Thoughts from the Comp Sec

Spring is here and most of our championships are already underway. The MX5 Challenge kicked off in style with a big grid and a new championship leader in the shape of Ben Marshall.

The championship continues to go from strength to strength leaving just a few stalwarts in the older Mk2 cars, whilst most are now campaigning a Mk3. There are three past champions and a further two past class champions competing, showing that people like to hang around in the championship.

In our speed events, we ran a class for Juniors (14-16) last year without much take-up. The national regulations require the car to be completely standard and under 1400cc (or 823cc turbo) with 4 point harnesses. In practice, this means a racing seat and a harness bar too.

Do you have a child who could compete at this level? What would compel you to start? Should we start a championship? Get in touch and let me know your thoughts. We're talking junior drivers at the Sprint and Hillclimb Committee meeting in May.

In contrast, the Two Litre Cup isn't showing as much popularity. Now in its fourth season, it has ups and downs in the entry list. Few drivers do the whole season and whilst some events (e.g. Combe) have big numbers, others have just one or two. Is this season the final one?

Meanwhile, we have strong numbers under the age of 17. Families Benstock, Clemow and Thompson are competing together on many Autosolos. The low speed events suit inexperienced drivers as the concentration is on manoeuvres without the inherent danger of high speed.