British Automobile Racing Club
Encyclopedia
The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) is one of biggest organising clubs for auto racing
in the United Kingdom
.
Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike
powered vehicles at Brooklands
as well as rallies
and sporting trials. Among the founder members of the club were H.R. Godfrey
and Archie Frazer-Nash
.
In 1919, with cyclecars on the decline, the name of the club changed to the Junior Car Club (JCC). The club was immediately successful, with regional centres being formed in 1921, the same year the 200-Mile Race at Brooklands
was organised, the first long-distance race to be run in Britain
. The race, a contest for 1,500 c.c. light cars, was won by Henry Segrave
in a Talbot-Darracq. Captain Frazer Nash (G.N.
) won the cyclecar race. Further long distance races were organised both at Brooklands and Donington Park
, as well as rallies and International Trophy Races.
After the Second World War, due to the demise of Brooklands, the JCC was amalgamated with the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club. The club then based itself at Goodwood Circuit
, changing its name to the British Automobile Racing Club in 1949. Over the next 18 years, BARC organised at least one international meeting at Goodwood a year, notably Easter Monday
Formula One
races and 9-hour sportscar races - the first night races to be run in Britain.
The club was also involved in the opening meeting at Crystal Palace
in 1953, and organised the British Grand Prix
when held at Aintree
in the late 50s and early 60s.
In 1951 the BARC Eastbourne Rally was held on June 30 with the best performance by Bancroft in a Ford 10 saloon. The event featured a Midnight Concours d'Elegance. During the period 1956-1967 the BARC organised competitive events at the Firle Hill Climb
in Sussex. The event held on Sunday, June 2, 1957, was run in conjunction with the BARC 11th Annual Rally at Eastbourne, a 50-mile road event held the day before, starting at the Grasshopper Inn near Westerham
, with intermittent driving tests, including one at Butts Hill, Willingdon
, and then on to Eastbourne, via Beachy Head.
Goodwood was closed on safety grounds in 1966. The last event was a club meeting organised by the BARC on July 2, 1966. The club relocated to Thruxton Circuit
in Hampshire
, opening in 1968, and becoming club headquarters in 1974.
and the support races at each weekend. Another major commitment is the organising of the annual Goodwood Revival
meeting.
The club also organises many smaller "club racing" meetings, featuring such classes as Classic Formula Ford
, Caterhams
, Clubmans
and Legend Cars. As well as the many events organised by the headquarters at Thruxton, certain BARC regions organise race meetings, notably the North Western Centre and South East Centre.
As well as the BARC's own events, the club frequently is the national appointed club for visiting international series. For example, in 1995 the BARC organised the first ever UK round of the FIA International Touring Car series
. The club has a particularly active role in organising A1 Grand Prix
and the Grand Prix Masters
series, both at home and abroad.
The BARC is also in the unusual situation of owning race circuits. As well as the home of the club at Thruxton, in 1990 the club signed a 50 year lease on Pembrey Circuit
in south Wales
. In 2005, the club took on the running of Mallory Park
circuit in the Midlands. In 2006, BARC took on Croft Circuit
, near Darlington, bringing the total number of circuits owned to four - on a par with rival operator MotorSport Vision
.
, the club organises a number of hillclimbs
and sprints. These include meetings at Gurston Down near Salisbury
and Harewood
, Yorkshire
.
The club also has a social side, with a number of events over a year including regional dinners and the Big Night Out.
, Canada
, the club has a role in organising Ice Racing
events. In 2010 the Kendall Award for the most successful BARC-Ontario driver, in events held outside the region of Ontario, went to Robert Wickens
.
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The CyclecarCyclecar
Cyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
powered vehicles at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
as well as rallies
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
and sporting trials. Among the founder members of the club were H.R. Godfrey
Henry Ronald Godfrey
Henry Ronald Godfrey , was an early English motor car design engineer.Born near London, he met Archibald Frazer-Nash at technical college, to produce the GN cycle car...
and Archie Frazer-Nash
Archibald Frazer-Nash
Archibald Goodman Frazer Nash , was an early English motor car designer and engineer, who specialised in manufacturer of light and sports cars in England....
.
In 1919, with cyclecars on the decline, the name of the club changed to the Junior Car Club (JCC). The club was immediately successful, with regional centres being formed in 1921, the same year the 200-Mile Race at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
was organised, the first long-distance race to be run in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. The race, a contest for 1,500 c.c. light cars, was won by Henry Segrave
Henry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
in a Talbot-Darracq. Captain Frazer Nash (G.N.
GN (car)
thumb|right|200px|Richard Scaldwell's JAP-engined GN Grand Prix special at the VSCC SeeRed race meeting, Donington Park, September 2007. The GN has a 5.1 litre V8 aero-engine shoehorned into its lightweight cyclecar frame....
) won the cyclecar race. Further long distance races were organised both at Brooklands and Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
, as well as rallies and International Trophy Races.
After the Second World War, due to the demise of Brooklands, the JCC was amalgamated with the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club. The club then based itself at Goodwood Circuit
Goodwood Circuit
Goodwood Circuit is an historic venue for both two- and four-wheeled motorsport in the United Kingdom. The 2.4 mile circuit is situated near Chichester, West Sussex, close to the south coast of England, on the estate of Goodwood House, and completely encircles Chichester/Goodwood Airport...
, changing its name to the British Automobile Racing Club in 1949. Over the next 18 years, BARC organised at least one international meeting at Goodwood a year, notably Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
races and 9-hour sportscar races - the first night races to be run in Britain.
The club was also involved in the opening meeting at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace, London
Crystal Palace is a residential area in south London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...
in 1953, and organised the British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire...
when held at Aintree
Aintree Motor Racing Circuit
Aintree Motor Racing Circuit is a 3-mile motor racing circuit in the village of Aintree, Merseyside, England. The circuit is located within the famous Aintree Racecourse and used the same grandstands as horse racing...
in the late 50s and early 60s.
In 1951 the BARC Eastbourne Rally was held on June 30 with the best performance by Bancroft in a Ford 10 saloon. The event featured a Midnight Concours d'Elegance. During the period 1956-1967 the BARC organised competitive events at the Firle Hill Climb
Firle Hill Climb
Firle Hill Climb is a defunct hillclimbing course near Lewes, East Sussex, England, sometimes referred to as Bo Peep Hill Climb."The event will consist of a timed climb of the metalled roadknown as Bo-Peep Hill, situated near the village of Selmeston, on...
in Sussex. The event held on Sunday, June 2, 1957, was run in conjunction with the BARC 11th Annual Rally at Eastbourne, a 50-mile road event held the day before, starting at the Grasshopper Inn near Westerham
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
, with intermittent driving tests, including one at Butts Hill, Willingdon
Willingdon and Jevington
Willingdon and Jevington is one of the civil parishes in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The two villages lie one mile south of Polegate. The two parishes, two decades ago, were separate; the merger of the two has produced a parish of over 6,000 people...
, and then on to Eastbourne, via Beachy Head.
Goodwood was closed on safety grounds in 1966. The last event was a club meeting organised by the BARC on July 2, 1966. The club relocated to Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, opening in 1968, and becoming club headquarters in 1974.
Racing
Today, the BARC organises a large number of race series. The club is the organising club for the British Touring Car ChampionshipBritish Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
and the support races at each weekend. Another major commitment is the organising of the annual Goodwood Revival
Goodwood Revival
The Goodwood Revival is a three-day festival held each September since 1998 for the types of road racing cars and motorcycle that would have competed during the circuit's original period—1948-1966. It is one of the world’s most popular motor race meetings and the only UK event which recreates the...
meeting.
The club also organises many smaller "club racing" meetings, featuring such classes as Classic Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
, Caterhams
Caterham Graduates Racing Club
Caterham Graduates Racing Club is a British motor-racing club for privateer racing drivers in Caterham Seven type cars.-History:The Caterham Graduates Championship was started in 1998 by competitors from the 1997 Caterham Scholarship...
, Clubmans
Clubmans
Clubmans are prototype front-engined sports racing cars that originated in Britain in 1965 and remain a very popular class of racing. Initiated by Nick Syrett of the British Racing and Sports Car Club and organised by the Clubmans Register which represent car owners, drivers and constructors...
and Legend Cars. As well as the many events organised by the headquarters at Thruxton, certain BARC regions organise race meetings, notably the North Western Centre and South East Centre.
As well as the BARC's own events, the club frequently is the national appointed club for visiting international series. For example, in 1995 the BARC organised the first ever UK round of the FIA International Touring Car series
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
. The club has a particularly active role in organising A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
and the Grand Prix Masters
Grand Prix Masters
Grand Prix Masters was a one-make motor racing series featuring retired Formula One drivers. The inaugural event, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa, took place on 11–13 November, but the series folded after a 2 race season in 2006....
series, both at home and abroad.
The BARC is also in the unusual situation of owning race circuits. As well as the home of the club at Thruxton, in 1990 the club signed a 50 year lease on Pembrey Circuit
Pembrey Circuit
Pembrey Circuit is a racing circuit outside Pembrey village, south Wales. It is deemed to be the home of Welsh motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks...
in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In 2005, the club took on the running of Mallory Park
Mallory Park
Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley. With the full car circuit measuring only 1.35 miles it is amongst the shortest permanent race circuits in the UK...
circuit in the Midlands. In 2006, BARC took on Croft Circuit
Croft Circuit
Croft Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England. The tarmac circuit is just over long and is based on the lands of an airfield, but has long since moved on from being a basic airfield circuit...
, near Darlington, bringing the total number of circuits owned to four - on a par with rival operator MotorSport Vision
MotorSport Vision
MotorSport Vision is one of the world's foremost motorsport organisations, and the leading operator of UK motor racing venues. MSV has a portfolio ranging from major two and four wheel championships to organising the PalmerSport corporate driving event....
.
Other activities
The BARC runs more than just race meetings. As well as the Goodwood Festival of SpeedGoodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
, the club organises a number of hillclimbs
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
and sprints. These include meetings at Gurston Down near Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and Harewood
Harewood speed Hillclimb
Harewood speed Hillclimb is a hillclimb near the village of Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. The track can be found on the A659 between Harewood village and Collingham, north of Leeds...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
The club also has a social side, with a number of events over a year including regional dinners and the Big Night Out.
BARC-Ontario Centre
Due to the existence of a regional 'Centre' in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the club has a role in organising Ice Racing
Ice racing
Ice racing is a form of racing that uses cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, All-terrain vehicles, or other motorized vehicles. Ice racing takes place on frozen lakes or rivers, or on carefully groomed frozen lots...
events. In 2010 the Kendall Award for the most successful BARC-Ontario driver, in events held outside the region of Ontario, went to Robert Wickens
Robert Wickens
Robert Tyler Wickens is a Canadian racing driver, currently driving in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 he was runner-up in the GP3 Series...
.