MG Car Club
MGLive! Sprint volunteers required
The MG Car Club’s MGLive! Sprint will take place at 9am on Sunday 18th June, and extra volunteers are needed to marshal the event.
Located on the Stowe Circuit, the Sprint consists of cars running against the clock where each driver lines up at the start line near the pit exit and when given the green light starts a run, which consists of nearly two laps of the circuit. The car cuts the finish beam, a time is recorded, and the run ends up back in the pit lane.
It’s fantastic to watch, and with the free bus service at MGLive! you can easily make your way down to Stowe Circuit. The volunteers need to be keen car enthusiasts that will be manning certain parts of the circuit. They will receive full training and be given specific instructions in the morning before it starts. Duties also include waving red flags, switching off the engine of a car if it’s touched a barrier and to help to put tyres back on a tyre wall after they’ve been knocked down.
No previous marshalling experience is necessary and any help would be greatly appreciated. If you’re interested in stepping forward or finding out a bit more, you can contact the MGLive! Sprint organiser David Rainsbury on 01614 274861 or david@rainsbury.com.
MGLive! goes Radical
The MG Car Club looks set to welcome the exciting Radical Challenge Championship to MGLive! and the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on June 17th and 18th.
The Radical Challenge Championship was born out of the previous UK series to offer a more diverse racing weekend than ever before. Large grids and close racing ensure that the Radical Challenge is a hotly-contested domestic sportscar series. The Radical Challenge Championship incorporates the SR1 Challenge, aimed at graduates of Radical’s SR1 Cup rookie-to-racer championship. The Team Challenge, which allows for two drivers to share one car and is open to SR3, ideal for Pro/Am entries or dual-Am pairings and finally the Solo Challenge which is open to single drivers in the SR3.
With a strong grid of 30-35 cars expected, spectators can expect fast, loud action all weekend long. The Challenge also features previous Radical champions including 2016 Radical Challenge victor Steve Burgess, multiple Radical UK and European champion Bradley Smith and current reigning European Masters champion Marcello Marateotto. Each race day features a split qualifying session, two fast-paced 20-minute standing start sprint races and a 40-minute endurance finale, incorporating a mandatory pit-stop for all classes. For more information on Radical, please visit their website.
Alongside Radical is the all powerful Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli who will be racing on Saturday and the Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars, with us on the Sunday, which will give visitors the chance to see BMW 2002s, Alfa Romeos, Lotus Cortinas, Ford Falcons and Mustangs battling it out against the ever competitive Mini Coopers.
Advance tickets are still on sale for members and non-members, with both receiving a big discount by ordering before the deadline on Thursday 8th June. To book your tickets, please visit the MG Car Club online shop.
Huge Equipe GTS grids expected for MGLive!
At MGLive! you’ll get to see cars from the 1940s right up to the 2000s compete for glory on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, with the Club’s Championships and Series providing huge grids for the world’s largest MG event on the 17th & 18th June.
But the biggest grids of the weekend will be from Equipe GTS, who will provide spectators with an eclectic mix of vehicles from Alfa Romeos to TVRs and of course MGs – with Midgets and MGBs completing a varied line-up. Such is the demand to take part, the organisers have sanctioned four races over the weekend with a total of 80 Equipe entries including two genuine ex-works MGBs. At MGLive! you’ll see all of these and more racing around the hallowed tarmac at Silverstone.
Equipe GTS is designed for pre-1966 cars with engines spread across five classes from under 1150cc to 2700cc, and includes a broad range of marques. Eligible cars include Lancias, Morgans, Rochdales, Volvos, Daimlers, Austin Healeys amongst others. Running to Appendix K rules (FiA papers not demanded) their aim is to provide a competitive yet gentlemanly, safe and friendly race series with a high standard of driving and car preparation. Equipe GTS has always been a great place to start Historic Racing, with affordable cars and good value entry fees combined with a friendly atmosphere that draws more drivers to the sport each year.
To see further details on our regulations and class structure please click here and for more details on the series please contact info@equipegts.com.
Enter your MG for FREE in the California Cup
The California Cup Autotest and Autosolo competitions are both taking place in the heart of MGLive! this year. Noel Lindford (Tyne-Tees Centre), Secretary of the Meeting and Clerk of the Course, has designed test layouts which aim to maximise the driver experience, using all of the available space, and ensure the competition is a mix of pace and skill.
This kind of layout has been used many times by Hartlepool Motor Club (who are supporting the Tyne Tees Centre with this event), and have proved very popular with a wide range of competitors and spectators.
The California Cup Autotest is a forward and reverse event, but this year is designed to be somewhat kinder to the car’s mechanicals, yet still be a serious challenge for driver skill and pace to navigate the tests and aim for a fast clean time. It is also more than suitable for those taking part in an Autotest for the first time.
There will be a total of three test routes, the first two running side by side, and the third taking over the whole of the space available for a very dynamic final test. All competitors will have three runs at each test route, so nine tests in all.
Following extensive consultation, Noel is also proposing to revise the current and past criteria for what constitutes as a ‘modified car’.
· Any car with a change of engine type (e.g. Midget running a K series engine, or a limited slip diff, or a change of gearbox type will be deemed to be modified).
· Any car with a hydraulic or fly-off handbrake, power steering or forced induction will NOT be considered to be modified.
The revised event description and eligibility criteria will be written into the final instructions. If you have any issues with the above, please contact Noel on 07432 152095 or email noel.lindford@btinternet.com.
The Autosolo will comprise of two test layouts, with all competitors attempting a minimum of three runs at each. Again these will be expansive layouts to offer maximum driver engagement and fun, with the option to have a navigator on board. There will be two classes; Front Wheel Drive (FWD) and Rear Wheel Drive (RWD). This will be a test of car control and pace to complete the all-forward courses in the quickest clean time.
The revised event description will be written into the final instructions.
This is a chance to showcase these excellent competitive events to the watching public and demonstrate what a fantastic introduction they are to competitive motorsport and younger drivers on a tight budget. If you’d like to join in for FREE, all of the details are on the MGLive! website.
Biggest MG grids expected for MGLive! 2017
The MG Car Club is bringing its biggest ever racing grids to Silverstone for the annual MGLive!, celebration, held on 17th and 18th June, with more cars battling it out for those all important championship points as they head to the mid-way point of the motorsport calendar.
With 16 races over the two-day event taking place on the historic Grand Prix circuit and approximately 550 race entries, MGLive! welcomes six championships relating to the MG marque along with four fantastic guest championships.
MG Race Committee Chairman Ron Gammons said: “Our own Championships, such as Trophy who can always be relied upon to put on a scintillating show, you have Cockshoot and BCV8 together so will be a big grid with some quick cars. Adding to that the Equipe GTS on both days will swamp the grid with 1960s sports cars, well prepared and well driven.
“Amongst the visitors, we have Porsche on Saturday, Masters on the Sunday with the Pre-66 Saloons, and of course Radicals on both days. Expect two days of Club racing at its very best.”
The MG Trophy Championship will boast 30 entries, with Matt Turnbull looking to extend his lead over rivals Paul Luti and Jack Roberts. Turnbull is currently 12 points ahead of the pack but as the Brand Hatch meeting proved, anything can happen and it’s still all for the taking. Luti and Roberts will have their own battle as just two points split the pair currently in second and third place.
With races from the MGCC Iconic 50s Series, the Watt Electrical BVC8 Championship with MGCC Thoroughbred Sports Car Championship and Cockshoot Cup, and the Lackford Engineering Midget and Sprite Challenge, there’s no shortage of variety out on track.
The Club’s various MG championships are joined by the pre-1966 Touring cars from the Masters Series, giving visitors the chance to see BMW 2002s, Alfa Romeos, Lotus Cortinas, Ford Falcons and Mustangs battling it out against the ever competitive Mini Coopers.
But the biggest grids of the weekend will be from the eclectic mix of Equipe GTS, with a range of vehicles from Alfa Romeos to TVRs and of course MGs – with Midgets and MGBs completing a varied line-up. Such is the demand to take part, the organisers have sanctioned four races over the weekend with a total of 80 Equipe entries including two genuine ex-works MGBs.
There will also be action from the single-seater Radical Challenge Championship, with its 30-35 strong grid featuring previous Radical champions including 2016 Radical Challenge victor Steve Burgess, multiple Radical UK and European champion Bradley Smith and current reigning European Masters champion Marcello Marateotto.
The all powerful Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli joins MGLive! with around 25-30 cars on the grid. With former champion and father Mark McAleer and his son Jake both leading their classes, Mark in the 996 C2 and Jake in the Boxster S, both will be looking to keep their rivals at bay.
For those who prefer to be part of the action rather than just spectate, MGLive! invites owners to compete in the California Cup Autotest, the MGLive! Autosolo and a Sprint held on the Stowe Circuit. There’s also passenger rides and a chance to take to the GP circuit in the lunchtime parade lap.
Away from the track, around 3,000 MG models spanning over 90 years of motoring heritage will be on display from the Club’s various registers, along with a collection of models that have all made their mark in motorsport.
There’s also the SmartdriverClub Live Arena hosted by Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead, with plenty of fun and games as well as stunt driving legend Russ Swift’s only UK performance this year, marking 30 years since his first appearance at Silverstone.
MGLive! is as much a social event as a haven for motoring fans, with the new Village Green area offering live musical entertainment through the weekend so people can relax and enjoy the festival vibe.
Sponsored by Peter Best Insurance, MGLive! ticket prices start from just £18 for MG Car Club members, £25 for non-members for a one-day pass when booked in advance. Weekend tickets start at £28 for members, £40 for non-members, and children aged 15 years and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Camping pitches available. For more info, visit wwww.mglive.com