2021.....2022

Hello loyal readers...or is that reader?! I type these words on March 8th 2022, on the cusp of Spring and the start of another year of Motorsport action. as you can see I have compiled fixture lists for both two and four wheeled circuit disciplines, mainland only, and hope they are a useful tool to help plan the year ahead. As always please check before travelling!

The last two years have seen the Covid pandemic dramatically change the lives of many in the UK and around the world. With two radically altered seasons, racing in the UK has had to adapt new methods and, despite the many challenges, has seen entries and demand for motorsport either stay healthy or remarkably increase the appetite for those who want to compete. 

For those whose main interest is to watch motorsport, the last two years have brought about change aswell. Buying tickets in advance was made compulsory, no access to paddocks and, talk about sacrilege!, the end of the printed programme in many cases. There has been a strong feeling of being just very grateful to be able to even leave the confines of your own home and going to watch some motor racing, it's been that bad at times.

I didn't update the blog at all during 2021 despite having attended 12 meetings. Having a job that became increasingly busy and arduous during the pandemic's two years meant that time was always stretched and I've been guilty of letting the blog slip. Hopefully 2022 will see a bit of a relaunch and refresh to mark the blog's 10th anniversary!!

Here's a brief overview of what I attended during 2021....

Racing was allowed to resume by the governing body, MotorsportUK , in April but I was saddened to learn that spectators wouldn't be allowed to watch until the weekend of May 22nd/23rd. Insert sad face emoji here! Indeed there was a Masters Historic meeting at Donington held over the Easter weekend that I could hear from my house some 8 miles away which was very frustrating to listen to knowing that I couldn't be there!! Eventually the green light was given for spectators to be allowed out, thermos flasks dusted off, spider webs brushed off the fold-up chair in the shed, all ready to go.

MAY 23rd - Donington Park 750MC  Probably the ideal organising club with which to resume watching racing again. 13 races including a day-ending 90 minute race for the 116 Trophy, a relatively new addition to the club's portfolio, for the BMW 1 Series car. Highlight of the day was the good old Classic Stock Hatches which never fail to disappoint.

MAY 30th - Donington Park CSCC The Classic Sports Car Club amassed a huge 475 car entry across the weekend with 7 races on the Sunday with a triple header for Special Saloons/Modsports plus ClassicK, Swinging 60's (in two groups) and Future Classics. Some fantastic weather to watch in, although the mini-enduro element to all races save the Special Saloons, gave the day a drawn out feel.

JUNE 13th - Mallory Park CMMC The Classic and Modern Motorsport Club organised a packed one-day 13 race card at the gloriously sunny and hot Mallory Park. Indeed it was a bit too hot and a bit too packed as the schedule took a battering due to red flags and, at times, poor organisation. With 11 races post lunch break, racing didn't actually resume until 1.45pm which was far too late. I felt sorriest for the Intermarque Silhouette competitors who basically had a pair of 5 minute races. Certainly an interesting day though with everything from Metro Cup, 500cc F3 and Classic Motorcycles to watch.

JUNE 27th - Donington Park HSCC The Historic Sports Car Club were the club in charge for a very good 12 race meeting with, as is usual, the FF1600 races being the best on show. With both Classic and Historic FF1600 plus Historic FF2000 there was no shortage of action. Elsewhere there was action for Historic F3,GT & Sportscar Cup, Thundersports, Historic Touring Cars, 70's Roadsports, Historic Roadsports and Aurora/Geoff Lees Trophy.

JULY 18th - Donington Park MGCC The motorsport arm of the MG Car Club was the place to be on this very hot and sunny Sunday. One could have been at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone but the lure of 11 races featuring Midgets/Sprites,MGBCV8,MG Trophy, Triple M Challenge, Equipe Classic, Cockshoot Cup, Morgans and MG Cup/Metro Cup was just too much!

AUGUST 1st - Mallory Park BARC Pickup racing on the one mile "oval" was the main attraction of this 8 race British Automobile Racing Club one-day meeting. A bizarre decision to place a stack of tyres on the inside kerb at Turn 4 (presumably to deter corner cutting?) which were then dislodged, led to the first race being red flagged again after an initial start saw a multi-truck pile up at the same corner. Better racing on the day was actually supplied by double-headers each for Citroen 2CV's, Hyundai Coupe Cup and Northern/Super Classic FF1600.

AUGUST 22nd - Donington Park BARC A mighty 15 races were scheduled for the second day of the Convoy in the Park British Truck racing extravaganza. Entries in the 3 truck races were a little on the thin side but still provided excellent entertainment. With support from the Pickups (less destructive than they were at Mallory 3 weeks hence), Legends, Caterham Graduates and North/West Sports/Saloons this was an excellent days racing. To emphasise the fact just 0.049 secs covered the top three finishers in the Caterham Graduate Sigma 135 first race! A downpour of quite biblical proportions mid-afternoon, almost out of nowhere, led to a brief delay but action thankfully resumed.

SEPTEMBER 19th - Donington Park - MSVR This second day of a two day Motor Sport Vision Racing  meeting saw the best of national racing and the worst of national racing in the 11 race programme. First the best, as the GT Cup, 7 Race Series and Monoposto Championship all had bulging entries and good racing in their respective races. The worst of national racing was seen in a very poorly supported F3 Cup and then, quite possibly, one of the worst series I've seen in all the years watching trackside. The GPR Trophy was conceived to be an arrive and drive package with entrants all using Audi TT's. After a shocking first race with 7 entrants marred with reliability issues, the last race was scheduled as the last race of the day. I didn't even hang around to see the end and wasn't exactly surprised to see when I checked the results at home, that there was only one classified finisher!

SEPTEMBER 26th - Donington Park- BRSCC This was an excellent days racing from the British Racing & Sports Car Club with 13 races on the Sunday. Possibly THE most successful club championship in terms of entries in the last decade, the Mazda MX5's along with their MK3 version brethren, were in action along with Fiestas, Fiesta Junior, BMW Compact Cup, Welsh Sports/Saloons, ZEO Prototypes, ClubSport Trophy and even the British SuperKart Grand Prix! Starting with Duncan Williams badly damaging his LMP3 Norma in a shunt at the Old Hairpin in early morning ZEO Prototype qualifying, there was action and drama aplenty during the day. The day after this meeting though I contracted Covid 19 and that was that for 10 days!!

OCTOBER 17th - Donington Park - BRSCC After recovering from my bout of the corona virus it was the final round of the British GT championship to lure me out again trackside. A very wet start to the day thankfully dried up slowly as the day progressed. The British GT's had a 2 hour race along with double headers for the re-christened GB3 Championship, Ginetta GT Academy, Porsche Sprint Challenge GB, Ginetta GT5 Challenge and a single race for the BMW Compact Cup. I particularly enjoyed the GB3 races, they had their largest entry of the season at their final round, and will follow the fortunes of British champion Zak O'Sullivan with interest as he looks a class act.

OCTOBER 24th - Donington Park - BARC Final rounds of championships were on show at a 12 race BARC organised day on the GP circuit that certainly had an eclectic timetable. 3 races for SuperKarts, 2 each for Junior Saloons, Mini Se7en, Citroen 2CV, Britcar Trophy and lone Mini Miglia thrash. The day was entertaining, but did contain far too may red flags and safety cars. Indeed the opening qualifying session for the Britcar Trophy saw a Renault Clio roll along with 2 other red flags! The Citroen 2CV's on the 2.5 mile GP layout wasn't the best idea either as both races had few racing laps.

OCTOBER 29th - Donington Park - MSVR  A one day Saturday meeting this was and having booked the day off work, this proved to be my last meeting of the year. A planned trip to the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone in early November had to be cancelled as I had a stomach bug! 9 races plus a Sprint for the Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship took place at a very wet and cold Donington. Indeed the early morning action was marred by some heavy downpours but thankfully the sun appeared eventually on the last day of British Summer Time. The Focus Cup, Clubmans Sports Prototypes, Track Attack Race Club Lotus Elise Trophy all were in action with best racing and largest entry coming from the massed hordes of the Track Attack Race Club.