BRSCC RETURNS TO SILVERSTONE TO CROWN 2024 CHAMPIONS
Just a few weeks after we visited to conclude the first few championships of the season for 2024, the British Racing & Sports Car Club heads back to Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, where the season concludes for several more. With titles on the line across the board, on-track battles will be even more intense as usual as champions-elect are crowned and season-long scores finally settled.
The TCR UK Touring Car Championship concludes its 2024 season on Silverstone’s International layout with Carl Boardley on course to claim his second title in as many years. 41 points is his margin over second placed Brad Hutchison, who moved up a spot after Callum Newsham’s race two accident lost him points and potentially put his title chances to rest.
Boardley looks set to retain the #1 on his CUPRA with Hutchison set to do his best to try and spoil Carl’s party. He’ll need a lot of good fortune and results to go his way if he’s to stand any chance of denying him. Newsham still has a chance of at least regaining P2 if he can outscore Hutchison enough, while he’s also comfortably in a podium spot in the standings ahead of Darron Lewis. Adam Shepherd has had rotten luck in the past few meetings, leaving him in fifth with one weekend left to go to try and salvage something from a second half of the season plagued with problems.
The lead gap is similar in the Milltek Sport Civic Cup, where Max Edmundson is also in line to wrap up another Honda crown. Team mate Josh Files has pressed him all the way from the start of the campaign and this pair have been the two to beat since the Brands Hatch season opener, but better luck for Edmundson has helped him stretch to almost 50 points ahead. That could make his task relatively easy on race day, and the rest of their rivals could also play their parts in the outcome.
Alistair Camp’s third place looks somewhat safe in the highest place FN2 Civic, while Harvey Caton and Lewis Kent could trade places if Lewis can overhaul the five point deficit across the final weekend. Others who have constantly thrown themselves into the mix of strong finishes, podiums and wins include Will Redford, Liam McGill, Dave Marshall, Spencer Stevenson and Alex Kite, so don’t be surprised to see at least one of the aforementioned in contention.
The BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship has seen plenty of incredible and exciting moments throughout 2024 and its most successful season to date comes to a close in its third visit to Silverstone this year, with not only the final points-scoring rounds, but all the final Champion of Silverstone rounds too. Jenson O’Neill-Going holds a commanding lead going into the final races of the year, and looks on course to claim the championship in the Mk6 Fiesta’s final ever weekend in Fiesta Juniors.
Trying to keep him honest whilst also battling for positions in the overall and Mk7 class standings, Finn Leslie and Jacob Hodgkiss will be doing their best to try and delay Jenson’s celebrations whilst also going toe-to-toe for the class honours at the same time. Alongside them in the battle for victory are sure to be the Wera Tools Alliance Academy pair of Jenson Mason and Alfie Garford, as well as Thomas Merritt, Henry Foote, Archie Davies as well. Also watch for George Foxlow, Callie Clifford, Maggie Webster and co in the Mk6 class as they help give the ST150 its Fiesta Junior swansong.
Their faster senior counterparts in the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship will also enjoy the International circuit’s long straights, as their season wraps up in fine style too. After three years of coming agonisingly close but just missing out on the big prize, Ireland’s Alastair Kellett finally looks set to secure his second Fiesta crown after his first way back in 2016. With just over seventy points advantage, Kellett only really needs to ensure he’s at least a maximum score of 52 points ahead of second placed Zach Lucas to provisionally become champion-elect. Gary Miller, Simon Horrobin, Lucas Hayden and Joseph Knight will also be competition here in Pro class.
It’s a much more intense contest in the Am class with just three points on dropped scores between Archie Johnson and Henry Howarth. Not only that, but it’s also tight for third as just a single point separates Dan Lewis and James Pope. Also factor in the fifth placed duel of Charlie Ellis and Caitlin May with ten points between the pair, and you’ve got all the makings of an exciting conclusion.
A successful first championship season for the Audi TT Cup Racing Championship comes to a conclusion at Silverstone this weekend too, where its first ever champion-elect will be crowned. Bradley Burns’ charge up the table from mid-season has seen him clinch seven wins from the last eight races to move himself to the top with three races left to run. He’s been able to extend a 14 point gap as a result and goes into the weekend as the favourite to come out on top.
He will have Matt Luff and Carl Swift chasing him down, the former wishing to add to his 2022 Civic Cup title success while Swift has been on the climb back up the order after his day to forget at Oulton Park, which resulted in zero points. Both will do their utmost to keep Burns in their sights, while others will hope to wrap up 2024 in the strongest possible fashion including Luke Handley, Paul Luti, top Masters driver Sean Smith, Will Stacey, Ross Makar and more.
Rain stopped play last time out at Donington Park in the Nankang Tyre BMW Compact Cup, with both races abandoned and leaving the scores exactly as they were going into that weekend as the Silverstone finale approaches. It means Joe Doble retains his twelve point advantage ahead of the tie for second between Connor Grady and Gordon Macmillan. With Doble’s six wins, it means that even if either Grady or Macmillan were able to tie with Doble on points by the end of the weekend, Joe would still become champion-elect on countback.
That means both drivers will have to push hard and hope that fortunes fall in their favour whilst Joe’s go against him. Joe’s father Mike Doble will certainly play his part to race well and aid son Joe’s chances, but he’s only a point ahead of Max Noble in their scrap for fourth in the standings. The battle for six also looks exciting with a three way dance between Alex Read, Adam Wright and outgoing champion Gareth Claydon, the latter wishing for a silver lining to his tough title defence this year.
Completing their regular season at Silverstone before the special contest supporting Race of Remembrance next month, the SW Motorsports ClubSport Trophy is back once again at Silverstone for its third and final visit of 2024. As you’d expect from this multi-class 45-minute pit-stop race series the grid is once again packed to the rafters with essentially a full grid taking to the International layout, the same circuit where the season began back in March.
There’s a few regulars that have come to populate ClubSport Trophy grids regularly that can always be counted on to be in contention for outright victory, and it’s no different for this weekend’s race. Phiroze Bilimoria’s VW Scirocco, Shane Kelly’s Morgan, James Alford’s Audi TT, Matthew Bolton’s BMW M3 and David Cox’s VW Golf are sure to be the main players, plus also watch out for Rob Boston in an Mazda MX-5 too amongst a sea of BMWs, Clios, MINIs, Honda Civic and more.
MINI 7 RACING CLUB – written by Rich Williamson
Mini Miglia & Libre
Packed grids and headline-grabbing coverage have been a highlight over recent seasons, and a quick glance down the entry list reveals a galaxy of not only former Mini champions but also drivers who have excelled in the upper echelons of touring cars. Former BTCC frontrunner Jeff Smith heads the standings and looks favourite to take the 1.3-litre Miglia main prize having secured the 1-litre Se7en crown twice before, although four-time class champ’ Aaron Smith in 2nd spot will be aiming for a fifth title, likewise 3rd-placed Kane Astin who has won both Miglia and Se7en formulae in the past.
However, all three will face Andrew Jordan, and despite not being in overall contention the former BTCC titleist and 2021 Mig champ’ has won five out of his six starts in the category this season. The back-to-back 1998/99 champ’ Ian Curley (not to mention the Se7en crown too some 30 years ago!) has made a strong return this season and lies 4th in the standings, whilst Rupert Deeth and Endaf Owens are two further title winners who are sure to be in the mix as well. Look out too for Phil Bullen-Brown, Ben Colburn, Martin Wager and Colin Peacock who have all run regularly among the leading pack.
A run of strong performances and points-on-the-board have elevated Josh Evans to the head of the Libre class in his 7-port car, as longtime series leader Peter Hills suffered a major mechanical gremlin in his 16v example when leading last time out at Combe, and which may preclude an entry this weekend. Last season’s runner-up Julian Proctor has steadily racked up the finishes to now lie 2nd in the standings, but may find his 5-porter less suited around Silverstone to out-pace Evans’ machine, although the similar set-up of reigning class champion Richard Colburn has won here before. Huw Turner’s 8-port/16v went well here last season so could be an outside bet for victory too.
Mini Se7ens & Se7en-S
Whoever triumphs overall in this season’s Mini Se7en title chase will have earned it the hard way. A waterlogged Cadwell Park circuit back in April precluded any racing for the lesser powered classes, only one of the two postponed races then being run a month later at what then became a Snetterton treble-header to leave the other ‘paused’ race being shoehorned into this weekend’s timetable.
As it stands, Ross Billison tops the charts with a solid campaign of two wins and regular podiums elsewhere, and although his main rival Joe Thompson lies 10 points adrift has come into form at the right time with five wins to date, which may become a crucial tie-breaker. On paper the latter currently has less points to drop too which will see calculators on overtime as the permutations unravel after each leg, although don’t rule out twice-winner Damien Harrington who could surpass the both of them if results go his way.
These three may be the main focus but look out too for the likes of Darren Thomas who ran strongly last month at Combe, whilst reigning class champion Mike Jordan has won three times in only four starts, and Kane Astin is having a guest appearance having won the title back in 2009.
Half-a-dozen victories and only one score outside the top three enabled Matt Ayres to finally wrap up the milder-tuned 1275cc category a meeting early, his provisional tally of 266 points unassailable on paper. That said, the battle to claim the overall runner-up spot will be no less competitive, as former class champion Michael Winkworth will be a strong contender, along with newcomer Callum Perfect and drivers’ rep Arnold Duncan, whilst although further down the table ‘old hand’ Andy Hack could well upset the form book in son Frazer’s car.
The Page brothers, Jonathon and Matthew, are likely to be up front too, the former having won last season’s title, with Phil Anning and Joel Wren looking to repeat their impressive debut performances in the category at Brands Hatch in August.
Written by Scott Woodwiss/ Rich Williamson
