British Stock Car Association
Encyclopedia
| Category | Single seaters Open wheel car Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders... |
| Active since | 1954 |
| Country/region |  United Kingdom Netherlands |
| Engine | Chevrolet V8 engine Unlimited Capacity Normally Aspirated |
| World Champion 2011 | 2 Paul Harrison |
| National Series Champion 2011 | 55 Craig Finnikin |
| British Champion 2011 | 2 Paul Harrison |
| European Champion 2011 | 150 Mick Sworder |
BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars is a class of single seater auto racing
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 UK. Cars are custom-built and race on oval tracks of either shale or tarmac.
History
BriSCA F1 Stock Car racing can trace its roots to the first stock car race in United Kingdom, which was held at New Cross StadiumNew Cross Stadium
New Cross Stadium, Hornshay Street, Old Kent Road , in South East London was opened in the early 1900s as an athletic stadium but was mainly used for greyhound racing and speedway. The ground was adjacent to The Den, the then home of Millwall F.C. and was used as a training ground by the club when...
in London on Good Friday, April 16, 1954. Since then it has raced continuously and held over 5000 meetings across the United Kingdom.
Originally, the cars were slightly modified saloon cars, hence the term stock as opposed to race cars. Most of the cars were American models with a V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, although some were larger European cars. The cars were standard cars with wheel arches removed and with bumpers and roll bars added.
In the mid seventies, a group of southern based drivers broke away from the BSCDA (British Stock Car Drivers Association) and formed their own association, called SCOTA (Stock Car Oval Track Association). They raced for promoter Spedeworth International in cars exactly the same as BriSCA F1. In 1980, the southern drivers and Spedeworth decided to introduce a five litre limit, and make the cars slightly smaller. The 1980 formula (known as Formula 80) is still running today under the name of Spedeworth V8 Stock Cars.
Cars
During the 1960s, the cars developed from stock road cars into specially built cars with fabricated chassis and race-tuned V8 engines. While NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
also races specially-built race cars, they retain the appearance of a road car, unlike the BriSCA F1 which now bears no resemblance to a road car.
A modern BriSCA F1 is a race car with front engine, rear-wheel drive, and open-wheeled with the driver located centrally. Cars make use of an aerofoil mounted on top of the roof that is similar to those found on American Sprint cars. A BriSCA F1 Stock Car is constructed of a race engineering steel chassis with aluminium sheet body panelling and aerofoils (wings) with a robust roll-over/safety cage. They must weigh 1350–1500 kg and use a heavily modified Ford Transit
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...
rear axle with a 'Doug Nash' style gearbox with two forward gears (one for racing) and one reverse. The most common engine used, due to its reliability and availability, is a race-tuned American Chevrolet V8 engine in both small block (327 ci) 5.4 L and big block (454 ci) 7.4 L varieties, producing upwards of 740 bhp with approx 640 ft·lbs of torque. There is no limit in engine capacity or number of cylinders but engines must be naturally aspirated (no supercharging or turbocharging permitted). Cars can reach speeds of 80–90 mph around a quarter-mile oval so they use large roof aerofoils to help slow the cars down and create downforce on the corners to provide some extra cornering grip.
Many drivers use two separate cars; one will be set up primarily for use on shale or dirt ovals, while the other car will be set up for tarmac or asphalt ovals; however a few drivers with limited budgets may optimise just one vehicle for both surface types, changing various components for each different track and surface.
Races
BriSCA F1 Stock Car races are normally held on short oval tracks, either tarmac or shale. Heats usually consist of 16 laps, with meeting finals lasting 20 laps. Special events (such as the World Final) are held over 25 laps. The number of drivers per race general falls between 20 and 30 cars but there have often been 40+ cars in a race.Each driver is graded according to past results, their roofs painted accordingly: red aerofoils with amber flashing lights are known as 'superstar' grade drivers; then red, blue, yellow and white. The lowest graded drivers (white) start each race at the front of the field, while the superstar drivers start each race from the rear of the field. Championship winners are also designated specific roof colours: gold for the World Champion, silver for the National Series Champion, black and white checks for the British Champion, red and yellow checks for the European Champion.
World Championship
The World Championship is the most coveted of all championships - not only is a massive prize fund up for grabs, but the desirable gold roof is awarded to the victor. Points scored from fifteen designated qualifying meetings are totalled to produce two semi-final grids. Unlike normal races, the drivers with the highest number of points grid at the front in the World Semi Finals. The first ten finishers from each semi final qualify for the World Final in semi-final race position order. Also seeded into the grid for the World Final are ten overseas drivers, generally from countries such as Holland, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada and USA. There are also two additional drivers who qualify from a Consolation Semi-Final, and, if not already qualified, the defending World Champion may start from the rear of the field.National Series Shootout
Since 2009 The National Series Championship is based on the points scored over each meeting throughout the year, with a final ten Shootout rounds in which the top fifteen National Points scoring drivers qualify. Their points are zeroed at this point except for a small amount of additional attendance points. These drivers are then all classed as 'superstar' grade and are split evenly in each race in reverse points order at the rear of the field of cars. The top points scorer of the ten Shootout rounds becomes the National Series Champion and may hold a silver roof during the following season. Previously this honour had been given to the top points scorer over the whole season of racing, or latterly over 35 designated rounds.Tracks
The current BriSCA F1 tracks are:- Birmingham WheelsBirmingham WheelsBirmingham Wheels Park is a dedicated motor sport park with short-track oval motor racing circuit and MSA approved kart circuit, based in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, England...
- Buxton Raceway
- Coventry, Brandon Stadium,
- Hednesford Hills RacewayHednesford Hills RacewayHednesford Hills Raceway is an oval, short-circuit motor racing venue, situated on the Hednesford Hills, Cannock Chase, approximately from the town of Hednesford, Staffordshire, England.-About the circuit :...
- Ipswich, Foxhall International Raceway
- Kings Lynn, Norfolk Arena
- Manchester, Belle Vue StadiumBelle Vue StadiumBelle Vue Stadium is a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester where the very first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It is also used for speedway as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces since 1988 and since 1999 has British Stock Car Association...
- Sheffield, Owlerton StadiumOwlerton StadiumOwlerton Stadium, sometimes referred to as Sheffield Sports Stadium, is a greyhound racing track in Owlerton near Hillsborough in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The stadium is also home to the Sheffield Tigers Speedway team and hosts BriSCA Formula One stock car racing events. It is operated...
- Northampton International Raceway
- Skegness StadiumSkegness StadiumSkegness Stadium is a short circuit tarmac oval racing circuit, located just outside Skegness. It hosts British stock car racing throughout the year, alongside special events such as truck racing, stunt shows, firework displays and caravan racing. Speedway racing was first staged at the stadium in...
- Venray (NL)
Administration
BriSCA F1 Stock Cars is governed by the BriSCA Management Board, comprising three members of the association of promoters (BriSCA) and three members of the British Stock Car Drivers Association (BSCDA) together with an independent secretary. Rules and regulations relating to car specifications, race procedures, track requirements and all other aspects of the sport are updated annually by the BriSCA Management Board. All drivers wishing to race at a BriSCA F1 meeting have to be registered in advance by the BSCDA. All venues that stage BriSCA F1 racing must be licensed by BriSCA.Media
The 1980s saw BriSCA F1 Stock Cars on national television, featured on ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's World of Sport
World of Sport (UK TV series)
World of Sport was a British television sport anthology programme which ran on ITV between 2 January 1965 to 28 September 1985 in response to competition from BBC's Grandstand...
.
During 2009, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
filmed an F1 Stock Car Season almost in its entirety to produce a 6-part television documentary titled Gears and Tears
Gears and Tears
Gears and Tears was a British television documentary series that originally aired on the Northern Ireland variation of BBC One in 2010. It followed the story behind a BriSCA Formula One Stock Car Racing season and followed a bitter battle between two dominant clans in the sport: the Wainmans from...
which features the bitter battle between the two dominant clans in the sport, the 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...
-based Wainmans and the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
-based Smiths. Over the nine-month season the film makers enjoyed unprecedented behind the scenes access. The first programmed aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 2 August to over 2,000,000 viewers.