular and favourite circuits amongst teams and drivers. Oulton Park typically both kicks off and end the season for Fun Cup, and it’s no exception this time.

    Some hard work over the past 18 months or so has really paid off, as a real surge in interest int the championship has led to a great influx of new drivers, new teams and new line-ups in general. In particular, defending champions Team Olympian will aim to defend their title with Simon Rudd now joining Chris Dovell and Riley Phillips in place of Kristian Rose.

    Plenty of the regular teams that have been front runners over the past few seasons are expected to turn out once more, with the likes of UVio/ Hofmann’s Lotus, Team Viking/ Ursus Capital, PLR Racing, Axiametrics, Signature RV, Greenheath and others all set to be on the grid to challenge for supremacy again. As the name suggests, it’s sure to be four hours of pure intense endurance action!

    Another championship making its first outing of 2024 here at Oulton Park is the Nankang Tyre BMW Compact Cup, which looks set to once again create a brand new champion. Last year saw Gareth Claydon follow in the wheel tracks of both Mikey Doble and Steven Dailly before him, as he clinched the title at the finale at Snetterton last year. He is back to defend his crown and the #1 on his window, but he knows the competition will once again be as fierce as ever.

    Initial favourites to pick out to challenge him from this year’s entry list include Matt Flowers, Matt Kendall and both Mike and Joe Doble. All four of them are no strangers to being front runners and have had their share of good results over the past couple of seasons. It’s likely that the champion challenge could come from one of this quartet, but there are others such as Gordon Macmillan, Ross Stoner and former Ginetta and Fiesta Junior racer Connor Grady who could also steal big points for themselves from the outset.

    The Super Classic Pre ‘99 Formula Ford Championship is back at Oulton Park for their second event of 2024, and at a circuit in which this championship has a lot of history from its days in previous seasons known as the Northern Formula Ford Championship. Silverstone proved to be a resounding success for this year’s opener and we anticipate many of the Northern and North Western regulars to turn out on the grid.

    Names such as Richard Freye, Tom Hawkins, Oliver Buckton and Paul Mason are back from Silverstone, Richard in particular hoping to get the defence of his Champion of Oulton crown off to the best possible start. That contest will see drivers racing to win the Ian “Diz” Smith Trophy for their efforts at the end of the season, so his rivals will have to try and catch him on the hop to get an early head start.

    Also back again from Silverstone, it’s the second weekend of competition for the Modified Ford Series, which for this event is sponsored and supported by MotorV8 Media. The entry is set to be another strong one with over thirty cars across six classes and featuring the usual excellent variety of Ford models on display.

    Cars back again from Silverstone that are sure to be front runners from the outset include Dave Cockell’s Escort Cosworth, James Allen’s Focus, Malcolm Harding’s Mk2 Escort Zakspeed, Piers Grange’s Mk2 Escort and the Sierra RS500s of Mike Manning and David Hinde. Alongside them, the rest of the entry list is a familiar sight with plenty more Fiestas, Focuses, Escorts, Sierras, Capris and Puma all due to turn out.

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  4. BRSCC, TCR UK & CO READY TO RUMBLE AT BRANDS HATCH FOR 2024

    Leave a Comment

    The British Racing & Sports Car Club’s home circuit of Brands Hatch in Kent is the chosen setting for the 2024 edition of the TCR UK Touring Car Championship to begin a brand new season, on the same Indy circuit at which the 2023 campaign and titles were both settled. Now with another competitive grid in store, we’re sure to see more superb touring car action as the championship starts all over again this weekend.

    Alongside TCR UK, there’s a superb support timetable with four permanent championships joining them for the entire season, plus more exceptional pit-stop racing and sprint racing featuring a vast array of tin-top series. It’s sure to be a real blast from start to finish!

    Off the back of their Media Day at Snetterton, the TCR UK Touring Car Championship prepares for what should be another entertaining season in store. 2023 champion Carl Boardley is back to defend the newly acquired #1 on his rear window, and he will know that defending it will be just as tough a task as trying to win it in the first place last year.

    As well as some familiar faces back again for 2024 including Brad Hutchinson replacing his Audi with a CUPRA, Joe Marshall in the Rob Boston Racing Audi and Callun Newsham’s Hyundai, there’s also an influx of new drivers looking to challenger from the outset such as Will Beech in his VW Golf TCR, Will Powell in his Honda Civic FK7 TCR and Ryan Bensley in one of two brand new Lynk & Co 03 TCRs making their UK debut. It should be an all-action start to the new TCR UK season.

    As expected, the support package for TCR UK this year is looking solid too. The Milltek Sport Civic Cup has another healthy entry with approx. over 30 cars signed up for the year, and that line-up includes returning champion Max Edmundson.

    He will have plenty of strong competition against him this year, with full-time campaigns from TCR champions Josh Files and Lewis Kent in the mix, as well as former Civic Cup title winner Alistair Camp now running the newer shape FN2 Civic. Others to watch will certainly be Sam Kirkpatrick, Will Redford, Alex Kite, Liam McGill and former Fiesta ST240 racer Spencer Stevenson amongst several others.

    Speaking of Fiesta ST240s, the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship is ready for its first full season of supporting TCR UK after joining the package full time for 2024. Last year’s champion Albert Webster has moved on to pastures new, but the pack he leaves behind are certainly going to be chomping at the bit to try and inherit his title.

    Initial favourite has to be former Fiesta champion Alastair Kellett, who will be desperate to win a second title after finishing runner-up the last three seasons in a row. Some of his closest competition will undoubtedly come from championship veterans John Cooper and Simon Horrobin, while others who will be in the mix to win the Pro title include Joseph Knight and last year’s Club class winner Morgan Kidd who makes the step up for this season.

    Their younger counterparts in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship (most of them, anyway) already have a race weekend under their belts in 2024 courtesy of the non-points scoring races at Silverstone a few weeks ago (those results counting towards the “Champion of Silverstone” contest instead). Now at Brands Hatch on their first TCR weekend of the year, the entry is set to be bumper with drivers who sat out Silverstone now on the grid to kick start their seasons.

    Jacob Hodgkiss looks as though he’ll be one of the initial favourites to score big points this weekend, as will Alfie Garford, Jenson Mason, Tommy Harfield, Finn Leslie and Jenson O’Neill-Going. Others who will want to be in the mix will be Joshua Watts, Thomas Merritt and the Fiesta Junior Scholarship winner Daniella Sutton, with the likes of George Foxlow, Ben Doughty, Billy Blockley and co all wishing to put their 2023 experience to good use starting this weekend.

    If there’s one grid that’s had everyone talking and hyped up ahead of 2024 in British club racing, by far and away it’s been the Audi TT Cup Racing Championship. After a solid first year as a series, the levels of interest and support have positively broken the scale, as some 39 cars are entered for the season opener this weekend. Not only that, but the grid is beyond stacked with top talent as they too support TCR UK this year full season.

    Just running through this list of names tells you just how competitive it really is expected to be. First, returning from 2023 are Carl Swift, Andrew Dyer, Richard Forber, Ross Makar, Harry Yardley-Rose, Luke Handley, Adam Blair, Morgan Wroot, Ryan Edgecumbe and David Buky, just to name a few. Now let’s add in some of the newcomers – Will Stacey, Sam Meagher, Paul Luti, Charlie and David Budd, 2023 Mazda MX-5 champion Steve Foden, Jason Pelosi, Mark Grice, Matt Luff, Bradley Burns and Danny Hobson. Just the above names means that we’ve got some incredible racing in store, and there’s plenty that cannot wait to watch this grid blast off for the first time in 2024.

    There’s also more Fiesta action in store at Brands Hatch courtesy of the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge, starting their year with a rare visit to the Kent circuit to begin the season. Last year’s champion Sam Beckett doesn’t appear to be on the grid to defend his title at the time of writing, which clears the way for many others to try and take the championship in his place.

    Watch for 2023 front runners such as vice champion Dan Robinson, former champion Michael Blackburn, impressive rookie Dillon Davis who ran well at the Silverstone finale last year, Sam Watkins, Matt Pimlott, Paul Dobson, Thomas Ikin and Jade Goodwin to name a few. Also keep an eye on a few of this year’s newcomers, including Stephanie Sore, Tudor Nechita, Graham Malam and Neil Marsh.

    But the front wheel drive action still doesn’t end there. This weekend also marks the start of a new season for the Hickford Construction MG Metro Cup, raring to go for its second season with the BRSCC after a successful debut year with the Club in 2023.

    The title also appears to be up for grabs for someone other than last year’s champion Rhys Claydon who is not present on the registration list at the time of writing, and that will mean others have their shot at inheriting it in his place. Top candidates from the outset appear to be Mike Williams, former champion Mark Eales, Robbie Kenning who will now pilot Claydon’s title winning car in his absence, Matthew Simpson and Jon Moore, amongst other names who will want to make their mark on the championship this year.

    Adding a little endurance element to the meeting too will be the SW Motorsports ClubSport Trophy, which once again features a sold-out grid ready to line up on the Indy circuit. The ever-popular 45 minute pit-stop race series continues to inspire many cars and drivers to compete, regularly selling out its grids and proving to be no less in demand on this occasion.

    You’ll find quite a few ClubSport regulars out in force once more here at Brands Hatch, such as David May’s Nissan 370Z, Phiroze Bilimoria’s VW Scirocco, James Alford who pilots a Honda Civic this time, Liam Crilly in his BMW Z4, and Silverstone class winner Stephen Harrison in his Renault Clio to name but a few. As usual, the grid features a wide variety of machines up and down the entry list, including a Honda S2000, a Morgan Plus Four and Daniel Cogswell’s Nissan Almera among some of the more unique entries.

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  5. BRSCC SWEEPS THROUGH SNETTERTON WITH SPRING RACING ACTION

    Leave a Comment

    A bright and blustery Snetterton circuit in Norfolk welcomed the British Racing & Sports Car Club for their first visit to East Anglia of 2024 on a superb Spring weekend of club motorsport. The usual fine mix of sprint and endurance racing put on an excellent showcase for all in attendance, with three championships making their first appearance on track this year while another four were back out for round two.

    Thomas Langford made sure he maintained his lead in the points standings in the GAZ Shocks Mazda MX-5 Championship, but he had to accept finishing off the podium in their first race of the weekend. Making a surprise guest return to the grid for Snetterton, 2022 champion Fraser Fenwick battled his way to the front to take victory in a thrilling first race, with Jack Noller picking up the 100 points instead in P2 ahead of Luke Pullen in P3. The top nine were covered by just 2.7 seconds at the flag, with a three wide finish for fourth place too!

    Langford made sure he was back on the top step on Sunday as he climbed from fourth on the grid to pick up victory ahead of Pullen and Sparrow, before repeating that feat to complete the weekend in P1 again in race three. This extended his tally to five wins from the first six races, while Fenwick and Noller completed the podium behind him.

    In the Downforce Radio Mazda MX-5 Clubman Championship, Paul Bateman also looked to keep up his win streak from Silverstone and had competition from Beau Parry all day on Saturday. Bateman managed to pull a gap of almost three seconds by the flag in race one, leaving Parry to collect second with Del Paice scoring third.

    The second encounter was a closer affair between the top two as they romped away from the rest of the pack in a fight of their own. This time, Parry not only passed Bateman but held him back all the way to the end, collecting his first win of 2024 and forcing Bateman to settle for P2. Paice once again made up the top three with his third podium finish of the season.

    As expected, the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX-5 SuperCup produced yet more wheel-to-wheel action in Norfolk off the back of their thrilling Silverstone season opener. The Snetterton grid saw four time BTCC champion Colin Turkington return after his cameo last month, keen for more track time before his touring car season gets into full swing.

    The top four were separated by less than a second in the end in race one, with Patrick Fletcher coming out on top despite pressure from Tom Griffiths, Aidan Hills and Leigh Britten respectively. Sunday’s first race produced a landmark moment, when Griffiths took the lead with a couple of laps to go and batted away all advances from those behind to finally capture an emotional first MX-5 SuperCup for both Tom and his family. Hills and Fletcher made up the top three in Pro class.

    The partial reversed grid for race three put Grindrod on pole, but he eventually slipped back to P6 while Fletcher worked his way up to the front of the pack. Fletcher collected his second win of the weekend, followed by Sam Heading in second and another podium for Britten in third. In the Club class, it was domination of the top step for Aimee Watts, as she had her best weekend to date with three wins and three fastest laps to maintain her lead in the class points. She was joined on their podium all weekend by her teammate Wilbur Tiley, Ollie Hall and a first podium for ex-Compact Cup racer Jim Barratt.

    Endurance racing on Saturday came courtesy of the first Silverlake C1 Endurance Series three hour test of the year. Trojon Motorsport’s pair of cars were quickest in qualifying, but the random draw to mix up the top ten put Quattro Formaggio on pole next to Red Sky Racing. Scuderia Pollo Rosso managed to slip into the lead before an early safety car, then pitted shortly after the restart, where TGR Racing eventually moved up to head the pack by the end of the first hour ahead of PMF Racing by CSR and Oakley Motorsport.

    PMF Racing moved up to the lead by the time the second hour was complete from CATDT and Snail Speed Racing, but the order remained fluid as the laps ran down and the minutes ticked by. Eventually with half an hour to go, the familiar sight of Trojon Motorsport were at the head of the field, with their #421 Alpha-Trojon team rising to the head of the pack and going on to win the first C1 Endurance race of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Munday and Chris Freeman. BPC Tyre Buffing took second driven by Rob and Sid Smith, while the #323 Trojon car of Austin Munday, Adam Willis and Charlie Bingham rounded off the rostrum.

    The opening Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup & Student Motorsport Challenge races of 2024 produced some fine competition up and down the grid in all three encounters all weekend. Qualifying produced a momentous occasion when the front row for race one was locked out by two SMC drivers – Josh Jackson and Richard Jepp. However, despite their qualifying performances, neither could prevent Stuart Bliss from taking victory by two seconds, while Jepp won the fight for second with Jackson.

    Bliss produced more of the same in race two, but only just ahead of Jepp by three tenths as the Northbrook Racing driver pushed him all the way from start to finish. While Bliss and Jepp took P1 and P2 respectively, a first podium went the way of C1 Endurance regular Chris Parkes for the Quattro Formaggio team as he picked up third. Then came an intense final race of the weekend, which ended up with a lead group of seven cars and an almighty finish. After Jackson tried stealing the win from Jepp at the final corner, Bliss passed both on the final run to the line, completing a hat-trick while Jackson took P2 by 0.020 seconds from Jepp.

    For the Student Motorsport Challenge, two wins for Jepp and Northbrook Racing helped them begin their title defence in fine style while Jackson collected a first SMC win for Queen Ethelburga’s in race three. Podiums also went the way of Brady Pollock for West Suffolk College and Jack Wheeler of East Surrey College.

    On Sunday, it was the turn of the PBS Brakes SuperSport Endurance Cup to provide the endurance flavour for the day, with another impressive entry of over 30 cars and stacked with variety over all six classes once more. As at Silverstone, the early running was dominated by BMWs at the front, with Aldo Riti and Kevin Clarke taking their M3 to the front all the way through the early laps and a safety car.

    Through pit stops, the Porsche 911 of Matt Spark and the BMW 1 Series of Silverstone winners Bart Horsten and Keir McConomy took their turns in the lead, while Riti and Clarke dropped out of contention when their car refused to fire up first time after their second stop and had to be push started. Once the pit window closed and the stops shook out the order, it left McConomy and Horsten to reel off the final minutes and claim their second win of the season, with Spark’s Porsche taking second overall from the M3s of Mark Lee & Richard Evans, Julian McBride and Dave Griffin.

    Class wins went to McConomy and Horsten (Pro-A), Spark (Pro-B), Stuart Mead & Tim Hartland’s VW Scirocco (Pro-C), the Mazda MX-5 of Michael Sanford, Lewis Noon & Sam Reuter (Clubman-A), George Grant & Rob Boston’s Mazda MX-5 Mk3 SuperCup (Clubman-B) and Adam Read & David Drinkwater’s BMW E36 Compact (Clubman-C).

    Also visiting Snetterton to kickstart their 2024 campaign was the mixed grid of the BRSCC Evolution Trophy, which featured cars from the Classic VW Cup and Finsport Renault Cup for the first outing.

    In the Classic VW Cup ranks, it was a double win for Carey Lewis as he charged to two victories ahead of Adam Marshall in both, with Dawn Butcher and Paul Hoggins also claiming top three finishes in the category too. In the Finsport Renault Cup, a brilliant battle for the win between Tony Hunter and Richard Clarke which saw Hunter’s Clio 172 Cup only just beat Clarke’s Clio Cup car to victory in the first race. The second was a little more straightforward for Hunter who again beat Clarke to the flag by almost six seconds, with Jason Brough third overall in both encounters.

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  6. BARWELL DOUBLES UP WITH MARTIN AND MITCHELL IN BRITISH GT OULTON PARK RACE TWO

    Leave a Comment

    Written by Tom Hornsby – Alex Martin and Sandy Mitchell proved Barwell’s Race 1 victory was no fluke by winning Easter Monday’s second weather-affected 60-minute sprint at Oulton Park.

    But their third and first places across the two races was eclipsed by GT4 winners Charles Dawson and Seb Morris (Team Parker Racing) who added first place to their morning’s runner-up spot.

    The race was truncated by an early Safety Car that covered a multi-car accident on lap one and another long Full Course Yellow period after the pitstops when Matt Topham’s accident damaged Old Hall’s barriers and Garage 59’s stranded McLaren complicated matters further.

    The resulting Safety Car wasn’t withdrawn until the final lap, which prevented any overtaking. As such, it was Martin who took the chequered flag just ahead of Mark Radcliffe who shared Optimum’s McLaren with Tom Gamble, and Ian Loggie’s 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG that also featured Phil Keen.

    Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley (Garage 59) made it two Silver-Am wins from two in fourth overall.

    Further back, Topham’s accident and the stationary McLaren left Dawson with little to do beyond bringing Team Parker’s Mercedes-AMG home ahead of Forsetti’s two Aston Martins. His Pro-Am rivals Marc Warren and Will Orton made up for their Race 1 penalty by finishing second overall and ahead of team-mates Mikey Porter and Jamie Day.

    GT3: MARTIN AND MITCHELL COMPLETE BARWELL’S PERFECT WEEKEND
    Having secured both pole positions on Saturday, Barwell’s Monday began with Rob and Ricky Collard scoring victory in Race 1. But the result also meant that it’s #63 entry – which finished third – would have an extra five seconds to serve during its pitstop compared to Optimum’s McLaren, which shared Race 2’s front row.

    The early Safety Car period initially prevented Mitchell from building a gap, but such was his pace that the Lamborghini still led by seven seconds when it pitted towards the end of the 10-minute window.

    Unfortunately for him, a short delay with Martin’s belts was just enough for Radcliffe to nip past in the pitlane and seemingly grab the advantage. The Huracan was up to speed more quickly, though, and it was Martin who re-took the lead as the pair exited Cascades and powered towards Island Bend.

    Topham’s accident shortly after denied Radcliffe a right to reply and sealed the deal in Barwell’s favour. It was their eighth win with a Huracan at Oulton since 2016, but first for four years, while Lamborghini’s excellent record here includes another victory with WPI.

    Loggie and Keen added a second podium to their weekend’s work despite also serving seven extra seconds in the pits, while Smalley and Balfe took advantage of the Collards’ maximum Compensation Time to jump up to fourth during the pitstop phase.

    Team RJN’s McLaren might have been more of a factor had racing continued in earnest given Chris Buncombe’s pace immediately after the driver swap. Instead, he and his brother Al had to settle for sixth ahead of RAM’s John Ferguson and Raffaele Marciello, and Abba’s Richard and Sam Neary.

    Beechdean AMR’s new Vantage finished 15th, but Andrew Howard did at least come away with this weekend’s Sunoco Fastest Lap – the first in his 100+ British GT race career. Beating the Pros owed everything to Race 1 being run in the rain and Race 2 starting on a wet track, but it was Howard who set the pace once everyone had switched to slicks.

    GT4: TEAM PARKER’S MERC MAKES ITS MARK
    Charles Dawson and Seb Morris controlled Race 2 from pole to score their first GT4 victory of the season in a contest that was ultimately decided by Pitstop Compensation Time.

    Team Parker’s duo managed the disrupted second race superbly, picking their fights and benefiting when Forsetti Motorsport’s Race 1-winning duo Mikey Porter and Jamie Day served their mandatory 10s Compensation Time and additional Silver handicap.

    Morris annexed pole in a tight qualifying session on Saturday and took the start on a wet but drying track. Regardless, conditions proved too treacherous for slicks with the entire field opting for wet Pirellis initially. Morris got away well and fended off Zac Meakin’s Optimum McLaren into Old Hall where Tom Holland tapped Charlie Robertson’s Century BMW into a spin that sent those following scattering and inevitably led to multi-car contact.

    Racing resumed on lap five with Morris building a small gap over Meakin as the leading pack circulated as one. But the man on the move was Porter, who scythed past Holland and then pulled a superb move on Meakin before homing in on Morris. He eventually took the lead shortly before the pit window opened.

    However, with Porter and Day being a Silver entry, they would already have to spend 14s longer in the pits than Team Parker’s Mercedes-AMG, even before their additional Compensation Time was added.

    Porter pushed as hard as he could, gaining over five seconds before swapping with Day, but it would be nowhere near enough. Instead, Dawson – who also had Compensation Time to serve – took over from Morris and rumbled back into the lead ahead of the sister Pro-Am Forsetti Aston of Will Orton and Marc Warren, which also vaulted to second ahead of Day before he could re-join.

    Any hopes of improvement across the second half were dashed by the lengthy Full Course Yellow period, which was called to first repair the barriers after the GT3 accident at Old Hall, and then aid the recovery of Garage 59’s McLaren. The status quo remained as Dawson toured to the flag, ahead of the two Forsetti Astons and Optimum’s McLaren now in the hands of Jack Brown.

    Harry George and Luca Hopkinson came home fifth to complete the Silver podium aboard RAM Racing’s Mercedes-AMG, with Academy Motorsport’s Erik Evans and Marco Signoretti completing the top six for the second time in the day. Reigning champion Evans also collected GT4’s Sunoco Fastest Lap Award.

    The final Pro-Am podium spot went the way of Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley in Century’s BMW, which finished seventh overall, while Steven Lake and Nathan Harrison completed the top-eight in Mahiki’s Lotus.

    The early Old Hall incident triggered by Robertson’s spin included RACE LAB’s Sai Sanjay, Academy’s Matt Nicoll-Jones and Steller’s Jordan Albert who all failed to complete the opening lap, while Gordie Mutch limped his Lotus back to the pits.

    British GT reconvenes for its blue riband event – the Silverstone 500 – on April 26-28.

  7. COLLARDS CELEBRATE “LAD & DAD” BRITISH GT WIN IN OULTON PARK RACE ONE

    Leave a Comment

    Written by Tom Hornsby – Barwell’s Rob and Ricky Collard made a dream start to their British GT Championship campaign by converting pole position into Race 1 victory at Oulton Park. Further back, Forsetti and Aston Martin’s new Vantage also enjoyed the perfect GT4 debuts thanks to Jamie Day and Mikey Porter who led throughout the hour-long contest.

    Second overall went to Ian Loggie and Phil Keen (2 Seas, Mercedes-AMG), while Barwell’s other Lamborghini shared by Alex Martin and Sandy Mitchell completed the overall podium ahead of Mark Radcliffe and Tom Gamble (Optimum, McLaren), and Silver-Am winners Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley (Garage 59, McLaren).

    Forsetti’s GT4 bow would have been even better without the pitstop infringement that cost Marc Warren and Will Orton second place. Instead, their class rivals Charles Dawson and Seb Morris (Team Parker, Mercedes-AMG) won Pro-Am and finished runners-up ahead of Zac Meakin and Jack Brown (Optimum, McLaren).

    Barwell’s victory appeared in doubt with 10 minutes remaining when GPS data showed there was a potential breach of Safety Car restart procedure. However, subsequent information revealed a loose connection within the wiring system that meant the lights were extinguished without the Race Director’s knowledge or instruction.

    The Team Manager of Barwell’s #63 Huracan was called to Race Control where they informed the Race Director that lights were extinguished at the time Collard dropped back beyond the mandated five car lengths. The Race Director then rescinded the drive-through penalty (a 30s penalty added to race time post-race) after video evidence and verbal confirmation was received from the Safety Car.

    An apology to entries #6 and #63 has been issued, and the cabling installation of the Safety Car lights is now being modified.

    GT3: BARWELL SURVIVES LATE SAFETY CAR SCARE
    Persistent rain necessitated a one-lap Safety Car start. And when the action began in earnest it was the starting grid’s top three of Collard, Loggie and Martin that blasted clear of the rest.

    The trio circulated together just before the pit window opened after 22 minutes, which coincided with a Full Course Yellow period to recover Academy’s stranded Mustang.

    Another GT4 accident midway through the FCY extended the delay further, but it was still Barwell’s #63 Lamborghini that led when the Safety Car peeled off with 15 minutes remaining.

    Collard Jnr reacted to the lights going out by backing up the pack – a strategy that impacted second placed Keen who had GT4 traffic between himself and the leader.

    Collard, with clear track ahead, duly floored it heading towards Lodge while the chasing Mercedes-AMG was powerless to pass the backmarkers until the start/finish line.

    That gap reduced somewhat over the closing laps when Keen and Mitchell homed in. But they were never close enough to challenge Collard who took the chequered flag 1.4s clear.

    Victory came four years after Rob’s last British GT appearance and win at Silverstone where he also clinched the GT3 crown with Barwell.

    Barwell’s potential penalty prevented 2 Seas from making it three wins on the trot at Oulton, while Loggie would have added a third in his last four attempts. But it was an impressive showing nevertheless against Barwell’s Huracans, which finished first and third.

    Radcliffe and Gamble banked solid points in fourth, but also avoided the Compensation Time that will impact their fellow Race 2 front row starters Martin and Mitchell this afternoon. They moved ahead of Garage 59’s McLaren during the pitstop phase but were unable to make the podium battle a four-car affair.

    Garage 59’s McLaren also had a relatively lonely run to fifth place in the hands of Balfe and Smalley who banked maximum Silver-Am points. Behind, Mike Price and Greystone GT clinched their equal-best British GT result after Callum Macleod held off Marcus Clutton’s Garage 59 entry in the closing stages. Just 0.4s separated them at the finish, while Buncombes Al and Chris rounded out the top-eight for Team RJN.

    However, a post-race change saw J&S Racing’s Audi lose its Silver-Am podium to Simon Orange and Tom Roche (Orange/JMH). Hugo Cook was moved back one position after being adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage.

    GT4: DAY AND PORTER SCORE BIG FOR FORSETTI
    Jamie Day and Mikey Porter got their season off to a dream start with a controlled victory in the opening GT4 contest of the year, even if the final result wasn’t quite as comfortable as it could have been for the Aston Martin Vantage crew.

    But Forsetti could well have celebrated a one-two on what was both the team’s and new Vantage GT4’s championship debut had a late penalty not cost the sister car of Marc Warren and Will Orton.

    Having been a standout performer in Saturday’s dry qualifying session, Day showed he could cope equally well in the rain by immediately surging clear of the chasing Optimum McLaren. Indeed, he led Jack Brown by four seconds after 20 minutes when Will Moore’s beached Mustang triggered a Full Course Yellow.

    With all teams completing their pitstops under reduced speed, Day handed over to Porter who resumed with a significantly increased advantage thanks to GT4 runners filtering back in among the lapping GT3 field.

    Pitting under FCY also played into the hands of the Pro-Am teams, who enjoy a shorter mandatory stop compared to their Silver rivals. It was this saved time that helped Orton vault past Brown into second after taking over from Warren who enjoyed an impressive first British GT stint, while Seb Morris did likewise to run third when he relayed Charles Dawson in the Team Parker Racing Mercedes-AMG.

    The Safety Car’s mandated intervention after a long FCY period also wiped out Porter’s advantage over his team-mate Orton. But the potential intra-team battle was foiled by #47’s stop-go penalty, which dropped the Aston Martin to fourth overall.

    That left Porter leading from the chasing Morris, but the 16-year-old had enough in hand to splash to a debut victory ahead of the former GT3 champion. In doing so, he became one of British GT’s youngest ever winners.

    Brown and team-mate Zac Meakin completed the podium in third, with Ravi Ramyead and Charlie Robertson climbing to fifth behind Forsetti’s penalised crew.

    Reigning champion Erik Evans and Canadian team-mate Marco Signoretti rounded out the top six on the new Ford Mustang’s domestic debut.

  8. SNETTERTON STARTS BRSCC’S 2024 ACTIVITIES IN EAST ANGLIA

    Leave a Comment

    The British Racing & Sports Car Club continues its commencement of the 2024 racing season as it now moves on to the long straight and technical corners of Snetterton’s 300 circuit in Norfolk, for its first visit of the year to East Anglia for two more days of track action on this weekend.

    Snetterton’s full layout is a test of any car’s power and handling and should provide an intriguing test for those competing. There’s an excellent variety on display again with the usual typical mix of sprint and endurance racing, with four championships already back on track after beginning at Silverstone a few weeks ago, while three more are ready to begin all over again for another year.

    Back at Silverstone, the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 paddock burst back into action with all three championships locking in their first results of the season on the International circuit. Now just three weeks removed from when they began, it’s back to the track at Snetterton for outing number two of 2024.

    The GAZ Shocks Mazda MX-5 Championship proved to be just as competitive and entertaining as usual, with Thomas Langford setting his stall out early with a trio of races to dominate the top step. Now his next task will be to continue all that good work and keep up the win streak to maintain a 100% win record for 2024, and to increase his streak to seven MX-5 Championship wins in a row since the final race at Silverstone last October.

    His competition is sure to once again be those who battled him for the podium places, such as Adam Sparrow, Jack Noller and Luke Pullen. Plus keep an eye on Oliver Graham making his first appearance of the season here at Snetterton, a circuit at which he secured a podium finish in damp conditions and will certainly want to succeed once more.

    Paul Bateman proved to the driver everyone had to chase in the end in both Downforce Radio Mazda MX-5 Clubman Championship races, and this gives him a six point lead heading to Snetterton. Beau Parry and both Del and Jake Paice shared the podiums between them behind Bateman, and they’ll certainly be in the mix again.

    Others to watch will certainly be Jamie Turner, Russell Halley and Simon Waterfall who all had their moments throughout their day’s racing and will want to get up to speed pretty quickly against those around them.

    All three races in the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX-5 SuperCup were thrillers in their own right with plenty of the intense racing that characterises the championship is highly accustomed for. Snetterton is another chance for the battles to continue in earnest, though hopefully in better weather conditions than 2023’s visit.

    From Silverstone, Patrick Fletcher is just six points ahead of defending champion Aidan Hills in the Pro class with Joe Wiggin in P3. The likes of Tom Griffiths, Oliver Allwood, James Cossins, Jack Brewer, Nic Grindrod, Leigh Britten and more will certainly be looking to score some strong results, especially Britten after his race three win. In Club class, a win and two second places gives Aimee Watts the class points lead at this initial stage, but her competition is sure to be strong once more from Ollie Hall, Clive Powles, Wilbur Tiley and co to try and top the standings post-Norfolk. Plus, it seems a certain Colin Turkington isn’t quite done with SuperCup just yet, as the four time BTCC champion is back out for another guest drive to continue his pre-season warm-up.

    On the endurance front, racing fans have two contests to enjoy. The first will be for the Silverlake C1 Endurance Series which comes back to Snetterton after concluding 2023 at the same venue back in October. Almost fourty cars are set to take the start of the first three hour race of the year, with many of the top teams back on the grid.

    These include Quattro Formaggio, CATDT, CSC/ FDL Packaging, Alpha-Trojon (known before as Trojon Motorsport), Silverlake, BPC Motorsport, WRC Developments and regular winners Emax Motorsport. All of them have to count themselves as firmly in contention to start 2024 in winning fashion come the chequered flag.

    The other endurance test comes on Sunday with the PBS Brakes SuperSport Endurance Cup, which like the Mazda MX-5s is out for their second race of the year just three weeks removed from the Silverstone season opener. Despite ending up as winners in slightly bizarre fashion, Keir McConomy and Bart Horsten will be hoping to take overall honours again at Snetterton, while the outright points lead is shared between Julian McBride’s BMW M3 in Pro-B and George Grant and Abbie Eaton in Clubman-B.

    One of these two is likely to still be up top come Snetterton’s conclusion, but there’s sure to be plenty of competition up and down the order. Looking down the entry list, there’s the usual line-up of BMWs, MINIs, Renault Clios and Mazda MX-5s along with more usual suspects and returnees from Silverstone too, meaning it should be another excellent two hours of flat-out long-distance racing.

    Back with sprint racing, the Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup is back for more fun with a bumper 30+ car grid featuring plenty of new names joining many of the returning stalwarts from previous seasons. Initial favourites have to be Stuart Bliss, Joe Moss, Richard Jepp (more on him and his team in a moment) and Christopher Mackenzie, but others who are sure to want to put themselves in the mix include Nick Ramsay-Gough, Haydn Payne, Richard Snuggs and Adam Reynolds amongst this bumper grid.

    On track at the same time for the third season in succession, the Student Motorsport Challenge brings together teams from colleges, universities and other educational establishments to compete on track together to give their students valuable real world motorsport experience. Two time defending champions Team Northbrook Racing not only go for the three-peat this year, but do so with two cars for Richard Jepp and newcomer Ari Barker. Also on the SMC grid, teams from Barracksport, Boston College, West Suffolk College, Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, and newcomers City College Norwich will be out to take Northbrook’s crown.

    Producing excellent variety on their grid too will be the opening two races of this year’s BRSCC Evolution Trophy. This being an overarching series which features four in one on the same grid – the Ricci Concept Classic VW Cup, Finsport Renault Cup, Mazda MX-5 Mk4 Trophy and the BRSCC BMW 1 Series SuperCup. Whilst all four will race amongst their respective categories on the grid, the on-track action between them should be just as entertaining, as inter-category battles tend to put on a great show. Expect this grid of VWs, Renaults, MX-5s and BMWs to put on a great spectacle.

    Written by Scott Woodwiss

  9. BRITISH GT HEADS TO OULTON PARK TO BEGIN 2024 WITH BUMPER ENTRY

    Leave a Comment

    WRITTEN BY TOM HORNSBY – British GT bursts forth from its winter hibernation this Easter Bank Holiday Weekend when a capacity 36-strong entry descends on Oulton Park for Season 32’s opening rounds.

    19 GT3s, 17 GT4s, 10 manufacturers and five new cars comprise a full-strength list that’s as big on variety as it is quality. Together, and as has become a championship tradition, they’ll tackle Monday’s two 60-minute sprint races in front of a packed and expectant crowd.

    Big, powerful GT cars hustling their way around the 2.69-mile, 17-turn International Circuit ranks among UK motorsport’s annual highlights, regardless of the weather. And with Easter falling early this year there’s every chance a drop of rain will add further spice to the mix.

    The cast of 72 drivers includes Erik Evans and Matt Cowley who begin their GT4 title defence with new co-drivers, and – in the latter’s case – a different team and car. And, in the ultimate case of better late than never, Dan Harper is also now returning to defend his GT3 title with Century and BMW.

    GT3: NEW SEASON. SO MANY NEW CONTENDERS!
    International and homegrown factory drivers galore made 2023 arguably British GT3’s most competitive season on record. And with a similarly stacked cast raring to go at Oulton, this year should be no less exciting. Yes, the likes of Jules Gounon will be missed. But there is no shortage of talent in a senior class comprising the most full-season entries since 2014.

    It’s tough predicting from where this season’s title challengers will emerge, what with last year’s protagonists Darren Leung and James Cottingham moving on to international pastures new and updates galore elsewhere. Surely the most high profile of these changes concerns Dan Harper’s very late return with Century, which wasn’t announced until earlier this week. He knows the team and M4 inside out, but has a new co-driver in Michael Johnston who makes his British GT3 debut at Oulton. Only time will tell if this combination proves as successful as Harper’s last with Leung.

    Standing in their way are two of British GT’s finest: Jonny Adam and Phil Keen. Their domestic rivalry stretches back more than a decade but has waned somewhat over the last two years due to partial programmes for one or both. But now they’re back, and eager to add to their 19 overall wins apiece. You wouldn’t bet against that given the quality of their co-drivers and teams.

    Keen – who almost always wins at Oulton – joins 2022 champion Ian Loggie – also a winner there in each of the last two years – and a 2 Seas/Mercedes-AMG operation that clinched the 2023 teams’ title with a race to spare. Adam, meanwhile, is hunting his fifth crown with Aston Martin – as well as back-to-back Oulton wins – after coming close with Cottingham and 2 Seas last season. His new co-driver Giacomo Petrobelli isn’t short on experience or speed but only has two British GT starts to his name, while their Blackthorn squad won’t receive the new Vantage until after the opening round. So, all things considered, Keen surely starts this classic head-to-head as favourite.

    But there’s far more to British GT 2024 than just those three.

    Shaun Balfe and Sandy Mitchell won twice en route to fourth overall last season but now have new co-drivers in the shape of reigning Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Adam Smalley and former BTCC racer Alex Martin, respectively. The latter joins a Barwell operation that only hit its stride with the new Lamborghini midway through 2023 but that also has a remarkable history with the manufacturer at Oulton, while Smalley’s GT3 graduation – and the classic Duckhams livery that adorns Garage 59’s McLaren – was one of the main pre-season talking points.

    He and Balfe comprise one of the seven Silver-Am crews racing this weekend. That’s a championship record for a class also featuring the likes of Beechdean AMR’s Andrew Howard and Aston Martin F1 ambassador Jessica Hawkins who have the new Vantage at their disposal, overall race winners Richard and Sam Neary (Abba Racing), and GT4 graduates Carl Cavers and Lewis Plato (Century).

    Attention tends to focus on the factory stars, and in Raffaele Marciello (RAM Racing) and Maximilian Goetz (2 Seas Motorsport) British GT has two of international GT racing’s very best. But that roster also includes Tom Gamble, one of just three fully fledged McLaren drivers who has joined Optimum and Mark Radcliffe this year.

    It’s also worth keeping tabs on father-son duo Rob and Ricky Collard who are teaming up full-season for the first time. A previous one-off outing resulted in Pro-Am class victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, while Rob won the British GT title with Barwell and Lamborghini back in 2020.

    Another highlight includes Alex Buncombe making his first British GT start with RJN since 2013. And at Oulton it will be alongside his brother, Chris, who is subbing for full-season co-driver Simon Watts. Prior commitments prevent him from racing this weekend.

    The other change concerns J&S Racing’s Audi, which was only previously scheduled to contest Silverstone, both Donington rounds and Spa. The R8, Sacha Kakad and Hugo Cook take the place of RACE LAB’s McLaren GT3, which is facing the same logistical delays that prevented it from attending media day.

    GT4: A WIDE-OPEN ENTRY STACKED WITH VARIETY
    Oh, so you thought GT3 was tough to call? Well get a load of GT4 where nine manufacturers, four new cars, both reigning champions, a GT3 title winner and host of debutants make this one of the most compelling seasons in the category’s history!

    Champions seldom return to defend their GT4 titles. The class is traditionally seen as a stepping stone to domestic GT3 or Europe. But that isn’t the case this year when Erik Evans and Matt Cowley will battle to become British GT4’s first-ever two-time champions.

    Cowley had spent his entire British GT career with Academy and finally landed the title his consistency deserved in remarkable fashion last year. All good things must come to an end, but his decision to join Ed McDermott at Paddock certainly came as a shock to many. For one, this will be his first season racing in Pro-Am – a class that hasn’t produced overall champions since 2016.

    Evans, meanwhile, remains on familiar ground at Academy, albeit in the new-for-2024 Mustang. He teams up with fellow north American Marco Signoretti, a Multimatic driver with British GT pedigree who helped develop Ford’s latest GT4 contender. These two, on paper at least, appear to be a formidable pairing.

    Two more former GT4 champions – Matt Nicoll-Jones (Academy) and Dan Vaughan (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK) are shooting for the same bit of British GT history as Evans and Cowley, while 2017 GT3 title winner Seb Morris (Team Parker Racing) hopes to become only the second driver to win both overall championships.

    Jack Brown and Optimum were narrowly beaten by Evans and Cowley last season, and are now eager to go one better with new signing Zac Meakin. Still just 17, he remains one of the championship’s youngest drivers.

    It’s a similar story for Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley who finished third overall last year. They were beaten to Pro-Am honours by Johnston and Salkeld but finished marginally ahead of them in the overall standings thanks, in part, to victory at Oulton. They have now taken their place in a Century/BMW combination that also won 2023’s GT4 teams’ title. Ones to watch, for sure.

    But they – and everyone else – also face a renewed challenge from Steller’s Audi which skipped last season after winn

    ing the previous year’s drivers’ crown. Tim Docker and Jordan Albert are a proven combination elsewhere, while the latter is also a British GT4 race winner and former class title contender.

    Lotus has enjoyed plenty of British GT success over the last 30 years and is now back in an official capacity via its new Emira GT4 and Mahiki Racing whose two entries include Gordie Mutch. To the wider world he is perhaps best known as Jimmy Broadbent’s Praga Cup championship-winning co-driver, but the Scot is also a highly regarded young pro who makes his long-awaited British GT debut this year alongside Ian Duggan.

    There are also two new Aston Martin Vantage amongst the entry courtesy of Forsetti Motorsport. The team was only established in November but performed well in the GT4 Winter Series and has British GT title-chasing experience in the shape of Jamie Day who finished third overall – but might well have won – two years ago. His co-driver, 16-year-old Mikey Porter, is the youngest on this season’s grid.

    The other new car, Ginetta’s G56 GT4 Evo, competes courtesy of CWS Racing, Colin White and Tom Holland who returns for a second season. He scored his best result of 2023 – third – at Oulton 12 months ago.

    Elsewhere, Charlie Robertson has swapped his former Ginetta factory commitments for a Pro-Am assault in Century’s second BMW alongside Ravi Ramyead, and RAM makes its GT4 debut with a Mercedes-AMG. There are also more McLarens courtesy of Paddock and RACE LAB.

    But as well as battling for British GT titles, those teams representing Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Toyota can also score points counting towards SRO’s new GT4 Manufacturer Ranking, which comprises 95 races across eight championships on four continents.

    Testing kicks off British GT’s Easter weekend this Friday before the first official sessions – that’s Free Practice, Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying – take place on Saturday. Teams and drivers then reconvene on Bank Holiday Monday for warm-up and two 60-minute sprint races.

    They and qualifying are live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel, while Sky Sports F1 also has live coverage of both races and Saturday’s session.

CLUB PARTNERS

Race Entries
& Membership