MG Car Club
Pam McCarthy
MG3 Low Cost Racer on the Grid for 2019
The MG Car Club, MG Motor UK and SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre are jointly developing a new low cost race car based around the MG3.
SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre Interns have been building the concept car as their Internship Project and will be unveiling the car in the early part of 2019.
The concept behind the car is aimed at providing a low cost entry route into saloon racing with the budget for the project to convert a road going MG3 into a racer set at just £5,000.
The regulations have been produced to allow any MG3 model to be converted and get on the grid; not just the All-New MG3, which went on sale earlier this year. This provides potential competitors a chance to race the most up-to-date MG models on track, which has not previously been possible within the Car Club’s championships.
For some championships, sourcing heritage MG donor cars in good enough condition to be converted has been a challenge and a barrier to entry for new and young competitors alike. By allowing MG3 to compete, this barrier to entry has been removed with a wide variety of MG3s available on the market for affordable prices and in appropriate condition.
As an additional strategy to encourage participation from young competitors, the MG Car Club also offers half price entries to any competitor 25 and under for the 2019 season, meaning entry fees for a weekend could be as little as £300.
MG3 will be able to race in the invitational class of the MG Cup during 2019, providing a first season of testing and development at the UK’s best race circuits before a full points scoring campaign in 2020.
The MG Cup has been running for over 30 years, with a simple structure and regulations designed to keep costs to a minimum and provide a challenge for new and experienced drivers alike.
Adam Sloman, General Manager of The MG Car Club commented “We are delighted to be involved in bringing the latest iteration of MG cars to race circuits up and down the country. Motorsport is a huge part of MG and the Club’s heritage, and we are very much invested in bringing new cars, drivers and young competitors to our grids in the future.”
Joanna Burland, Intern at SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre commented, “The Intern Project has provided a great opportunity to work on something slightly different, and gain valuable experience of helping to develop a new low cost race car and work with MG Motor and MG Car Club to make the project a success.”
2019 Motorsport Calendar announced
The MG Car Club’s Motorsport activities for the 2019 season have been confirmed with a six race calendar for the Club’s six Championships.
Alongside the Club’s non-motorsport activities, the Club are the largest single marque club organising and managing all of the race meetings and championships. Motorsport is synonymous with the MG brand, with numerous race and rally appearances and also land speed records littered throughout history.
Kicking off at the end of March; the calendar runs through to October;
Saturday 30th March Silverstone National
Saturday 27th– Sunday 28th April Brands Hatch Indy
Saturday 15th – Sunday 16th June MGLive! Silverstone Grand Prix
Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st July Donington Park
Saturday 31st August Oulton Park
Saturday 5th October Snetterton 300
To encourage participation from young competitors, the MG Car Club will continue to offer half price entries to any competitor 25 and under for the 2019 season, meaning entry fees for a weekend could be as little as £300.
The six championships and two series ran by the Club cover every era of MG from the first up to the later models.
BCV8 Championship
BCV8 Championship is the premier series for MGB and MGC racing, offering classes for the fully modified V8s to road going cars.
The BCV8 Championship has been one of the most successful Club based motor racing series and continues to thrive by providing close racing at a relatively low cost.
Cockshoot Cup
Cockshoot Cup Championship is a racing championship run by the North West Centre of the MG Car Club. It provides an opportunity for owners of MG sports and saloon cars to race their cars within easy travelling distance of the North West of England.
The Cockshoot Cup is a solid silver trophy donated to the MGCC in the nineteen thirties by the then MG Dealers in Manchester. Since 1984 the Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the race series run by the MG Car Club North West Centre Ltd.
MG Metro Cup
The Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup is the racing formula for all types of MG Metro and Rover 100 Metro. For 2019, the MG Metro Championship will allow five-door Metro variants to enter the championship.
Started in 1992, the Championship has been successful in maintaining its objective of providing an easy way into motor racing for drivers with a limited budget.
Midget & Sprite Challenge
The Lackford Engineering Midget & Sprite Challenge is the only exclusively “Spridget” race series in the UK. The class structure reflects the different specifications that Spridgets have raced over the years, with all historic body styles catered for.
MG Trophy
MG Trophy caters for the front wheel drive MG ZR in 3 classes.
In recent years the MG Trophy has produced a number of drivers who have gone on to higher levels of motorsport with ex Trophy driver Jack Goff now competing in the BTCC having won the Clio Cup in 2012.
MG Cup
For 2019, cars from the Austin Rover stable will be welcomed to the grid, with Rover Tomcat Turbos and Rover Metro GTis lining up against the usual array of MG machinery.
The MG Cup has been running for over 30 years, with a simple structure and regulations designed to keep costs to a minimum and provide a challenge for new and experienced drivers alike.
Series & Guest Championships
The Iconic 50s series for 50s MG Sports cars and MG XPAG specials against other Marques including Austin Healey and Alfa Romeo and the Triple M Challenge for MG Midget, Magna, Magnette cars will also be back at selected events.
In addition to the six MG Car Club Championships, guest championships from Equipe GTS, Morgan Sports Car Club and Porsche Club GB will be welcomed back to ensure each meeting provides an excellent spread of racing for spectators.
Champions Crowned at Snetterton Showstopper
Several champions were crowned under cloudless early autumn skies at the season finale at Snetterton, the club’s first meet at the Norfolk circuit’s three-mile 300 layout.
Peter Best Insurance MG Cup
The overall Peter Best Insurance MG Cup title had already been decided in favour of Class A front-runner Darren Harris (ZR 160) while Nick Arden (ZR 170) already had Class B sewn up, but it was all to play for in Class C, for modified cars. Sadly, Richard Buckley was unable to take part having rolled his Rover Tomcat at Nelson in qualifying.
A pair of rapid Metros led the way at the start of the first race, reigning champion Alan Brooke shooting through from row two to lead Mike Williams into the first corner, but his tenure was short-lived as a broken throttle cable ruled him out on lap four. Williams took over the mantle but he was also ruled out when a fuel hose came off two laps later. That left the Tomcat of Matthew Simpson out front, having started on row three, but Dave Nixon (Tomcat) hunted him down and was challenging for victory on the last lap. However, a spin at the Palmer left-hander dropped Nixon back to fourth, with Simpson holding on to win from Peter Burchill’s ZS 180 and the Class B ZR 170 of Dan Jones, who had a tremendous first outing of the season that was rewarded with the Driver of the Race prize. Kayleigh Twigger was having one of her strongest races to date – right on the Class C pace in her Tomcat – until a spin at Brundle ruled her out. Meanwhile, Harris beat Aaron Ross in Class A.
The second race followed a similar pattern in that both of the Metros expired while leading, but this time it was Williams that was first to go, making it just six finishes from 12 races. Brooke had made up a couple of places in the final third of the opening lap to run second, which became the lead when Williams pulled up. Three-wheeling his Metro around the circuit, Brooke looked set to take the victory but Simpson was closing on the final lap and Brooke could only crawl over the line, handing the Tomcat man his second victory of the day. Burchill came home third, collecting enough points to wrap up the Class C championship. Dave Nixon fended off top Class B driver Jones for fourth overall, while Harris again topped Class A, runner-up Ross earning Driver of the Race this time.
MG Trophy
The destination of the MG Trophy, supported for the event by Norfolk Motor Group, went right down to the wire, but Graham Ross emerged on top from a weekend that did not quite follow his plan. He did qualify on pole position, and was joined on the front row by Paul Luti – who appeared not in his regular Class B car but in past champion Chris Bray’s ZR 190.
Having changed the clutch after qualifying to a more standard part, Luti made a terrible start to the opening race, with Jason Burgess storming through from row two to lead. Luti climbed back to third before a safety car period, then lost out to Ross Makar at Riches at the restart, before the latter went straight on at Agostini. A lap later, the seventh, Luti made contact with Ross at Wilson hairpin and grabbed second, before Ross spun down the order at Hamilton – although importantly he remained third in Class A, and eventually regained that position on the road. Up front, Burgess defeated Luti by 0.7s to also pick up Driver of the Race.
In a typically crazy Class B race, Ryan Firth came out on top although Sam Kirkpatrick had been ahead almost race-long. “He just pulled off under the bridge, I don’t know if he missed a gear or what,” mused the beneficiary. Matt Turnbull and Tom Butler completed the podium, while the two leading Class C contenders both failed to finish. Tylor Ballard was ruled out when startline contact left a wheel hanging off, while John Booth’s engine blew on the final lap. Guest Joshua Bacon triumphed from Joe Dalgarno.
Race two was, by and large, a relatively sedate affair. Burgess again scorched into the lead, but this time threw it all away with a spin at Hamilton on lap two, salvaging only fourth position. That left Luti out front, having taken track position from Ross at Oggies on the opening lap. Ross, meanwhile, did all that he needed and stroked the car (which he reckoned was understeering after the race one incident) home in second, ahead of Makar. “I’ve been doing this since 2008, so I am in my 11th year but never really had a concerted effort on the championship,” said Ross, having wrapped things up. “I am not in the first flush of youth so I am really chuffed!”
After Kirkpatrick went off at the first corner, Firth initially led in the ZR 170 division but was passed by Turnbull at Wilson on the second lap. Turnbull was handed a bit of a cushion when Burgess slotted in behind him after his spin, and Firth was unable to chase him down – but did wrap up the Class B title. While Turnbull took his first class win of the year, Fergus Campbell was an excellent third and claimed Driver of the Race. In Class C, Ballard and Booth (following an engine change) slugged it out for the title but although young Ballard won on the road, Booth did enough to take the class crown.
Lackford Engineering Midget and Sprite Challenge
The Lackford Engineering Midget and Sprite Challenge was also resolved in the final race, with simultaneous lead battles in different classes both potentially having a bearing on the final result, although multiple overall race winner, Stephen Collier, eventually triumphed.
Stephen Watkins had been almost three seconds faster than anyone else in qualifying, but was unable to take up his pole position after his gloves had been mislaid prior to the start of the race. After joining from the pit lane, initially with a misfire, he climbed as high as fourth position. Collier took an unchallenged win, but a brilliant battle for second played out with the position changing “about twenty times” according to David Morrison, who narrowly lost out to Driver of the Race Richard Wildman.
Pippa Cow defended magnificently in Class E to keep reigning champion Paul Campfield – who was trying to keep his own title hopes alive – at bay for eight laps, until he dived ahead on the inside line at Riches to claim the class honours. Ed Easton also looked to have maintained his challenge going into the final race with another Class D win – but that victory came in spite of damaged rear suspension after clouting a kerb, which ruled him out of race two.
Watkins started the second race from the grid as expected, and he outbraked Collier to grab the lead at Agostini on lap four. Down to second and with his championship chances increasingly tenuous, Collier was afforded no respite by third-placed man Morrison. However, Watkins car appeared to become increasingly ill-handling, regularly running wide at Oggies and finally spinning out of the race there, handing Collier the victory from Morrison. In Class E, Campfield was doing all he could by fending off Cow, who was never more than a couple of tenths behind him and thoroughly deserved Driver of the Race.
Collier’s victory, however, confirmed him as the 2018 champion, and it wasn’t just Watkins and Morrison that he was up against in the final race – he also struggled with the low sun. “I couldn’t see a thing, it was blind going into Riches and Hamilton,” he said. “You just had to turn in and hope for the best.”
Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup
The Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup was sealed by Jack Ashton, with victories at the final meeting shared between him and his brother Andrew.
Jack immediately assumed the lead of the opening race with brother Andrew soon following him, once he had seen off fast-starting team-mate Shamak Glodek. The top two pulled well clear of the rest, with the gap between the Ashton brothers coming down towards the end of the nine-lap distance. “I am always rooting for a battle with my brother, but seemingly something always happens. So it is good that we have had one and to beat him,” said Jack. “I gave it the kitchen sink but couldn’t quite get him,” countered his sibling.
For the first couple of laps there was a fantastic dice between Glodek and Mark Eales but after that settled down the best action came in the battle for eighth, behind Driver of the Race Tim Shooter. Richard Garrard eventually came out on top.
Jack Ashton drove suitably cautiously in the second race, staying out of trouble and claiming fifth position in order to seal the crown. Hopes of an Ashton on-track win were threatened, however, when Eales took the lead from Andrew at Hamilton, only to ruin his chances by going straight on at Murrays further around the second lap. Glodek briefly took the lead on the third lap, but Andrew Ashton controlled the race thereafter. Dan Balster completed the podium, while Phil Goodwin was rewarded for his seventh place with the Driver of the Race trophy.
Guest Races
The guest races for this event were provided by the Morgan Sports Car Club, with Philip Goddard running out a comfortable winner in the Aero Racing Morgan Challenge after leader Keith Ahlers’ blew his +8’s engine at Coram, coating the circuit in oil and bringing out a premature chequered flag and an early lunch. Tim Parsons claimed the championship with victory in his class. Later, a fun handicap and pit-stop race for the Oliver’s Cup was won by Andrew Thompson his ARV6.
Join us at Snetterton for our Season Showstopper!
- Circuit – Snetterton 300, Norfolk
- Race Day – Saturday 29th September
- Open paddocks for spectators to meet the drivers and see the cars!
- 10 Races in total – Four MGCC Championships racing
- Two special races from Morgan Sports Car Club
The Club’s final race meeting for the 2018 season will feature a full schedule of the MGCC’s championships and series, as well as two races from our guests, the Morgan Sports Car Club.
In all, the MG Car Club will run ten races over the course of the day, with qualifying in the morning, followed by the racing. The full line up is:
MSCC Aero Racing Morgan Challenge
The NMG MG Trophy Championship (DH)
MGCC Peter Best Insurance MG Cup (DH)
MGCC Lackford Engineering Midget & Sprite Challenge (DH)
MGCC Drayton Manor Park Metro Cup (DH)
The Oliver’s Cup Morgan Pit Stop Race
As always, the paddock will be open all day, allowing spectators a chance to meet the teams and drivers!
The timetable and other information for the meeting, can be found HERE.
Tickets for this meeting can be purchased on the gate for £16. For more information about Snetterton, please CLICK HERE.