The Civic Cup makes its first visit to Wales for five years this weekend (20-21 June) with a double-header at Pembrey in Carmarthenshire. A busy field of ‘pocket rocket’ Honda Civics is sure to provide a thrilling spectacle of tin-top action on the same bill as the British Truck Racing Championship, in front of a bumper crowd.
Leading the way at the top of the championship standings after the most recent rounds at the super-fast Thruxton circuit last month is Matt Wilkins. The Motion Motorsport man is one of six drivers with a win to their names this year, but his consistently strong results – only once outside the top five – have left him with a healthy 39-point advantage.
Leading a tightly packed chasing group is Jake Hewlett. The Stevenage-based privateer took maximum points from the opener at Thruxton last month after following a pair of non-scoring guests home, and was an outright winner at Brands Hatch in April. With three non-scores to his name, it’s consistency that has let Hewlett down so far this season. But when it comes to outright pace, he’s proved tough to match.
Currently joint third in the points are Ben Sharpe Racing’s Spencer Stevenson and one-time champion Alistair Camp of Area Motorsport. After four consecutive top-five finishes put him briefly atop the standings, Stevenson’s consistency deserted him on day two at Thruxton but the one-time Fiesta Championship runner-up will expect to be back at the sharp end on Civic Cup’s first-ever visit to Pembrey.
The ultra-experienced Camp had a relatively tough time trying to get the most out of his more unusual FN2-model Civic – the majority of drivers use the popular EP3 – last time out, and found himself battling in the lower reaches of the top 10. But the 2021 champion remains the benchmark for every other driver on the grid. Camp won on the Civic Cup’s last visit to Wales, at Anglesey in his title-winning year, and will be gunning for consecutive wins in the principality.
Expect Camp’s Area Motorsport team-mates to be in the hunt at the sharp end too. Young gun Wesley Swain had similar difficulties with his FN2 in Hampshire but took victory in the opening race of the season at Brands Hatch. Irish star Sean McGovern has been a sensation in his EP3; he top-scored last time out at Thruxton, including maximum points behind a guest driver in the weekend finale, to climb to fifth in the championship standings. The downside of that is having to carry success ballast into qualifying and the first race at Pembrey. The new rules are contributing to closer-than-ever racing this year, but the cream always rises to the top.
Completing Rob Baker’s Area squad are rising star Francisco Howitt and former Mini man Charlie Budd, who are still settling in to their new surroundings, Budd admitting he wishes he joined the Civic Cup field a decade ago!
Alongside Stevenson, the rest of the six-car BSR squad is also packed with potential. Teen sensation Wilf Butler stunned onlookers with a win on debut at Brands Hatch, and further underlined his pace when he qualified second overall at Thruxton. He lies seventh overall in the standings, and second to McGovern in the Paul Winfield Trophy section for championship rookies and less-experienced drivers.
Aidan Mitchell’s second-row start at the Hampshire Speedbowl was his best-ever qualifying position. Fellow sophomore driver Charlie Constable continued his progress by recording his best-ever finish of fifth. Jake Renshaw has endured an up-and-down campaign so far, and Freddie Ingram completes the BSR line-up. Ben Sharpe and his crew have worked wonders to rebuild Ingram’s car after it was badly damaged – through no fault of his own – last time out.
One of the stars of the weekend at Thruxton was Daniel Petters who recorded a double podium finish that lifted him to sixth in the points standings. He and younger brother Jamie, both run by the family Team Petters Racing outfit, have established themselves as genuine frontrunners – a race win for one or both surely can’t be far away.
Like Butler, Louis Austin graduated from Junior Saloons into the Civic Cup this year and immediately impressed. He scored a maiden podium finish last time out and, with experienced saloon star Gary Prebble in his corner, looks set to be in the hunt for many more.
Dogged by misfortune, Bromley Motorsport’s Josh Bromley hasn’t had the rewards his pace deserves so far this year but will be looking to put that right this weekend. His former MG Trophy sparring partner Joe Dalgarno (Motion Motorsport) is also seeking a change of fortune.
Dave Marshall (DMR with KA Car Sales) is another who seems to suffer more than his fair share of bad luck. His new-build FN2 has been flying this season, only to be hit with gremlins caused by a faulty thermostat. Even so, two podium finishes and fourth-place points after a battling drive in the Thruxton finale leave him eighth in the standings and still well in contention.
Team-mate Mark Hughes is firmly focused on defending his Goodyear Diamond Award crown, for drivers aged 40 and over. Currently leading the way in the sub-category is Detail Car Care Racing’s Anthony Gannon.
Proud Welshman Will Butt will be looking forward to an event that is closer to home than usual, and he can count on plenty of support from the spectator banks. Fellow single-car entries for Ben Bateman (MWB Motorsport), Callum Eynstone (AT Motorsport) and privateer Adam Parker complete another busy entry.
On-track action commences with Qualifying on Saturday (20 June) morning, at 1135hrs, before Round 7 of the championship takes place at 1640hrs. Action on Sunday (21 June) comes in the form of the ever-popular reversed-grid race, Round 8 of the championship, which is scheduled for a 1420hrs start.
With British Truck Racing, Audi Cup and a host of off-track entertainment, it’s worth making the trip to South Wales if you can. But all the race action will also be streamed live for free on The TCR UK YouTube channel.
To find out more about the Civic Cup, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.
To find out more about the events on the 2026 Milltek Civic Cup Calendar, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/2026-season-calendar/ for more info.
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2026 season via our website and social media channels:
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Useful information
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