MSVR Media Day 2017

It is at this time of year that we get the first glimpse of what championships are on offer by MSVR for the fast approaching season ahead…

With the date for the media event set for valentines day this week and the weather holding out, it was an ideal chance to head back to Brands lens in hand to see what was on offer. It certainly looks like 2017 is shaping up to be another busy season in camp MSVR.

BRDC British F3 Championship

F3 returns again in 2017 after the ‘F3’ name was brought back into play last season along with the introduction of the stunning Tatuus-Cosworth car creating the ideal stepping stone from F1A F4 to FIA European F3 and GP3. There is no doubt that this is a premium UK single seater racing category so keep a look out for the next wave of young professional pilots looking for the ladder that will take them to F1. It is a eight meeting season which includes a July race weekend at Spa.

www.britishf3.com

Champion of Brands

Formula Ford 1600’s are probably the most iconic clubman single seater race cars of all time and 2017 celebrates 5o years of the Formula and the 8th season that this championship has run. This championship gives racers the chance to race at a broad mix of events including support races at large meetings. Open to all Kent engined Formula Fords – this is close and fast single seater racing at its best. The five race meetings held this 2017 season all take place on the Brands Indy circuit.

www.msvracing.co.uk/cars/champion-of-brands

Super Series

This is the perfect addition to a season racing in the COB (Champion of Brands), all for Kent engined 1600 FF cars but drivers get the chance to travel the country, a six meeting series that starts at NI’s much loved Kirkistown circuit.

www.msvracing.co.uk/cars/superseries

F3 Cup

The F3 Cup enable drivers to compete in some quick, modern high tech machinery often against some up and coming wannabe professional drivers and this year sees the introduction of the use of a 2012 to 2016 chassis’s and is open to all National B Licence holders. A seven round season awaits teams this year with Donington Park the location of the opening weekend and the year also includes GP tracks at Silverstone and Brands.

www.f3cup.co.uk

GT CUP Championship

If GT racing is your thing and you want more laps for your money then there are some good championships to take a serious look at this season and one that has been going from strength to strength year on year is the GT Cup. This championship gives both novice and experienced GT racers the opportunity to race in both sprint and mini-endurance races and many grids consist of over 30 cars. Four classes, GTO, GTC, GTB and GTA allows supercars to race with highly developed track cars in both 25 minute sprint races and 50 minute pit stop race for teams of one or two drivers. Twenty two races feature on this 2017 calendar including a two day meeting at Spa, along with Silverstone, Brands and Donington GP circuits.

www.gtcup.co.uk

LMP3 Cup Championship

New to the paddocks in 2017 comes the LMP3 Cup – proper prototype racing from the LMP3 class that can be found competing in the likes of the WEC and at Le Mans. Powered by a mega Nisson V8 and full on aerodynamics along with a technical partnership with Pirelli and Sunoco, competing this season includes and entry fee for the 2018 ACO organised Le Mans Cup including being part of the ‘Road to Le Mans’ race ahead of the legendary 24hr race. 6 races weekends grace the calendar for 2017.

www.prototypecup.com

Lotus Elise Trophy

10 years in and this championship is still going strong with consistently big grids and super fast close racing. A race weekend includes practice and quaili sessions of 20 minutes plus two 30 minute races with rolling starts and a reverse top 10 grid race just to keep things interesting. The season starts and closes in the county of origin for Lotus Cars – Norfolk and Thetfords finest, Snetterton. 2017 is an 8 meeting season starting in March and finishing mid October.

www.elisetrophy.com

Lotus Cup

Two groups feature in this championship, the Exige Cup and the Lotus Open so you can expect to see a range of variants including: Lotus Exige Cup 260, 255, 240, 190 and Exige S models in the Exige Cup and Elise S2 Supercharged, S1, 340R, 2-Eleven, Europa and Evora. The big meeting for Lotus racers in the season is the Lotus Festival at Brands which takes place in the summer. 8 rounds will be keeping drivers and teams busy over the course of this season.

www.lotuscupuk.com

Lotus Cup Europe

Under the stewardship of LOTRDC (Lotus On Track Racing Drivers Club) the championship enters its ninth season and is run as an FIA International Series as drivers and teams from all over Europe take part. Hockenheim, Paul Ricard, Spa, Zolder, Nurburg, Le Mans and Brands all feature on the 2017 calendar. Three classes for the V6 powered Exige and Evora, 2-Eleven, Lotus Open; 4 cylinder cars, forced induction Elises and 340R’s and production normally aspirated cars. Teams and drivers can expect fantastic hospitality and technical support from Lotus at the meetings.

www.lotuscupeurope.com

Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship

Great way to get out on track and compete; road cars are eligible, roll cages and extinguishers are not required – this is competitive sprinting that takes place over one day helping keep costs down. Nine meetings running from March to October this year with multiple classes.

www.lcukspeed.com

Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship

Since its inception in 2016, Bolton-Le-Moors Car Club have run this eight event championship and right now it is full swing with the opening meeting having started in November 2016 running through to April 2017. Broad mix of machinery from historic Escorts to Imprezas.

www.msnrallychamp.co.uk

MSVR All-Comers

As the name suggests you can race what ever you have pretty much, a great championship to get track experience and cost effective too. Nine rounds starting at Snetterton on the 25th March through to the last weekend in October.

MSVT Trackday Trophy

A seven meeting championship season that starts at Cadwell on the 22nd April, this is a competition that is the perfect place for trackday heroes to make the transition from ‘warrior’ to ‘racer’. Forty five minute races taking place on one day and teams of two are encouraged, this enables costs to be kept down on this competitive series. Four classes all decided by power to weight ratio means that the silverware is accessible to all if you have the skills.

www.trackdaytrophy.co.uk

MSVT Trackday Championship

Launched in 2016, both newcomers and veterans alike compete in production hatchbacks, sports and saloon cars with four classes divided by power to weight ratio; some classes have the same regs as the Trackday Trophy enabling easy progression up. Races get interesting as they feature a mandatory two minute pitstop to allow for driver changes.

www.trackdaychampionship.co.uk

MINI Challenge

This championship has developed massively over the last few years and is hugely popular to the point that the series will split into three grids for 2017 with the very top class being the highly developed F56 JCW class MINI which delivers 255bhp via a 2.0ltr twin turbo engine. The F56 cars will feature on the British GT/ BRDC F3 programme as support races throughout the seven round season. The Cooper Pro/Am and the Open class have a six meeting calendar for 2017 and winners from all three championships have the opportunity to test with a BTCC team at the end of the season, plus win a subsidised 2018 entry fee and a Sunoco 240 Challenge entry. Look out for the Coopers and the Open cars at this years MINI Festivals at Barnds, Oulton and Snetterton.

www.minichallenge.co.uk

Monoposto Championship

The Monoposto Racing Club has been running since 1958 and this championship offers competition for nearly all modern single seaters up to F3 and drivers can complete across eight different classes. Big grids are a feature of the championship with grids often split into two at many circuits to accommodate the high entries. Six meetings over the course of the season includes Brands and Silverstone GP circuits.

www.monoposto.co.uk

Radical Challenge Championship

2017 sees a good mixture of both sprint and endurance races throughout the UK plus a round in Spa. Three titles can be won; the SR1 Challenge, The Solo Challenge and the Team Challenge. Open to SR3RSX, SR3 RS and SR3 cars. Spares and support by Radical available at all rounds.

Radical European Masters

Amazingly Marrakech is the opening round on the 8th April – did not know that there was a circuit there ! Followed by Portimao, Spa, Hungaroring, Silverstone, Monza and the season wraps up in Barcelona…now thats a stunning set of venues. This championship is an ideal training ground for drivers looking to gain experience and ultimately step up into high level GT racing such as the ELMS. Meetings will feature three races, some an hour long plus a minimum of two 45 minute practice sessions. RXC Spyder and SR3RSX’s go into battle.

Radical SR1 Cup

Since its inception in 2013, this championship offers a rock up and ride formula; you arrive at the circuit and your chariot awaits as Radical will prepare and maintain an SR1 for you all season for a mere £42,950 plus VAT. This was the championship that Olympian Chris Hoy started his racing career in, a front runner in his first season, having now graduated to international sports car racing. These things are rapid – 1340cc, 185bhp but packaged in a 480kg. Now thats good power to weight ratio.

www.radicalsportscars.com

Maximumgroup.net VAG Trophy

Six weekends fill the 2017 calendar including a meeting at the legendary Spa Francorchamps. If it is made by the VW Group you can race it in this championship with Audi, SEAT, Skoda and VW all featuring on a grid divided into two classes. Class A with circa 300bhp and Class B with 230bhp cars. The championship uses a BTCC style ballast system for the top four finishers guaranteeing some seriously close racing throughout the year. There is also a British GT / F3 support race which will be held at Rockingham at the start of the season on the 29th April. Also look out for the championship at the new Deutche Fest event which will be held at Brands in August.

www.vagtrophyracing.co.uk

Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup

Supported by VW UK this championship was launched in 2000 and is often regarded as a good training ground for drivers who want to go on to BTCC or British GT Championships. The championship is a regular support race on the British GT calendar and good grids are expected in 2017 as new cars are in build, new teams and drivers signed up and maybe even the odd former BTCC driver might be found lining up…open to all modern VAG Group model cars expect to see two Audi TT’s also on the grid this year.

www.vwracingcup.co.uk

TOYO Tires Production BMW Championship

The PBMW Championship has been working with MSVR since 2009 and is famous of large grids, cost effective racing and tight regulations ensuring fair and fine competition across the board. Open to all E30’s 318i and 320i BMW’s built between 1983 and 1990. Control tyres from TOYO help keep costs down and ensure that every driver has the same rubber. Seven meeting season that also includes the Deutche Fest event at Brands in the summer.

www.pbmwc.co.uk

TOYO Tires Racing Saloons

This is multi marque club racing at its best, six classes from Class E for 1600cc racers up to Class A which is for 3.0ltr cars. Class F allows drivers who compete in the Production BMW Championship the oppportunity to race in this championship as well. Big grids and close racing go hand in hand with this cost effective championship which will run over seven meetings in 2017.

www.racingsaloons.co.uk

SsangYong Racing Challenge

New for 2017, this championship aims to bring cost friendly manufacturer backed racing to the paddocks this season as SsangYong launch their 2.2ltr 6 speed manual pick up trucks here in the UK. This racing formula has had plenty of success in New Zealand and the manufacter sees this as an ideal platform to get noticed as the models become available on the UK streets. Six meetings will be held this season starting with Snetterton in May and finishing in late October at Brands.

www.ssangyongracing.com

Z Cars

Another new championship for this fast approaching season, and one that caters for BMW Z3 1.9 ltr and Z4 3.0ltr sports cars. This should prove to be pretty cheap racing as a Z3 can now be bought for around £1,500, strip it out, get a cage fabricated and with a little fettling here and there you could be on the grid. Z4’s will naturally need a little more budget but as both are rear wheel drive and they should prove great fun to race. Six meetings are on the calendar, this could be a series that develops quickly and could produce some great competitive racing at a sensible price.

www.zcars.racing

Super 7 Series

This is again a new series and the first time MSVR have stepped into the fray of Caterham 7 racing and if other Caterham championships are anything to go by then we are sure the grids will fill up quickly. This racing always produces fast and furious competition and the championship is open to R300 and 1600 Supersport cars and also those with Sigmax machines. Six meetings are on the calendar for 2017 and this includes a visit to Spa.

www.super7series.info

Enjoy the gallery.