New Budget Class for the MG Trophy Championship

THE MG Trophy Championship will be launching a new class for basic spec ZR 160 cars in 2014!

Trophy co-ordinator Pete Macwaters said “Following the drivers meeting in November it was agreed that the championship would become exclusively FWD for the first time since its inception in 1998. This is a major change, however it is a fact that FWD is the drivers choice so we have dropped the RWD cars altogether.”

The championship started life as the MGF Cup and had a six figure budget and factory backing; it supported the British Grand Prix and has spawned many household names including James Rhodes, Warren Hughes, Fiona Leggate and recently BTCC rising star Jack Goff.

To bolster the grid Macwaters is building on the success of the current 160 class that fielded no less than 16 cars alongside the slick shod 190 cars in 2013. Macwaters went on to explain: “Having seen the success of the MX5 championship I thought we’d do the same for drivers wanting to race tin tops, so I proposed a basic road spec 160 class that was accepted by the other drivers and has now been added to the regs for 2014.”

“Anyone with a ZR160 road car can convert it themselves for roughly £3,000 or have one built for them for £4,000. They will race in the championship as class D and will be competing at Brands Hatch, Knockhill, Donington, Oulton Park, Snetterton and on the full Silverstone GP circuit in 2014.

“I don’t think there is another championship that can offer such a competitive package within a proven organisation of the calibre of the MG Car Club and racing on all the premier circuits in the UK.

“Having run the existing 160 cars for some years now we have a good knowledge of what’s needed and we have built that into this new spec so drivers can be assured that this class will give them reliable racing at a budget price. The existing 160 cars will move up with a defined ECU remap and race as ZR170’s.

“The new cars will look just like the top class 190 cars” said Macwaters, “we will stick with the original 17” wheels and road legal list 1A tyres to keep the running costs as low as possible. For youngsters who want to race tin tops with a clear progression path to the slick shod cars there’s nowhere better than the Trophy Championship.

“Cars to the new spec are being built now so anyone interested can come and have a look, we plan to have one on display at the Stoneleigh show on March 2nd” said Macwaters. “Anyone who puts down a deposit will get the chance to try the cars at a Brands track day.

“Any BTCC driver that failed to get their TBL’s would be welcome to join us racing one of the slick shod 190 cars, there are a few for sale including the one that Jack Goff used in his season with us” concluded Macwaters.

The MG Trophy Championship will race over 12 rounds in 2014:

DH = All double header rounds

Please note these dates are all provisional.

To find out more about the MG Trophy Championship, please click here