Motorsport Days Summer 2016

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048 R O A D T R A C K R A C E S U M M E R 2 0 1 6
BARC
Review
Club: British Automobile
Racing Club (BARC)
Contact: Chris Ashby
Tel: 01264 882200
Email:
THE BRITISH AUTOMOBILE RACING CLUB (BARC),
ESTABLISHED IN 1912, IS BRITAIN’S LARGEST
MOTORSPORT CLUB.
H ighly regarded as one of
the most prestigious
organisations, the BARC
has once again excelled during
the first half of the 2016 motor-
sport season. With a wide variety
of championships on offer, it
doesn’t matter whether a competi-
tor is a novice or a seasoned
veteran; the BARC has the ability
to cater to any level of motorsport
experience.
Operating not only as a club that
oversees the running of champi-
onships, the BARC also ensures
the best marshals and officials are
on hand to make sure all meetings
run smoothly.
Remaining a jewel in the BARC’s
crown, the Dunlop MSA British
Touring Car Championship has
flourished with a record entry grid
providing 10 different winners
from the opening 15 races. The
TOCA package, which includes
the Renault UK Clio Cup, Ginetta
and Porsche Carrera Cup GB, has
also been highly competitive and
entertaining.
Britcar Endurance have enjoyed
a period of resurgence and the
foundations for a stellar 2017 cam-
paign are being laid this year, with
popularity and grids continuing to
grow at every event.
From exotic machinery to
fire-spitting hatchback missiles,
the MSA British Rallycross Cham-
pionship in association with
Odyssey Battery is responsible
for mud-slinging action under the
BARC banner.
If the British Rallycross Cham-
pionship houses some of the
smaller vehicles, the British Truck
Racing Championship is the
complete opposite. Thousands of
horsepower packed into sizable
trucks is as popular as it has ever
been and leaves fans in awe of
those competing wheel-to-wheel
at high speeds.
Low-cost and competitive racing
is something that the BARC has
become renowned for down the
years and that trait is a constant
plus point to this day. Champion-
ships such as the Carbon8 Hyun-
dai Coupe Cup, Mighty Minis,
UK National Legends and Max5
provide the ideal first step onto
the motorsport ladder.
Making the jump from karting
– from the BARC British Schools
Karting Championship, for ex-
ample – to cars can always be
a difficult transition, but that
switch has been made easier with
a host of junior categories for 13
to 17-year-olds. Ginetta Juniors
remains the premier place to duke
it out, though the Junior Saloon
Car Championship is growing in
stature. Providing a level playing
field of Citroen Saxos for all driv-
ers, the next British cult hero and
champion could well come from
this current crop of racers.
It isn’t just modern day machinery
that is at the fore of the racing activ-
ity; historical machines from yester-
year are hugely popular. The Classic
Touring Car Championship provides
a multi-class system for iconic cars
and the Luna Logistics Formula Ford
1600 series showcases what sin-
gle-seaters were like on the road to
Formula One in the 1970s.
With a host of other champi-
onships all prospering and com-
peting at some of the top circuits
in the UK and Europe, including
Thruxton and Croft, the BARC has
something for everyone.
For further information on racing
with BARC, or if you are looking to
make your first steps into the caul-
dron of motorsport, don’t hesitate
to get in contact. To find out more,
visit:
THE BARC CONTINUES
TO SHINE DURING THE
FIRST HALF OF 2016