Rounds 10 and 11 of the Milltek Sport Civic Cup take place this weekend (13-14 July) with a fantastic entry of nearly 30 cars set to do battle on the high-speed Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.
The official TCR UK feeder series goes from strength to strength with a level of competition that is second to none among one-make tin-top categories.
Leading the way after an incredibly strong start to the season is reigning champion Max Edmundson. The Area Motorsport driver has won four races and only once finished lower than second so far this season.
The Durham youngster has also qualified on the front row at every round, blending searing pace with a consistency that he’ll aim to continue on his home circuit.
Edmundson is being kept honest by his team-mate Josh Files. A multiple champion in touring cars internationally, Files has two wins to his name and only once finished off the podium.
He’s also the only driver to have beaten Edmundson in a qualifying session this year and currently lies 33 points back in the championship (before dropped scores are accounted for). All eyes will be on the next round of their duel this weekend.
While Edmundson and Files drive the numerically dominant EP3 Civic, the only other driver to win a race so far this year pilots the later FN2 version.
One-time champion Alistair Camp is leading Area Motorsport’s development of the car and was a reversed-grid race winner at the opening round. Recent tweaks to the car have allowed him to be on the pace more consistently so he should be challenging for more success at Croft.
Area Motorsport’s all-star team is completed by two-time TCR UK champion Lewis Kent, fellow tin-top title winners Liam McGill and Sam Kirkpatrick, and Harvey Caton, who makes the switch from Ben Sharpe Racing this weekend.
The BSR drivers have been Area’s closest challengers so far this season. Spencer Stevenson has led the way and can count himself unfortunate not to have more than one podium finish to his name.
He lies fourth in the standings, just seven points down on Camp. Stevenson also holds a big lead in the Paul Winfield Trophy standings for first-year drivers and those with less experience.
Young gun Will Redford is also a 2024 podium finisher, while Daniel MacDonald is back with BSR after making his return last time out at Oulton Park, where he broke into the top 10 in his only race start of 2024.
Pro Alloys Racing Team is another multi-car squad which this year is focusing on youth, fielding Fiesta Junior graduates Wesley Swain and Harry England, as well as Aydan Hassan in his first year in cars.
While they are making steady progress, former TCR UK man Alex Kite has led the line, albeit while suffering more than his fair share of bad luck.
Owen Hillman is a regular on the fringes of the top 10 in this ultra-competitive championship, which could put him firmly in the mix for a good showing in Sunday’s reversed-grid race.
Like Camp and two of the Pro Alloys young guns, DMR with KA Car Sales pairing Dave Marshall and Mark Hughes run the slightly bulkier FN2 model.
In fact, they have more experience than most with the car, and Marshall broke into the winners’ circle with it last year. He hasn’t quite recaptured that form this year, but expect him to be in the mix on his home circuit.
Hughes’s main focus is the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged 40 and over. He holds a healthy lead over Simon Welch (Team Squelch) and Trevor McConnell (McConnell Motorsport), while returning to the ranks this weekend is Detail Car Care Racing’s Anthony Gannon.
Also making a welcome return to the Milltek Civic Cup are Kinetic Motorsport, with EP3s for team boss Dave Buky and Nick Charlier. Meanwhile, Team Petters Racing drops to a single car this weekend for cheery East Anglian Jamie Petters, as big brother Daniel focuses on one of the biggest stock car race meetings of the season.
Behind Stevenson in the Paul Winfield Trophy standings, second is currently Josh Bromley (Bromley Motorsport with AMW Motorsport) despite missing the last round due to work commitments. Owen Hillman is third, ahead of One Day Motorsport’s Jordan Brennan.
MJB Motorsport’s Jack Ruddell is currently well down the order despite showing more than a few flashes of very strong pace. Ruddell missed the season-opener due to a clashing commitment and has endured a catalogue of misfortune since his return. It must be time for that to change.
Completing this weekend’s field are a pair of privateer entries for Will Butt and Jackson White, who makes his first start of the season after gaining experience with Pro Alloys last year.
This weekend is a double-header round for the Milltek Sport Civic Cup. Action gets under way with qualifying on Saturday morning at 0955hrs before the first race, Round 9 of the championship, takes place in the afternoon, at 1415hrs. The all-action reversed-grid finale, Round 10 of the championship, then follows on Sunday, with a scheduled start time of 1520hrs.
As ever, all the action will be screened on the TCR UK YouTube channel.
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