MG Car Club
Best of British to race this Sunday at Donington
The MG Car Club heads to Donington Park this Sunday (3 April) for a day of sports car and saloon action from classic and more modern machinery from this legendary British manufacturer.
A total of nine races across the day, all in the afternoon, will make for entertaining viewing with seven series in action.
MG ZR saloons will do battle in the MG Trophy Championship, with a large grid of 30 cars expected to compete. As a one make series, the racing is extremely competitive and with two races, should make for great viewing. This series has become a proving ground for young racers with previous graduates including Jack Goff who now races in the British Touring Car Championship.
Fast and frantic drama will come from the Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup, which features a big line-up of these superminis that ruled the British roads in the 1980s and 1990s. With good value running costs, this has proved a very popular over the years and one famed for very close racing!
Further MG action comes from the MGCC Cockshoot Cup which features a variety of saloons from a range of years and the Peter Best Insurance MG Cup which caters for any MG, so expect a big and eclectic grid here for their two races! The iconic Sprite and Midget models will do battle in the MG Midget/Sprite Challenge with cars of a historic nature racing in the Iconic 50s Sports Cars.
Meanwhile, the longest race of the day will see a variety of manufacturers go head to head in the Equipe GTS series. Expect to see cars from the likes of Alfa Romeo, MG, Lotus, Porsche, Triumph and more, with all cars required to have been manufactured before 1966.
Action starts at 9.05am on Sunday morning, with the first race scheduled to take place at 12.10. Tickets will be available for purchase upon arrival at the circuit, priced at £17 with free entry for children aged 13 and under.
Another big start to the season for the MG Trophy
Following the 32-strong grid at the start of the 2015 season, the MG Trophy Championship looks set to start the 2016 campaign in similar vein, with 30 cars already registered to compete the opening rounds at Donington on the 3rd April.
Trophy co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said: “Despite our season starting earlier than usual I’m pleased with the numbers we have already got for Donington. Our next two rounds are at Brands Hatch at the end of April, and we’re expecting to fill all the 34 available slots.”
The MG Trophy will be run over 14 rounds this year, the most for a number of years.
“We’ll be supporting all the MG Car Club rounds again this year plus 2 rounds at Knockhill with the KMSC at the end of July. The budget 160 class has taken off this year following the outright win by John Gil last year in his 160, I’m really pleased to have 10 cars registered in this class with possibly a few more still to come,” Macwaters added.
“With Chris Bray back out following his year off we’re in for another record year.”
Chris Bray back in the MG Trophy
Chris Bray, the most successful driver in the history of the MG Trophy Championship, will be back in action for the 2016 season.
On confirming his return, Bray said: ”Despite not racing in 2015 I was present at all the rounds and to see some of my old buddies having their usual fun without me was difficult, I just had to have another go and I hope to do as much of the 2016 season as possible.”
Trophy co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said: ”Chris took a year out in 2015 but the lure of racing again was never far away. I’m very pleased that we’ll be seeing him out in his familiar blue G3 Pro/Finishline sponsored MG ZR190 again this year.
“Chris has won the championship three times and has been in the top three every year between 2007 and 2014 – a truly amazing record.
“Several other drivers have decided to return to the Trophy having tried other championships, and I’m pleased that we currently have eight new drivers registered with more still to come.”
The MG Trophy Championship will be contested over 14 rounds in 2016, including two races at Knockhill.
Metro Cup secure TV deal
The Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup will be featured on Motors TV with their own race series on the 5 dates shown below.
This will be a series of five races which will be filmed at five MGCC meetings and shown on Motors TV along with repeats later in the year with online access thereafter.
The MG Metro Championship always attracts one of the largest grids in the MGCC races. The races being filmed this year are Donington (3rd April), Brands Hatch (30th April & 1st May), Oulton Park (3rd September) & Snetterton (1st & 2nd October).
MG Car Club Competitions Secretary John Hutchison said: “It’s fantastic news that the MG Car Club has secured another TV deal after the success of the MG Trophy Championship on Motors TV. Having not one but two TV deals really puts MG Car Club racing on the map, and hopefully more and more people will get to see the close-wheel racing that the Club offers.”
The MG Metro Championship was established in 1992, after the demise of the Roversport and MG Metro Challenge, as a series devoted to the amateur driver at an affordable cost. Drayton Manor Theme Park have been the main sponsor since 1994 and is thought to be one of the longest running sponsorships in Motorsport thanks mainly to the owners of Drayton Manor Theme Park Colin and George Bryan who are both keen motorsport enthusiasts. In fact George competed very successfully in the MG Metro Championship back in 1993 and Colin can still be seen driving his Lotus Cortina at Hillclimbs and sprints
Many stars of BTCC fame started their racing career in the MG Metro with the likes of Steve Soper. In 1998 Tiff Needell raced an MG Metro which was featured in the Top Gear programme, the car is still owned and used by Media Logic Ltd team.
MG Trophy renew oil sponsor
The MG Trophy Championship has renewed it’s association with Millers Oils who will sponsor the ‘Driver of the Race’ awards at each of the 14 championship rounds in 2016.
Trophy co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said “The Driver of the Race awards at our MG Car Club meetings are decided by the race commentators after each race and the chosen driver is awarded additional ‘goodies’ on top of the usual club trophies. We are therefore very pleased to be continuing our relationship with Millers Oils for another year.”
Following the deal agreed with Millers area sales manager, Gary Davidson, Millers Oils will donate 5 litres of race oil to each nominated driver. Davidson said ”Our CFS 5w40 is one of our range of Motorsport oils that were the first to bring the low friction benefits of nanotechnology to engine oil in the UK.”
Macwaters concluded “This represents a considerable incentive to drivers to race hard but fair and with so many cars on the grid in 2016 this will be a well earned bonus.”