NATIONAL FF1600 JOINS TCR UK SUPPORT PACKAGE FOR 2018
The British Racing & Sports Car Club (BRSCC) is pleased to confirm that the Britcover National Formula Ford 1600 Championship with Avon Tyres has been selected as the first official support series for the 2018 TCR UK Championship.
This year, the Britcover National Formula Ford 1600 Championship with Avon Tyres has been one of the most competitive in British club motorsport. As a result, this has led to grid sizes regularly averaging 30 cars per meeting across the 8 race meetings held this year. To reward this achievement, the BRSCC has elected to place the Championship onto the support package for the all-new TCR UK Championship, a cost effective touring car formula that is already established around the world with several regional and national series as well as the top-line TCR International Series.
The National FF1600 Championship will reach new heights thanks to its new TCR UK support status – Photo: Rachel Bourne
The provisional calendar for the 2018 TCR UK Championship was unveiled recently and as such, the Britcover National Formula Ford 1600 Championship with Avon Tyres will see 7 of its 8 race meetings follow TCR UK to the same venues. The season will start on March 31/ April 1 with a visit to Silverstone in Northamptonshire on the National circuit. A subsequent trip to Knockhill Circuit in Fife, Scotland will mark the second meeting of the year as the teams and drivers head north of the border, before heading down south to Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent, the home of the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival. Castle Combe in Wiltshire will host the 4th meeting of 2018 at a high speed venue known for its own incredibly competitive Formula Ford Championship, before a trip west to Oulton Park in Cheshire will see the Championship tackle a real drivers’ favourite. Croft in North Yorkshire makes a welcome return after a year’s absence, before Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire plays host to the final rounds of the 2018 season on October 13/14. The venue and date for the 8th meeting is to be confirmed.
The excitement around the TCR UK Championship should lead to the National Formula Ford drivers racing in front of larger crowds than in previous years, helping raise the profile and standard of the Championship to a level that befits the quality of the driving talent and the racing itself. This has been helped by the introduction of the Pro Class in 2017 and with the National Championship once again selected as an official feeder series to the Mazda Road To Indy USF2000 $200,000 Scholarship Shootout, it proves that Formula Ford is still a viable, sustainable and valuable route into motorsport and a fantastic proving ground for young, talented drivers to hone their skills in car setup and race craft. It is a fitting arrangement given the Formula Ford category of single seater racing has been celebrating its prestigious 50th anniversary this year.
Ian Smith, Championship Co-ordinator, Britcover National Formula Ford 1600 Championship with Avon Tyres– “I am delighted with the news that we are racing on the TCR UK package in 2018. We consider ourselves to be one of the UK’s premier single seater championships and feel we are an ideal fit for the TCR support package. From 2016, since becoming an Official Feeder Series on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, career minded single seater racers have flocked to race with the BRSCC and now they also have the kudos of racing at the start of something big.”
Dominic Ostrowski, Competitions Manager, BRSCC– “The BRSCC has been very pleased with the popularity and competition in this year’s Britcover National Formula Ford 1600 Championship. We wanted to add a competitive single-seater element to the support bill for the new TCR UK Championship, so the National Championship was the natural choice. This will give the drivers and the Formula Ford category a real chance to shine once again. On behalf of the Club, I would like to thank championship co-ordinator Ian Smith and all teams and drivers involved for their hard work and efforts across this season and I look forward to the spectacle they are sure to provide in 2018.”