The Milltek Sport Civic Cup rolls into Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire for its second double-header of the 2023 season this weekend, 6-7 May. After delivering the close racing action the series is famed for at its season opener, another busy grid means that spectators are sure to be in for a treat.
Topping the points coming into the weekend is Jack Harding. The Yorkshireman made a fine start to his relationship with new team Ben Sharpe Racing by scoring fourth and first positions at Snetterton. With past wins to his name at Croft in Mazda MX-5s, Harding will be aiming for nothing less this weekend. His team-mate, long-distance traveller Dan Macdonald, will look to build on a solid pair of finishes on the fringes of the top 10 by pushing towards the top six.
Expanded squad Pro Alloys Racing has at least two championship contenders in its ranks. Leading the way at Snetterton, with two podium finishes, was young gun Will Redford who is currently second in the standings, just three points behind Harding. The experienced Alistair Camp, champion in 2021, currently lies fifth. But, back to racing in just one championship this weekend, Camp will be focused on eating into his 26-point deficit.
Ryan Bensley, Alex Kite and second-year driver Owen Hillman will want to put difficult opening weekends behind them and claw themselves forward to join their team-mates nearer the front of the pack. For Travis Chapman and Jackson White, the focus is likely to again be on building experience.
Motion Motorsport’s Dan Thackeray displayed prodigious pace on his way to a win from pole position at Snetterton. Managing seventh in the reversed-grid race leaves him third in the standings, from where he’ll be looking to mount a championship challenge. Team-mate Leo Panayiotou showed great progression on his debut weekend and looks a strong contender for Paul Winfield Trophy honours – for rookies and those without previous podium finishes – as well as pushing himself further forward overall.
Max Edmundson was arguably the revelation of the season-opener, catapulting himself into contention for race wins. Only a little over exuberance prevented the Area Motorsport driver from converting a maiden podium finish into a first win, something he’ll be seeking to put right at Croft while retaining his Paul Winfield Trophy points lead.
Area’s Mini convert Louis Capozzoli and returning race winner of the past Danny Hobson are also sharp-end contenders. Capozzoli would love to repeat his debut podium this weekend, while Hobson will hope to have overcome the straightline-speed deficit he was suffering.
Unluckiest driver at Snetterton was surely Morgan Bailey. Running his own car under the banner of MJB Motorsports, last year’s championship runner-up suffered a spate of gearbox issues which forced him out of race one’s lead before battling back to sixth the following day. The pace is definitely there; now Morgan just needs the reliability.
Privateers Sam Nicolaou and Harvey Caton were two more to impress at the season opener and were a touch unfortunate not to end up with more to show for their efforts. If they can steer clear of trouble, each will again be a strong contender for a decent race one result which could set them up for an even better shot in the reversed-grid race.
Joining the grid this weekend will be two drivers making their seasonal debuts. Former Production class regular Simon Welch brings his Team Squelch entry into the fray, and there is also a return for David Buky; the Kinetic Motorsport boss is a former championship frontrunner and will race alongside preparing cars for Jordan Brennan and Anthony Gannon.
Among the runners eligible for the Goodyear Diamond Award, for those age 40 and over, Mark Hughes currently heads Gannon and Jeff Alden. Hughes’s DMR powered by KA Car Sales entry and Alden’s Matrix Motorsport machine are easily spotted as a pair of FN2-shape Civics, adding some variety among the EP3s.
The Milltek Sport Civic Cup, official feeder series to TCR UK, will take to the track just before lunch on Saturday (6 May) for its qualifying session, scheduled for 1210hrs. Race one then takes place in a late-afternoon slot of 1650hrs. The second race, featuring a top-10 reversal on the grid, will be on Sunday (7 May) afternoon with a scheduled start time of 1455hrs.
All the race action will be streamed live and can be accessed via the Civic Cup’s official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@civiccup7654
To find out more about the Milltek Sport Civic Cup, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.