The British Endurance Championship, a MotorsportUK-sanctioned iteration of the former Britcar Endurance Championship, kicks-off doing what it says, with a three-hour counter at the home of British motorsport. With revised regulations, and a modified class structure to guarantee competitiveness across a range of machines, we see the affiliated GT3, GT4 and TCR cars complemented by a variety of Challenge, Cup, and non-aligned supercars competing for honours in six classes.
Michael and Sean McInerney will be in the Mosler MT900
This opening-up of the rule book, plus the lure of a national crown, has attracted a raft of new entries, as well as some of the regular Britcar stalwarts. The 2021 Britcar Endurance champions Dave Scaramanga and Will Powell will be back in the Motus One with Moorgate McLaren GT3, and we have a welcome return to Britcar days of yore, with father and son duo Michael and Sean McInerney campaigning their glorious Mosler MT900, a car once prolific on the results sheets. These will be part of one of the most eclectic grids to be formed in UK endurance racing, featuring supercars from Lamborghini, Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Taranis, Porsche, Ginetta and Jaguar, as well as the burgeoning TCR category, which now has it’s own class for the endurance versions of the popular saloons.
MacG Racing’s Unique 7-litre Taranis
So, who to look out for? It’s hard to say at this point, and history of success over a one-hour format may not be an indicator of the fortunes in a two or three-hour race. Strategy, tyre wear and fuel economy will play a part, as will apportioning the 60/40 split of driver allocation over the race duration. Let’s just say that class front-runners Jonny MacGregor / Ben Sharich (Taranis), Marcus Fothergill / Dave Benett (Porsche 991), Peter Erceg (Cayman) and Ash Woodman / Martin Byford (Cupra TCR) will be looking to continue previous success, and will face stiff opposition from some established names new to the format, such Team HARD, Stanbridge Motorsport, and the newly-formed Race Lab outfit, headed by UK racing mainstays Lee Frost and Lucky Khera.
A bigger-than-ever grid, on a premier circuit, competing for a national title – let’s go racing!
Words: Steve Wood, photos: Paul Cherry and Chris Valentine