Author Archives: Scott-W

  1. BRSCC WINTER ESPORTS SERIES TWO READY TO RUMBLE AT SILVERSTONE

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    While the real world on-track racing has finished for the British Racing & Sports Car Club has been completed for 2023, the time has now come for drivers to put away the race cars and dust off the sim rigs as the opening round of the BRSCC Winter eSports Series for the 2023/24 off-season. 

    Once again, iRacing is the platform and the Mazda MX-5 Global Cup Car is the weapon of choice for some 35 BRSCC club members and racers, as the series gets underway on the Silverstone GP circuit for the opening rounds. From this week’s opening races at the end of November, through December, January and February, competitors will take part in up to eighteen races across another five venues on top of Silverstone – Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park, Knockhill, Brands Hatch and the season finale at Laguna Seca in the USA.

    In terms of the contenders, all of the top three from the inaugural Winter eSports Series are back for another go, with defending winner Mikey Doble now returning with a season’s worth of British Touring Car racing under his belt. The 2022 BMW Compact Cup champion steadily got quicker throughout the series and his consistency worked wonders to help him end the Series on top. He’ll have second placed Will Redford and third placed John Higgins Jnr to contend with again, Will in particular looking for redemption after he lost out on the title at the final round at Laguna Seca after spinning out at the Corkscrew.

    With the car of choice again being the MX-5 Global Cup Car, naturally the second season has once again attracted a plethora of names from within the BRSCC’s bustling Mazda MX-5 paddock. Names of note include Ted Bradbury (who impressed many in his first season of car racing to end up third in the MX-5 Championship), Jack Noller (part of Williams eSports), Will Blackwell-Chambers (whom a massive thank you has to go to for all his efforts on the admin side of the series), Jon Pethick and Pete Smith from MX-5 Clubman, regular SuperCup front runners Tom Seldon, Leigh Britten and Tom Griffiths, and the return of former three time SuperCup champion turned team boss Luke Herbert. Steve Roberts is also another ex-SuperCup racer who is back for another go this year too.

    While Mikey Doble returns, he does so with two more members of the Doble clan alongside him – Joe and Isaac. Joe was been plying his craft again in the BMW Compact Cup in 2023 and will look to try and stay with Mikey on the virtual track as best he can, while Isaac is taking his first steps into racing and will be hoping for good results to boost his confidence. Also representing the Compact Cup on the eSports grid will be Matt Kendall and James Barratt, both hoping they can make a solid start this evening. Plus, five time Compact Cup champion Steven Dailly is preparing to showcase his eSports skills against the rest of the grid this season, and could pose another threat to Doble’s title defence.

    There’s representation from the C1 Racing Club paddock on the grid too, preparing for much shorter races than the longer epics they’re used to in the real world. Chris Etheridge from the #blessed team, Richard Harwood from ROK Motorsport and Matthew Parkes from Parkes Motorsport are all present here and we’re sure there’s going to be an internal battle between all three drivers to see who comes out on top.

    Others to keep an eye on will be Bob Bannister and Team Northbrook Racing team member Ari Barker from the CityCar Cup paddock, Rhys Lewis will be the second Civic Cup racer on the grid along with Redford, and Close Racing team boss Michael Close is also giving the eSports series a crack to see how well his real-world driving skills translate.

    Also, there’s a handful of current non-racing BRSCC members that could end up causing one or two surprises. Chris Humphreys is swapping his orange marshal overalls for a pair of virtual racing ones as he prepares to see how he stacks up against a field of racing drivers, regular BRSCC photographer James Roberts is rather fond of the MX-5 in iRacing and will hope it serves him well on this occasion, plus two potential young racing stars of the future are also lining up in the series too – Tom Monhemius and Finlay Lines, the latter the son of Maximum Motorsport, TCR UK and Civic Cup boss Stewart Lines who will want to show off all the skills developed through his karting experience in past seasons.

    The scene is set for what should be another fascinating evening of eSports racing with the BRSCC, so make sure to tune in LIVE to all of the action on the Club’s YouTube channel to find out who takes the first victories of the season.

    You can watch the live stream for the Silverstone season opener below:

    A big thanks goes to Will Blackwell Chambers, SIM1 Racing Simulations and Hydrorace for their support of the 2023/24 BRSCC Winter eSports Series.

    Scott Woodwiss

  2. WILLIAMS MOTORSPORT WINS MEMORABLE 2023 RACE OF REMEMBRANCE

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    On a poignant Remembrance weekend centred around honouring the fallen heroes of armed conflict, the 2023 Race of Remembrance in support of Mission Motorsport provided a memorable weekend’s racing at Anglesey in Wales. With over 45 teams lining up to compete in the three-part, 12 hour race event, a wide variety of club racers and club racing machinery turned out to support a worthy cause and to become the latest winners of this much adored celebration event.

    Pre-race festivities included SuperCar Saturday to give service men and women and marshals passenger rides in a variety of high performance cars, a special ROR edition of the ClubSport Trophy with a healthy entry of almost 30 cars that was won by Rob Phillips in his Honda Civic Cup car, and the amusing Biathlon of Foolishness which saw members of almost every team competing in fancy dress in a short running race down to the coast and back again. All of this added to the special and unique feeling that Race of Remembrance was providing.

    For the 12 hour race itself, pole position had been taken by the Williams Motorsport Caterham of Toby Ballard, Calum Lockie, Rrutuj Patki and Henry Williams, joined on the front row alongside the ES Motorsport Lotus Elise of Jason McInulty and Daniel Palma, with DBR Racing’s Caterham in third and the relay team Brake Dancer Racing lining up in fourth.

     

     

    Immediately, the three Caterhams and the Lotus were the pacesetters as expected, with the JRW Motorsport Ford Fiesta ST240 race car going with them as they controlled the opening stint. The top four ended up dicing for several laps between themselves, with DBR Racing eventually pulling away by more than fourty seconds out in front before the end of the first hour. One they pitted, Williams Motorsport and ES Motorsport stayed out longer before making their first stops and made the most of the gap behind to fight amongst themselves. 

    Eventually, the Williams Caterham began to pull clear in front after a second stop for DBR, and heading into the darkness the pink machines just kept on racking up the laps, eventually making it to some three laps in front over the next few hours. By the time the race was halted at the seven hour mark, Williams were in front with that comfortable three lap advantage, with DBR and the Brake Dancer Racing relay team making it a trio of Caterhams in the lead, as they headed a hat-trick of Mazda MX-5s led by the Mk3 of RAF Motorsport.

     

     

    When Sunday morning came around, the clear and dry conditions of Saturday had given way to grim, overcast skies and overnight rain that lasted well into the beginning of part two at 9am. Williams Motorsport couldn’t quite make the best of the tricky conditions, as DBR managed to claim a lap back before the race was halted again after just ninety minutes for the all-important Remembrance Sunday service in pit lane, making for a poignant sight and experience for all involved as our heroes were remembered by all in attendance.

    Even though the rain had thankfully paused for the service, it took almost no time at all for it to resume again when part three got underway, only this time the conditions ended up becoming even worse. Heavier rains and cars falling foul of the increasingly treacherous weather even forced the safety car out on track at one stage to help ease the task for drivers. With three and a half hours to go in the final part, it became a real back and forth duel over the leading gap out in front as Williams continued to try and maintain their advantage as DBR, Brake Dancer Racing and co all tried to close them down further. Going into the final hour, the lead gap was down to just a lap and to make incumbent Callum Lockie’s task even tougher, they were called in for a stop and go penalty which aided DBR further. But despite ending up on the same lap as each other in the end, Lockie used all his experience to reel off the final few laps of the race to clinch victory in the 2023 Race of Remembrance for Williams Motorsport and their Caterham.

     

     

    DBR settled for a fine second place a fraction under 50 seconds behind the, with Brake Dancer Racing’s relay squad managing the final step on the overall podium ahead of fellow relay runners Paul Sheard Autosport’s Mazda MX-5s and TSW’s Mk1 MX-5 taking an incredible fifth place. Other class winners included JTM Engineering’s BMW, Tequila Racing’s Mazda MX-5, RABSport’s Citroen C1 endurance car, and Autobliss in their CityCar Cup-spec Toyota Aygo.

    A massive thank you to everyone at Mission Motorsport for once again allowing the BRSCC to be part of organising and running such a special and memorable event, as well as to every single team, driver, crew member, volunteer, official and marshal who all took part and played their roles in making the 2023 Race of Remembrance a weekend to truly remember.

    Scott Woodwiss

  3. BRSCC WINTER ESPORTS SERIES RETURNS FOR 2023/24 OFF-SEASON

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    After the success of its inaugural running last winter, the British Racing & Sports Car Club is pleased to confirm the announcement of its second Winter eSports Series, set to begin at the end of November.

    The BRSCC ran its first official eSports competition across the winter of 2022/23, utilising the popular iRacing sim racing platform and featuring the Mazda MX-5 Global Cup race car with drivers competing across a range of mostly British circuits over six race events, culminating in a season finale at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, USA. The first Winter eSports Series was deemed a success with former BMW Compact Cup champion turned BTCC star Mikey Doble becoming the first BRSCC Winter eSports champion.

    For the 2023/24 edition, the format and set-up is unchanged, with the Mazda MX-5 Global race car again selected as the car of choice. This car is available free of charge to all iRacing members and is widely used and recognised as one of the most popular cars available on the platform. This of course also continues the relevant association to the BRSCC’s own roster of championships and series, namely the trio of Mazda MX-5 championships as well as the ever-developing Mazda MX-5 Mk4 Trophy series that has run as part of the BRSCC Evolution trophy development series throughout 2023.

    The six event calendar is set to take place at the following dates and locations on the iRacing platform:

    November 30th 2023 – Silverstone GP (Rounds 1, 2 & 3)

    December 14th 2023 – Brands Hatch GP (Rounds 4, 5 & 6)

    January 11th 2024 – Donington Park GP (Rounds 7, 8 & 9)

    January 25th 2024 – Knockhill (Rounds 10, 11 & 12)

    February 8th 2024 – Oulton Park International (Rounds 13, 14 & 15)

    February 22nd 2024 – Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca (Rounds 16, 17 & 18)

     

    The second BRSCC Winter eSports season will begin on the Silverstone GP circuit at the end of November, then continue across Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Knockhill and Oulton Park, before culminating once again at Laguna Seca. Aside from a small change in the order of circuits in the calendar, the rounds at Brands Hatch will this time take place using the full GP circuit as opposed to the Indy layout that was used in the first season.

    The series is open for all BRSCC club members to compete*, and for those wishing to take part, registration to the 2023/24 BRSCC Winter eSports Series can once again be secured by a one-off fee of £25 (including VAT). All six events are also set to be live streamed and broadcast on YouTube courtesy of Apex Racing TV.

    Our thanks also go to Will Blackwell-Chambers, SIM1 Racing Simulations and Hydrorace Ltd for their support of this year’s series too.

    Please follow the links below to register for the Winter eSports Series, and we look forward to seeing you on the virtual race track in a couple of weeks’ time!

    *Any registering competitors whose BRSCC club membership has expired or any that require taking out membership to participate can do so via the BRSCC RaceHub at https://racehub.brscc.co.uk/.

    REGISTER FOR 2023/24 BRSCC WINTER ESPORTS SERIES – https://brscc.co.uk/store/events/2023-24-brscc-winter-esports-series-registration/

  4. BRSCC SIGNS THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT

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    The British Racing & Sports Car Club is delighted to announce that it has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, confirming the Club’s commitment to giving its ongoing support to serving personnel as well as service leavers, veterans and their families.

    The BRSCC fittingly confirmed its signing of the Covenant at this year’s edition of the Race of Remembrance at Anglesey this weekend, the much loved 12 hour endurance race which centres around the Remembrance Sunday service held each year to honour both current and fallen heroes. This edition features over 45 teams competing across a number of classes with the winner determined by the team/ car that completes 12 hours total racing over the three parts of the race in the fastest aggregate time.

    The Armed Forces Covenant confirms that the BRSCC will endeavour to uphold its key principles in its business dealings, whilst also confirming that the Club fully acknowledges and understands that those who either currently or have served in the Armed Forces must be treated with dignity, respect and fairness in all aspects of their life.

    As part of its commitment to the Covenant, the BRSCC will promote the Armed Forces as well as support the employment of veterans, service spouses and partners, along with supporting relevant national events and charities and offering a 10% discount to the Armed Forces community on Club membership. Plus, the Club will continue its ongoing work with Mission Motorsport and the Race of Remembrance and assist in the preservation and up keep of both the RAF West Malling memorial and the Twitch Heritage Centre, both of which are local to its HQ office in Kent.

    Expressing his delight at the club’s signing of the Covenant, BRSCC North Western Centre chairman Andy Holley commented “I am delighted and very proud that the BRSCC has signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant. As a long serving Royal Navy officer, it is of particular importance to me that the Club I work for, and have been a member of since childhood, has recognised the dedicated service of our Military personnel,  veterans, and their families.

    It is especially apposite and poignant that the BRSCC’s Armed Forces Covenant is being unveiled at the Race of Remembrance at Anglesey circuit over the Armistice weekend; arguably the most important race meeting in the UK club racing calendar.”

    James Cameron, CEO of Mission Motorsport added: “BRSCC have been steadfast supporters of the Armed Forces community for many years, and it is fantastic to see them marking that commitment through the signing of the Covenant. BRSCC’s annual hosting of Race of Remembrance is remarkable, they are powerful advocates across a huge membership and volunteer base that includes many veterans and service family members.”

    To find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant, visit the dedicated website at https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/.

  5. BRSCC WELCOMES COMPETITORS FOR THE 2023 RACE OF REMEMBRANCE AT ANGLESEY

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    With the UK motorsport season almost over, the time has come for one of, if not the most important race event of the calendar as the BRSCC heads to Anglesey in North Wales with Mission Motorsport and co for the ninth running of the incredible Race of Remembrance. Centered around the all-important Remembrance Sunday service which honours both current and fallen servicemen and servicewomen, looks set to have another competitive entry and one in which a clear favourite to win isn’t certain.

    Alongside the main event, a special ROR ClubSport Trophy race will also take place on the prior to the start of the Race of Remembrance on Saturday with a well-supported and varied grid of cars ready to play their part in adding to the weekend’s festivities.

    2023 RACE OF REMEMBRANCE
    At the time of writing, 45 teams are due to take the start of this year’s Race of Remembrance, including a pair of relay teams featuring multiple cars. The format of Race of Remembrance is simple – the race begins on Saturday and runs for the first seven of the twelve hours until it pauses overnight. Sunday morning sees the race resume briefly before it’s halted again for all in attendance to observe the Remembrance Sunday service in pit lane, and once complete the third and final part gets underway.

     

     

    The winning team/ car is determined by whoever completes the 12 hours in the fastest time across all three parts on aggregate. That means that anyone who has a gap to the car behind them in the running order as the end of part one, will start part two on Sunday still ahead by that margin on the timing screen, meaning those behind would have to pass said car on track and then a build a gap in order to move up the race order ahead of them.

    The most powerful cars will be in Class D up to 250 bhp per tonne, with a pair of Caterham 270Rs likely to be favourites here. DBR Racing’s entry features Ben Timmons and Darren Burke as its driving pair, while Williams Motorsport calls on five drivers including former Caterham champions John Byrne and Rrutij Patki along with the vastly experienced Scottish ace Callum Lockie. Paul Roddison is set to share his VW Scirocco with ex-BTCC stars Rob Austin and Daniel Welch, while Niel and Charlie Luke will assist in piloting Scott Ferguson’s supercharged Mk1 Mazda MX-5, and a trio of Fiesta ST240 Championship stars will take to one of Jamie White’s JRW Motorsport Fiestas with Zachary Lucas, Connor Blackburn and Sean Reynolds at the wheel.

    Class C is the busiest of the lot with twelve cars set to line up in its entry on Saturday. Amongst them are a quartet of finely prepared Toyota GT86, all of which will feature drivers supported by and racing for both Mission Motorsport and their North American counterparts at Operation Motorsport. The pair of UK cars feature Paul Wooding, Paul Sweeney, Alex Westrope and Martin Greaves in one Toyota, and Jonathan Hine, Alastair Bradie, Mark Russell and Chris Hosford in the other. Operation Motorsport’s USA car will feature Matthew Smotheron, Chris Walsh, Jason Bivins and Mike Stillwagon at the wheel of their GT86, and the Canadian car will be run by Jacob Porter, Huw Leahy, Alex Quinn and Ron Tomlinson.

     

     

    Alongside the Toyotas, Mission Motorsport also field a Mazda MX-5 Mk3 for James Cross, Leon Greiff, Oliver Brand and Roland Wilkinson, while others will feature courtesy of Stuart Humphrey Racing whose driving strength includes former Le Mans racer Alex Kapadia, and RAF Motorsports with Javelin Trackdays. Puretrack Racing will also return featuring a pair of Renault Clios, Flying Haggis Racing travel across the border from Scotland to compete in a Honda Civic, and Tequila Motorsport rounds off the class in a Mk1 MX-5.

    There’s three more Mk1 Mazda MX-5s in Class B, one of which entered by Brake Dancers Racing who feature a six driver line-up full of Caterham drivers, along with Jaffacake Racing and Autotest-TSW, the latter with Seb Fisher making a racing comeback for this event alongside fellow BRSCC Mazda MX-5 teammates Oliver Graham and Michael Green. Also present here are a BMW E36 Compact including Graham Robertson, Iain Robertson, Kevin Wood and ST150 Challenge racer Alec Townley, plus a rather special machine joining in too. Dean Lomas, Scott Armstrong and Martin Walker will race a specially prepared FIAT Panda 100hp with the team helping to raise money for Mission Motorsport in the process. They’ll be hoping for a strong finish for their efforts come Sunday.

     

     

    Class A will feature three of the smallest cars in the field, as two CityCar Cup spec machines are ready to run. Former champion team Autobliss will see Andrew Dyer, Stuart Bliss and Dominic Fletcher at the wheel of their Toyota Aygo, while the Mission Motorsport Citroen C1 originally built by the guys at Bad Obsession Motorsport is back in the hands of Linda Noble, Alistair Scott, Robert Curl and Daniel Turnbull. Another Mission Motorsport supported car is also present, with an EnduroKA-spec Ford KA lining up to be driven by Nigel Rice, Stephen Clark and Charles Clark.

    There’s also two classes dedicated to cars from certain popular club level endurance series. The Silverlake C1 Endurance Series is represented here with six entries, including two from front-running team WRC Developments. One car features C1 Racing Club head honcho Robin Welsh alongside regulars David Drinkwater, James Poulton and more, with RABsport Racing, Radiation Racing and CSC Racing also on the entry list. CSC Racing won the last C1 Racing Club race run at Anglesey last year, so Stephen and Nicholas Cunniffe will hope for a repeat in class alongside Dave Scotting.

     

     

    Nine cars are present from the BMW 116 Trophy in their own class, many of which featuring both current and ex-servicemen in their driver line-ups. RAF Motorsports will run two, along with a single car for Royal Navy Motorsports, with a fourth overseen by Matabooboo Racing for a quartet of veterans. Also here too are two cars from VMS Racing, another from CSC Racing adding a third car to their stable alongside their C1s, and one more from JTM Engineering that’s also set to be strong, with former BMW Compact Cup racers Alan Corfield and Sam Carrington-Yates in their line-up.

    The two relay teams taking part will see Brake Dancer Racing bringing a six-pack of Caterhams alongside their Mazda MX-5, and they’ll be up against TCR UK star Oliver Cottam who partners up with recent Fiesta Junior debutant Oskar Dix with a pair of Mk3 Mazda MX-5s at their disposal. Rounding off the entry list as the sole invitation class, Crisis Racing’s Citroen 2CV will hope that Nick Roads, Louis Tyson and Nick Crispin can make full use of the car’s 24 hour race pedigree to pull off a solid, and perhaps surprising, result.

     

     

    ROR CLUBSPORT TROPHY

    Now in its third running alongside the main Race of Remembrance, the special ROR ClubSport Trophy race is set to provide the perfect warm-up for the start of Saturday afternoon’s first part of the main event. There’s an impressive entry on this occasion with over 35 cars and plenty of variety across all five regular ClubSport classes.

    Two Lotuses head up Class A for cars up to the power to weight ratio cap of 235bhp per tonne with the Elise of Daniel Jude and Michael Sanford, against the RAF Motorsport Exige S2 of Neil and Lloyd Huggins. Mark Jones will be present in his VW Golf, along with Rob Phillips in his Honda Civic Cup car, George Wright in another Golf, and the BMW M3 E46 of Paul Cook and Chris Slator.

    For Class B, Colin Gillespie should be one to watch aboard his Audi TT, as will Paul Bancroft in his TT Cup Racing example on the grid too. Ben Walkingshaw will pilot his VW Scirocco within the class, while Bruce Hadfield prepares for another outing in his Mk4 Mazda MX-5 to round off his season mostly racing in the Evolution Trophy. Michael Nash’s BMW E46 330 and Rob Walker’s Mk3 Mazda MX-5 also come next in class too.

    Ben Taylor will be ready to rumble again as he looks to bid for Class C glory in his Mk4 Mazda MX-5, but his competition in class will come from David Russell in another RAF Motorsport prepared car, this one being a BMW E36 at his disposal. Tim Evans will relish the run out in the latest iteration of the BMW 1 Series SuperCup car to further its development, while a pair of Honda Civic Type Rs from the Over the Crest team will feature Graham Waterhouse and Chris Stone respectively to complete the class line-up.

    More hot hatches make up the ranks in Class D, with two Ford Fiesta ST150s present here featuring Duncan Steele in one car and James and Roger Stonestreet in the other. They will be looking forward to going up against David Connell and Alex Wilkinson-Hughes in their Mazda MX-5 Mk3, Daren Scholes and Charles Davis in a VW Golf, Kate Morris sharing her Renault Clio 200 with Joseph Ankers, and Andrew Stacey in his MINI Cooper S Works.

    Finally in Class E, there’s plenty of contenders here to go for the win. SuperSport Endurance regulars Philip and Matthew Adcock will hope running the #1 on their car can help them achieve the same result in the race, but their opposition is pretty stiff here. There’s Andrew and Robert MacGregor in one of four Mk1 Mazda MX-5s with Neil and Dugald also sharing a second. The other two will be piloted by Simon Waterfall and Mike Close, and Chris Fantana respectively. Also here will be ST150 Challenge racer Daniel Robinson with family member Mark alongside him in a Fiesta ST150, Allen McKenna and Tim Creighton in another Mk3 MX-5, Hywel Rosenthal in a Citroen C1 CityCar Cup racer, and the entry completed by the Nissan Almera GTi of Daniel and Steven Cogswell.

    It all promises to be a superb occasion with many drivers getting the chance to be a part of this very special end-of-season event!

    Scott Woodwiss

  6. INAUGURAL “BRSCC IRACING FF1600 FESTIVAL” ESPORTS SPECIAL EVENT

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    The British Racing & Sports Car Club is delighted to confirm that a brand new official eSports event inspired by the legendary Formula Ford Festival will be taking place this November – the iRacing BRSCC FF1600 Festival.

    Created in honour of the BRSCC’s blue-riband single seater event held in October and joining iRacing’s esteemed list of Special Events, the Club has collaborated with both the successful iRacing sim racing platform and Motorsport UK’s eSports division to formulate this exciting new eSports event. Taking place on iRacing’s laser-scanned version of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and utilising the increasingly popular Ray FF1600 single seater race car, the FF1600 Festival eSports event will take place across November 17/18 2023. 

    The format of the FF1600 Festival also mimics that of the real-world Formula Ford Festival, with warmup and qualifying followed by two Heats and a Last Chance Race, all culminating in a 30-car Grand Final to determine the winner. Racing will take place across four time zones to allow as many iRacing members around the world to compete across the duration of the event. Racers will be separated into splits based on their driver rating, with a minimum iRacing licence rating of Rookie 4.0 required to participate.

    iRacing will be broadcasting the third timezone slot’s top split live on Saturday November 18th at 12:00pm GMT via their YouTube channel, and links will be provided to the broadcast when available. If you’re a keen sim racer, a real world racer (perhaps even in Formula Ford itself) or even both, then be sure to log on and take part in this amazing new BRSCC eSports event and see if you could become an FF1600 Festival eSports winner!

     

  7. BRSCC PROVIDES CITYCAR CUP ARDS CAR TO THE MOTORSPORTS SCHOOL & FREE REGISTRATION FOR ARDS PASS

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    The British Racing & Sports Car Club has a long history of successfully persuading new drivers into motorsport, and also for delivering them well run race series where they can build and hone their skills whilst enjoying great racing.

    The Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship is one such series, and with a such a low-cost point of access it is perfect for new drivers coming into the sport whether young or old. The cars are built around ultra-reliable first generation Citroen C1 / Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo donor cars, and with their comprehensive SW Motorsports roll cage, GAZ Shocks coil-over race suspension and 15 inch Nankang NS-2R tyres, they perform like proper little race cars on track!

    We sometimes hear potential new drivers saying that CityCar Cup might not be at the top of their list when choosing a race series to start their careers in because the cars are “slow”, but this is far removed from the reality of what the cars and the championship actually deliver. Whilst the cars may not be blindingly fast in a straight line, through the all important twisty bits they are equal to and often quicker than much more exotic (and expensive) machinery.

    With carefully controlled technical specifications, the cars are all equal in terms of performance and handling, and it takes skill and racecraft for any driver to find their way to the front of the pack.

    CityCar Cup delivers a brilliant platform for new drivers to learn their racing and to develop their skills without spending fortunes. To allow new drivers to get first-hand experience of the CityCar Cup cars and what they are like to drive, the BRSCC in partnership with Nankang Tyres is delighted to announce that the Club has donated a fully race ready example to The Motorsports School which will be used by them to carry out ARDS training and driver evaluations. Anyone signing up to take an ARDS test with The Motorsports School in future will be given the opportunity to do so in this fully fledged little CityCar Cup race car.

    The car is exactly the same as championship cars currently seen on the CityCar Cup grid and will give new drivers the most authentic “race car” experience when taking their ARDS tests or coaching sessions.

    The BRSCC has enjoyed a long and mutually successful partnership with The Motorsports School, one of the UK’s leading providers of ARDS Tests and driver tuition packages…and the club recommends their top level services to anyone looking to get involved in circuit racing.

    Commenting on behalf of the BRSCC, head of Formula Development Greg Graham said, “Through our partnership with Nankang Tyre UK we’re delighted to provide The Motorsports School this new CityCar Cup ARDS / Training car as yet another important step in demonstrating to the racers of the future that the BRSCC offers the very best access points for their saloon car racing careers. We hope that by gaining their race licences in the CityCar Cup race car, they then choose the championship as their first step on the racing ladder”.

    On behalf of The Motorsports School, Pete Edwards responded, “Having enjoyed a great working relationship with the BRSCC over many years, the provision of this new CityCar Cup ARDS and training car has shown us just how much the Club values what we do in terms of encouraging new drivers into the sport. It’s also great demonstration of the significant investments that the BRSCC are making toward developing UK club racing. We can’t wait to give drivers the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new car, and to deliver them their first experience of what a proper race car feels like on track”.

    As a bonus for any driver that takes their ARDS Test with The Motorsports School in the CityCar Cup car and then decides to join the championship, you’ll also be eligible for free CityCar Cup Championship registration courtesy of Nankang Tyre UK.

    Find out more about our friends at The Motorsport School by visiting their website at https://www.themotorsportsschool.co.uk/

  8. OULTON PARK ROUNDS OFF 2023 BRSCC SEASON WITH MORE CHAMPIONS CROWNED

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    The final regular race meeting of the BRSCC’s 2023 racing season took place at the end of October at Oulton Park, where three championships were left to settle their title winners for the year. The day was dominated by the final two races of the Fun Cup Endurance Championship, which featured a dramatic final race in which the title contenders swapped the points lead numerous times throughout, while the Metro Cup and Super Classic Formula Fords also provided some superb sprint racing entertainment too.

    FUN CUP ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
    The final outing for the Fun Cup Endurance Championship in 2023 would see a superb double header of races at Oulton Park, the somewhat traditional venue for the last rounds of the championship. Going into the weekend, as many as eight teams still had a mathematical chance of winning the title, but at the head of the points it was all about Team Olympian, UVio/ Hofmann’s Motorsport, PLR Racing and Team Viking/Ursus Capital Racing. They would prove to be the main contenders of the day.

    Race one saw JPR Team LRS start on pole position alongside new team Jackpot Racing, while the main contenders for the championship were all over the random drawn grid. UVio and Viking shared the fourth row, while PLR Racing and Team Olympian were towards the back of the grid with Olympian mandated to start last after winning the previous race.

    A rapid start from Viking gave them the lead from Team 3 Motorsport midway through the opening lap while UVio first got tangled up with Signature RV’s car at Hislops, before tangling with another car on lap two gave them damage that required a length pit call, thus ending their championship chances on the spot. The first safety car of the race was called when EDF Motorsport saw one of their cars stuck in the gravel at Shell Oils, with the field bunched up again by one quarter distance.

    Olympian had risen to third from the back of the grid by now, and challenged Viking and JPR Team BSP for the top two positions, passing for second at Druids and then for the lead outside of Old Hall Corner. BSP, Viking and Olympian scrapped over the lead for the next few minutes while the pit window opened, and once the stops had shaken out the order, it was JPR Team BSP in the lead from MJ Tec and Olympian, with PLR Racing also having risen to fourth ahead of Team Greenheath and Viking in sixth.

    The order changed little in the second pit stop window, with JPR Team BSP retaining the lead going into the final minutes and driving on to clinch a fantastic win. Mikey Porter and Reza Seewooruthun were winners on their debut, but co-driver Ted Bradbury already had a Fun Cup start under his belt and thus the trio just missed out on the £10,000 prize for a team of completely new drivers winning on their first start. MJ Tec took second ahead of Olympian scoring strong points with third, while PLR placed fourth and Axiametrics just beat Viking to the line for the final top five place.

    The longer three hour finale later in the day produced one of the most dramatic Fun Cup final rounds the championship had ever seen. Axiametrics were drawn on pole alongside Team Ratters Racing, with Olympian and Viking placed on row two together while PLR Racing were towards the rear of the pack. Axiametrics’ lead was aided by a lap one safety car after Greenheath, Red River Sport and GT Radial all fell foul in incidents, prompting the neutralisation of the race for just over the first twenty minutes. Axiametrics continued to lead heading towards the first pit window, but behind them an off for Olympian at Druids was caused by a burnt alternator cable causing gear selector issues. A fix in pit lane put them back out on track, but now three laps off the lead and deep in the pack. The rest of the race would now see them fighting back to stay in the title race.

    Race one winners JPR Team BSP led after the first pit stop window with UVio on their tail, before the two teams swapped places in the next one just before another safety car was called when Team 3 Motorsport left the road at Knickerbrook. Olympian’s recovery had only taken them back to 17th by half distance, while Viking and PLR were both in the top ten and in a position to steal the title. Another safety car for Greenheath’s stranded machine at Brittens left the pack bunched up again with an hour to go and Viking scrapping for the lead with JPR BSP and UVio.

    Olympian’s cause was helped when the #214 car of Seed Data pulled up on the exit of Brittens, helping them again a crucial place to remain championship leaders, aided further when a fast stop in the final pit window under the subsequent safety car saw them finally leapfrog Jackpot Racing, whom they’d been chasing ever since fixing their issue early in the race. This put them in 15th, and second in the safety car queue behind UVio, before they backed out and sat back to watch an enthralling six car fight for the win inside the final ten minutes.

    Containing UVio, JPR BSP, Viking, Axiametrics, Signature RV and MJ Tec, all five teams behind leaders UVio practically took turns to try and take it from them, until a mistake at the Hislops chicane allowed Viking to take over in front. Marcus Clutton put the pressure on in the Signature RV car and after snatching the lead at Lodge heading onto the final lap, he drove away from the ensuing melee behind and clinched the team’s first win alongside John Whitehouse and Steve Ruston. JPR Team BSP held on to second ahead of UVio in third, followed by Viking/ Ursus Capital in fourth and MJ Tec in fifth.

    PLR Racing couldn’t better seventh, but fifteenth proved to be enough in the end to give Kristian Rose, Chris Dovell and Riley Philips the 2023 Fun Cup Endurance Championship crown!

    SUPER CLASSIC PRE ‘99 FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP
    Even though all four class titles were effectively out of reach heading to the final rounds at Oulton Park, the Super Classic Pre ‘99 Formula Ford Championship concluded its first season as a “classic Formula Ford-only” series in 2023 with two final races to round off the year, as all four classes were once again represented.

    Super Classic A runners Richard Freye and Paul Mason took up the front row with Freye on pole, and Richard maintained the lead as race one got underway while Mason had to deal with fast starts from Colin Williams and Scott Rawlinson before settling into second place. In just a couple of laps, Freye had managed to open up a lead of over five seconds over Mason, who himself was comfortably ahead of Rawlinson in third place while Neil Hunt needed a couple of laps to find a way past Colin Williams for fourth. A five minute extension to the race came with Juiceie Bruceie’s Reynard stopped exiting Cascades, leaving a short dash for the last couple of laps for Mason to unseat Freye from the lead. Despite the late pressure, the finishing order remained unchanged as Freye won outright and in class ahead of Mason in second and Hunt in third. Grace Parkington took Super Classic C honours in fourth overall ahead of Super Classic D winner Scott Rawlinson in fifth, and Trevor Morgan also won Super Classic B.

    Mason didn’t make the start of race two later in the afternoon, leaving Freye to be unchallenged from pole as racing began. The final fifteen minutes of the season were fairly straightforward for Freye, leading every lap and securing another overall and class win, thus also helping him achieve the Champion of Oulton title in the process too. Behind him, all the action was over the podium spots as Rawlinson, Hunt and Williams battled between each other. Hunt’s chances literally went spinning at Hislops, residing him to fourth place while Rawlinson took second ahead of Williamson. Hunt and Super Classic B winner Chris Stones completed the overall top five, with Freye, Stones, Parkington and Rawlinson all winning their classes respectively.

    HICKFORD CONSTRUCTION MG METRO CUP
    The Hickford Construction MG Metro Cup came down to just two men at the final rounds at Oulton Park – Rhys Claydon and Mike Williams. With Rhys in the lead by enough to be able to secure the honours in race one, he entered the first race of the day starting on pole position knowing exactly what had to be done to claim enough points and be crowned champion.

    A perfect start ensured Claydon was unchallenged at Old Hall beginning race one, as Williams fell in line behind him and quickly set about going with him. Williams put the pressure on in the early laps at times, but Rhys’ pace just seemed to be enough to put him and keep him out of reach, with the gap yo-yoing between one and over two seconds throughout. At one stage, Williams was right back underneath Claydon’s bumper in the second half of the race and a small drizzle of rain only tried to complicate matters further, but to no avail. Claydon reeled off the final laps to not only win race one, but to clinch the Hickford Construction MG Metro Cup title with a race to spare, winning ahead of Williams in second and an impressive third for Robbie Kenning ahead of Mike Simpson and Mark Wilson in the top five.

    With Claydon’s title secured, there was no need for him to push too hard in the final race of the year and this was evident when Williams went sweeping round the outside at Old Hall corner to take the lead as Rhys chose not to defend the place too hard initially. Enjoying giving chase, the pair eventually ended up side by side into Shell Oils on lap two but now with a racey Matt Simpson for company in third as the trio pushed on. Claydon took the lead at Old Hall on lap three, then lost it back again at Cascades before a hairy moment under brakes for Claydon at Shell Oils saw the two cars make light contact. This brought Simpson, Kenning, Ben Williams and Wilson all into the mix, forming a six car lead group.

    All of this briefly shuffled Kenning into the lead, but Williams snuck back past moments later and was unheaded to the flag. He completed the season with the final race win of the year with Kenning on his tail in second, followed by Simpson, Ben Williams and Wilson in the top five. New champion Claydon settled for sixth, knowing wherever he finished would still see him confirmed as Metro Cup champion for 2023.

    Scott Woodwiss

  9. BRSCC PARTNERS WITH FINSPORT TO LEAD RENAULT CUP SERIES IN 2024

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    The British Racing & Sports Car Club is delighted to announce a new partnership with Lincolnshire based motorsport and tuning company Finsport which will see them taking the leading role in further developing the Club’s Renault Cup series in 2024 and beyond.

    The Finsport Renault Cup is a series designed to provide a platform for race prepared Clios and Meganes to compete together on track within a multi-class structure. Finsport have a long history of developing and running Renaults on track, and the motorsport and performance specialists have come on board to enhance and grow the Renault Cup grid even further in 2024. It is hoped that the Renault racing community will adopt the Finsport Renault Cup as a showcase for all Renaultsport race cars.

    For the 2024 race season, the Finsport Renault Cup will race within the BRSCC’s Evolution Trophy format, with the goal of breaking away to become a stand-alone championship in 2025.

    Commenting on behalf of Finsport, owner Jay Finlay said, “Having been involved with the Renault Cup through last season, it was clear to me that it provided a perfect opportunity for anyone that owns a Renault Clio or Megane to come together and enjoy their racing as part of a Renault focussed community. I’ve spoken to many people who have told me that a stand-alone Renault racing grid would be a fantastic end result, and that’s certainly our target”.

    On behalf of the BRSCC, Greg Graham, Head of Formulae Development said, “It’s great to have Finsport taking the reins of the Renault Cup series ahead of the 2024 season, and with their history, knowledge and connections within the Renault racing community, I believe that we’ll see more and more Renaults on the grid in future. We have a shared goal of delivering a stand-alone Renault grid in 2025 and all efforts will be directed toward making that happen”.

    The 2024 season will see a range of prizes given away at each round, these supplied by top motorsport/tuning companies from across the UK.

    If you have a race-prepared Renault Clio or Megane, please get in touch with the Finsport team to have a chat and to register your interest in getting involved in the series.

    Find out more about Finsport by visiting their website at https://www.finsport.co.uk/

    SERIES INFO – https://brscc.co.uk/formulae/finsport-renault-cup/

     

     

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