Dave Marshall and Mark Hughes have announced they will be joining forces for the 2023 Milltek Sport Civic Cup, where both drivers will race under the DMR powered by KA Car Sales banner.
Both drivers competed in the Production class last year in FN2 Civics and as the championship moves to a Cup Class-only spec, both cars have been upgraded for the new season.
Whilst Dave took the fight to the all-conquering Jeakins Race Preparation pair, it was Mark who secured third place at the end-of-season standings after Dave’s season was brought to a premature end at Castle Combe, during a start line incident.
Since Castle Combe, Dave has worked to upgrade his FN2 to Cup spec whilst Mark has recently tested a Motion Motorsport run CUPRA TCR Car as part of his prize for finishing in the top three of the Production Class from last year.
Whilst the grid has many EP3 Civics already registered, the number of FN2 Civics are growing, giving both drivers a chance to fight for honours at the same performance level as the massed ranks of the EP3 cars.
With his car now upgraded for the 2023 season, Dave is ready to get back on the grid and get mixed in with the other Cup class competitors to see how the FN2 goes in Cup trim.
“There is one goal this season (apart from not writing the car off) and that is to simply enjoy it. With the help from family and friends we have managed to form our own race team, DMR powered by KA Car Sales and can’t thank them enough for all the support they have given to help me get to this point,” explained Dave.
“I am also really looking forward to having good friend, Mark Hughes as a teammate. We helped each other last season to develop the FN2 which proved to be competitive and reliable. We will also be continuing our support from Dave Buky at Kinetic Motorsport for our Gearbox builds. He built both last season and ran faultless.”
As the championship moves to a Cup class-only structure for the new season, Mark is looking forward to getting back on track.
“I am really excited for this seasons racing with a new team, upgraded car and new goals. Moving to the FN2 chassis last year from the EP3 was a bold but yet refreshing change and becoming good friends with Dave and his crew really brought back what a laugh racing can be,” said Mark.
“They helped me develop the car as well as me as a driver, building confidence and speed throughout last season. It only made sense to continue the relationship into 2023. I am really pleased to have teamed up with DMR powered by KA Car Sales and looking forward to seeing how much more we can get out of the FN2 as well as myself with the aim of winning the Goodyear Diamond Award Trophy.”
The 2023 Milltek Sport Civic Cup season gets underway at Snetterton on the 300 circuit on the 8th and 9th of April, during the Easter weekend. Visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.